The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-10-04
A BLOODY RECORD.
Doings ofthe Utes in the Past Years
Wipe them Out.

The Denver Tribune of yesterday
gave the following clear and damnable
record Of the Ute Indians: In the ear
ly days of Colorado's history the Utes
were not particularly troublesome. 1t
Is related that small force of United
States soldiers under command of Mai.
Ormsby once had an engagement previ-
GUS to $50 with band of Utes near
Pixies peak, and that the soldiers were
victorious. Fort Garland, in Costilla
county, was built for the purpose Of
protecting the country against any out
beak of the Utes. Quite a number of
them went to war early in the sixties,
but old Kit Carson being in command
there, succeeded In pacifying them
without bloodshed. Since then the
Utes have been moderately peaceable
as whole, though they have always
been more or less troublesome, especial
ly in small bands and as individuals.
In fact, there scarcely has been time
since the first settlement of Colorado
when they have not been an annoyance.
The greater share of trouble has, how
ever, been due to the southern bands of
the tribe, while the White River Utes
have been upon the whole peaeeably
inclined. Colorow and Piah and their
bands have proven exceptions, but they
did not for years cause serious trouble
until 1873.
The Utes cannot make complaint
against the whites with the force usual
ly brought to bear On the subject by
tho aborigines. They have not been
prosecuted by settlers. In fact the
white settlers have been an actual pro-
lection to the Utes. When the white
people came into this country the Utes
and the plains Indians, the Cheyennes
and the Arapahoes, were deadly ene-
mics; and the plains Indians were gen.
orally considered the superiors of the
Utes as Indian fighters. The whites
were compelled for their own protection
to rid the country of the Arapahoes
and Cheyennes, and in doing so they
also relieved the Utes. Hence the lat
ter tribe owe the whites real debt of
gratitude.
The Utes have never made any at
tack upon large parties of whites, ex-
cepe once. 1t was in 1872 that a party
ten white men, under the leadership of
John Le Fevre, ventured into North
Park prospecting. One daya majority
of the party went out to kill game to
eat, and while out very Unexpectedly
ran upon band of fifty utes, under
the leadership of the infamous old rene
gade, Colorow. The party were met
face to face by the Indians, who SEEM
ed to have planned the meeting.
"Herel daml you shoot my ante
lopez
'Oh, no! Only one to eat."
"Yes, you do: you heep dam lie."
The whites insisted that they were
not unnecessarily butchering the ante
lope. But Colorow said that if the
whites were not out of the Park the
next day he would scalp all of them.
There was one sick man with them.
Colorow said he could have twenty
sleeps and then he must go. LIE Fevere
and one man took the hint and left.
None of the others were seen again.
But seven skeletons were found in the
locality in which they had been left, a
few years afterwards and some time af-
ter this discovery another pile of bones
accounted for the eighth. A note PIN
ned on the door of the cabin in which
the sick man had been confined COM
pleted the story. He stated that Oaray
had been about great deal that he
had threatened to kill all hands, and
that he, the writer, never expected to
see the land Of the white man. There
Is no doubt in the minds of any of tie
old inhabitants Of North or Middle
Park but that Colorow killed the eight
men who were following the legitimate
pursuit Of prospecting in country near
the Ute country, but to which they had
no earthly claims. Many other small
parties have been threatened just as this
was, and doubtless would have met with
the same horrible fate had they not con-
cluded that prudence was the better
part of valor and left at his command.
There is no use in Disgusting the fact,
the Indians are drawback to the state,
and people who venture out upon our
frontier, whether they cross the line or
not, are in danger. 1t has been but
little over two years since, in La Plata
county, the southern half of the tribe
were making demonstrations, which,
if the culprits had been white men,
would have entitled them to a term in
the penitentiary or to have their bodies
swinging in the air. 1t was nothing
for lone white man to be stopped and
threatened. In 1876 a man was killed
in cold blood in South Park.
There few Colorado people that do
not remember the fate of poor Joe Nc
Lane. Joe was decoyed off and muir
dered by band of Utes near Cheyenne
Wells, over a hundred miles east of
Denver, and three or four hundred
miles from the Ute reservation, show
ing that people are not safe in any part
Of the state when those Indians are
about. This same band, under the
leadership Of Shevenau, Washington,
Piah and Colorow, fed to Middle Park,
where they continued their devilish
work by robbing and threatening,
which was only cut short when one of
the Indians had bullet put through
his body. In their flight they deliber-
ately stopped on the road and shot an
inofensive, quiet old man named Elliot
who had for years lived next door
neighbor to them and who had never
done single act to provoke them. The
whole state was alarmed and the mill
tary was called out. The result was
great fear among the frontier settlers, a
fortnight's campaign in the mountains
and heavy expenses. This occurred in
AnOnQf 12T2-nnQ vaar O0