CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1905-03-23

with, the Cheyenne was reluctantly
surrendered, and was skinned alive by
his captors. No Cheyenne or Arapa-
hoe was allowed to visit the Ute coun-
try. and those who tried it invariably
lost their scalps as result of their
temerity.
During visit of large band Of Utes
to Canon City one day Mr.. Talbot at
tempted to get photograph of them
as they came down Main street, but did
not succeed very well, as the red man
regarded the photographers camera
as bad medicine" Although the
street was full of them the Indians dis
appeared as if by magic when Mr.. Tai
bot brought out his camera to take
their picture. The dislike of the Utes
to photographers outfit is accounted
for by the fact that some of their
chiefs had died while on visit to the
.'Great Father" at Washington, which
was attributed by them to the frequen-
cy with which their pictures had been
taken. while in reality it was caused
by Indigestion brought on by eating the
white mans grub.
The Meeker murder, in what lis now
Rio Blanco county, in the later 7O's
led to the removal of the Utes from
Colorado to reservation set apart for
them by the government in Utah and
created hostility toward them on the
part of the settlers that has not been
entirely forgotten to this day. Meeker,
who was the Indian agent in charge of
the Utes, with headquarters on White
river. was man of unusual kindness
of heart and his efforts to apply the
Golden Rule in his treatment of the
redskins was repaid by barbarous tor
ture and in the carrying of his wife and
daughter into captivity a thousand
times worse than death.
After the killing OF Meeker nothing
gave the hunters, trsppers and pros
pectors of the western part Of the state
SO much pleasure as the shooting Of a
Ute, and it is probable that a good
many them in this way were mysteri-
ously missing from the tribal councils. !
1t is but just to state that Ouray was
out of the state when Meeker was
killed, and, presumably, had nothing
to do with it. Ouray has long since
gone to the happy hunting grounds"
but his wife, Chipeta, is still living
with her people on the reservation.
On the occasion of one of his trips to
Canon City, Ouray contracted very
bad cold and went to Mr.. Talbot who was
at that time conducting drug store
near where the Strathmore hotel now
stands and asked for prescription. as
he had more faith in the white mans
remedies for disease than in those OF
the compound given him by Mr.. Talbot
and expressed his gratitude for what
had been done for him. While essen
italy Indian In all of his characterist-
les. Ouray possessed traits that the |
more highly favored races might imi-
tate to advantage, among which may /
be mentioned his loyalty to his prom
ises.
Among the lesser chiefs OF the Ute
tribe thirty years ago was Washington,
named in honor of the first president.
He was very proud of his cognomen !
and was the owner of a silver medal, |
about four incher across, which had |
been presented to his grandfather by |
General Washington. He carried this
medal wherever he went, believing 1t
to be sort of talisman that would pro- |
tect HIM from all harm. Mr.. Talbot
remembers the Washington medal very |
distinctly and says nothing would in
duce its owner to part with it.
While camping in the Wet Mountain
valley some twelve or fifteen years ago, |
Mr.. Talbot found a very curiously |
wrought silver necklace which. from
its appearance. is assumed to have be-
longed to Chipeta, or some other wo-
man Of high standing among the Utes.