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Show FACED DEATH TO SAVE CAPTIVES Thrilling Story of General Adams Visit to Indian Camp Following White River Agency Massacre of 30 Years Ago Olio night, more? than thirty years ago. a party of fit Indian lravcs at the White River agency, Colorado, nwept down upon the agency buildings, build-ings, murdered the agent, Meeker, and every man they could find; looted loot-ed the reservation .stores, and earrled away captive to the mountains three women and two children. The nation was horrified at the suddenness of the tragedy, as the Vies had been known up to that time as a peaceful tribe, and had never Riven any Iron Me to the forme'-agent, forme'-agent, (Jen. Charles Adams, who way. on the most friendly terms with their great Chief Ouray ami others of the trilie. lint under Agent Meeker the Indians had heroine discontented and threats were made. Meeker asked the government to send soldiers for his protection. The Indians learned they were coming and on that very night the murders occurred. Panic sei.ed Ihe settlers in that 1 part of Colorado and they fled to! Denver. The governor of Colorado, Instead of urging that the troops he hurried forward, asked that they le hailed and I hat General Adams he Kent lo mediate with the Indians and Keen re Ihe release of the captives. The Indians would murder them if the soldiers came, he said General Adams, then stationed in New Mexico, was ordered lo go to I the scene with all possible haste. Accompanied Ac-companied hy Count DoenholT, a Gorman Gor-man nobleman visiting the west, ho made a forced ride of J 00 miles on horseback to the Indians' camp in the. mountains, Here after a camp-lire camp-lire parley in the dead of night among the pines he succeeded in securing se-curing the release of the prisoner.; and the promise of the Indians to surrender sur-render those guilty of the murder.;) for punishment. It was a hazardou.-; undertaking, as a number of the braves in the council wanted to kill General Adams, his companion and all Ihe prisoners on the spot, ("en. Adams' Graphic Story. The story of the conference us to)'l j f by General Adams, afterward ap pointed United Slates minister to P.ulivla in recognition of this service, follows: ,: Hiding up lo the tent of Chief Johnson, I found Mrs. Meeker, and u lillle farther on Mrs. Price and her two children. The women were pitiful piti-ful looking spectacles. Wasted and wan and worn, with clothing lorn almost into rihhons, hair streaming and eyes dim with weeping, they rushed toward me imploring me to lake them out of their captivity. I promised them that I would not leave without them, and that they should soon he resored to their friends. "Some extra blankets which the party had hi ought with them were-hastily were-hastily fashioned into some kind of feminine, apparel, and leaving them these rude garments, with soap, water wa-ter and towels, I went hack lo my companions, leaving the women to prepare for Iheir return to civilla-I civilla-I ion. Captive Children Well Treated 'The children, who were playing ahout Ihe encampment, looked well and health) and said I hey had heer. kindly Ircaled hy the Indians, who hermrd fond of them and offered many ponies for their purchase. At noon Chief Douglas arrived with a de legation of his warriors, hut it was nightfall before the council lires weie kindled and the chiefs ready Tor the council. "That scene I shall never forget. It i htamped upon my brain inef- face-able colors, as I fully realized thai it was quite likely to he the last I should see with mortal eyes. The council was to he held in a Utile, Ut-ile, clearing In the midst of a deep pine, forest ahout a milo front the amp. The night was dark, and the deep Mac kness of Ihe vast pine forest stretched away indefinitely except where the little circle of tlu; council lire threw its ruddy glow. Around ll squalled the Indians, some 25 or U0 In number, Iheir faces grim, watchful, and InunovaMe, while I, wllli Count Doenhoff, sat apart and looked at them reproachfilly. "They talked among themselves In the Pie language. oT which 1 knew hut a few sea tiding words, all my discourse with them heing canicd on In Spanish. Presently Chief Douglas Doug-las turned to me and offered me Ihe pipe of peace. I shook my head. Refused The Pipe of Peace "I will nol smoke the pipe of peace with had Indians who kill while men and carry off my countrywomen," country-women," I answered in Spanish. The Indians looked snlleu and once more ' i talked apart. I could see that their discussion was hoi and that opinions j varied, some of the Indians seemingly seeming-ly to angrily protest against what others advocated. "My interpreter, a young Indian I oy who was very devoted to me, pulled my sleeve, and in the darkness dark-ness I could sec that he shook like ja leaf. 'Oh, Adamus," he gasped, 'they say host kill Adamus Adamus Ada-mus bring white soldier, kill white squaw, too.' I laughed, not very heartily I admit, and hroke into the discussion in Spanish. " 'You say you will kill Adamus, 'do you? Well, that's all right: you Uan kill me if you want to : I am a .vddicr, and a soldier expects to die U l he- discharge of his duly; I have j been a good friend lo you fellows and you know it; now if you want to murder our friend, well and good, there is nothing to prevent you. I I can only die once, and I am as irmly lo die now as any other time. I5M for your own sakes I want to tell you one thing. The soldiers ot my people are as the leaves on these trees. If you kill me or harm your (Motives, my countrywomen, the great white father will send his soldiers ard leave not one of you alive.' "I rose as I spoke and placed my hack against, a tree, determined lo sell my life as dearly as possible. It j was a critical moment. I Count Doenliolf's Silent Kloquence "Silently Count Doenhoff came land stood close at my side. Alone 'in that forest of blackness, the only white men within perhaps fifty miles, 100 miles from civilization, we were I absolutely in the power of those savages, sav-ages, who might torture us and put us lo the most excruciating death. I believe if I had wavered, my life, and perhaps that of the count, would have paid the penally. For a full minute they sat smoking and looking look-ing at me. Then a murmur went from one to the other, 'Adamus heap brave, Adamus no 'fraid.' "Then, 'long association of obedience obedi-ence to me. and, I readily believe, their genuine affection for me, prevailed pre-vailed over the dictates of their savage natures, and again they offered of-fered me the pipe of peace. Again I I shook my head and refused, say-ling, say-ling, 'No, I cannot smoke with you until you promise me to give up I your captives and allow the ring-I ring-I leaders of this revolt to be punished as they deserve ' "This again raised a stormy discussion, dis-cussion, and angry and suspicious looks were cast in my direction. War Whoops llre.ik the Silence J "A few angry war whoops cut the 'deep silence of the night, and voices were raised loud in tierce discussion I In the midst of it, and when it look-led look-led as if my friends were gutting the : worst, of the argunie.nl, a bout and ; withered old squaw, the mother of seven chiefs rose painfully to her feet, and leaning on her staff, with her stiff, dry gray hair blowing about her peaked, wrinkled face, pointed I her shaking, bony linger al the disputants, dis-putants, and said in Spanish, 'Think you chiefs, what you are. doing. Adamus Ad-amus is the friend of the Indian, the friend of Ouray. If you kill Adamua or hurt the while squaws you will have to settle with Ouray for it, and he is your great chief who will show you no mercy. You are few, Ouray Is great and mighty, he is the white man's friend, and if you kill Adamus, Ouray will send his chiefs to settle wiih you, and your tribes will know you no more.' "I do not know how it is among other Indian tribes, but among Ihe Ties Ihe aged are. held in the very highest respect, and receive the greatest great-est care and attention. As the aged mother in Israel (eased speaking and sank with a weary grunt once more upon the ground, the chiefs talked once nioro together, and I could see that my cause, was gaining. gain-ing. Agree lo Surrender "After some moments they turned to me and their spokesman said ; that they would give up the women and allow the ringleaders of the revolt re-volt lo be arrested if I promised them that they should nol receive a white-man white-man s punishment (be hanged.) I replied that 1 could make them no such promise, "I am not here to make promises for my government:' I am here to rescue and bring back my countrywomen. country-women. You have committed murder; mur-der; why should you not be punished punish-ed for it the same as a white man? Alter this 1 talked to them for a long time, setting t heir crimes before thorn in their true light, and urging to make all .tho reparation in D.eir power. I Pk l father and a friend and explained to them the disastrous results to their people and their tribe should they resht I pleaded for Ihe helpless women and the lillle children, and denounced in no measured terms Ihe murder or poor Father Meeker. The council lasted well onto morning, but ere the embers of the lire faded before I lie gray of dawn the Indians had promised submission, submis-sion, and I smoked with them the pipe of peace when they had given me their solemn pledge thai I might take back with me the captive women and children and that they would give up to justice the ringleaders ring-leaders of the revolt if I would see that the troops were: turned hack and no more soldiers sent against I hem. "I ledd Ihem that I could make no promises for the government, but would use my best endeavors in ther behalf, and with that tncy seemcM content and we returned to camp in the gray of toe morning In a friendly spirit." Indians Kepi Agreement The nexl morning when Gen. Ad- .ams had seen the women and children safely on their way back to civilization civiliza-tion under ihe escort of his friendly Indians, he. with Count Doenhoff, started for the White river to join Gen. Merritt and report on the success suc-cess of his mission. In accordance with his agreement the troops were turned back, Ihe Indians In-dians broke camp and went back lo their reservations, and the threatened threaten-ed Indian was was at an end. The promoters and ringleaders of the rebellion were given up by the tribe and received a well merited punishment, pun-ishment, and the surviving members of Hie Meeker family were grantd a pension for twenty years. Washington Wash-ington Post. |