American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-11-08
Miss Josie Meeker's Story.
lChicago Tribune special

October 29.-Mrs. Mccker, her daughter 10
sephine, and Mrs. Price and her two chill
dren have been detained here two days OF
account of Mrs. Meeker's Illness, caused b,
nervous reaction, after a terrible journey o
800 miles on stages and Indian ponies, bare
back and with poor saddles, over mountains
and alkali deserts. During this ordeal sh,
was only half clad in n calico dress and a sin
gle shawl, without blankets, and had only
bare ground TO sleep on in t he Indian camps
The party leave for Denver in n day 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 Mt my fathers Agency was the firing
ut Mr.. Price while he was blowing for Indi-
an crops according to Government instruc-
/ tons. 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
eotnciis We're held, and an Indian woman,
Jane, the wife of Panvitts, was the cause OF
| the whole trouble.
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 | since learned was news of soldiers
| fighting. Half an hour later 20 armed Ind-
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. I look
ed out of the window and saw the Utes
shooting the boys working on the new build
ing. Mrs. Price was ut the door washing
clothes. She rushed i'm 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 ut intervals.
There was no shouting, no noise, but fire.
quent firing. We staid i'll the milk-roOm
until it began to fill with smoke. The sun
half an hour high. L took May Price, B
years old, and we all ran to fathers room. 1t
was not disturbed. We knew the building
would he 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 at first.
About 80 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.
Bullets whiZzcd thick grasshoppers
around us. l do not think they intended to
kill us-only to brighten us. Mother was hit
by 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."
/ had little girl, and an Indian named Pur-
sumo 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 a pile of blankets. Indians were
now on all sides. / could not escape. 1t
was now shutdown. Packing was finished
at dusk, and we started for the wilderness
of the south. | rode Il horse with saddle,
hint m he la no nd
me. Pursune and his assistant rode each
side of me, driving pack mules ahead.
About twenty other Indians were I'm
the party. Mother came later riding
bareback behind Douglass, both on one
horse. She was CO. years old, feeble in health,
wounded, and not recovered from 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 hatful of
water to drink. We trotted along until
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 living not far from me.
Chief Douglass was considerably excited and
made a 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 Fit. 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
West While DougIass was telling
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
if the soldiers had not come and threatened
the Indians with Fort Steele and the Gala
boose, and threatened to kill other Indians
hsf .I..yt
been massacred. Then the brave Chief,
Douglass, who had eaten at our table that
very day, walked off few feet, returned, and
placed his loaded gun to my forehead three
times, and asked me if was going to run
away. told him was not afraiG of him
nor Of death, and should not run away.
When he found his repeated threats could
not Brighten me, all the other Indians turned
on him and laughed Mt him, and made
much fun he sneaked off and went over to
brighten my mother. All hands took drink
around my bed; then they sadded 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 i'm
deep and somber canyon. Mother was not
allowed to come up. Douglass kept her
with him, half a mile down the ravine. Then
the squaws came, and laughed, and grinned,
and s,ibbered. 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 cer-
tain part of their recitative all broke into
laughter. Next day PursIIne went to fight
the soldiers, and placed me i'm charge of his
wife with her three children. That same
day mother came up to see me in company
with 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 Utcs.
We did not do any thing but be around
the various camps and listen to the talk OF
the sqIIaws whose husbands were away fight
ing the soldiers.
Sunday night Jack came, and made big
troops were coming, and 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 long ride. The cavalcade
was fully two miles long. The wind blew Il
hurricane, and the dust was so thick we
could not see ten feet back. Most of the In
dams had no breakfast, and we travelled all
day without dinner or water. Mother had
neither saddle nor stlrrups, 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 ut their camp,
and, if the soldiers advanced, would get
them in canyon and kill them all. The
Utes were now close to the Uncompahgre
district, and could not retreat much farther.
l.,