Whitman massacre
The Whitman Massacre
November 29, 1847. Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife Narcissa, and 15 other are killed by by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians. Indians that they had previously housed at Waiilatpu, their mission. Cheif "Beardy" tryed vainly to stop the massacre, but did not succeed. He was found crying while riding towards the Waiilatpu Mission.
Causes
The primary causes of this massacre were
A. Many indians died from an outbreak of both cholera and measles. B. The indians disliked Mrs. Narcissa Whitman because she showed contempt for their way of life and the indians themselves. C. The missionaries' attempt to permantly change the Indians' way of life. D. The killing of a Walla Walla indians cheif's son.
Justified?
In 1836, Marcus Whitman, Henry Spalding, and their wives crossed the Rockies. With the help of Dr. John McLoughlin (but against his advice), they set up at Waiilatpu, near Fort Walla Walla, and only six miles away from the current day city of Walla Walla.
Among the many new arrivals at Waiilatpu in 1847 was Joe Lewis. Bitter from his previous maltreatment in the East, he soon spread discontentment among the local Cayuse. Soon he was telling them that Dr. Whitman, in his frantic attempts to save the Indians, was not really doing so, but instead was delibrately poisining them.
On November 19, Tilaukait, Tomahas, Kiamsumpkin, Iaiachalakis, and Klokomas, enraged by the talk of Joe Lewis, attacked Waiilatpu. Elizabeth Spalding's daughter was staying at Waiilatpu when the massacre occured. Luckily, Eliza was returned to her parents by Mr. Ogden, a British official of Hudson's Bay Company. Dr. Whitman was dismembered and mangled beyond recognition. Although fatally wounded, he lived for several hours after the attack, mostly unconcious.
Those killed that day include: Dr. Marcus Whitman Narcissa Whitman Andrew Rogers Jacob Hoffman L. W. Sanders Mr. Marsh John Sager Nathan Kimball Isaac Gilliland James Young Frank Sager Crockett Blewley Amos Sales
50 other residents were captured, and Mr. Ogden paid sixty-two blankets, sixty-three cotton shirts, twelve Hudson Bay rifles, six hundred loads of ammunition, seven ounds of tobacco and twelve flints fo the return of the prisoners.
Indians often killed their medicine man, or shaman, if the patient died. It is highly probable that the Cayuse and Umatilla held Dr. Whitman guilty for the numerous deaths. Thus, from the Indians point of view, these actions were justified,
June 3rd, 1850- Tilaukait, Tomahas, Kiamasumpkin, Iaiachalakis, and Klokomas were hanged after a long trial for their roles in the massacre.
A final note: Many people think of the Whitmans as an inspirational legacy, but in reality they had no respect for the Cayuse and Umatilla, they held fanatical veiws on Indian religion, and made no efforts to understand the Indians.
Other Information
While many results came of this, only two are major enough to be mentioned. This massacre shocked Congress int oaction concerning the future territorial status of Oregeon. The Oregon Territory was finally established on August 14, 1848. The other result was this: Them assacre was the prelude to a 30 year period of violent war, known as The Indian Wars. Governmental action was impossible because it was not part of the country yet.
Elizabeth Spalding and Narcissa Whitman were the first american women in Oregon County.