The New York herald., 1879-10-31
Dragged Along the Trail-InSulted by
BRAVES '-MOcked by Squaws.
"THE BAD DOUGLASS BLOOD"
Sudden Alarms in Camp and Hasty
Marches by the Indians
OURAYS SISTER AT THE COUNCIL.
Twenty-three Days Of Bodily Suf-
fering and Mental Agony.

fering and Mental Agony.
(By TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.1
DENVER, Col, Oct. 80, 1879.
Mrs. Nathan c. Meeker, wife of the murdered
agent, who is here on her way to Greeley, is
sixty-four years old, with black hair, now partly
tinged with gray, and blue eyes. She is small
in stature, her weight being only ninety pounds.
She is the daughter of sea captain, and was
born in Cheshire, Conn. She moved with her
parents, when child, to the Western Reserve
in Ohio when the country was wilderness, and
was reared as pioneers daughter, with many
sisters and brothers. She taught school for
several years, and was married at the age of
twenty-nine to N. c. Meeker in Clariden,
Geauga county, Ohio. She is the mother Of
five children.
MRS. MEEKER's TALE.
Mrs. Meeker's statement of the massacre and
her captivity, written expressly for the HERALD,
ia as follows
went with my daughter Josephine to the
White River Agency, where we Joined my late
husband (the AGENT July II, 1878. We did
not like the site of the old agency, as it was in
Q cafion. The altitude was too high for the
practice of agriculture and the winds blew
fercely and constantly. The government,
therefore, gave permission to Mr.. Meeker to
move the agency twenty miles farther down the
White River to beautiful valley. where the
and where there is plenty of land to cultivate
ind timber in abundance. There was mag
nfcent view of the mountains, and the rivers
were swarming with specklcd trout. 1 have
not seen a more charming spot anywhere. Com
Portable buildings were erected and fine ave-
nues were laid out One of these, the main
street, which ran as straight as line from the
canon to the agency, was named after
Chief Douglass. My husband was preparing
to plant mountain evcrgreens on both
sides of it. The agency grounds were well
kept. The government Indian farm was en-
closed with q neat wire fence, and it produced
oil kinds of crops. The Indians until the mr-
tiny helped to cultivate the soil. They raised
potatoes, beets, turnips and other vegetables.
The white employees planted the wheat. In tho
agency yard l had some flowers, such as ver-
benas, mignonette, petunias and others of a
more common sort. The Indians seemed to like
brs. On ration days their children were to be
een with lunches of flowers in their hands. A
< arge irrigating canal was built by the Indians
inder the agents direction. 1t would water
he whole valley. My husband discovered five
pr six good coal mines in the vicinity, at three
Il which there was q large quantity Of loose
Il oal all ready for removal. 1t was as good
4 oal as any in Colorado, and when used in the
blacksmith forge it burned we'll.
BEGINNING OF THK TROUBLE.
Trouble began when the agent indicated an
Intention of ploughing eighty acres of land
wing between Douglass avenue and the river.
The Indians had not used the land except for
heir ponies to run on. 1t was open and unoc-
Iupied As soon as he heard of any dissatisfac-
ion about the matter the agent called the
Indians together, and settled it by obtaining the
consent of the majority of the Indians to plough.
Chief johnson failed to attend the council, and
when the Utcs gave their permission he grew
angry, and it was his son who shot Mt the
ploughman. Aftcrward johnson said he was
mo angry" but back of all this there were
signs of wickedness and secret plotting, sus
picious movements, increasing rumors, large
sales of ammunition and false charges that
the agent had cut down the rations This
last was false. The government had re-
duced or changed the issue of ra-
tions for all the Indians. My husband
gave the White River Ipdians regular and full
government rations, but he had orders from
Washington not to issue rations to the Uncom
paghre, Uintah, Arapahoe OF other outside visit.
ing Indians. This was according to his official in
Y structions. The object was to keep the Indians
rom straying from tho reservation and wander
ng around the country. The Uncompapbre
Il ties complained to Ouray, and this is the foun-
alton for the statements published that the
gent withheld their supplies All the White
4 liver Utcs proper were fed according to law,
n hd those who worked on the canal received
Iublc rations, extra blankets and shoes and
kinds of agency goods which they needed.
Indian woman was hired to cook for the