The copper era., 1903-10-29

J OLD-TIME SKETCHES
ttGtItttIItr
TIE MEEKER MASSACRE.

In the year y! 1913 4cit Itdu ilAc
for the White river agency, when
tie Indian agent, Mr.. Meeker and his
white assistants we're murdered by the
Ute Indians. WheS Iarrived there
,sund my old friend, B. Il. Knowles.
now Of Deming. then contracting TO
build the quarters for the garrfs> =
Everything was burned up at the
agency. We found a little garden
truck, out it, too, had been neglected
and destroyed. I had been scout and
guide for the troops and 1 know the
country pretty well. The Indians had
gone some one hundred miles back
across the Grand river TO place they
called Plateau creek. Capt. Jack was
al that time a. the head of the Utes
and had led the attack in the massa-
ere. The chiefs were very numerous,
all seeking to lead. Old Douglas, old
Collorow. old Uncle Sam, and a few
more all expected to be made the
chiefs Of the Utes. The Indians told
a great many stories about Meeker,
Jul win Ou4f At-oIS CiAC ia A4NA'
had proof that it was true. He was
very tyrannical and seemed to try and
cut the Indians down in their free way
OF living. There was an Indian
woman, l believe her name was Sarah.
She had worked and bought fine COW
with her earnings, and had built a
small brush fence to keep the calf in
and let the cow run on the luxurious
grass that covered the hills. In
the day her hook and line was en-
gagged filling basket of trout caught
in the White river, which she would
sell when she took the milk down to
the soldiers at night. Now, Mr..
Meeker had given orders that no stock
could run or be kept near the agency,
and he sent orders for Sarah to re-
move the COW and calf. She paid no
attention to him but told him that the
grass was free like the air; that she
was there long before he came.
That made the agent mad and he went
in person and tore down the fence,
turned the COW and calf loose. That
was one OF the complaints made
against Mr.. Meeker, and | only knew
by hearsay OF anything for the massa-
ere WAS all over before l got there.
All the men were killed and the
women and children were taken out to
Plateau creek. Then Major Thorn
burg started to get in there with s9me
cavalry, and as he marcheG-hfs SOL
diers down through some small ruts
the Indians had him between them
and every Indian had the best repeat
ing rifle that cOull be had and
thousand Indian w2rriors participated
in the fight. There was no chance to
retreat-fire in font and fire in the
rear and fire on both sides. | counted
over 80 dead horses on the battlefield
The soldiers were all buried before
got there. That made the Indians
very bad. They had killed all the
soldiers and they believed that they
could viii the United States. 1
wanted TO make some money faster
than was doing and with an old man,
Mr.. John Wallace, we loaded pack
horses and took all kinds of store
goods out to the Plateau creek, and
we had time. 1t is too long a story
to tell you what we went through, but
we bought fOrty-nine good ponies,
eight hundred pounds of elk, bear and
buckskins for which we paid 10 cents
per pound and sold at $1.J0 per pound
to the storekeeper. We took the
horses to Denver and sold them for
good money, but had / to go through
it again | would let some one else have
the job. | don't want easy monesSst
the price | experienced on my trip out
to Plateau creek. They were insult |
ng and mean, but afterwards Capt. !
Jack was killed by a shell that the |
soldiers threw into his tepee with a |
little howitizer, and old Colorow died |
rom bottle of poisoned whiskey |
hat an old miner gave him for steal
ng his horse. When | started for
Plateau creek Mr.. Knowles begged |
ne not to go, and when | returned |
With furS he was wild to know how |
lad gotten back alive. | knew him
n the Black Hills and it was then |
Knew Capt. Jack Crawford, the poet
cout. | will say now that | did not
rave to be told not to make another
rip out among the Utes. | never
vent back. CHS.