The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-06
THE TEMECULA INDIANS
How the Government Has Treated a Peaceful
Tribe in California.
DRIVEN LIKE CATTLE FROM THEIR HOMES.
ALPINE, N. j., Oct 4, 1875.

ALPINE, N J., Oct 4, 1875
To THE EDITOR or TIKI HERALD
The Indians are long way or you remark In this
mornings HERALD; and the California Indians OF
course are farthcst removed from the SYM
pathy as they from the knowledge OF Eastern peo-
pie despatch from San Francisco relates that trouble
Is anticipated with the Pala Indians, who have for
many years occupied the Temecua country, in San
Diego county, and who now object TO be oustcd and
driven away from their holdings Matters have gonc
SO far sooms that the Governor or the State and
General Schoncd have been asked for troops.
Tcmecula 1872 and found the Indians thcrs
Industrious farmers living happily, supporting them
selves and at peace with everybody About their
claim TO tho Temccula rancho know nothing; bus
their long occupation has given them at least show OF
right and they could properly be dispossessed ex
ccpt by the United States government from whom any
title adverse to theirs must come The Indians OF
Southern California useful people They are
sbeepshearers, Shepherds vne-pruners, va3ueros
or cattle tenders They cultivate small holdings
for themselves and, where the Indian Bureau leaves
them aono they important part Of the laborng
force OF the region in which they live The only abso-
lutey worthless Indians found in Southern California
those maintained at great cost by the Indian Blu
reau the Tule River Reservation These reservation
Indians were fed and clothed by the government had
houses furnished them and cared for like paupers
They were in fact stout able bodied lazy vicious pau
rers whose neighborhood demoralized the outside In
dams, and who spent their days in gambling, obscene
conversation and sleeping in the sun.
There was the least for keeping these PEG
pie on a reservation Had the government left them
alono they would have done precisely what the Teme
Indians and the Indians on the TETON rancho do
worked for their living Their labor would have been
In that sparsely settled country, and they would
have caught Of the customs OF civilization from
their contact with white men, These usually treat
| tho Indian la5orcrs kindly, because they
| cannot otherwise retain thor services. I
| suspect that tho intention is TO drive these
Temecula Indians TO tho TUE River Reservation and
thus TO destroy peaceful and industrious laborng
force and il into gang Of vicious paupers Against
this every friend OF the Indians ought to protest
suspect this to be so, because saw the same thing
done under government orders, as II was pre-
tended, in Northern California. Lake and Mendo-
emo counties had considerable population of Indians
all OF whom laborcrs They were employed by
the farmers lived in little ranchorias the differ
eni farms They regarded not only as useful,
but as indispensable, laborng force by the farmers,
and were almost universally sober and absolutely
pcaccablc much so that usually the farmer allowed
thcm to build their houses near his own Most Of them
spoke English and all OF them selfsupportlng.
In 1872 under orders from tho Indian Bureau all these
Indians suddenly gathered together and, without
giving them time even to pick up their household
goods were driven, like so many cattle.
from sixty to 100 miles away, to the Round
Valley Reservation, whore they were compelled to
and given to understand that Il they returned to
their homes they would be shot havo spoken with
farmers who suffered injury from being thus de-
prvcd OF their aborng force, and have had described
TO me the bitter grief of the poor Indians when they
were cxilcd from their little homes and their suferings
on the long and hurried march to tho reservation
This act which exposed in the following year, was
disgrace to the federal government and an nexcusabo
bundcr fits object is to civze tho Indians. saw
these poor people on the reservation and found that
agent exercised the least oversight over their
their daily lives They became there part OF
a considerable Indian population which was iod and
1 clothed at government expense, which gamoied and
oafed open day the presence oil the agent; nearly
| ali whose women diseased as he confessed 10 mo-
and who allowed TO live, under the eye Of this
agent in disgraceul manner as they pleased Near
| by stationed an accomplished West Point
! officer, excellent man. whose solo duty
was to chase any. Indian who might leave tho res
crvation and this paupor pen, established in 1860 had
not when 1t in 1873, even decent road through
| it, on Sunday they had church, tue agent told me-
| when he had kicked aside a lot OF boys who were
gambling for tobacco on the school mousse steps ana
| who we're not At all abashcd at his presence The
preaching in English and those Indians who found
| il tedious went out OF doors and played shiny,
II the Tenccua Indians are TO be driven TO the Tula
River Reservation great outrage will be committed ON
them and the object OF II will be to Increase the ex
pcnsc of the reservation and oil course the profits OF
those who manage H. If they are simply to be driven
from the lands they have 50 long occupied and cuti
| waited the outrage will be quite great They own
locks and herds they plough ground and raise wheat
and barley they live houses and own personal prop
erly ii the. federal government has found
| that the land they have long boon pcr-
mitted to as their own really belongs to
some one else, it is tho duty OF the government
through Indian Bureau to tina, thoy do not loss
value of their improvements, that they have time
TO their property, and that they have other
lands given them, at least opened to their pur-
chase One thing is certain, there can be no trouble
with these Tcmccula Indians II tho government treats
them with only justice and deals with them As
q guardian ought to with his wards with decent re-
gard their rights But this 1t has not been apt to
do OF late years Captain Jack, OF the Modocs, being
asked why he mutniod, answered pthily because ma
tired eating horsen That is TO say, his people had
1 boon starved by the agents and compelled to eat
| their own horses. Had General Schohcld boon
consulted about the management of tho Modoc Indians
! there would have been war; but he was purposcy
kept in ignorance OF what the Indian Bureau people
were doing until they had actually established war
| with the Modocs The Indian managers correspondod
with tho Bureau in Washington, but took care TO keep
tho com mander OF tho troops ignorant OF what thoy
! we're doing A similar trick may now cause an Indian
j war IN San Diego county. CHARLES NOkDhoFf.
i