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Show 2 - CHILLY TIMES - APRIL 15, 1997 HISTORY AND SETTLEMENT OF NORTHERN SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH —from the writings of Frank Silvey (This continuing series is from the Silvey writings which capture much of the color and feeling of the early settlers in the general Moab area of southeastern Utah.) KILLINGS AT PETERS SPRING Peter's Springs is always remembered by old pioneers as a spot where a number of shootings have taken place. In 1888 John Gibson and an ex-soldier had a shooting match here. They both emptied their sixshooters at one another at ten paces with the result that Gibson was unharmed but the soldier was seriously wounded in the shoulder and arm He went as fast as possible to Monticello and suddenly coming in on Mrs. Mons Peterson, frightened her so badly she was sick for some time after. . The following year Hatch and a small bunch of Piutes were camped at Peter's Spring. “Cowboy" and some southern Utes were camped near by. Hatch and Cowboy got into a heated argument no doubt over the way the deer had been slaughtered in the La Sal Mountains. As the Piutes .now wanted to protect the deer as they expected to always remain in San Juan County, while the southern Utes who had by this time given up hopes of any permanent residence _ in San Juan County, wanted to drive the remaining deer south near their reservation. At last, Cowboy in a rage shot Hatch killing him instantly. Both factions of the Indians became excited and began moving camp. Hatch's body was hastily placed under a small ledge and a fire built on the remains. Also three ponies were shot near the remains so that Hatch would have ponies in the Great Happy Hunting Ground above. At this time Dave Goudelock and Dave Bird were working for the Carlisle Cattle Company, their headquarters being the Double Cabin, now called Carlisle. Bird was an odd character, always trying to put up a job, generally harmless, on some one, Indians those days were always requesting credentials from some white man to be presented to some other settler that they were not sure of being friendly. The credentials generally read, "This is a pretty good Indian, etc." One day Bird wrote one for an old Indian which stated, "This is a bad Indian. Shoot him on sight." The old Indian not knowing what was written on his credentials, proudly handed this "paper talk," he called it, around. Seeing the rather crude joke, no one told the Indian but let him keep on passing it along. Afew days after the killing of Hatch, Dave Bird visited the Indian camp near by at Peters Spring and found Hatch's body which had been partly burned. Thinking, no doubt, to have a little excitement, he wrote a note something as follows, "Here lies a good Indian, Hatch by name, and many more good Indians follow in the same way." Splitting a stick, he placed this "paper Talk" in one of Hatch's eye—sockets. Two hours later Goudelock saw a lone Indian whipping his pony at every jump coming across the Mesa. Upon reaching Goudelock he said, "What's the matter now?" "Paper talk in Hatch's eye. " Goudelock at once knew the handwriting as Bird's and thought he would have some fun. So he said, "This paper talk says, 'Ute Mountain Utes heap fight 'em Piute." At once the Piute leaped on his pony and soon was out of sight going south. Bridger Jack did not camp with the Piutes but camped as a rule with his own little band. He was always a friend to the white settlers around La Sal and always made his word good in every way. My sister made gloves and buckskin shirts during our residence in La Sal and bought many buckskins from Bridger Jack and he always brought good ones. He could speak those days considerable English, always dressed well and was a fine looking Indian. Bridger's great weakness was gambling and this we will see the cause of his demise in the prime of life for he would take most any kind of chance in order to get money to gamble on. Mons Peterson was running a store at Monticello in 1889-1891. Mons' brotherJohn, looked after the store. On one of his trips out after goods, Mons met Bridger Jack alone, driving a bunch of ponies. "Where did you get so many ponies, Bridger?" asked Mons. "My grandmudder she die at Uintah, leave me pony." After some talk Bridger went on. About a month later Mons met Bridger in Dry Valley alone and driving a number of ponies ahead of him. "Well, Bridger, you get more ponies?" asked Mons. "What do you do with so many ponies?" "My brother at Uintah he die and leave me more ponies and me swap 'em off to Navajos." After a little talk they again went on their ways. A few weeks later on a trip out, Mons saw a cloud of dust down the valley and a bunch of ponies with a lone Indian chasing them. At a short distance from the wagon, the Indian roped a fresh pony, changed, and came on at a run. Now Mosa saw it was again Bridger Jack with a bunch of ponies, "Your mother die again, Bridger," Mons asked. Bridger grinned and said, "Maybe so, Me no time to talk, heap go." About four miles down the valley Mons met four Uintah Indians. "You see um my pony?" one said. "Inan heap steal urn." Mons replied he saw no brands but saw a bunch of ponies up the valley. They went on as fast as their ponies would carry them but they never caught up with Bridger and his no doubt stolen ponies. It is said that Bridger soon gambled them off to the Navajos at "Monte." Some years later, 1894, Bridger Jack and his little band were camped at Peters Spring. A bunch of Piutes also camped there. Wash and Bridger got to gambling with cards and finally got to quarreling over the game, and both became so mad they decided to fight a duel with rifles. The agreement was to stand back to back, then each step off twenty steps, turn and fire. This they did and both wheeled and fired at the same time, but it is said Bridger for some unknown reason fired at Wash up in the air, while Wash's bullet penetrated Bridger's heart killing him instantly. A few years later the writer saw Wash at Navajo Spring on the Ute reservation, and Wash looked very old and depressed, and I was told he was at times a little crazy as he brooded a lot over his shooting Bridger. They had always been good friends up to the time of the quarrel and shooting. The Indians slaughtered and drove off the deer after they had found they must finally go to their reservations (the southern Utes), for the greater part of their time at least. They hunted new, virgin ground where deer were plentiful. This was the Disappointment Plateau and Lone Cone Mountain where the Indians had done little hunting prior to 1888, but this year they started to kill deer for their hides in large numbers. The settlers in this district around Dolores and Disappointment had little use for Indians as they remembered the killing in cold blood of May, Dave - —MORE SILVEY, p. 3 |
