Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-07-26
PREPARED TO FIGHT.
Settlers In JacksOn's Hole Valley Are
Storing Up Ammunition.
But Two Hundred Males In
Bannock Tribe.
living Within Treaty Rights but Against Laws
Of Wyoming.

PoCATELLo, Ida, July 28.-News OF u
conflict with the Bannock Indians Is ex-
pected every hour. Troops cannot reach
the besieged settlers before Monday.
Additional evidence Of the thorough
manner In which both the settlers and In
dians in Jackson's Hole valley are prepar-
ing for battle continues To arrive every
day.
After careful inquiry, II Is learned that
there are 75 heads Of families In Jacksons
Hole valley. For two weeks, they have,
with rare foresight, been preparing for
the condition that now exists. In or
der to forestall the Indians, messen-
gers were to buy up all the am
munition that could be obtained
In that section OF the country, and SO well
have they succeeded In laying In good
stock before the passes were watched by
the red men, that they now have on hand
about 100 rifles, and every settler equipped
with 1000 rounds OF ammunition.
The Tribe a Small One.
WASHINGTON, July 26. - According to
data relative TO the Bannock Indians OBJ
tanned at the Indian bureau, the tribe now
on the warpath in Idaho IL not large one.
In the latest report of the commissioner OF
Indian affairs it is stated that the Ban
nocks number Ill souls, 2l0 males and 222
females.
1t seems that the Bannocks were strictly
within their treaty rights in killing game,
although they violated the laws Of Wy
oming In DONG 80, and so gave oppor-
tunity to the lawless among the settlers
to cause conflict with them.
The following claus, Of the treaty Of
July, 1858, whereby the Bannock Indians
were located upon their present reserva-
tion. shows the right of the Indians to
hunt in Wyoming:
The Indians herein named agree that they
will make said reservation their per
manent home, and they will make no perma-
nent settlement elsewhere, but they shall
have the right TO hunt on the unoccupied
lands Of the United States so long as game
may be found therein, and so long as peace
subsists between the whites and Indians on
the borders OF the hunting districts
To avoid conflict with the whites, the
Indian bureau has made regulations gov
erning the exercise of this treaty right
which forbid the Indians hunting in dis.
tricts frequented by the whites, and the
policy Of the Indian agents has been to
persuade the Indians to use the privilege
as little as possible. In the trouble be-
tween the Indians and settlers, the gov
tains the Indians right to hunt game, but
requires their
Return to the Reservation.
In 1866 the Bannocks broke away from
governmental restraint and massacred
many settlers before they wore subjugatcd.
In 1878 they again brought up their an
nual grievance of bad ations and poor
hunting, and took the warpath. During
ha Of that
and murdered and pillaged in spite of all
efforts made to subdue them. 1t was not
until General Miles came down from Fort
Keogh with large force, and killed
great many of them, that they were sub
dued.
That war cost the government consider
ably over 100000, but the result seemed
to be salutary lesson for the Indians,
for since that time they have kept rather
quiet. There were about 1900 warriors in
the field in that uprising, but over half of
them belonged to the Cheyenne and Arap-
ahoe tribes who secretly sympathize with
the outbreak.
At present it Is doubtful If the entire
tribe can muster more than 500 warriors at
the outside But if they have definitely
decided to go on the warpath, It will be
an easy matter for them to muster re-
cruits from the various neighboring tribes.
There is always discontented element
among the Crow and Sioux tribes
Ready to Fight.
In their last war the Bannocks used
STEMS mountains for a stronghold, and
under Chief Ten Days they made a stand
against the government. From this point
they were ousted by General Howard.
Then they fought their way eastward
along the Blue mountains, between
Grand Ronde and Columbia valley.
When driven from this locality, as last
resort they turned eastward into the
Salmon mountains, and thence along
Powder River mountains, TO the crossing
of Snake river. Here they killed herders,
isolated farmers and small parties with
out hindrance.
From what can be learned, they are
again in their old haunts and plying their
old trade. The band probably does not
number over 5000. Although the Sho-
shones, as tribe, have never made war to
any extent on the government, there are
great many young bucks who will un-
doubtedly join the Bannocks in any move
ment of consequence. The country is an
exceedingly difficult one for military oper-
ations. 1t is heavily timbered and very
mountainous
In fact, a small force, II well-provisioned
and with an unlimited supply Of ammu-
milton, could hold of the available gov
ernment troops for six months without
much trouble. In past wars, the move
ment Of the hostile Indians has always
been toward the Canadian border.
The present uprising will probably form
no exception to the rule. Failing to reach
Che border, the Bannbcks will accept de-
feat, as they have In the past, return to
their reservations and be good Indians for
another year.
Work Eor Ceneral CchoSield