Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1880-01-15
THE FIENDISH UTES.
A Letter from Mrs. Meeker Revealing the
Full Horrors of Her Captivity.

~ NAIss NhtthtE hcNthllnE
Full Horrors of Her Captivity.
From the Chcse senne Leader.
The following letter from Mrs. n. C.
Meeker is published in The Pubic Chief
tain:
GREELEY, Col, Dec. 3O.-To THE EDI-
TOR OF THE PUBIC CMIFTAIN
Dear Sir: arise from sick bed to state
a few facts, which you and few people
of Colorado demand. We three captives
vf thel Utes-myself, Mrs. Price, and
daughter-were all interviewed separate
ly, being under oath, by the officers of the
government, to tell the whole truth OF our
treatment by the Indians, and each one
of us gave IN our testimony in answer in
the affirmative against the Indians.
gave in my testimony for the government
to do with it Just as they should see fit.
There was nothing SAID about its being
suppressed on either side. | Just simply
gave my testimony to the government Of
ticers, innocently supposing they knew
their duty, and would do it. | also
thought | had done all that belonged to
me to do, by telling these officers the sick
ening and most humiliating misfortune
that can bcfall woman, and if they and
the interior department have not done
their duty by the people of Colorado it is
they who are to blame and not me. On
arriving home to Greeley | found myself
completely broken down in mind and
body, and have had Il long spell of severe
sickness, from which am just recover.
ing, Yours truly,
Mrs. N. c. Meeker
The direct evidence from Mrs. n. c.
Meeker, that herself, daughter, and Mrs.
Price were outraged by the hostile Utes,
has awakened the peopleto proper sense
OF the enormous crimes committed by the
hostiles. The people had hoped, and
preferred to believe, that the persons oi
the female captives remained unharmed
But the truth is out ia full, and lndigna.
tion is strong and vic e.spread. 1t seems
fortuitous that Mrs. Meeker's letter was
first published in Pueblo, for the govern.
ment designs transporting the Indians
over the Atchison, Topeka and Santa FL
road, in order to escape the fury OF pros
peetivc mob in Denver. But We mistake
the temper OF the southern Colorado peo,
Pile II they do not capture the hostlles in
the band under Gen. Hatch, and kill them
instantly. 1t is not improbable that the
publication OF Mrs. Meeker's letter ii
Pueblo at this time, involves an inten
ton to post the people and bring about
the desired result.
Newspaper men nave long known all oi
the iLside history of the captivity of the
women, but have RETAINED from using the
same in Difference to the women them
selves But now that Mrs. Meeker ha.
made public the story of her terrible
wrongs, there can be no harm in telling
it all.
Immediately after captivity the womer
were forced under threats OF torture ant
slow death, to yield to the lust of theil
hideous captors. The women. suffering
untold agony on account of the murder O
their husbands, and father, were dazeC
and bewildered, and were powerless t.
resist. Poor old Mrs. Meeker, over g
years ofage, and suffering from n nesl
wound in the rear portion OF the thigh
became the victim Of Douglas, who after
ward boosted Of his protecting care
Josephine Meeker was held by persune
and Mrs. Price by Johnson. The unbear
aIle indignlties were simply augmented
10y other ttes, friends of the three men
toned. In the hclish outragcs the buck
were assisted by squaws. These female
sayages seemed to gloat over the horrors
pcrpetrated upon the white captives o
their own sex.
During their captivity the sufierines o