A Survivor's Recollections of the Whitman Massacre — John Shaqi
A Survivor's Recollections of the Whitman MassacreSager, Matilda
History
A Survivor's Recollections of the Whitman Massacre
Sager, Matilda
Whitman, Marcus, 1802-1847
The men of the company organized in a military manner, having their
captain and other officers, for they were going through the Indian
country and guards had to be put out for the protection of the
travellers and to herd the stock. The immigration of '43 was piloted
through by Dr. Whitman and ours was the second immigration across the
mountains. The road was only a trail and was all Indian territory at
that time, from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains. We had to
ferry streams, sometimes with canoes fastened together and the wagons
put on them; and the Indians rowed us across the rivers in some places.
The mountains were steep and sometimes we had to unyoke our cattle and
drive them down, letting the wagons down by ropes. The Captain of our
company was named William Shaw. There were vast herds of buffalo on the
plains and wandering bands of Indians. We had to guard the cattle at
night by taking turns. After we started across the plains we traveled
slowly; and one day in getting out of the wagon my oldest sister caught
her dress and her leg was broken by the wheel running over it. There
was no doctor in our company, but there was a German doctor by the name
of Dagan in the following company and he and my father fixed up the leg
and from that time on the old doctor stayed with us and helped. My
father was taken sick with the mountain fever and he finally died and
was buried on the banks of the Green River in Wyoming. His last request
was that Captain Shaw take charge of us and see us safe through to the
Whitman station. He thought that was as far as we could go that winter.
Twenty-six days later my mother died. She made the same request of
Captain Shaw and called us around her and told my brothers to always
stay with us and keep us together--meaning the girls of the family. Dr.
Dagan came on and helped to care for us with the boys' help. When my
mother died, my injured sister could walk only with the help of a
crutch. Mother was wrapped in a blanket and buried by the side of the
road. So the Captain and his wife looked after us and the other
immigrants showed their concern for the orphans by taking an interest
in us. A kind woman, Mrs. Eads, took the tiny baby and the big-hearted
travelers shared their last piece of bread with us. We finally arrived
at Dr. Whitman's station on the 17th day of October, 1844, seven months
from the Missouri River to the Whitman station. It was a long time!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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