History of the State of California: From the Period of the Conquest by Spain to Her Occupation by the United States of AmericaFrost, John
History
History of the State of California: From the Period of the Conquest by Spain to Her Occupation by the United States of America
Frost, John
California -- Gold discoveries; California -- History
"Accordingly, on the 16th of April, a war party was made up of about
twenty young mountaineers, mostly Oregon men, and including also the
young Greenwoods. Well mounted, and equipped with the enormous
gingling California spurs, they rode up to Old Greenwood's for a
review from the old man preparatory to starting. Each man carried
besides his inseparable rifle, a long Spanish knife usually mounted
with silver, and stuck in the folds of his deerskin leggings; and many
were also provided with a brace of pistols or bowie knife, worn in the
red Mexican sash around the waist. Old Greenwood shouted 'Mind the
scalps and squaws for me, and be sure you bring 'em all in, boys,' and
away they went, at a thundering _lope_, eager for revenge."
The day afterwards, the party returned. They were preceded by a party
of Peruvians and Chilians, with a number of their _peones_, or slaves.
"Following closely this motley group, came on foot a body of about
sixty California Indians. Warriors and boys, squaws with _papooses_
tied on boards and slung at the back, all were prisoners. Clustered
together like sheep driven to the slaughter, they hastened through the
gorge with uncertain steps, the perspiration rolling off their faces
now pale with fright. Many of them were quite naked, and the men and
boys especially, looked more like ourang-outangs than human beings.
"In flank and rear rode the war party, which had left the Culloma
Valley two days previous. Every man's rifle lay across the pommel of
his saddle, and dangling at both sides hung several reeking scalps.
Among them was a dashing young mountaineer named John Ross, who had
two scalps for his share, and sticking in his sash was the
red-sheathed bowie knife, which the writer had sold him a few days
previous for an ounce of gold dust. Used previously to sever the rinds
of pork, or shovel in rice and frijoles, it had now been 'wool
gathering' or collecting wigs for old Greenwood's fancy stores.
"'Well done, boys,' shouted Grover, 'you have given it to them this
time; now, what's the news?' In reply to this inquiry, we learned that
the captured Indian had led them the night before according to
promise, to their _rancheria_, on Weber's Creek, where some of them
showing fight and others attempting escape, they were fired upon and
some twenty to thirty were killed. Their chief fought until shot the
third time, rising each time to his knees and discharging his arrows,
Ross finally killing, cutting off his head and scalping him. Their
_rancheria_ was then searched and burned; the Indians delivering up
the papers of the Oregon men, obtained at the time of their murder,
and confessing that they had afterwards burned their bodies to ashes
on the mountains.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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