Historic Book Excerpt from

Life and Death of Oregon "Cattle King" Peter French 1849-1897 by Edward Gray, 1995

1978 Indian War in southeastern oregon, chapter one, page 11

"Many accounts of the Bannock Indian war of 1878 have been written, therefore, I will only write what is relevant to this history. There is no doubt that some members of Egan's band took part in this affair. It's very possible that a few Paiutes of Otis were involved as well, and it's possible that Chief Winnemucca II had a couple wayward Indians who joined. The problem is simple; No one really knows which Northern Paiute rode a horse, shot an arrow or gun, burned a building or a haystack, killed stock, or stole a horse belonging to a white man in 1878 in Harney County. (Appendix A.)

It is known that five men were killed by Bannocks or Paiutes in June, 1878, as they passed through the Blitzen River Valley on their way to Silver Creek and Wagontire Mountain: George C. Smyth (1816-1878) and his son John (1840-1878) in Happy Valley on June 14; Peter French's Chinese cook, Ah Pan in Diamond Valley on June 16; Tom Dixon (Dickson?) and a man named Hickerson or Thompson along the Blitzen River on or about June 17. Homes, ranches and hay stacks were set on fire in the same locations as well as at Thomas Wall's cabin at Roaring Springs and Riley and Hardin's ranch buildings at the Double O. French's Diamond and P Ranch buildings were also burnt to the ground. 60

There is no doubt that Peter French was one of the leaders in opposition to the Indians as they approached his Diamond Ranch on June 16. At the time of the Indian attack the following men were known to have been with French; John Hochneadle, Bill Lambert, Sam Miller, John O'Neal, Prim "Tebo" Ortego, Ah Pan, Jack Rhodes, Albert H Robie, Sylvester "Coon" Smyth, John South, Sidney Thomas, John Witzel and four others that time has forgotten. 61

John Witzel (1861-1944) was just sixteen when he went to work for French in August, 1877. Witzel worked for French surveying in Catlow Valley and at the P Ranch, and was feeding stock and herding horses at the Diamond Ranch when the Indians came. 62 His son, Dell Witzel explains, Dad was herding horses when the Indians came in there. He seen them trying to steal the horses. Scouts had come in and he was about a quarter mile from the main ranch house and he brought those horses back to the corral and it was then the boys got some horses to leave the ranch. They all got on their horses and started for the P Ranch. When they got on top of the hill there at Diamond that's when Peter French had his rifle and held them [Indians] back. It was at this time when my dad was mounting a horse next to Pete French that he was shot by an Indian just below the left hip. The bullet went through his hip into his horses heart killing the horse. Dad had to get on behind another man's horse to ride to the P Ranch. There was a China man in the bunch. He got killed. He was bareback on a horse when he fell off and they put him under a bridge hidden out, but the Indians found him and killed him. Another fellow, "Coon" Smyth, didn't have a horse when this China man fell. He just had a rope on him, lariat, looped on his nose when he fell off. Smyth got hold of that rope along with French and the others. Smyth held onto that horse until they got to the hill. 63 John Witzel was taken to Camp Harney from the P Ranch where he was cared for in the post hospital for three months. Ah Pan was less fortunate. His body was found the following day and he was buried at the location of his death somewhere in Diamond Valley.64

Peter French and a few other ranch hands continued the fight against the Indians after the burning of the P Ranch."

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