The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-30
A TWODAYS' CAMPAIGN
THE KILLING OF WHITE EAGLE BY
DEPUTY SHERIFF. BURKE.
1t Happened In Raid by UncOmpah-
sres and Was Final Act OF Ven
geance-The Murder and Pursuit.

New York Sun.
Some people are beginning to talk about
trouble with the Utes again, see," said
Col. George Barry, the other afternoon. as
he drew his chair up to the big round table
in the Lotus Club cafe and sat down with
all the rest of them for the regular after
noon session. 'It makes me think of an ex-
perience 1 had out there with the Uncom-
pahgTes the year before. Thornburgh and
Meeker were killed. It's sixteen years ago
now, but it doesn't seem sixteen days.
had short leave and was going in toAHot
Sulphur Springs in Middle Park, with my
wife. She was going to stay at the springs
while 1 went after elk with Lutte Kinney.
Any fellow who has ever hunted in north
ern Colorado knows Lutte Kinney. He was
the best guide and the best shot and the
hest fellow that ever carried a rifle.
1--WE used to have to drive in from
Georgetown in those days, a good hard
days work, miles OF the road being over
a turnpike made or logs. They were laid
crosswise. and the filling had worked out
from between more than half Of them, so
the turnpike was constant succession Of
jolts. BY the time you got over the pass
on that road and down to Cozzens's ranch
you were ready for the biggest square meal
you ever had in all your life. There was
one place on that pike where you could
of thousand feet of the preei,ice. 1t al
ways made me feel as If I had taken out
new life insurance policy wheii got by it.
were signs of a commotion. Both the
Cozzens boys and the old ranchman himself
Were at the ranch as well as three or four
brought up, and seven or eight OF them
stood out In front of the ranch, saddled
slickers In the saddle straps. Two or three
women were busting around getting ready
provisions for the boys. The men were
looking over their rifles and forty-fours,
or stocking I'D with ammunition Things
looked warlike. =
IT had heard in Georgetown that the IN
on the way to Cozzens's met a man who
told me that big band OF Indians was at
that time making back through the park
been stealing horses whsreves they could,
he said, and had big bunch OF them. I
didn't think there was any serious danger
OF trouble. because the ssquaws and children
were along and the Utes were travelling
slowly, being incumbered with their heavy
tepees and . lot OF stuff they were carry
ing. But Cozzens soon told me what put
different aspect on the affair.
'It seemed that the whole band had
stopped at the ranch that morning and
had made demands on Cozzens, which
That would have been nasty, for Cozzens
was an able citizen, and his two boys were
chips of the old block. The big chief Of
was relative of Ouray, the old head devil
of 'em all, and had a lot of fighting blood
in him. He told Cozzens he had come to
all his stock into Cozzens's pasture, and
said that Cozzens must xii. beef for him
while he stayed. His young men were
for few days. When they got tired of
racing they would go on, and Cozzens
could have some ponies for his trouble.
COZZENS OBJECTED.
"Cozzins wouldn't have it that way. He
would have fought first and he would have
fought just as quick If he had been alone.
But. luckily, 1t happened that his boys were
at the ranch, and his cowboys. too. Colo
row was nobody's fool. He had had lot
Of experience and he knew Cozzens. So,
when Cozzens told him to take his band
and travel and travel quick, he concluded
that he wasn't looking for any OF Cozzens'
beef and that his young men didn't want
to race in Cozzens's pasture There was a
lot of growing by the young bucks and
road over to Hot Springs. Cozzens had sent
two OF his men to ride hard for deputy
sheriff who lived down below him few
miles and for some others of the nearest
az shouldn't be surprised IL there's
trouble he said to me. Those fellows are
o
the deputy sheriff. comes over he'll think
it's a pretty good thing to escort 'em all out
of the park
Even Ute Indians won't keep a man from
being hungry, if they don't happen to be in
sight and by the time dinner was ready
was more than ready for It. Before 1t was
over man came riding up full run to say
that the Indians had taken possession of a
ranch just beyond Cozzens's. AS he put it,
They're raising merry hell with the Dutch
man.
1.-The Dutchman was German who was
good enough cattleman, Cozzens said,
but who was not used to the ways of the
1t was more than likely that the Utes would
be able to brighten him into doing anything
that they chose. The boys were for setting
out at once to help him. but Cozzens was SO
impressed with the notion that there was
going TO be trouble that he insisted on wait
ing for Burke. The deputy came in the
%s 0 ess S nrns Three
cowboy came back with q couple more
Counting myself, there were fourteen men,
y IF there S WAS amy fun on hand DC WAS for
Barry. She settled it by declaring that she
was going to the Springs and that
was going to take her through. suggested
to Cozzens that 1 would take his women
folks too. and we would all go together as
far as the Dutchman's ranch. Then, ii
there was an, any trouble we youid be better
she guessed they'd be able TO look out fol
themselves at home. They all knew how &c
shoot and were not afraid. SO Cozzens gave
me a rife-I had my frevolvers-and Mrs
Barry and started on with the men. Burke
said that the government had known these
Indians were off their reservation for days
but had done nothing about 1t, and now he
guessed 1t was time to take EN- out OF the
park. He was used to Indians and he meant
what he said, so / concluded that things
were likely to happen.
CAS- we rode along Cozzens told me some
thing of Burke's history. Hio father ha6
been killed by the Uncompahgres over fr
the Gunnison country. Burke didn't know
exactly what had happened. He came in
off the range one afternoon to find every
thing at the ranch in ashes. and the multi
Younger brother. He learned that the work
had been done by band OF young fellows
under Chief White Eagle. For three OIL
four years he gave up everything else bu
hunting White Eagle. He got most all o.
the band. but White Eagle kept gut of hi!
way and finally Burke drifted North over
the range and went to ranching again. ina
was one reason why. when he undertook <
see a band of Uncompahgres out OF Modi'
Park there was likely to be trouble:
when We got over to the Dutcnman's
there was sign of cOmmotion anywhere
The souaws had put up the tepees near the
RANCH house. and the men were all off do NJ
in the pasture racing ponies. some Indians
/ believe. would sell their lives for horse
race / know they have sold their wives
] for ponies. When we pulled up at th'
camp one of the squaws sent boy run
ner hotfoot down for the men. Burke anc
| found that most of the Utes had left thei
| rifles behind when they went down to th'
| meadow They did not want to be encum
| bered during the racing. The Dutchmar
was in the ranch when we came up, afraid
| to move for his life. The Utes had nea
II - l. al L..