100 
100 men who went into the battle not more 
than 60 returned. It was never known 
how many Indians were killed, but the 
number must have been comparatively 
small. 
The settlers and soldiers, then cooped 
up at Mt. Idaho and Grangeville, anxiously 
awaited reinforcements. But Joseph, in- 
stead of attacking them, remained several 
days encamped at W hite Bird. This delay 
on his part gave time for troops to reach 
the seat of war. 
Volunteers from Walla Walla, Dayton, 
Waitsburg, and Lewiston flocked to the res- 
cue of the settlers. On the 24th they ar- 
rived at Morton’s ranch on Camas prairie, 
20 miles from Cottonwood, where there is 
now a prosperous town. Perry came there 
during the day and notified General How- 
ard of the position of the Indians. They 
were still at White Bird canyon. Howard 
advanced with his forces to recover and 
bury the bodies of those killed in the bat- 
tle. That accomplished he located Joseph 
across Salmon river, 5 or 6 miles distant 
from the battlefield. At that time Chief 
Looking Glass and his band were sup- 
posed to be scme 30 miles in Howard’s 
rear. 
Colonel Whipple was ordered to arrest 
Looking Glass and his Indians and turn 
them over for safe keeping to the volun- 
teers at Mt. Idaho. Looking Glass was 
given an opportunity to surrender, which 
at first he promised to do, but afterward 
defiantly refused. The result was that sev- 
eral Indians were killed, but Looking Glass 
and his band escaped. Whipple then re- 
joined Colonel Perry. 
On July 2d Scouts Foster and Blewett 
went in the direction of Craig’s mountain 
to reconnoiter. Toward evening Foster re- 
turned and reported the Indians at Saw- 
yer’s canyon, about 12 miles distant. Whip- 
ple sent Lieutenant S. M. Rains with 10 
men to ascertain the strength of the enemy. 
Rains and his men were cut off and killed 
only 2 miles from the headquarters of the 
troops. It was afterwards learned that 
Blewett was thrown from his horse and 
killed by the Indians. 
On the morning of July 4th Perry’s de- 
tachment joined Whipple at Cottonwood. 
About noon of that day 17 men were 
crossing the prairie to Cottonwood. With- 
in 1% miles of the encampment and in 
RECREATION. 
plain view of the troops, they were sur- 
rounded by about 125 Indians. Though 
the fight lasted more than an hour, only 
one man went to the assistance of the sorely 
beset little band. Major George Sherer, a 
volunteer, watched the fight a few minutes. 
Then saying, “A man may be a damn fool 
if he goes down there, but he’s sure a damn 
coward if he doesn’t,” he mounted his horse 
and joined the 17. Afterward Colonel 
Whipple went down with about 24 men. 
Perry claimed, before a court of inquiry 
held at Lewiston, that there was a force 
of Indians in his rear, and he could not 
afford to lose his stronghold on the hill. 
In that fight Captain Randall, Ben 
Evans and D. H. Hauser were killed; 
Johnson and Allie Leeland wounded. The 
17 men were all settlers, defending their 
homes and familics, and after the war was 
over many had not a home to go to. 
From that time until July 11th, skir- 
mishes took place here and there. On the 
latter day the Indians concentrated at the 
mouth of Cottonwood creek. There the 
final and decisive battle was fought. last- 
ing 2 days. The Indians were defeated 
and driven out of Idaho into Montana. 
I will not attempt to describe their flight 
nor the destruction they wrought before 
their capture at Bear Paw mountain, 1300 
miles from their starting point. 
Since then Joseph has been féted in 
various parts of the country and held up 
to admiration as a great and good Indian. 
If his admirers had shared the troubles of 
the Camas prairie settlers they would have 
longed to hold him up with a rope. 
White Bird met his just deserts in the 
Assineboine country a few years ago. He 
was a medicine man, and, undertaking the 
cure of a sick Indian, who finally died, was 
killed by the sorrowing relatives on the 
ground that he had bewitched his pa- 
tient. 
Senator Mitchell introduced a bill pro- 
viding that each volunteer who joined the 
forces of the United States in Oregon, 
Washington, or Idaho, during the Nez 
Perce war should be paid $1 for each day 
of service; also the actual value of any 
horse, arms, etc., lost by him in such ser- 
vice. The pension laws were made ap- 
plicable to those who contracted wounds 
or disease during the war; but I have never 
heard of anyone’s recovering a cent. 
Clara—I knew by the tone of his voice 
that he was going to propose to me. 
Maud—Was there a ring in it ?—Detroit 
Free Press, 
