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
Mr. Hines, of course, believes the following statement, because the
_gentlemen_ of the company told it to him; just as I did the first time
I heard it from them. It is said, Smith and companions, "rehearsing the
story of their wonderful escape and subsequent sufferings to the members
of the Hudson's Bay Company, the utmost _sympathy_ was excited in their
behalf, and a strong party was fitted out to go and rescue the
_property_ from the savage robbers, and restore it to its surviving
owners. The vigor and perseverance of this party were equal to the
promptitude with which it was fitted out. They proceeded to the scene of
blood, and after committing the mangled bodies of Smith's murdered
companions to the grave, compelled the Indians to relinquish the
property they had taken," by giving them presents of blankets and
powder, and such things as the Indians wished, as stated to us by a
Frenchman, a servant of the company, who was one of McKay's party that
went to get the furs. They found no bodies to bury, and had no fight
with the Indians about the property, as stated by Mr. Smith also. But,
as the Hudson's Bay Company tells the story through Mr. Hines, they
"_spread terror through the tribes_." Was this the case in the Whitman
massacre in 1847? the Samilkamean massacre in 1857? the Frazer River
murder of American citizens in 1858? No: Governor Douglas told the
committee that asked him for protection, or for arms, to protect
themselves; that "_if they_ [the Americans] _molested her Majesty's
subjects he would send a force to punish them_." Mr. Hines says his
Umpqua party "_returned in triumph to Vancouver_." And well they might,
for they had made the best season's hunt they ever made, in getting
those furs and the property of Smith, which paid them well for the
expedition, as there was no market for Smith, except London, through the
hypocritical kindness of Mr. Simpson. By this time, Mr. Smith had
learned all he wished to of this company. He preferred giving them his
furs at their own price to being under any further obligations to them,
Mr. Sublet, Mr. Smith's partner, did not speak as though he felt under
much obligation to Mr. Simpson or the Hudson's Bay Company in 1836,
which was not long after the transaction referred to.
I do not know how the company regard these statements of Mr. Hines, yet
I regard them as true so far as Mr. Hines is concerned, but utterly
false as regards the company. As old Toupin says Mr. Parker told the
Indians, "It is their fashion" of taking credit to themselves for doing
all they could against the Americans occupying the country in any way.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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