Nevada County picayune., 1886-08-25
CORRESPONDENCE.
UINTAH VALLEY AGENCY,
UTAH, Aug. 6, 1886.

made up my mind to write no more for the PICAYUNE or any other paper until certain time in the rather distant future. But, in re. sponse to repeated requests from you, and other friends who say they read my letters with interest, will write yon a letter this even ing, and perhaps may send you others later on.
 Wish is expressed by some of my friends to know the nature of my duties in Utah. Hence l will tell you how my presence here came about, and what l am doing. While at the Osage Agency, in the Indian Territory, on the 18th of Juno, l received a telegraphic or der from the Department to pro ceed forthwith to the Ouray Agen- cy, in Utah, and take charge of it. The Agent thereat had gotten afraid of his Indians-the Uncom. pahgre Utes and resigl.ed, and two other men appointed by the President and confirmed by Sen ate, to succeed him, one from In- diana and the other from Texas, had both declined to come out and take charge. reached Ouray on the 9th of June, and immediately assumed charge of the Agency, tae Agent having already abandoned it and departed for what he con sidcrcd q safer place.
 A week later l receivedan order by telegraph to proceed at once to the Unitah Valley Agency and take charge of i. also-thc Agent here being that day removed from office for incompetencv and-worse. l immediately "threw prize crew aboard" or rather placed a clerk in charge, at Ouray, and came on and relieved the Agent here.
 Three days later l rec eived a tel. egram directing me to consolidate the Agencies, and remain in charge until an agent was sent to relieve me, Bat no intimaton was COZ veyed as to when that wonli be, and. like Patrick Henry, am won dering if it will be next week. or next year.
 Cnitah and Ouray are thirty-fve miles apart, with twenty five miles of blazing desert intervening. My headquarters arc at Cni'ah Agcn- ~. which is a most delightful na- tural, though as yet unknown and nnfl cQucntcd, "summer resort" at the base of the .pcrpetually snow capped mountains. But l have to make frequent trips to Onray, and always for the greater part of the distance under d schorchlng sun and through the burning sands of a desert, in which nothing of either vegetable or animal life can long survi' Q, except a few runty horned frogs, and the scraggiest, meanest forms of cacti and sage brush.
 have under my direction at the two Agencies twenty-six employees, and the guardianship of 25O0 In diaus.-the Cnltah. Uncomphagrc, land White River bands of Utes. When I arrived here l found the business affairs of Unitah Agency in much confusion, and the public property going to waste, but by working early and late, and with the cheerful help of the employees, now have both Agencies in what I consider very fair condition for ''inspcction," or 10 turn over to an Agent whenever the Department may see proper to send one out to relieve me.
 The Indians and l are on good terms, and apprehend no trouble with them. Unlike the white man and the negro, the real Indian sel- dom or never natters or toadys. The next day after my arrival her",l WAS standing in the office door en' toying the splendid scene ofa snow storm on the mountains, when an Indian approached and saluted me with
 Jim. Cigarette. You give him me-
 q have no cigarette" replied
 "You no like him, cigarette "
 No; no like him, cigarette"
 "You no like him, toback " "NO like him, toback."
 "All same as squaw. May bo so purty good. May be so no good Dunno May be so purity soon
 ou oo Iniun think so."