VISIT OF THE superintendent OF INDIAN AFFAIRS TO SOUTHERN UTAH utan r G S L CITY may 5 I 1 hos HOK eltag ELIAS SMITH DEA n sir sin yesterday I 1 returned from a laborious labo riots though ft interesting trip through the extreme southern portion of the territory thie purpose of my visit was to see and lear rYthe condition 4 locality and character of the plute pinte pi tite ute tribe of Indi indians atis and to brin bring certain chitren to this city the piute plute indians indiana living in the southern part art of the territory are divided into ten ands binds each band baud num numbering berbig from 60 to 15 0 which live and roam on an I 1 adjacent to the S luthern southern california roid froni beaver to th thu the california line and along the banta clara los los vew veas as and the viren virgen rivers there is one prin principal cipa I 1 chief whose name is istuk tut se I 1 guv guir vit whom all the bands recognize as their head eich etch E ich band has one or more bub sub chiefs chiefa I 1 saw all the chiefs and many of the indians during my recent visit the P pi ute tite indians are not an ail exception to the other indians in the territory in regard to poverty it there is any irenc these are the inot destitute there ia less game in the country claimed by the pi plute ute indians than aily ally 0 her part of the territory tile tiye vegetation consists in a few scrubby cedars cottonwoods cotton woods woodi on the th banks binks of rivers the cactus bearing large pods which when roasted in ashes are oe of indifferent taste a few roots some bome grasy grasi and weeds the seeds of which are gathe gathered red fed and a peculiar shrub billed A few bands small patches of land already however most of the land which is naly loc locked cited for irrigation is lri occupied pi ed by bugarin bp garin from the whites and all sorts of thee indians merely sustain life and I 1 very mich fear that lecessi necessity essi essly essiy y lias compelled tiem fiem heretofore to steal cattle horses and mules and to commit the many crimes too fresh in our memory I 1 will rend r them such assistance in future as will be in my power anere haq was during last xv infer winter and still is considerable travel on the southern Calif california orala road most of which consisted in trains with gooda from california for utah territory this was during the sason season s ason agon of the year when the indians are most destitute miny indeed b being eing yi a starving condition and as I 1 am informed some of these trains were severely taxed by the indians you are well aware that owing to the entangled condition of affairs here I 1 could do but little officially until last jane june since then I 1 have be ben beit it constantly engaged among the indians in different did of the territory endeavoring with my ulmot to ameliorate their condition it was my desire to have visited the pi utes much sooner this was impo impossible isible the awful mountain meadow tragedy was p rp grated in the pt pi ute country but bat more of this by and bye on my way south I 1 found the he roads in an exceedingly r bad condition in consequence of snow enow mud mild tremendous hills and innumerable rocks and stones 0 ie wheel of each wagon and my carriage I smashed flat besides minor accidents occasionally my toy mules would stray away and a always ways at a place from ten to twenty miles from any place patience would have ben been a great reat help tinder under such circumstances curn cum stances but never having in my previous life had occasion to very carefully cultivate ahls quality I 1 found under these circumstances some bome inducement to experiment on the cultivation of pi patience tience which I 1 am happy to say has resulted in lit the acquisition of a small store of that desirable commodity after I 1 got south of fillmore on my w way ay south couth I 1 found it difficult to procure a sufficiency of grain for my stock for what reason I 1 cannot tell however we finally got to santa sauta clara I 1 neglected mentioning that mr nin rogers ac cf it companie dand rendered me valuable assistance s I 1 reached ale aie he memorable moun mountain tain meadow f valle vaile valley y mites south of this city wednesday april 14 and mooned at the min spring in the opta end nd of the valley where the unfortunate n NJ t emigrant migrant party was camped from five to eight liis llis days ay this valley usually called mountain meadows is 19 about six miles long anti and from one to three wide running L in a southerly diric direction tion almost a continuous meadow and excellent grass already growing throng throughout hout the whole valley the road leading into the valley from the east cast goes through tigh a narrow kanyon the road from the valley on the south raptly to the eastward and passes over a considerable sid kid id erable hill bill there are two narrow outlets f from om the valley be besides 9 ides ldes those already mentioned t ned through which ch the water runs the 1 e entire pre ore valley excepting the roads and ontie outlets 0 above alluded to ia is surrounded bv high hil hll I 1 9 9 with several small ravines or galleys between broken and abrupt hills bills from several point points i the valley proper I 1 could have a distinct view of anything that inget be ingin the 1 e whole v valley vailey a iley there is one honse house JP in this valley talley a 1 ley situated in the east end where there is a corral corrai ac I 1 have now traveled over irver much of this extensive territory and the mountain meadow valley ig Is the most mist extraordinary formation est of the rocky Aloun mountain tain probably in a altitude than any other valley small or large oil on the continent yet it is a continuous and handsome meadow furnishing grass for einach stock but in too high altitude for agri of any kind and even if it would admit ef of agriculture nature has not supplied it with sufficient water there being but two springs in the whole valley about the centre of the valley in what is called the rim of the ilasin basin il or the point where the water either finds its way to the pacific or lakes of utah territory nature always profuse in lit making provision for the weary traveler and his bis stock has it would seem designed this extraordinary and beautiful little v valley alley in so high an altitude that it can never be despoiled bythe by the bands of the agriculturist as a resting place and for resuscitating the broken do down w n stock of the anxious traveler before reaching the deserts that all travelers over the southern california road must encounter before reaching the healthful and rich california climate and soil and on which deserts are arc now bleaching the bones of thousands of human beings and tens of thousands of animals I 1 fear I 1 have taken up tip too much space in describing the mountain meadow bleadow valley but the terrible drama consummated in lit this little valley hardly eighteen months alyo allo ago apo c with the cries of women and children almo aimo almost s t sound in ones ears must illy make thi thib this g peculiar valley among the clouds a subject or ot to the I 1 informed my then guide and interpreter vir hir mr nir ira hatch that I 1 was anxious to see the spot where the inas sacre took place and also where the dead were hurried I 1 saw the three p places aces w where er the dead are buried x information received from persons in aa and mout rout ut of the mormon church and observations whilst at the place enables me to say that the emigrant party in ques question ion lon arrived and anti camped at the spring in the south end of the valley friday sept adir lih 1857 the amount of property is estimated at from to head with from ten to thirty wagons my own impression impressions is that they had head of cattle and about 40 wagons it is said the firing commenced on oil monday apt JO before daylight arid and thattie firing i aa wag was s by ey the indians fig ahting fighting the said emigrant party then in camp at the spring as already stated the firing was continued some say five others say seven days dining be the five or seven days of firing and fi g by the indian ludian st the em grant party was corralled that I 1 h they made a corral and temporary fort by their wagons and filled under the wheels and to the bed of the wagons with sand and and airth dug dog in the centre of the he corral I 1 saw the ditch and other evidence evidences of f there 11 i 1 re edving been a corral sept 11 35 A I 1 in n the te morning a frind frendly frigidly trind frim idly ly indian ludian and one who could talk english came ino folo the corral the having then been wilhoit wit hoit water from five to seven days made aira afra cements or treaty with said indian didian in which the indians were to have the property spare the lives of the tile whites and permit them to ti return to pinto creek and cedar city from the spring and corral lo 10 the place where it is 13 said they were murdered and where I 1 saw caw the graves or imperfect holevis at least one mile and a half I 1 walked over the aroun I it is supposed oed they were k killed the tie evidences of this being uni from froin skulls and other bones and hair liing scattered the ground there are there buried as near as I 1 cin ascertain log persons men women and children and hom from one to two miles luither faither down the valley two or three who in attempting to escape were killed partly up lip the hill bill north side of the valey and there buried burled and three who got away entirely eu but were overtaken and killed at or near the lle ile lie vegas or A milady in all 1 I made strict and diligent I 1 inquiry of the number supposed to have been bee 0 k killed and is probably about the correct n umber number april arrived at santa clara thi abi afternoon ani camped in town II lire re I 1 met mr air nan Han II 11 triin who has been in my employ since lid lap fall collecting certain children arid and othen other her bwl less among tile the indians hers hera santa clara myself and party were kindly treated during our stay two days I 1 bay say the of my iny letter that I 1 purposed po d b bringing ging to ibn city certain children remaining of the mountain meadow bleadow massacre these children sixteen in number I 1 have now in mv thirteen I 1 rot pot in santa clara at mr J who collected thern them in pur fuance t V my el i sections and three agot I 1 got in ceda cedar city on our way home who were left there by mr aar gimblin Him blin I 1 am pleased to say that mr air has Ms charged his bis duty in lit relation to tha th collection an I 1 keeping of those children ane following is all I 1 have been able as yet to collect of the history history of these unfortunate father leq tei lei e e motherless an and perin children f 0 john calvin now 7 or 8 years yeara old does not remember his bis name says his family lived at horse co arkansas ambrose moroni about 7 yead and wi william am 4 12 1 2 years brothers these also lived in johnston co prudence 6 vears years years and annie abo abolt 3 years these are maid said to be sisters bisters Reh cra 9 0 years louisa 5 years and sarah 3 12 1 2 years yeara named dunlap betsy 6 years and annle annio 3 maid caid to be sisters bisters Bi stera these know nothing of their fael ly y or residence char charlea es Fra francher 7 or 8 years and his bis sister ann annie annle 3 12 1 2 years sophronia or mary huff 6 years and clisba W hutt 4 years A boy no account of him those among I 1 whom lie he lived called him biro william F rancis francis hown or korn korna 4 12 1 2 years old I 1 have come to the conclusion after different conversations with these children that most of them come comoe from Jahn to arkansas most of them have 0 th aythey althey they eave nave lave grandfathers and grandmothers in the states mr hamblin hambur has good reasons for believing that a boy about 8 years and bp lAnging belonging to the party in question is among the navajo I 1 indians diang at or near the colorado river ca my communication is already too long but I 1 must ask your indulgence for a few lines more 1 11 I will keep the children under my immediate supervision until the person appointed to take kem hem to fort smith arrives the massacre of an entire train not one remaining to speak of the drama but sixteen fatherless motherless and penniless penny less children be too young to give the affair tangibility cannot remain long t ia gated ted the cause or reason for the commission of a crime so terrible as that of killing at least persons must assuredly become a subject of inquiry with the proper legai legal authorities the plute P pi ute tribe of indians have been and are charmed charged with the above crime last august my attention was called to the mountain meadow affair officially since then I 1 have made diligent inquiry got the written statements of persons living in the neighborhood and finally visited the southern count country rr and now after full inquiry and examination I 1 deem lit t to be my duty to indians indiana lu I 1 aid ald and auff rw w ites and an in lit my 0 bat LUT 0 the pi pt plute U ute te indians M not ta perpetrate ed a the terrible gerrib le massacre e without anch aldand aid ald and assistance bair mr jacob st hamblin lamblin and others of S sinta clara ciara ira expressed nevii anxiety to bring antl tb thel ito to ji justice stice t J 24 T J TT T remain very respectfully yours ac FORNEY J