The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-31

L.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3o.-The depart
ment of justice has received from the
United States district attorney and mar
shall of Wyoming, the official reports of
their investigation into the Bannock In
dian troubles made by the direction of
the attorney general The reports are
dated August 49,
The district attorney for Wyoming re-
ports as follows:
CoId-BIooded Murder.
Il have no doubt whatever that the
killing of the Indian Tanega on or about
the 18th of July was an atrocious, out
rageous and cold-blooded murder; and
it was murder perpetrated on the part
OF the constable Manning and his depu,
lles IN pursuance OF a scheme and con-
spiracy on their part to prevent the In
dlanS IRON exercising a right and privi-
d o1ee r,, winch is. in my opinion, very
treaty before mentioned.
Snould the prosecution on the part of
the United States be determined on, it
would be useless to commence it before
commissioner. AS the law now is, we
are bound to bring prisoners before the
United States commissioner nearest TO
The place of arrest, and, in this case, it
would be before Mr.. Pettigrew, the COM
missioner of Marysvale. / am informed
that he is thoroughly in sympathy with
the so-called settlers in that region, and
that he advised Constable Manning and
his posse, that the provisions of the
treaty under which the Indians claimed
the right to hunt on the unoccupied
lands of the United States had, for some
reason ceased to be operative.
Hence, think than to cause the ar
tn4SR a nd fo1
nearing before this commissioner, would
simply result in their discharge.
''Weak and Defenceless.v
ct seems to me to be great nitv thar
there IS no national law which can be
certainly invoked for the protection of
THESE our domestic subjects, weak and
t te ,, SCI; as they are, in their right
them by solemn treaty, to the enforce
ment of which the honor of the country
Is pledged, and that their only protec-
ton against forcible resistance to their
enjoyment of these rights must be found
III the courts of the state, wherein the
Jur1es will unquestionably look on them
as possessing, no rights which white
man is bound to respect"
The district attorney has been advised
that the department concurs with him
IN the opinion that there is no federal
statute under which the offenders can
be punished.
n
Accompanying the report of the dis
trict attorney, is scathing arraignment of
the Jackson's Hole settlers made in a
report of the United States deputy mar
shall who investigated the trouble. The
deputy marShaPS report says that after
a careful investigation of the whole af-
fair, it shows that the reports made by
settlers, charging the Indians with whole.
sale slaughter of game for wantonness
or to secure the hides of the animals
killed, have been very much exaggerated.
During my stay in Jackson's Hole
he says, 81 visited many portions of the
district and saw no evidences of such
slaughter Dteutenants Gardner, Parker
and Jackson. of the Ninth United States
cavalry, who conducted scouting parties
of troops through all portions of jack
sons Hole, also found this to be the
case. On August u, l visited camp of
hunting trip in Jacksons Hole The wo
men of the party were preparing the
meat of seven or eight elk for winter
use, and every part of the animal. even
the brains. entrails and sinews was be-
ing utilized, either for future food sup
ply or possible source of profit.
The Causes.
''In connection with the troubles be-
tween the Indians and the whites,
spent some time inquiring into the
causes for the unconcealed hostility Of
the Jackson's Hole people against the
Indians. There was little or no COM
plant among the settlers of offensive
cept in rare instances, they have kept
away from the houses of the settlers,
and have not been in the habit of beg
ging. In no instance has there ever been
a well-authenticated case where a set
tier has been molested by an Indian.
THE killing of game by Indians, and
by the increasing number of tourist hun
tiers, threatens to so deplete the region OF
big game, deer, elk, moose, etc, as to
jeopardize the occupat on of the profess
sional guides at Jacksons Hole. 1t was
keep the Indians out of the region this
year, and the events of this summer are
the results of carefully prepared plans.
This was admitted by United States Com
Constable Manning said: We knew very
well when we started in on this thing
that we would bring matters to a head.
Some one was going to be killed, per-
sooner ii was done, the better, so that
we could get the matter before the
courts"
Wanted to Kill Them.
Continuing. the deputy marshal says:
eff a full investigation of the Jackson's |
Hole affair should be held the fact
would be established that when Constable
Manning and his posse of twenty-six
settlers arrested a party of Indians on
July 13. and started with them for Marys-
vale, he and his men DID all they could |
to tempt the Indians to try and escape, !
in order that there might be a basis of
justification for killing some of them.
IF the truth of the matter can be
reached, it will be found that the cap !
tors did not care particularly about get
ting their prisoners safely to Marysvale,
where the same formality of filming them
and then having to let them escape. /
would result, but on the contrary,
tempted the Indians to try to csc p
first bv making them believe they were [,
to be sent to Jail or hung. and then by |
leading them to believe if they tried to
escape, their horses only, and not they,
would be shot. ="
Inhuman Treatment.
.'From Mr.. Manning, 1 learned that
none of the horses of the escaping party
of Indians were shot, Notwithstanding his
order to shoot the horses, but that at
least six Indians were. hit by bullets. OF