Gunnison news-champion., 1904-05-06
EvQUT1QeS Oe An D10aAS1
AARS
A UnUssseSa kncs4Ea q - ~
s~y a In h.o Rsws-
vsAuna = - Eaeiy

E.As
The NENs -CNsxr4eS has secured
-eveE.sl -saEles II the early hIssory os
GanEs-sn and surrounding eaanasss
srom the E-sR 81 >saaey Jackn,eA
whs ss perhaps besaer egzssFsa a.
an eve witness D. wrsae II them than
Hsas' others. The present sketch
deals With a trge Indian scare that
hFoaeht tFopVr m harry. all
iOandcd "a an IMAGINARY var which
wrute up aad threW iaio the waste
BASKET from Wkloh u was rescued
by a pFsctso.a ls,kor and pubs-hed
~ sisney Is-osnics
II was gettlng tired Il the Ee-er-
vssIon ! never said - ! was sui II
the way ai temptation and lived
talerabls moral HE. aud was saving
moaey. but while tins seemed Co nae
b. be the chief end II man. vet !
sometimes thoagtt that had a. use
i1r quite a. mach solitude a. .2uo.
tHO acres of Indian lands afforded
However when travelling out on
horseback which often dad used
o. think 10 was a greai thing o. rep
resem this landl1rdism It II nele
>an even Ii there was u8 telegraph
and u1t much O. brag ID IN the wsy
of white populati1n There was
some white poPulaiian though. o. the
manner born. a. ID were. and person
ihed ln the wild cowpuucher who oc-
casianally became aggressive and
MIXED 1eviltries al short range with
Mr. Ute thereby furnishing material
f1r much crazN patch work iu the ec-
ceutncities Of journalism.
los Pinos Agency in lS76 was
counted a hard place MANY shady
and depraved characters found in
the BeseI vation both seclusion and
safety p years ago. Prominent
among the latter were a couple OF
toughs known a. Oregon Bill and
Happy Jack TO he drunk and
dressed up was with them quite as
respectable as II was harmonious.
BY that same token whenever they
entered a saloon and called for a
round Of drinks they never profaned
their lips by touching the same
glasses in the second act, invariably
breaking them ON the bar room floor
after having imbibed mo man
puts his wine in old bottles, quoted
Jack.
The most prominent thing in the
whole San Juan country in those
days was the Ouray boom, one
half Of which was on the reserva-
ton, and the other and better half
on the ranges of the continental di-
vide. Denver and Pueblo journals
quoted the excitement as genuine.
and argonauts from the older camps
Aocked TO the new FL Dorado.
Across the mountains they came,
singly. in pairs and by squads When
night came they rolled themselves
in their blankets and slept in the
cradle Of the silent hills.
Alamosa was then our shipping
point being at the end OF the track
Of the d. q II. G.. railroad. 1t was
frequently my duty to go there to
inspect Indian goods on their arrival
from St. Louis. On one occasion
while thus engaged | was approached
by Mr. FELTON, whom my father lu-
tr1duced to me as editor Of The Sa-
guache Crescent by way of a re
quest 10 give him a weekly writeup
of all the various items Of Indian
news that might come to my know
ledge at the agency, | to receive sal
ary.
Meanwhile the new Agent had Just
arrived and relieved from duty the
ex-incumbent Uulike him he pos
sessed none Of those personal charms
indicative of kind manners. Being
an ex-army paymaster his methods
were precise and businesslike. In
character he was stern, peremptory
and exacting.
At first ] hesitated from closing a
bargain with him from motives of
prudence which prompted me to con
slider the risks attendant ON too much
freedom Of speech or failure to prop
erlv distinguish between such as