Shepard from St. Louis being killed, and two others
wounded. This affair was begun by the usual thieving of
the Indians. The men robbed appealed to Rev. A. F.
Waller, who advised them to take some Indian horses and
hold them until the property was restored. This brought
on an attack, with the result of a skirmish, and about the
same number of killed and injured on both sides. Many
families were robbed between the Umatilla and The
Dalles, their property being carried to a distance from the
road and cached. Mrs. Geer came near being killed at
the crossing of Des Chutes by an Indian. Four families
left near John Da} T river with their wagons, while the men
of the party were looking for stolen cattle, had everything
taken from them, even to the last vestige of clothing, the
women and children being left naked. They had managed
to conceal a bolt of white muslin, out of which they had
hastily made a covering when Ross company overtook
them and gave them some blankets. By building a fire
on the sand to warm it, they were made passably comfort
able through a frosty September night. These outrages
were known to Dr. Whitman, and still he remained.
That he was much alarmed, however, seems to be shown by the large number of persons over seventy in all whom he gathered about him at his station for the winter. Thanks to Mr. Crawford s journal, we are able to obtain some account of this temporary colony. From the train to which Crawford belonged he drew Joseph and Hannah Smith, with five children one of them a daughter aged fifteen years. Smith was sent to the sawmill, about twenty miles from the mission; and Elam Young, his wife, and three sons, the eldest aged twenty-four, the second twenty- one, also were sent to the sawmill, where Young was to get out the timbers for the new gristmill at the mission. Isaac Gilliland was employed as a tailor at the mission; Luke Saunders and wife as teachers. The latter had five children, the eldest a girl of fourteen years. Miss Lori rid a Bewley, and her brother Crockett A. Bewley, were also
