| Show INDIAN MATTERS IN SANPETE correspondence between gen oen morrow and dr bodge bodee headquarters military diat dist of utah mount pleasant september ath 1872 dr geo W dodge dodger special indian agent salt lake dear sir all MI the facts I 1 have baer baen able to collect and they are many point conclusively to the utes from the uintah and white whito river eiver agencies as having been the principal if not the exclusive agents in n committing the depredations in sanpete and the adjoining countley count les ies these thebe indians came to the settlements early last spring and remained in them until I 1 arrived with troops their conduct towards the citizens was arrogant domineering and dictatorial indeed it assumed finally the air of a concu conqueror eror towards a subjugated community they entered private dwellings at all hours of the day and night and compelled the women to cook meals for them at all hours often proscribing prescribing the dishes they wished served in addition to this they were impudent beggars I 1 am not sure but atwould it would be more proper to say they were impudent robbers for their demands for food and presents wre ware usually made with weapons in their hands to compel obedience obelie nce to thel their r exactions after plundering the people in their homes they entered upon a systematic course of horse and cattle stealing which resulted in the loss to the inhabitants of sanpete alone of more thim than head bead of horses and as many head of cattle to prevent this an attempt was wag made to guard the herds more closely this was not to be submitted to by the indians who killed two of the herders gerders her ders and wounded several others this state estate of things had bad gone on until one of the highways of travel between sanpete count county yand and the settlements on utah lak lake e had bad to be abandoned I 1 and people went armed to their fields and about their villages patrols were established and when ColHou col coi hough gb of my command arrived at mount pleasant he be found almost a reign of terror among the people who welcomed his bis soldiers as deliverers I 1 think I 1 may say with truthfulness that there is not another american community in the mation matlon which would have endured half the outrages these people endured before rising up as one man to drive out the savage invaders at the point of the bayonet on any principle of self defense they would have been ju justified stifled in doing this thib Now bir sir I 1 haye have given you a plain statement of facts and I 1 desire to in vite your attention and through you the attention of the indian depart ment to 10 the ahe justice and propriety of making this thia people some recompense for fort heir belr losses this may be done I 1 believe from the appropriation made by congress for these tribes ItI llis souly only an act of simple justice to the poor people who have stiff buffered suffered ered so severely that I 1 it t should be done it is some time since I 1 had occasion to examine the subject buti bub but J believe there is a law of congress of 1831 which authorizes cem eem pensa tian ad n to be made in cases like the present an and prescribes the manner in which it shall be done it if this course Is pursued now it will not only be proper in itsel itself fias as an ah act of justice to the people but jt it will also teach the indians indian that they cannot commit depredation depredations with impunity t I 1 am bir sir 4 i your obedient servant or ac to t i i HENRY hehry A MORR w 1 3 lt colu col coi U S army kali lii iii i it i commanding 11 u OFFICE U S S IND IMD fa f A 1 t salt lake city iltz utah 2 f 1 sept col H A morrow military dist utah dear bear Sir siw your Ybur letter ietter of date mount pleasant sept 11 Is before me and contents carefully considered bodily ills and official duties have prevented an earlier reply I 1 fully concur with you in all ali the state statements ments menta you have therein made I 1 have for a long time been satisfied that the indians of the uintah and white river reservations were the principals or largely concerned in the depredations in sanpete and adjoining counties this summer I 1 feared buch bubb results in their first appearance in may last both myself and the hon see bee of in gerior who was in salt lake about r that thad time deemed it of the greatest im A porta parlance nce noe that they should be returned ja to their respective reservations as soon boon as possible certain charges made to him against the uintah agent caused him to order me to visit the camps of these indians as aa soon as practicable and ascertain the cause of their leaving their agencies and to request thern them to return I 1 held a council with them t he the ath and oth of june at fairview san pete county at which they gave the following as aa the reason for leaving their agencies iet let to visit their friends the mor mons to exchange friendly greetings and trade with other indians to worship the great spirit near the resti resting rig tig place of their fathers and to receive compensation for the use of their lauds now occupied by Mor monts and miners 2 the uintah indians urged still farther that they had bad no means of sub si stence ence euce nt rit the agency 3 that the agent and his employed emp loyes treated them harshly even preventing them from laboring when they asked the privilege 4 that the agent did not give them the goods and provisions that thad goy gov govern ern ment provided for them 6 5 that the government had not carried out the promises made to them in the spanish fork treaty I 1 made a minute of all the proceed ingis ings of this council and assured the indians that their statement of grievances would forwarded to washington as soon as I 1 returned to salt lake and that I 1 would furnish them provisions to enable them to return at once to their I 1 gave my omm off official letai order to amasa amaba tucker bishop of fairview I 1 to issue to them 4 pounds of flour and 2500 2600 pounds of beef the indians assured me that they had bad not finally abandoned the agencies they only wished the assurance that they they would be kindly treated and fairly dealt mald with and they would return though they desired to visit for a few months before they returned I 1 could ifould not consent to this but promised to do all in my power to have their wants sup plied in the future I 1 also issued a quantity of ammunition and a few articles of clothing having done all that was immediately necessary for them I 1 left hoping they would return to their agencies and give the government and settlements no farther trouble this season however on my return to bait balt lake about the middle of june I 1 found they were still in valley and that they did not intend to return to their agencies until autumn I 1 therefore sent bent an off official iclal order to them through bishop tucker to return to their agencies at once renewing my nay I 1 assurance that government would do everything consistent with right to redress their grievances this order was issued june soth the indians declined to obey the first day of july a council was held in my office in salt lake city composed of gen B B R cowen abst aest sec int hon john S delano chief clerk int hon J N turney civil coar ind affairs geo L woods governor of utah territory hon J B mckean chief justice and hon C M hawley associate justice U S court utah ticer flier alcer ter ten col H A morrow commanding military district I 1 of utah and myself at which the condition of indian affairs in this territory was fully discussed the re sult suit of which was the issuing of instructions to me to proceed at once onca to the indian camps and make provision for their immediate return to their agencies peaceably it if possible otherwise to call on the military to force them back the next morning july 21 I 1 started again for the scene of trouble and succeeded in holding a council at nephi on the ath with tabby and douglas with sever several alof of their counsel counsellors coun lors at which I 1 was assisted by judge george bean of provo every argument that I 1 urged to induce them to return to their agen clea cies cle cie a was stoutly resisted they stating in addition to the reasons already assigned that I 1 as the spanish fork treaty was never rati ratified faed aled therefore the land of utah occupied by them before the coming of the white man was theirs and that the white man was only occupying the same by their permission they also urged that they had the night previous received a revelation from the great spirit that they might remain away from their agencies two months longer when the voice from the west would appear to th them em and give instructions about their f future t ur course of course I 1 could not admit these reasons and to conclude the matter at oncel onee once gave them ten days to prepare to comply with my request giving them 1600 pounds of fl two beeves at the same bame time I 1 niso also promis ed to subsist them at the agency until the agent could stock the same with his hia winters supplies they agreed to these terms I 1 at once returned to salt lake city and contracted with mr chab chrs popper to send forward beef cattle and pounds of flour all the cattle were at heber city the point agreed upon with the indians within one week from this time also 6 pounds of flour soon after 10 pounds more were in readiness for distribution oa the of july I 1 visited the indian camp again at fountain green that I 1 might make every provision for their return trip this thib time I 1 was accompanied by capt nugent of your command agent littlefield of the white river biver agency and judge bean of provo the the indians indiana met irain us in council when they manifested decided hostility to any arrangement whatever for returning to their agencies the indians indiana returned to their camps campa very angry the we met a large band of elk mountain utes na and kapota Kapo tay tag who were so insolent that I 1 found it necessary to issue an official order forbid forbidding dlug ding the citizens furnishing them any supplies whatever hoping they would thus be compelled to leave buttol but no they all interpreted the presence of a military officer with me as a declaration of war against them them and they determined to resist we turned back from here feeling that we had no alternative but to turn them over to the military at fountain green I 1 was overtaken by a telegram tele grani from bishop seeley of mount pleasant stating that tabby and douglas had concluded to start at once for their agencies this fourth promise they did not carry out the most moat of these bands became more and more insubordinate until the chiefs gave notice that they could no longer control their people telegrams to this effect were immediately sent by the bishop to mayor wells to you and to myself there was evidently but one course to pursue which was to call for the military to protect the citizens and compel the indians to obedience I 1 at once took the necessary nece Esary steps to hasten the preparations for this new departure telegraphing to the hon secretary of the interior to call on the war department for the necessary order for employing troops also making a requisition upon gov woods for the same and communicating my action in the premises to you at the same time the results are well known to you the promptness on the part of government and your own decisive and politic course have brought the indians to accept the terms of the government without bloodshed I 1 can cau but congratulate you sir bir the government the citizens nud nod myself on the success of your expedition and negotiations I 1 beg you to accept my grateful acknowledgment know for so cheerfully undertaking der taking and so successfully carrying out that part of the pro gramme belonging to me I 1 should not have imposed this upon you but for my serious illness at the time tim e I 1 most heartily join you in recommending that a deputation of the most able of these indiana indians be allowed to visit washington for the purpose of laying their grievances before the president and indian bureau I 1 trust this will be granted and that the president will lermit permit persons who comprehend the condit condition lod lon of indian affairs here to accompany them your reference to the great losses on the lct act part parl of the citizens odthe disturbed district is eminently just and I 1 shall do everything in my power to bring such relief to the sufferers as the law will allow those who have met with losses should lose no time in laying before the agent all ali the facts in the case they should not only give their owe own names clearly the number of horses or other stock they ench each have lost the amount and kind of other property stolen or destroyed but should obtain the certificate of two or more responsible persons of known veracity who are not party concerned to the effect th that a t their claims are j juat net and true and that they have sustained such losses at the hands of certain indians ludiana giving their individual names and the names of their or bands as government requires specific and not general statements in 14 bucu sucu cases simple justice requires that they should receive eack nack their property in good condition or its value it is also simple justice that the government should only be i required to pay the losses that are clearly proven to come under the laws made and provided for such cases where there are annuities due such indians indiana as have committed these depredations sound policy would dictate that the portion of goods properly due the de predators should bo be taken to pay such losses and thus they bo be taught that they cannot commit such acts with impunity no efforts will be spared on my part to make good our mutual promises to the indians and citizens though still needing rest I 1 am ready to move I 1 as soon as your forces can cau accompany me to matre marke an effort to recover the stolen horses and to apprehend and bring to justice the thieves I 1 have carried this reply to your let ter tor much beyond what I 1 desired however the peculiarity of the cir cum eum seem to necessitate all I 1 have written I 1 trust the publication of your letter with my reply will remove from the minds of the people any impression they may have entertained either of neglect on the one hand baud or ton great severity on the other hand band on the part of the indian agent of this district or of any other goverd govero ment official who bas has acted a ant part in thess these matters the agent has not been indifferent nor idle but bas bbs worked indefatigably no I 1 let me not say that he hag hab worked to weariness and und sickness and worked when weary and sick as you very well know if peace and prosperity is the result will abundantly compensate for all this I 1 remain dear sir very respectfully your obedient servant GEO W DODGE U S special indian agent |
