The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-26

! California slave trade They were as
sisted by the best msn OF al parties
In 1857 g general crusade was under
way. Few " any arrests were made,
but many captive. Ind ans were restored
to liberty Whenever it was possible
! tila rescued Indian children were re-
turned to the camps from which they
had been stolen, bat where this Coz 3
not be done they were turned over by
the county supervisors to citizens who
could give bonds fer their proper treat
menS. the boys being bound over until
they were q and the girls until they
were 49,
The decline of the traffic in Colusa
county dates from 1856 In that year
the last lot CT captive Indians was pub
liCly offered for sale in the northern
part of the Sacramento valley Ore
farmer who was particularly outspoksn
against negro slavery bought a 800
pound boy at that sale and saw Moth
ing wrong in it n justification OF his
act he saGl he feared the 10y would fail
INTO worse hands, as someone was sure
10 buy him.
The last rali on the Indian camps in
Colusa county. and. tt.Ek. in the
state. was made in 1856 CT 1871 n a
Sheriff received wcrd that a band Of
s4ave traaers We're Ca-nped IN Carte-aS
valley. near the line between CoiuSz
and Yolo counties. with a gang of cap
tive indiarS- A nefgn5or Of 0ina Who
saw this band Of helpless prisoners de-
scribed fas(r condition as most n tia, .e
mere were more than q dozen Of them
all tied together by a long rope ard
forced to walk in single file One Of
the raiders rode ahead on a horse with
the end Of tae roCe attached to his
saddle Some of the capttves We're in c,
miserable condition, being footsore end
barely able to walk. but still their re-
leIptless caDtCrs forced them TO con-
tinue their march into bondage.
As soon as the sheriff could gather a
posse he started for the place where the
slave traders were reported to be in
camp with their capttves. but the men
had received warning of the corning Of
the officers and had decamped vita
most of the Indians. The sheriff fould
in the place where the camp had been
six Indians ranging in age from 10 to
u years, Who had been left behind. The
little redskins were taken in charge by
the officers, and later all were bound
cut to citizens of the county. There
was never any difficulty in finding
homes for these wards Of the county.
On the contrary. they are always in
great demand, for the very conditions
that made the slave trade profitable
served to open the homes of the farm
ers to the Indian children.
At that time the conditions of Cali
fornia ranch life were peculiar. to say
the least Then, as TOW, the women On
the ranches We're confronted with about
twice as much work as they could do.
and to get hired help (even Chinese in
that part of the state was we'll nigh i'm
possible. John had not at that time in
vaded the servant girls domain as he
did a few years later. The result was
overwOrl1ed wives and unamiable hus-
bands, for it did not improve the tenn
pers of the men to be half rancher and
half domestic.
Under these circumstances it was not
unnatural that longing eyes should be
turned to the idle and half starved In
dams, who were always, except during
the goose and acorn seasons. on short
rations. How much better it would be
for the young redskins if they had
some one to feed and clCthe them. Thus
the white men and women argued. But
no kind of reasoning could convince
the Indians of the benefits to him to be
gained by the deal. Sc was an Indian,
and proposed to remain one, despite all
argument and reasoning to the con-
trary.
CaIifornians at that time were rich
in resources when money was TO be
made. and the more easily the better it