The silver lance., 1897-11-05
STORY OF THE FIGHT.
SEVERAL INDIANS WE'RE KILLED
Uiatah Utes Now Turning Their Attention
to Burning Houses-Ranchmen and
Cowboys Gathering to Give Battle to
the Reds kins.

Cowboys Gathering to Give Battle to
the Redskins.
Denver, Oct. ga special from
Steamboat Springs via WolcOtt to the
Republican gives further information
about the fight between Indians and
game wardens, as follows:
Charley Mccormick arrived here this
evening with letter from Game War
den Wilcox to the Pilot. 1t was ~ fol-
lows:
Vaughn's Ranch, Routt County, Oct.
25.-Yesterday myself and ten deputies
attempted to arrest party OF Utes VINO
were loading eight ponies with deer
hides to send back to the reservation.
Worked with them four hours, but as
soon as we would put them on horse
they would slide of. Finally l ordered
lariat ropes brought, andwas going to
de them to horses. Al Shaw grabbed an
Indian and he picked up gun and
fred at Shaw. One Of my deputies
threw aside the muzzle of the gun and
the butt hit a squaw in the leg. The
Indian then knocked Shaw down. At
this time several other Indians opened
fire and the fight began. At Its con-
clueion all of the bucks were either
dead or crippled. Three and possibly
FIVE were dead on the ground. The 9TH
ers were wounded. All settlers are
gathering into this place for protectaon.
w. r. WILCOX.
Your correspondent interviewed the
courier, Mccormick, and ehcited the foi-
lowing facts: Last Thursday Warden
Wilcox and Mccormick went to the
lower end of the county to look after
Indian hide hunters. At Maybell post
Office they heard that party or aDout
forty Indians were encamped rev
miles below killing game. The next day
Wilcox and Mccormick rode over to
that section and found about 100 IN
dams at different camps hunting. They
found stacks Of green hides and saw
carcasses of deer purifying in the hills
Mr. Wilcox demonstrated with them,
but they laughed at him. Recognizing
the futility of attempting anything
alone, Wilcox rode back to Thompson's
ranch and dispatched courier to Craig
for assistance. Nine men responded
They were Jack White, Tom Ar
strong Ad Brothert0n, Al Shaw, Henry
Templeton, r. B. Thompson, Ames Ben
nett. ], r. Overholt and a man whose
name could not be learned.
With this assistance on Sunday morn
ing Wilcox. with his little band, rode
toward the camp Of Star, Ufntah SUD
chief appeared to be in charge OF the
",
euuaws were In this camp. Templeton
and Thompson. two ranchmen who
were acquainted with Star, went ahead
to talk to him. and the balance Of the
party remained behind. The ranchmen
soon returned with the information
that nothing could be done; that the
utes were ugly, and insisted that the
game was theirs and they would kill
all they wanted. Then Warden Wilcox,
who does not know what fear means,
rode at the head Of his little party d.
rect into the Indian camp. They found
part Of the bucks out hunting, and
about a dozen men and a large number
of women and children In camp. Star
was called for, and to him Warden
Wilcox attempted to reason. He told
him that he had been appointed to en-
force the game law. That he had made
white men obey the law, and now he
would enforce 1t against the Indians;
peaceably, II possible, but he intended
to enforce 1t.
Star told him to "go to :" that the
game belonged to the Indians, and they
would kill all they wanted. All around
the camp were green deer hides, many
OF them being does and fawns. Will
cOx'e instructions were to take offend
ers before a justice Of the peace, have
them fined and remanded to Jail. Then
1t was proposed the agent would pay
the fine and deduct 1t from the red
mems annuities. He ordered some Of
the deputies to bring up the Indians
horses, and told them they must go
with him. Then the struggle began. He
first disarmed them and searched the
camp for more weapons, but none were
found. Then he would force an Indian
to mount, but while looking for anoth-
er the first one would slide OF his horse.
This farce was kept up a long time. 1t
was 10 O'Clock when the party Of white
men rode into the camp. 1t was
O'Clock when Wilcox became tired Of
the farce and ordered ropes brought
This set the Indians crazy. Star rushed
toward Wilcox to strike him with a
stick. While holding him at bay an
other Indian got behind Wilcox with a
knife, and attempted to stab him. Al
Shaw saw the movement and. rushing
In, grabbed the Indian round the waist
and whirled him to one side.
Just then a sQuaw rushed up and
took Ballard rife from under her
blanket and gave it to the Indian. He
stepped back, cooked the gun and fred
at Shaw's head from a distance of
eight feet Another deputy, whose
name Is unknown, struck the gun as 1t
was fired, and the ball just missed
Shaw's head and struck a sQuaw. At
the report Of the gun the squawe
rushed out with rifles, from where OBJ
tanned no one knows. and the India ms
opened fire at short range. Seeing he
had missed Shaw the Indian brought
his gun down with all force on the
formers head. Shaw dropped like a
log, and all thought he was dead.
Jumping on Shaw's PROSTATE body
the Indian drew long knife and
raised his arm for blow. At that mo-
ment the whole upper portion Of his
head was blown OF by a bullet at close
range from the rife Of the deputy,
whose name is unknown. By this time
the fighting was general. Even the
eQuaws were armed and opened a gen.