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                  1852

two young men of the name of Cooper living on Eel River, going out to meet a sick brother who was coming in on the trail from the Trinity early in November were killed by the Indians in Yager Creek, running into S. fork of Trinity.  The murder was known among the Klamath Indians before the news reached their friends. One of their hats being found, a party went out from Eel River & found their bodies much mutilated,

Trinity [[Quin?]] reported at the forks of Klamath at the end of November that another man had been killed  between Redwood & the South fork about the 12th or 13th of Nov.  The man was on foot in advance of a party of 6 or 8 going from Union to the Trinity carrying his blankets & a pistol. He was shot with a rifle in the hands of the Indians, his body drawn out of the trail & covered with leaves & the train passed on without knowing of it.

The murder of the Negro on the Bald Hills during the past summer was traced to the Lagoon Indians near 
Trinidad. An Indian of the Trinity living at the ferry offered to take the whites at once to the place & point out the murderer.

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           William Mills

   Schr Jacob M. Ryerson master & 
Tichenor mate arrived off Eel river  in April 1850. The Laura Virginia was then lying off a little above. A Captain Macdonald was also there who had come up the coast from San Francisco in a whale boat.  Went in in the morning and they in the P.M.
A boat from another schr had been in some days already & not come out.  The Ryerson left San Francisco in search of the Trinity and seeing muddy water came out of the entrance, thought they had found it. Some of the men went on to Table Bluff and saw the bay which they at first took for a lagoon. They examined the river  as far up as the forks and Tichenor with a party  went up Van Dusen's fork.  Another party was sent to examine Humboldt Bay.  In the meantime a town was laid out on Eel River, but on report from the bay & return of Tichenor's party they abandoned it & went to the bay.  The Sonoma land party arrived about the same time.  Some of these parties founded the towns on the bay.
  The Schr Laura Virginia entered Humboldt Bay while this was going on.  A Revenue Cutter was also

Transcription Notes:
schr = abbreviation for schooner Tichenor is correct, name verified. Also name of ship the Jacob M. Ryerson is correct