A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic InformationGray, W. H. (William Henry)
History
A History of Oregon, 1792-1849: Drawn From Personal Observation and Authentic Information
Gray, W. H. (William Henry)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Oregon; Oregon Territory -- History
At Council Bluffs they found an Indian trader speaking the French
language, meaner than the Sioux Indian, by the name of Papeon. The party
had been twenty-one days on rations that ordinarily would have been
consumed in four days; they had killed and eaten parts of two of the
nine worn-out horses; they had with them six. The party entered the
trading establishment and requested some food and the privilege of
washing, not as beggars, but expecting to pay for what they required.
They waited an hour or more; no food was forthcoming; Gray went to
Papeon, the trader, and inquired the reason they could get no food. The
old French imp inquired, in his broken French, "_Have you got any ting
to pa for de tings you vant?_" He was asked if gold would pay him, or a
draft on his company. "Oh, yes," he said, and in a short time food and
what was required was produced.
This is only a specimen of most Indian traders of the Catholic stamp.
There are honorable exceptions.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Re-enforcement to the Methodist Mission.--Re-enforcement to the
mission of the American Board.
We will leave Gray and party on their way down the Missouri River, and
return to Oregon to introduce to the reader a re-enforcement to the
Methodist Mission, consisting of Dr. Elijah White, a man that few who
have dealt with can speak well of, utterly destitute of all morality and
genuine piety, assuming the garb of religion to cover his baseness of
heart and meanness of life. He arrived at the Columbia River in May,
1837. He entered upon his professional duties, and in a few months
boasted of the liberties he had taken with most of the ladies of the
mission who were so unfortunate as to receive his medical attention. It
was easy to see the influence of such a man. His words were smooth and
brotherly, his acts were poison and infamy. He never had a friend but he
betrayed or swindled him in some deal. He would tell a lie when the
truth would answer his purposes better. This man for a time had
considerable influence; his calling as a physician was necessary and
indispensable to the mission. Rev. Jason Lee soon found out the
character of this wolf in sheep's clothing, and presented charges
against him for his immorality, and expelled him from the mission.
Previous to leaving the country, he called a public meeting and made his
statements, and attempted to mob Mr. Jason Lee and get the settlers to
give him a character, in both of which he failed, and left the country
to impose upon the government at Washington, as he had done upon the
mission and the early settlers of Oregon. We will leave Dr. White for
the present, and give him all the credit due to his bad deeds and
exhibitions of folly in his capacity as sub-Indian agent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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