The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-12-05


srcne to come with me, so that 1 could
have witness to the report l decided 10
make to the deputy game warden. We
returned to the place, and as we descend
ed the hill toward the camp our approach
was discovered. At that the Indians scat
tered, forsook everything-ponies, sad
dies, meat, hides. But one remained. he
was found loading cartridges when we
came up. We noticed, however, that
those who ran away did not go far. They
| hid themselves in the surrounding brush,
| several hundred yards off. We remained
| there some time, surveying the layout
and noting with some degree of feeling,
| I confess, the murderous work among the
| deer which the fellows had accomplished
There were hides of bucks, doe and fawn,
a number of quarters of venison, but far
more in number were the tenderloins. We
| tried to induce the Indians to come out Of
| hiding, but failed They evidently were
afraid of arrest. They knew as well as
we that they were doing wrong, and knew
the consequences should they be captur-
ed. Such a thing we could not do, as We
did not have the authority. But we wish
ed we had.
They Were Frightened.
"At last we started off We looked back
and saw the hidden fellows come back.
| Then we started back. This time their
fear had left them, probably because we
did not appropriate any of their plumber,
and they had concluded we were not Of
ficers They awaited our coming and then
we all sat down.
There were a couple of them that
scraped out a little English, sufficient to
be understood. They were wide awake to
the situation, as 1 have said, and the con-
versation Immediately turned to it. The
leader wanted to know whether there
was any talk about their being in the
country killing game. To this I replied:
Yes, heap newspaper talk
MY reply made them prick up their
ears, not from fear, but from vanity. If
there is one thing above another these
Indians delight in it is notoriety. They
wanted to know to what extent the news
paper criticisms of their action went, and
when 1 told them that the government
was going to send the cavalry out after
them they laughed. What they meant by
this could hardly say. But when 1 con-
tinued and said that if the state cavalry
could not catch them that Uncle Sam S
men would get after them, they looked
sober enough for one to think they were
going to be hanged the next minute. At
: ter taking tea with them we departed Cor
Meeker, to notify Game Warden Clark OF
/ our discovery.
Rio BIancO Tired.
] Rio Blanco county demands that 1t be
freed from yearly raids on it's game by
) the murderous Indians. Rio Blanco coun
} IS is prosperous, with a hardy class u
people who are willing to brave the vicis
STUDIES of frontier life and abide by tn'
, laws of their state. Their geographical
S location is such that they are not givel
e to the enjoyment of polished society, ln'
the recherche side of civilization. Har'
= work, early and late, with financial lie
e suits from their products coming in onl.
t after seasons, they have a just reasol
h for demanding that every comfort Oh
|. tainable and every just opportunity pos
Il sibe to obtain their just dues be accord
ed them. 1 am placing special stress o.
q the subject of the game in our section
h We have game laws which prohibit gu
f people from killing only in season an
Z only so much. This is very good as ia
as it goes, but it does not go far enoug!
l. is well to curtail the killing to a sui
b. ficient amount to answer the demands c
! the individual, and it is right that III
-. law specifies the character of game thu
- shall be killed at such and such tim
But when our people every year see
u lot of Indians come into the section an
slaughter the game without respect
age, and slaughter only for the hide, an
- no interference is attempted 1t is thu
which makes us revolt against a syste
y that is palpably unjust.
e. Now, you know it was a week ago Sa
urday that Mr.. Land started for Meeke
he and he starts two weeks after he gets Il
N first information
as when l tell you the system with whiC
OF the Indians kill the game you will see tn
ne it is hours that count in making prepar
tions to stop them. So then what W
days and then weeks bring about? VIII
M nothing more than that in a couple
n days these fellows can get all they wa
ce and be off before they are caught.
de Il must not be understood to say tn
de the party livingstone and 1 ran aero
NV was the only one on the hunt that wee
ce At the first sniff of the cold, snowy seas
ry Indians will leave the White river
vi Uintah agencies and come up to +
to Blanco and Routt counties and meet [
ay game as it comes down from the high
,ur ranges. Each buck has on an avera
Ger two ponies. One he rides, the other
are uses as a pack animal and between I
hit two he has been known to carry off
many as so hides. he rides along
les ridge of the hill, and fires right and ]
az when he gets into a bunch The OF
as o'ner lhihs ne uoes pesiues shoot Is
net ii'''N '"e piaOe No sno' I'm "e"
at 10" 50 ''.i w 10 Du'oiioi'
the - - ~ '-l0 -
me 80 - ,'-,-, ~, - - - -
'' these spoils. You get a hundred or m
pc" bucks at that kind Of slaughter and