Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-09-17

10 the outbreak (? It was hunger an
starvation which drove them first to rob
and afterwards murder. The rapid in
fux of miners into San Joaquin vale,
and its tributaries, which was Indial
country, and the lawless character o
many of these Adventures, had driver
the Indians back into the mountains
where there was no means Of susteHance
they then began by driving off the horses
and cattle of the miners, which provoked
the whites, who retaliated by destroying
the stores of actors collected, and which
with few fish, taken on the streams
from which the Indians had been ex
PEELED, furnished their only subsistence
So general did the war become, and Sc
formidable were the Indians, that The
operations of the miners were seriously
impeded. and in some localities entirely
suspended. The starvirg condition o.
the Indians is attested by Captain Day,
Of the United States army, and by othel
highly intelligent citizens. Another
reason why the Indians commenced hos.
tilities is, they found their own land and
country suddenly filed up by trespass-
ers, who appropriated them to their own
uses, without permission or considcra-
ton. Could any people have had better
cause of war than these Indians First,
expulsion from their own homes; second,
the destruction, by the whites, of the
only food which they could rely upon to
live for the year. -I-s ~ sFLEf z.l
1t was desirable that the peace should
be restored, and that the miners should
be allowed to retain and work the s'rich
diggings;" and that The Indians should
remove from the gold region, and settle
in some locality less productive of the
precious metals; and, above all, that the
knawings of hunger should be appeased,
before any work of permanent peace
could be cherished. The sequel will
show that the commissioners sought to
attain these results with enlightened hu-
mainly and wise discretion. They
negotiated treaties with twenty -one tribes
for the surrender by the In
dians of the rich gold-bearing regions,
their removal and settlementon reserva-
tions of land of little value, and an i'm
mediate allowance of such quantities of
beef to them as would sustain life during
the remainder of the year 1851 and for
the year 1852. These treaties, howev-
er, did not imbrace all the hostile tribes
in that part of the Sta te; but the presence
OF oicommissioners being considered neces.
sary in other parts of the State, where
the Indians were committing depreda-
lions, in few days after their negotia
tions. they (early in May divided the
State into three districts, and one COM
missioner was assigned to each district.
This they had the authority to do, from
the extract already quoted from the In
dian department at Washington. The
Southern district fell by lot to G. W.
Barbour, Esq, and during the months
May and June, he concluded treaties
similar to those negotiated by the board
With some thirty-fve additional tribes
-esiding on the San Joquin, Fresno,
Nereede and Fearn rivers. a' ss.1
By these treaties, peace was restored,
md the Indian title to an immense tract
If country, embracing not less than
eighty thousand square miles was extin.
pushed. ~ ~
The miners resumed their labors, and
heir monthly earnings of millions of
lollars demonstrated how important had
,een the services of Barbour in restoring
,eace. r'-i rL- -s
1t is conceded by all who were famil.
ar with the tranaction, that the treaties
;ould not have been negotiated, or if me-
,otiated. their provisions would not
ave been observed, but for the stipula-
ion in each treaty 10 furnish immedi,
.tely sufficient quanty of food to save
hem from starvation. The Indian de-
at Washington sympathized
ully in the views of the commissioners
n California. In acknowledging the
eeeipt of a copy of the first treaty, Com
missioner Lea says: 1.-The department
uIly appreciates the difficulties with
Ehich you have had to contend in exc
uting the important trust confded 10 !
,ou, and is highly grati6ed with the re-
ults you have thus far achieved, espec-
ally with your energy and despatch in
recurring location for the several tribes
f Indians, and promptly removing them
o it. The provisions of the treaty, a
opy of which is acknowledged, or ap-
roved Of" DC. ~ i'.d --5'-ia /
The peace has been permanent with
lost Of these tribes; the food received
nder The tresties removed the causes Of
he war, and it ceased. The State au-
horities of California were enabled at
nee to remove and disband the State
-ooPs which she had been maintaining
{ an enormous cost. "f 4
The honorable Messrs. Weller, Gwinn,
l'Dougal and Latham, in letter 10 the