Evening star., 1896-03-21

upon cedar posts that will last fifty years.
The careful expenditure OF q comparatively.
pahgres upon their feet, for there are only
about nine hundred of those people now.
Fifteen years ago there were nearly twice
as many; but governmental neglect has
wrought havoc. Only the abundance Of
game saved the tribe from fatal starva-
ton. Eight years ago these Utes were
jumped by Colorado state troops. upon
tinguished themselves by killing Indians
who were flying flag of truce. The treat
ment accorded them has developed and
today the most thoroughly Indian Indians
I know.
VivisectiOn With an Ak.
Saturday Is issue day at the Ouray agency.
1t Is on issue day that you see the Indian
as he Is. At Ouray 1t is possible to witness
scenes capable of producing shudder on a
vivisectionist. Cattle are shot by an agency
employe-himself an Indian-and when the
last steer drops there ensues a rush for beef
that would overwhelm half a hundred of the
best foot ball players in the land. Repre-
sentatives of each band take possession Of
the best steer they can get hold Of and pro-
ceed instantly to divide the spoils. There
were seven steers killed the day was there.
Four of them were dead as soon as they
dropped, but the three others were hardly
more than stunned before the butchers were
upon them. One of the three was sturdy
animal, whose brain had hardly been touch
ed by the bullet that upset him, but that
fact was not apparent until much later.
The first of his captors jabbed knife in his
throat, hut SO clumsily and so ineffectively
as to merely wound the animal. The pain
moved the suffering beast to kick, where
upon the kicking limb was promptly re-
moved with all ak. The tongue was then
cut out and impaled upon the upper horn,
and the operation of sknning was proceeded
with in vigorous. but the clumsiest and
most wasteful manner. BY that time the
steer seemed dead, so I moved around to
watch another group. A little while later
turned and saw an Indian cut the upper
foreleg off the first steer, an operation rem
dered necessary by the animals doing his
best to defend himself Herewith. The spec
tacle presented was horrible in the extreme.
nile l had been away the butchers hal
skinned all of the upper side, had hacked
the ribs away and had removed all the
meat so that the organs and entrails were
all exposed, but uninjured; even the chop
ping along the spine had not touched the
cord Conspicuous, because of it's strong
and steady movement, was the sac-nclosed
heart. The poor brute's eyes were bright
and occasionally there would be a twitching
OF the stumps of the rudely-severed legs,
as though the voicelesS eature-its tongue
long before torn out-would try to get up.
The sight was disgusting, but it was only
SO for an instant or two for, in response to
request made by Captain Day, who vas
with me. q knife was plunged into the pal
pitating heart and the steer was at last
dead-ten minutes after nearly half Of him
had been hauled away by the squaws. SO
far as l know, there is no branch Of the
Humane Society among the Utes.
Rich Red Men.
The Uintahs are another sort of Indian
Their agency Is about fifteen miles from
Fort Du Chesne and in the Uintah valley
There is nothing the matter with the Uin-
tab title to the lands occupied, and it Is
certain that the Uintahs are among the
most prosperous of Indians. Like the I'm
compahgres. they have mineral on their
reservation but 1t appears to be less vau-
able. Most Of the great veins of gilsonite
are on Uncompahgre territory The Uin-
tabs have about 1,GWo.O00 acres of first-class
farming and grazing land to sell, and as
there are not more than 200 heads of fami-
lies they may some day have more money
than they will know how to properly use
II they are wise they will hold on to their
minerals and timber lands for awhile ana
When good offer is made they can enrich
their territory. Indeed, l do not see why
they might not work their own mines
under competent and honest supervision
The government has been trying to teach
lndiahs now to farm Why may not that
same power-in it's capacity as the red
mans ward-teach the Indian how to be a
miner; he couldn't be much more of a fail
IRE as miner than he has been as
farmer. The foregoing remark does not,
however, apply generally to the Uintahs
for, under the watchful care of Col Rand
lett, they are rapidly bee comng civilized
Within three years forty new houses have
been erected for the Uintahs, while many
miles of irrigating bitches and fences were
constructed. Admirable schools are in
operation, saw mill murmurs all day long
SIX days a week; granaries are well filled,
and everywhere is an air of prosperity
most surprising to those who know not the
capabilities and fidelity of Col. Randlett,
who for nine years has been post COM
mander at Du Chesne and agent for these
Vndi Tnn
the end OF this year. Who may succeed
him as agent no one can guess. But if the
best of the probabilities works to the sur
face it will nevertheless be a sorrowful day
for the Cintahs and Uncompahgres when
the ambulance hauls him away to the rail-
road. No man could be more faithful to his
trust than James +. RandIett has been and
is.
Farming n Fine Art.
Many influences combine to disturb the
conscientious Indian agent, and he is con-
tinually bothered by the ingrained Indian
dsinclination to labor. An odd instance
occurred last year 1t is customary to lend
a farming Indian seed sufficient to start in
business as an agriculturist When the
crop Is threShed the agent deducts there
from the quantity loaned, SO that when
spring time comes again the Indian will! not
be bankrupt, as the Indian is most likely to
be. Last spring one of the tilers of the
soil said he didn't want any seed; he pro-
posed to rest awhile and watch the other
people perspire. In due season the grain
grew and. to the astonishment of agent and
Indians, there seemed to be as good a crop
cn the lazy mans farm as on any of the
others. 1t seems that the lazy mans. crop
OF oats In 1891 was trifle overripe when
it was harvested. and result came the
volunteer growth, which when gathered
in amounted to more than eight hundred
bushels. The effect of that crop on Uintah
Industry was somewhat depressing-the
Uintah tendency is to sit still and give ma
ture chance-but the injury wrought by.
those volunteer oats Is not likely to be
lasting. GEO. H. HARRIES
INSULTING THE EMPEROR