Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1879-11-08
Miss Meeker's Story of Her Captivity,
lChicago Tribune Special.1

sephlne, and Mrs. Price and her two chill
dren have been detained here two. days on
account Of Mrs. Meeker's illness, caused by
| nervous reaction, after terrible journey OF
| 300 miles on stages and Indian ponies, bare
| back and with poor saddles, over mountains
and alkali deserts. During this ordeal she
was only half clad in a calico dress and a sin
| gle shawl, without blankets, and had only
bare ground to sleep on in the Indian camps.
The party leave for Denver in n day or two,
going thence to their home in Greeley.
MISS JOSEPHINE MEEKER
was threatened with death, and her escape
| was narrow. Her story contains the follow
| ing account:
The first heard of any trouble with the
Indians at nay fathers Agency was the firing
at Mr.. Price while he was plowing for Indi-
an crops according to Government instruc-
tions. The Indians had the idea, and said,
that as soon as the land was plowed it would
cease to belong to the Utes. Two or three
councils were held, and an Indian woman,
Jane, the wife of Panvitts, was the cause Of
| the wholedrouble.
The trouble seemed settled by two or three
councils, secretly however. The Utes were
| preparing for massacre, for just before
| Eskridge left with the Indians runner was
seen rushing up to the tent of Douglass with
what l since learned was news of soldiers
| fighting. Half an hour later 20 armed Indi-
ans came to the Agency from the camp of
Douglass, and began firing.
THE MASSACRE BEGINS.
was in the kitchen with my mother,
washing dishes. 1t was after noon. look
ed out of the window and saw the Utes
shooting the boys working on the new build
ing. Mrs. Price was at the door washing
clothes. She rushed in and took Johnnie, the
baby, to fly. We ran into the milk room,
which had only one small window, and lock-
ed the door, and hid under a shelf. The fir
ing went on for several hours at intervals.
There was no shouting, no noise, but fire.
quent firing. We staid in the millx-room
until it began to fill with smoke. The sun
was half an hour high. 1 took May Price, 8
years old, and we all ran to fathers room. 1t
was not disturbed. We knew the building
would be burned, and ran across Douglass Av-
enue to field of sage-brush beyond plowed
ground. The Utes were so busy stealing an
nuity goods they did not see us at first.
About 30 Of them, loaded with blankets,
were carrying them toward Douglass camp,
near the river.
We had gone 100 yards when the Utes saw
us. They threw down the blankets and
came running toward us, firing as they came.
around us. / do not think they intended to
kill us-Only to frighten us. Mother was hit
by a bullet, which went through her UNDER
clothing, and made flesh wound three inch
es long. AS the Indians came nearer they
shouted,
GIVE NO SHOOT; COME TO U.s."
1 had little girl, and an Indian named Pur-
sune said for me to go with him. He and
another Ute seized me by the arms and start
ed for the river. An Uncompahgre Indian
took Mrs. Price and her baby, and moth
er was taken to the headquarters of Doug
lass.
The Indian Pursune took me where his
ponies were standing by the river, and seat
ed me on a pile of blankets. Indians were
now on all sides. 1 could not escape. 1t
was now sundown. Packing was finished
at dusk, and we started for the wilderness
of the south. 1 rode horse with saddle,
but no bride. The child was lashed behind
me. Pursune and his. assistant rode each
About twenty other Indians were in
the party. Mother came later, riding
bareback behind Douglass, both on one
horse. She was 65years old, feeble in health,
wounded. and not recovered from a broken
thigh caused by fall two years ago. Chief
Douglass gave her neither horse, saddle, nor
blankets. We followed the river, and, on the
other side, Pursune brought me hatflIl of
water to drink. We trotted along until 0
o'clock, when we halted for half-hour. All
the Indians dismounted, and blankets were
spread upon the ground, and laid down to
rest, with mother lying not far from me.
Chief Douglass was considerably excited and
made speech to me with many gestures
and great emphasis. He recited his griev-
ances, and explained why the massacre be-
gun. He said Thornburgh told the Indians
he was going to arrest the head Chiefs, take
them to Ft. Steele, and put them in Gala
boose, perhaps hang them. He said my
father had written all the letters to the Dem
yer papers, and circulated wild reports about
what the Indians would do, and was re-
sponsible for all the hostility against
the Indians , among among the whites whites.
this he stood in front of me with his gun, and
his anger was dreadful. He said father had
always been writing to Washington. Then
he swore a fearful oath in English, and said
il the soldiers had not come and threatened
the Indians with Fort Steele and the Gala
boose, and threatened to kill other Indians
at White River, the Agent wouldn't have
been massacred. Then the brave Chief,
Douglass, who had eaten at our table that
very day, walked off a few feet, returned, and
placed his loaded gun to my forehead three
times, and asked me il l was going to run
away. i told him was not afraid OF him
nor of death, and should not run away.
When he found his repeated threats could
not frighten me, all the other Indians turned
on him and laughed at him, and made so
much fun he sneaked off and went over to
frighten my mother. All hands took drink
| around my bed; then they saddled their
horses, and Pursune led my horse to me, and
knelt down on his hands and knees for me to
mount my horse from his back.
JoURNEYING INTO CAPTIVITY.
We urged our horses forward, and jour-
neyed in moonlight through to the Grand
Mountains with the Indians talking in low
tones among themselves. 1t was after mid
night when we made the second halt in a
deep and sOmber canyon. Mother was not
| allowed to come up. Douglass kept her
with him, half mile down the ravine. Then
the squaws came, and laughed, and grinned,
and gibbered. When had lain down on the
blanket two squaws sang and danced fan
tastically at my feet. Other Indians stood
around, and when the women reached GER
tain part of their recitative all broke into
laughter. Next day Pursune went to fight
the soldiers, and placed me in charge Of his
wife with her three children. That same
day mother came up to see me in company
with a little Indian girl. Wednesday, next
day, johnson went over to Jacks camp, and
brought back Mrs. Price and her baby to
live in his camp. He said he had
made it all right with the other Utes.
We did not do any thing but be around
the various camps and listen to the talk of
the sqliaws whose husbands were away fight
ing the soldiers.
Sunday night Jack came, and made a big
speech also johnson. They said more
troops were coming, aud recited what orders
had been brought from Chief Ouray. They
were i'm great commotion, and did not know
what TO do. They talked all night, and next
morning struck their tents and put them up
again. Part were for going away, part for
staying. We had a long ride. The cavalcade
was fully two miles long. The wind blew a
hurricane, and the dust was so thick we
could not see ten feet back. Most OF the In.
dians had no breakfast, and we travelled all
day without dinner or water. Mother had
neither saddle nor stirrups, but merely few
thicknesses OF canvas strapped on the horses
back, while young chiefs pranced round on
good saddles. She did not reach Grand
River until after dark, and the ride for an
invalid and aged woman was long and dis
| tressing.
After marching south some days the In
dians said they would stay at their camp,
and, If the soldiers advanced, would get
| them in q canyon and kill them all. The
| Utes were now close to the Uncompahgre
district, and could not retreat much farther.
Eight miles more travel, in two other days,
| brought us to
| THE CAMPING-GROUND
where Gen. Adams found us. This was
| near Plateau Creek, but high up and not far
/ from, tho snowy ranpn Nonday NIGHT an