They all seemed to be perfectly willing to surrender and go back
to headquarters, so we started back via Tule Lake. When we reached
the mouth of Lost river I turned the prisoners over to the two
sergeants who had charge of the two platoons of soldiers. George
and I wanted to make a circuit around in the direction of Clear
Lake, thinking, of course, that the prisoners would be perfectly
safe in charge of the soldiers, especially those little girls.
George and I did not get to headquarters that night until ten
o'clock, and the first thing I heard when I got into camp was that
the Indians had tried to run off into the tules while coming down
Tule Lake, and they had all been shot down by the soldiers, I went
at once to see Gen. Ross relative to the matter, for I could not
believe it. The General confirmed the report by saying every one
of them had been shot. I said: "General, that is the most cowardly
piece of work I ever heard white men accused of in my life. Will
you please tell the men who did that cowardly piece of work, that
they had better never be caught out with me when I have the best
of it, for I would much prefer shooting such men down, to shooting
helpless women and children."
This conversation caused a great deal of talk of a court-martial,
but it all blew over, I suppose, on account of Captain Jack
murdering Gen.
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