Told by the Pioneer's - Washington Secretary of State

Told
by the Pioneers
with them. This task fell whollv on )11'. Yantis and Edward Neeley,
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as the other men wanted to leave him, stating that he could not live and
that they "vould all be killed if they stopped to attend to the boy. They
even undertook to leave them, whereupon Captain Yantis threatened
to shoot them if they attempted desertion which had the effect of keeping
them together, but they would not help to get him a·way. However,
hy perseverallce in this determination, they arrived safely at the large
train, with the boy, who recovered, and I have been lately informed
that he is now in Oregon.
Another of the vVard boys, vVilliam, a lad of 14 or 15 years olel. was
shot with an arrow through his right lung, the point of the arrow going
so nearly through as to cause the skin to protrude on the back, but
he hid himself away in the brush until the savages had left, when he
made his escape, walking to Ft. Boise, in this condition, which journey
took him five days (during which time he li,'ed on wild herbs and berries
gathered on his route) where the arrow was abstracted by cutting
to it from the back and pulling- it through. He also recovered. These
two make the only survivors of the entire ,Vard train.
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From appearances the Indians had attacked the ,Vard train on the
same day that we were attacked, as the stench from the dead and mutilated
bodies was terrible, but we stopped long enough to dig trenches
and rude graves for the burial of our murdered companions. The
"women and children presented a most terrible spectacle, having beell
Imrned by the savages. After having performed this sad and sickening
task we pursued our journey to its end ·without further incident of
note, many going to what is now the State of Oregon, while we with
several other families, including' :311'. Meeker, the father of John and
Ezra :'\feeker of Puyallup and the Whitesells of Orting, made our way
on to Puget Sound by way of the Naches Pass over the Cascade
)1ountains, which was a perilous trip. Very few undertook this route
,,-jth wagons. In coming down the mountain sides the ,,-agons had to
be "snubbed down" as it was called, with ropes, which was done by
makillg strong ropes fast to each wagon and taking half-hitches to
trees, by which means they could he kept under control while goinp.'
over the steepest places. This road was little better than nature had
left it and was simply a route picked through the mountain wilds. Our
course was down the Naches River, which we had to cross sixty-two
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times in one day. Here I had another bit of perilous experience. 1,
in company with my brother next older than myself, lingered behind
the \\-agons to gather gum from the pine trees. After having crossed
the river twice in succession and thinking that we would not cr08~
again soon we allowed the wagons to get some distance ahead of us,
and when we started to catch them, to our surprise the river was behveen
us and the wagons. As we could see no other way we set out
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