River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-10-30
STATE AND NATION.
Gov. Pitkin Of Colorado to Schurz and
Sc urz to Gov. Pitkin.


A Washington dispatch of Oct.
23rd says Secretary Schurz, to-day,
received the following telegram from
the governor of Colorado:
DENVER, Oct. %.
Hon. Carl SEIZURE, Secretary interior,
Washington:
Information from Southwestern Col
orado satisfies me that most of Ouray's
warriors were in the Thornburgh fight.
must surrender his tribe, which he is
| powerless TO do. They adhere to him
for protection only and will not submit
to punishment; neither will they sur
render the hite River Utes who are
bound to them by closest ties, and are
no more guilty than themselves. They
| whipped Thornburgh's command and
now Merritt retires. 1t cannot be
disguised that the fighting men of
the tribes are hostile and flushed
with victory and that they are sayages.
They take no prisoners except women.
Their trophies are not banners but
scalps. If the policy of military mac
tivity continues our frontier settlements
| are liable to become the scene of mas
sacres. Unless troops move against the
Indians the Indians will move against
the settlers. Almost 200 miles of border
| settlement will be subject 10 IL is peril.
| The general government is doing moth
| ing to defend our settlements. The
state cannot defend all this border ex
eept by attacking the enemy.
| In behalf of our people [ represent
/ Il To hot fha
government recognize that war with
barbarians now exists which involves
the lives of numerous exposed mining
settlements. 1t can be terminated only
by most vigorous and uninterrupted
warfare.
! (Signed) FREDERICK w. PITKIN, Gov
SEIZURES REPLY.
To this message the secretary has tel
egraphed the following reply:
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR,
Washington, Oct. %.
| Co.. Pitkin, Denuer:
Your dispatch is received. Ientrust-
| ed with the important duty Of special
agent to the Utes, Gen. Chas. Adams,
citizen of Colorado, who month ago
was represented to me by yourself as a
gentleman of excellent chalact I'M
common ability and energy, intimately
acquainted with the Utes and eminent
ly qualified to deal with them in an
emergency. He is with them now and
his last report was that "none of the
southern and only part of the White
river Utes have been engaged in the
trouble. All rumors of depredations
off the reservations are untrue except
the driving off of horses from Bear
River, and this before Ouray's order to
ce9se fighting was received" Gen.
Adams reports this after having trav-
ersed southwest Colorado, the source Of
your information. He also states:
"The captive women and children,
who, have assurances are safe, will be
delivered. Troops should not proceed
south from White River, as | believe
that your conditions to secure peace
will be complied with"
This report of responsible man who
has your confidence as well as mine,
and who speaks from personal observa-
ton, is certainly entitled to credit. The
liberation of the captive women and
children IS the first thing TO be accom-
plished. Gen. Adams expects to bring
them in if not interfered with in few
days. He viii then also report on the
surrender Of the guilty Indians.
Meanwhile military preparations
are not relaxed, so fail
ure Of efforts mentioned may
be followed by energetic action. We
are endeavoring to prevent general
war with the whole Ute tribe, which
will be better way 10 protect your
border settlements than by general
attack upon the Indians by armed citi-
zsps, as your dispatch seems to sug-
gest.
It is, therefore, earnestly hoped that
every effort will be made to prevent an
unnecessary extension of trouble which
may be precipitated by inconsiderate
action. Signed,
c. SCHURZ, Sec.