sacred in heaven and on earth that the avenging hand of public justice shall be swiftly, yes, immediately stretched out to deal energetic and proper punishment upon all those fiends in human form who have been guilty of these recent as well as lal former murders and robberies on these emigrant roads for all time past since these roads have been traveled by the Pacific Coast emigration.

General Wright, in the name and on the behalf of the population of this Territory, I want instant and immediate retributive justice done in these cases of brutal murders and robberies that have been so lately inflicted upon our own innocent, peaceable, and unoffending fellow-citizens while they were quietly traveling from the Valley of the Mississippi to the Pacific States and Territories. And expressly for this purpose, I now most earnestly, respectfully, and urgently beg and request that you will immediately decide upn the most practicable plan of dealing out the proper mesure of punishment upon each and every one of these monsters in atrocity who have been guilty of all these foul crimes against the just laws of God and man; against the lives and property of our fellow-citizens. And I pray you do not delay nor weaken the blow of inflicting punishment by procrastinating the time of action for ten, nor five, nor four, three, two, nor one year after the perpetration of these crimes against humanity, but strike quickly, and I pray you strike now, while the hands of these villainous murderers are yet reeking and red with the blood of their innocent and unoffending victims; for if your effeort be left until next spring before you begin the work of preparation to ythen send troops in warm sun-shining weather to catch these vicious murderes, long ebefore our troops can reach that bloody ground the white and red skinned demons who have murderously assassinated or own peaceable fellow-citizens will by that time have safely gotten out of the reach of all who may then be sent, entirely too late to catch the guilty men; it will then be, as it has always been, a mere farce. To effectively punish the guilty and strike terror into the hearts of all others, as a lasting warning, and to give positive and enduring proof that their crimes shall not go long unpunished, it is absolutely necessary that troops should be sent at least as far on the road up Snake River as Fort Boise, or perhaps still farther, and with plenty of provisions with them, there to winter, if they could get no farther (with safety) toward Salmon Falls, where it is thought the Snake River Indians and their white associates reside during winter. And the protection of our scattered mining population will need two or three new military stations being immediately established as far southward and eastward as Fort Boise. Therefore, with these views of the necessity of immediate action being taken by the troops under your command, in order to inflict a lastingly righteous punishment upon the murdering and plundering Snake River Indians and their associates in crime, and for the further purpose of affording suitable and necessary protection to our newly settled farming and mining population now going to winter on both sides of the Snake River Valley, I respectfully request you will authorize and direct General B. Alvord to establish a military post at Fort Boise, and another half way between that place and Lewiston, with plenty of provisions to sustain the troops through the winter and spring months, and for all our forces to be directed to reach the Salmon Falls and Fort Hall at the earliest day practicable to punish the murderers and robbers of our citizens.

With great respect, &c., your obedient servant,

WILLIAM PICKERING,

Governor of Washington Territory.