Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-02-15
rpesoS, New Mexico,

10 the Editor
Of,tn ! read in the papers or hea
the remark there are no good Indian
but dead ones" and to me 1t seem s
unjust that must raise nv voice i
protest do not say there are no
many bad ones, but do say there at
many good ones. especially IN tribe
which have not been contaminated b.
the whites. Having had a personal cS
perienee Tor fifty years with Indians o
the IT, bes Of Wisconsin, the great Plains
the Bannocks. Snoshones, U,es, Cos
hues, San Pitches, Pahyans, Paheeds
Pahutes. Pimas, Papagos, NavJJes
Apaches, Mahcopas and Yumas, J cat
speak iearlessly In their behalf. True
they are Ignorant lazy, dirty AMI ID
time OF war cfuel-as are all uncivIliz;d
raees,-but with all this they have many
good traits, and some which the whites
would do well to copy. rcicr now 10
Indians In their native condition. They
are chaste, adultery being punished viii
death. as was the case IN the early
settlement Of Cache Co., Utah, when a
squaw who had borne a child by white
moun,aineer was drowned in the Logan
RIVER by the members Of her tribe.
Among themselves they are honest,
theft being almost unknown In each
tribe, though to despoil those Of another
is considered meniorious as being a
kind OF warfare. II a family wish to
leave their little hu, Tor days or weeks
they simply close the entrance and leave
a small stick against 1t as notice tina, the
family are all absent. and leave their
household effects without lear that any
one will enter and steal anything. That
little stick leaning against the tent clasp
Is all the bar, bolt, lock and key needed
to make everything safe. With us, locks
and bolts are not sufficient TO keep
burglars out Of our dwellings-a thief
would ask nothing better than TO know
OF house whose inmates were absent.
Their word Is good. ! have known
an Indian 10 travel a hundred miles on
foot through desert In order to return
a pan he mad previously borrowed and
promised to bring back AT a certain
time TO US. Would any white man do
UlaR think not
They are accused OF never iorgiving
an injury; but II so, they never iorget a
kindness done them. They are hospit
able, and will share their last mofsel Oi
food with needy stranger who apples
to them Tor shelter. II they are a
fIs...ataA A.AI ALL s.s..laHN noe
steal from HIM while In their camp;
when he mas departed lew miles he
may then look out. White thieves would
not wait until their prey had gone ffom
their shelter. but would rob or kill him
vhie he slept beneath their roof
II 'paee permitted could cite many
Interesting incidents In relation to these
.hings. II they are cruel to their
enemies, are they more so than other
racesi Remember the tve'hour agonix
ing torture by FIRE Of a negro In Texas
last year, Witnessed with glee by thou.
ands oil men women ana children
civilized "a whites; also the recent burn.
ing alive In Tennessee Of man and a
woman by white mob.
The Indian has many and grave faults,
but they are the result Of centuries OF
ignorance aud barbarism, and they are
not any worse today than the Turks and
other nations OF Asa aud irica. They
are charged with waging cruel wars
against whites settling on their lants but
we know positively that In nearly every
case those wars were initiated by the
whites,-settlers, miners or ptospectors
Such was the cause OF the Ute war Of
1883, and the war Ia Sanpete county;
also those waged byVictoris and Cochlse
in ATixona,-chieis who were friendly
with the whites until their wives and
daughters were outraged by white pros
pectors while their husbands and fathers
were absent. Exactly similar was the
cause Of the Yaqui war Ia Sonora, Mexi.
CO. Would not any civilized nation to
day declare war for similar causel
In the settlement oil Utah, In a com.
pany OF emigrants going TO California
by the Fort-liall route was man who
swore he would "kill did Indian before
he got to California" and he did so, In
what Is now the State OF Nevada. See
ing an Indian approach the camp at
aoon, he shot him dead-just to show
his manhood, suppose. Next day the
indians gathered IN force, took the man
and cruelty killed him, allowing the
others to 20 forward unmolested. Then
went forth the cy-''lho Indians are
numbering the whilesl kill theml kill
them ALL" And in following years
scores OF innocent people-while and
red were slain upon that lonely trail
victims OF one mans wickedntss.
could adduee many similar examples II
space permitted.
While some allowance can be made
for the Gentle world because OF their
traditions aud their ignorance OF the
origin Of the Indian, we cannot excuse
LaIleT.day SAINTS who haTboT such vim
dietive feelings, knowing as they do that
those whom we call Indians are Of the
hou c Of loseph-oi the pure lineage OF
Father Abraham, and iul heirs to The
blessings sealed upon him and his pos
terily forever, and to whom Il was said
'whomsoever blesses thee | will bless,
and whatsoever curses thee | wall
curse" May the time soon come when
their punishment shall be over, and they
become pure, IA white and delighlsOme
people, as they were alter the ministra.
ton OF the Savior TO them. The follow.
ing clipping from the Tucson Daily
ciIizen tells It's own story unfortunately,
one only too true.