Kate and Sue McBeth, Missionary Teachers to the Nez Perce

1856

On his way back to Puget Sound, Stevens received the stunning news that warfare had erupted both east and west of the Cascades with many tribes that had signed treaties with him. The entire Northwest was inflamed, reported the messenger, whom a Nez Perce had guided across the Lolo Trail. East of the Cascades, miners and land-hunters, responding to Stevens's announcement, had come onto the lands of the Yakimas and other tribes. Gold had been discovered in the Colville Valley, and the resultant rush led to conflicts with Indians who had felt all along they should not have signed the treaties. Several whites, including the Yakimas' agent, had been killed, and Federal troops stationed at The Dalles had marched into the Yakimas' country. The Indians had halted them, however, and forced them to retreat with casualties. As alarm had spread among the whites, another Federal force was preparing to launch a punitive expedition against the Yakimas.

At almost the same time, conflicts had broken out between whites and Indians in southwestern Oregon and in western Washington, where Stevens had earlier dragooned the tribes into selling their lands. The territorial leaders of both Oregon and Washington had raised companies of volunteers to cope with what appeared to be a concerted Indian uprising throughout the Northwest. Even in the Walla Walla area, the Cayuses, Wallawallas, and Palouses were rumored to have joined the Yakimas in the fighting. . . . No one know where the Nez Perces stood, the courier told Stevens.

Looking Glass and his Nez Perce delegation were still with Stevens and, though inwardly sympathetic to the warring tribes, agreed among themselves to take him under their protection until they got back home and could decide with the other band leaders what the Nez Perces should do. The party passed through the countries of the Coeur d'Alenes and Spokans and found both divided over whether to join the war. . . .

Stevens was nettled, and he was now worried about the disposition of the Nez Perces. With Looking Glass's escort, he hurried to the Clearwater and at Lapwai found Lawyer assembled with a large number of pro-peace Nez Perces, who offered more than 200 warriors to see him safely through the countries of the Cayuses and Wallawallas. A council was held, in which all the Nez Perces pledged friendship to the Americans. It was deceptive, because it concealed a deep division among the bands. They had been under great pressure from emissaries from the warring tribes, and many headmen and chiefs, seeing the justice of the war, had come close to joining it. But . . . Lawyer had reminded them that they had done well at the Walla Walla council and that if they went to war, their own people faced misery and death from retaliating Americans. Even the most belligerent headmen and war chiefs were pulled up short by Joseph's argument that he wanted no American troops in his homeland. In the end, the council decided to do what was necessary to preserve the people's security, even though the hearts of some of those who voted with Lawyer were with the embattled tribes and they refused to participate with the Lawyer group in giving any further help to the Americans. . . .

. . . Though beaten in battle, the tribes east of the Cascades were still unconquered and were determined to resist the invasion of their homelands. . . . Meanwhile the Oregon volunteers and newly formed units of Washington militia warred ruthlessly on any Indians they could find. They shot down innocent groups and lone individuals, hanged one Nez Perce man whom they suspected of spying on them, . . . and finally massacred a peaceful camp of Cayuse and Wallawalla women, children, and old men . . . on the border of Joseph's Wallowa homeland.

The whites' provocations, particularly the hanging of the Nez Perce, strained the collective patience of the Nez Perce chiefs and headmen. Again and again, the rise of war fever tested the persuasive powers of Lawyer, Timothy, Spotted Eagle, Jason, and others. But the peace leaders clung to their conviction that the Nez Perces' safety depended on their faithful adherence to the pledges given Stevens and, aided by Craig, they managed each time to restrain the anger of such men as Looking Glass, Three Feathers, and Eagle From The Light, who argued heatedly that Stevens's treaty was a fraud designed to deceive the Indians.

Even as the tribe polarized into bitter pro-treaty and anti-treaty factions, the Lawyer group continued to try to convince the Americans that the Nez Perces were their true friends. Forty-seven of the Lawyer group enrolled officially as a "Company M" in the Washington Territorial Volunteers and campaigned with the whites for a time through the Palouse and Yakima countries. On other occasions, Lawyer's followers sold horses to the Americans (for which the tribe was still asking payment as late as 1877) and provided escorts to American supply and ammunition trains.

At times, Lawyer almost lost control. Joseph and Red Wolf, among others, had now abandoned their faith in the Americans and were giving up their interest in Christianity and Spalding's teachings. The Nez Perce fury rose so high, even at Lapwai, that Craig was prepared to flee. The tension was finally abated by the intercession of the regular army, whose leaders accused the volunteers of prolonging the hostilities by their reckless actions. With troops of the 9th U.S. Infantry, Col. George H. Wright, in May and June 1856, restored peace among the Yakimas, then sent a force under Lt. Col. Edward J. Steptoe to accompany Stevens to a new council that Stevens called with the tribes in the Walla Walla Valley. There was bad blood between Stevens and the regular officers, for the Indians had convinced the latter that Stevens's treaties and highhanded conduct at the first Walla Walla council had caused the war and that he and the volunteers were now trying to drive them from their lands even before the treaties were ratified.

At Walla Walla, Stevens hoped to get the Indians to admit that they had accepted the treaties and had then broken them while he was with the Blackfeet. Instead, he was greeted at the September meeting with hostility and contempt. A large number of both Nez Perce factions appeared and took opposite sides. After Timothy and Thunder Eyes, known to the whites as James, assured Stevens that the Nez Perces would stand by the treaty, Joseph, Red Wolf, Eagle From The Light, and a chief named Speaking Owl all rose to say that they had not understood the treaty, that they had no intention of giving away any land, and that Lawyer had sold it unfairly.

Stevens finally ended the council and, escorted by the Washington volunteers and a band of 50 pro-treaty Indians led by Spotted Eagle, set off for The Dalles. As they started to move, they were attacked by angry Indians from many tribes, including some 120 of the anti-treaty Nez Perces. For a while, Nez Perces faced each other in the skirmish. Finally, Steptoe rescued Stevens and went down the Columbia with him. The episode induced Wright to go to the Walla Walla area in October and meet with the Indians. Few of them responded to the call for a new conference . . . but Wright assured them that he understood their grievances against Stevens and that, until the treaties were ratified, he would keep all unauthorized whites out of their lands. . . . (pp. 90-94)