The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-11-06
THE REBELLIOUS UTES.
Return of Gen. Adams, Special Agent,
From the Hostile Camp-The White Riv-
er Captiyes Surrendered.
Especial to the Chicago Times.l
ID

er Captiyes Surrendered.
Especial to the Chicago Times.l
GEN. MERRITT's CAMP, WHITE RIv-
Err, Colo, Oct. "A, via RAwLINs, wy, Oct.
| 25.-Gen. Merritt yesterday detached Maj.
| Sumner with five companies Of the 5th Cav
airy to make further search for Paul
| Humme, the man of the Ordnance Depart
ment supposed to have been killed with
| Lieut.. w cir, near Grand River, on Oct. 20.
| The battalion reached the place where Weir
| fell, when Drais, the scout, discovered In
| dams ahead. Maj. Sumner Immediately
threw out skirmishers, but was astonished
at seeing two white flags displayed on tepee
/ poles. Two horsemen dashed out of the In
dian line, and on approaching were found to
! be Gen. Charles Adams of the United States
Postal Service and Count DOrnhoff, First
! Secretary of the German Legation, accom-
panied by body-guard of some 80 Ute In
dians. The latter very prudently kept out
| of the way of the soldiers. Gen. Adams,
acting as peace commissioner for the In
| terror Department, stated that he had come
| through both Ouray's camp at the Southern
| Agency and the hostile main camp on Grand,
near Roam River Maj. Sumner inquired
relative TO the fate of Paul Humme, and the
| Indians were asked the particulars of the af-
fair in which he and Lieut.. Weir lost their
| lives. They said that scouting party of 10
to watch Gen. Merritt's movements, but
| with orders not to fight. They were en-
camped near where Hall's party lunched,
when they saw Weir and Humme go after
| the deer. One Of their men happened to be
on foot, aiming at deer which Humme shot
before he discovered the Indians. Immedi-
ately after he observed the warrior on foot
making for his horse, and fired at and killed
him. Then the surviving Indians opened
fire and killed Lieut.. Weir, who approached
over the ravine on horseback, thinking to
have a shot at the deer. He fell from his
horse and never moved afterward. Humme,
| whose horse Stampeded, retreated on foot to-
ward the hills, the party firing as he went
He received a shOtthrOugh the right eye, but
! still kept on walking and firing. He received
another shot clean through the head, and
died. He was killed about 1000 yards south
west from where Weir was found. Then the
Indians turned loose on Hall and fought him
till night, losing one man killed.in the affair
with him. The body of Humme was found,
as directed, and buried. He used to be Sec
| ond steward for Potter Palmer, and was
very intrepid but somewhat rash soldier.
Mai. Sumner buried him with military hon.
Ors.
The Times correspondent interviewed
Gen. Adams, and obtained from him the fol-
lowing important statement He left Ouray's
camp, at the Southern Agency, on Oct. 10,
reaching the hostile camp on the night of the
Doth. He was well received by the chiefs,
although he found much mourning in the
lodge because 81 of their brave warriors
were killed in the hot encounter with Thorn
burgh's command, on Sept. 20. There was
no mistake about the number. Gen. Adams
said the Utes acknowledged that Thorn
burgh's men fought Eeroically, but said that
undoubtedly the Major provoked the fight,
being DESTROYS of whipping the Indians any,
how, as he said in council. Meeker and his
! l. H.. I
after the Thornburgh fight, probably on Oct.
l. The chiefs said the agent had threatened
them with chains and handouts when the
soldiers came. This is why they placed the
chain around Meeker's corpse. They also
complained that Meeker refused to give them
the supplies at the Agency unless they titled
the land. There were plenty of supplies,
them. The women were taken
prisoners, with the children, and neither
were harmed in any way. Gen. Adams
found them with the squaws in the smaller
| Indian camp, and had them sent, under es-
cort of one Of Ouray's chiefs and other In
dians, to Lake City, Colo, which point they
will have reached in few days. Gen.
Adams further says the Utes are DESTROYS OF
! peace, and claim that Meeker and Thorn
! burgh brought on the war. Having lost, in
| Guiding HALLS fight, thirty-nine Of their best
men, they considered things about even, and
are willing to shake hands. They wished to
make the surrender of the women and chill
dren a condition of peace, but Gen. Adams
was peremptOry in declining the proposition,
and they delivered them up unframed with
out further conditions. After the proposal
that the ringleaders of the recent outbreak
| should be given up the chiefs unanimously
refused, saving the outbreak was not pre-
meditated, and that all were implicated. So
the matter of peace or war now stands. Gen.
I IL. H.. 4
country utterly impregnable, and that four
times the force at present here could not re-
duce them. Their main camp is about %
miles south of this point. Gen. Merritt will
| Immediately telegraph for instructions.
Gen. Adams and Count DOrnhOff will go
back with the Indians to the Southern Agen-
cy. Every thin" is in a state of incertitude.
In further conversation with Gen. Adams
the Times correspondent learned that the
Indians at first intended to Kill Meeker only.
Miss Meeker was in the well -hOuse when
brother of Chief johnson made a rush to
capture her. Dresser, one of the white en-
ployees, cODceiying Miss Meeker's honor to
be endangered, fired and killed the Indian.
Dresser was shot dead on the instant. The
other white men rushed for the buildings
and opened with rifles on the Utes, wound
ing several The Indians then fired the
buildings and shot the men one by one as
they rushed out. Two Indians were killed
in the affair. The exact number Killed Dy
Thornburgh's men was %, as they wheeled
and fired during the retreat to the wagons.
PAYNE killed seven from his intrenchments,
Merritt's infantry and cavalry killed five
during the skirnish of the morning of the
rescue This, with two killed at the Agency
and two in Hal's affair, makes a total of SO,
or a balance of six in favor of the whites, who,
between soldiers and citizens, have had SO
men killed up to the present. Gen. Adams
saws that Plateau Creek, which has seven
branches, running through one of the most
difficult countries in the world, will be the
stronghold Of the Utes in case the war is
prosecuted. Douglas. of all the chiefs, is
the only one who wishes to return to the
Agency. The Others all profess desire for
peace, but do not care about coming back TO
White River. Ute Jack" commanded
against Thornburgh, but claims to have had
only 100 men This is presumably lie, in
vented to eloTify himself.
Gen. Adams, in conversation with Gen.
Merritt, stated that the Indians, if attacked
now, would raid the settlements of Northern
Colorado; at least so they have expressed
themselves. 1t is just as well for the people
of that section to be warned Of this. The
Indians also say that Capt. Dodge's COM
pany was watched by a strong party, but
they did not know of Thornburgh's fight I'M
til after Dodge Joined Payne in the entrench-
ments. Gen. Adams says the Indians are
not very well armed, but have plenty Of am
munition.
Comma kuniberta, an actress,