Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-09-10
THIS CRU Ell WAR
is OVER!
A LARGE SCARE AND
NOTHING MORE.
ONE INDIAN AND ONE WHITE
MAN KILLED.
STATEMENT OF SHERIFF FIFE.

Mr.. O'Dougherty and myself have jus;
returned from Cleyeland's ranch, the
place of the reported Indian troubles,
and for the purpose Of allnying public
excitement l think it my dnty to staff
tina! we carefully investigated the causes
Of this excitement and found that they
have no. only been greatly exaggerated
but that in fact they have been to som
extent groundless, as the following truth.
full statement will show: Two miners
were prospecting about 80 miles from
Cleveland's, one of these named Jim
Toland was shot by an outcast Indian
who. on account of his quarrelsome dis,
position and supposed insanity. had
been separated from his tribe. When
the companion of the slain prospector
came to Cleveland's and announced the
killing Of his comrade, without due re-
Election couriers were dispatched to the
farmers of Spring Valley to inform them
the Indians were up in arms to massacre
the whites. There was no foundation
for this alarm, as at that very time some
of the Indians who were supposed to be
up in arms were working on the ranches
to which the couriers were sent, while
others were up in the mountains gather
ing pine nuts and without knowledge of
what had occurred. This was the first
intlmation the great body of the Indians
had OF the killing of the prospec-
tors by one of their tribe
The coming of the messengers
and the report of the killing of a white
man by one of themselves caused a panic
among them, and they fed 10 the noun
talns for no other purpose than the
dread OF retaliation ON the part of the
whites. While endeavoring to escape,
under the influence of this panic, an
Indian who was working on ranch was
arrested by white man, who attempted
to take his gun from him. In the
struggle which ensued the Indians gun
went off, without doing any injury but
the Indian was Immediately shot down.
Another Indian was arrested and brought
to Cleveiard's ranch, but, on seeing
armed men around, he attempted to fly
nun NO kCdTu, WDeu ne WIS also shot
down. Since then no Indians have been
seen in the neighborhood, as they have
fled terror-stricken to the Businesses of
the mountains. No hostile demonstra.
ton was made by the Indians either be-
fore or after the unhappy occurrences
referred to. None of the property on
the ranches vacated by the frightened
whites was injured or disturbed by the
Indians. In fact, there was no act done
that could be recognized as an intention
OF hostility or massacre. No BODY of
Indians had ever threatened Cleveand's
ranch or any other ranch or, as far as
we could learn, had warned the settlers
10 leave their ranches. | have, there
fore. no hesitation in saying that the dis
patch sent to Phoebe, stating that five
hundred Indians had surrounded Cleye-
lands ranch, Was false, and that the
other dispatches that created so much
alarm were uncalled for l should here
state that the death Of one of the white
men reported killed was caused by an
accidental shot by one of bis own party,
who mistook him for an Indian. To cor
roborate my opinion that there was no
premeditated hostility on the part of the
Indians, may here state that twenty
seven of them who were supposed to be
In arms, have surrendered themselves to
the whites aud sought their protection.
ANDY FIFE,
Sheriff of Lincoln County.