The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-26
BRAVES BOLDLY GATHER.
Troops Are Now Being Rushed
to the Rescue of Threat
ened Families.
BALLARD's BAND TAKE a HAND.
Utes From Utah and Colorado Are
Also Going to Join the Unruly
BannockS.

POCATELLO, IDAHO, July 25.-The news
from the north grows more warlike and
threatening with every message received.
The latest information that is reliable is
10 the effect that within twenty-four hours
400 Lemhi Indians from the west have
crossed the Union Pacific Railroad in the
vicinity of Market Lake, en- route for
Jacksons Hole. The Lemhi reservation
is in the northwestern border of Idaho,
lust where the forty-fifth meridian, which is
the northern line of Wyoming, crosses the
Utah State line. The Lemhis are a mix
ture cf Shoshone and Banpock Indians.
The further news has also just been re-
ceived from the village OF Market Lake
that communication with Jacksons Hole
is now entirely shut off. The latest mes
sengers sent out have returned and say
that all the mountain passes are heavily
guarded by the Indians, who will allow no
whites to enter.
The situation in Northwestern Wyo-
ming, where the Indians are on the war
path, has not improved to-day. In fact,
all the advices that have reached this
reservation are of directly opposite ma
ture. Adiutant- General Tetzler of Wyo-
ming, who was at Market Lake to-day,
was hourly expecting to hear that con-
flict had occurred between the settlers and
the Indians in the Jackson Hole Valley.
Two of his messengers, dispatched to that
district several days ago, have not yet re-
turned, although overdue, and grave fears
are now entertained that they were am
bushed by the Indians. From the other
direction the news is of an equally dis
quieting nature.
Indian police who have returned from
the Salt River Valley, where the big trad
ing pow-wow has been in progress for a
week. say that the band of Bannock In
diGps pnder the leadership of Jim Ballard
has started north toward the seat of
trouble. If these Indians reach the belli-
gerents in the Fall River Valley before the
troops get there, and they undoubtedly
will, the result may be disastrous. Bal
lard's band is composed of the worst ele-
ment of the Bannocks, tribe IN a
general way bad enough and as a rule
lazy, shiftless, fighting Indians. This par
ticular lot, however, are the restless spirits
of the tribe, always ready for a quarrel
even in times of peace, and in the present
excitement it would require much less
stir to an intense pitch the already excited
gathering on Fall River.
The authorities at the Bannock agency
have all along been congratulating them
selves that Ballard and his gang would not
be at the seat of trouble. From Division
Superintendent Vanhousen the schedule
was secured of the special trains that are
bringing the Ninth Cavalry (colored) from
Fort Robinson, Nebr. The two trains, one
for the men and the other for the horses,
will comprise a total of forty-six cars.
There are 383 cavalrymen coming. The
train that is scheduled to leave Cheyenne,
Wyo., at 10 o'clock tonight will arrive at
Green River at IL o'clock Friday morning,
at Pocatello at 9 o'clock in the evening and
Market Lake by midnight. Here the
troops will leave the railroad and go across
the country to Jacksons Hole.
From Market Lake to Marysvale, the
south end of Jacksons Hole, by the short
est and best route, via Rexburg, it is 120
miles. The cavalry will not be able to
make more than sixty miles day at best,
so that if conditions are most favorable it
will be at least Sunday night or Monday
morning before the troops will be in po-
sition to render the besieged settlers any
assistance, and during the three days in
tervening there is time for serious trouble
to occur.
Additional advices of the thorough man.
ner in which both the settlers and the In
dians in the Jackson Hole Valley are pre-
pairing for battle continues to arrive. Ike
Hill, the well-known travelling man for
the Symms Grocery Company of Salt
Lake, arrived in Pocatello tonight, hav-
ing come directly here from trip through
the very portion of the country south of
the Yellowstone National Park, in which
the bushwhacking campaign is being car
ried On between barricaded settlers and the
ambushed Indians. Mr.. Hill, after care
full inquiry, learned that there are seventy
five heads of families in the Jackson Hole
Valley. For two weeks they have, with
rare foresight, been preparing for the con-
dition that now exists. In order to fore
stall the Indians, messengers were sent to
buy up all the ammunition that could be
obtained in that section of the country,
and so well have they succeeded in laying
in a good stock before the passes were
watched by the red men that they have on |
hand about 100 rifles, and every settler is
equipped with 1000 rounds of ammuni-
ton.
The reason that there has not been |
more determined retaliation before this
on the part of the Indians is because they
cannot prepare for war so quick. In the
first place they are from $50 to 200 miles
from home and cannot so easily secure the
necessary supply of ammunition; first,
because it will not be sold to them in large
quantities just now, and again because at
this season of the year, after the money for
their last years hay and skins has been
used up, they are poorer than at any other
time.
The Indians have, however, the best of
rifles furnished by the Government, and it
has always been the case in an Indian up
rising that they manage to ''dig up
money somewhere and get ammunition.
If any Iurther proof was needed that the
Bannocks and Shoshones of this reserva-
ton are not on the reservation, but up in