The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-04
FOLLOWED THE TROOPS.
Bad Class of Settlers Found
in the Country of the
BannoCkS.
SOLDIERS NEEDED TO ARREST.
There Promises to Remain Lively
Feud in the Land of Elk and
Scenery.

MARKET LAKE, IDAHO, Aug. 3.-The
following letter was received tonight from
THE CALL correspondent who is with the
United States troops in Jacksons Hole.
1t is dated August 2:
The belligerent settlers of Jacksons Hole
have discovered, now that it is too late,
that calling in the United States troops to
"clean out the Indians" has acted very
much in the nature of boomerang. The
evidence continues to pile up against the
character Of many of the men who were
engaged in the killing of the Indians.
Captain Ray of the, Eighth Infantry said
yesterday that he had populated Jacksons
Hole by driving from the Shoshone and
Uintah reservations during his service as
Indian agent all the horsethieves and out
laws that infested them.
There are undoubtedly men living in
Jacksons Hole who cannot live safely any
where else. One of the worst examples of
Jacksor1s Hole justice is that of old Two
Sacks, an old blind Indian tanner. He
was fined $75 and his elk skins confscated,
although it was shown at the trial that
Jim Walker and Ed Hunter, the deputies
who arrested Two Sacks, had sold him
seven of the skins found in his possession.
This is vouehed for by Bishop Wilson him
self.
When Justice Rhoades was asked by
The CALL correspondent why the parties
of white hunters were not arrested for
killing the game, he replied that they
would be if he had his way about the mat
ter, but that public sentiment was against
arresting tourists and he could find no one
willing to undertake the contract, as they
had been benefit to the country. Justice
Rhoades deprecates the killing of the In
dians, but admits that there is a lawless
element in Jacksons Hole that cannot be
controlled. A large number of hunting
parties, mostly composed of wealthy
Fasteners, focked into the Jacksons Hole
Valley in the wake of the troops, and now
that it has been definitely learned that the
Indians are going south, many more will
undoubtedly follow.
The evident danger is now that instead
of conflict between Indians and the
United States troops it will be between the
troops and settlers. 1t is believed here
that the contemplated arrest of settlers
cannot be accomplished without the aid of
soldiers. 1t will also be hard to convict
the men here among their friends, and the
prosecution will be looked upon as persecu-
ton by their friends, just as the Indians
considered the killing of their braves a
massacre.
The inevitable result will be that the
Indians and settlers will feel all the more
bitter toward each other, and whenever
the Indians return to the Hole the conflict
that was undoubtedly averted by the
troops this time will occur. This feud is
one that will not end until the game is
all killed or the Jacksons Hole country
added to the National Park as a game
preserve and put under military control
as Agent letters suggests.
When General Coppinger heard yester-
day of the excitement among the settlers
in Swan Valley he ordered Company C,
Captain Corliss, of the Eighth Infantry, to
proceed there at once. This was before the
official investigation disclosed the fact that
the Indians in that vicinity were all peace
ably returning to THEN reservations. The
company will probably not remain long at
Swan Valley.
A special telegram from the Bannock
agency says that Indian Agent letters to-
day wired General Coppinger from the res
ervation, where he arrived last night, that
all the Indians who had been absent from
the Fort Hall reservation have returned
and that all is quiet. Agent letters also
sent the following telegram to Washington
to-day:
Commissioner Of Indian Affairs: All the Indi-
ans who were absent from the reservation re-
turned, had big council and requested me to
telegraph you their heartfelt good wishes.
They had not harmed white man and would
start haying, leaving their grievance to the
justice of the white men. letters Agent