The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-09-10

III
1871 fashion of the TWEEN
tieth century, great
Indian council was held on the
plains of Nevada, and amid much
feasting and drinking the Piutes
and Washoes buried the Ratchet and
smoked the pipe of peace, putting
an end to the relentless warfare
which for one hundred years has
been waged between the two tribes
without cessation. No event in the
history of the Indians of Nevada
has been made the occasion for such
widespread rejoicing, for the fires
of the old feud were never allowed to
die out.
The warfare dates back to the
early years of the nineteenth CEN
fury, when land disputes plunged
the two tribes into hostilities which
drenched with blood the wastes OF
the great West The Piutes claimed
the region extending from where
Salt Lake now stands across the
present State of Nevada and down
into what has come to be known as
Arizona The Washes had scatter
ed settlements in the Nevada sage
brush and resisted the claims of
their neighbors One of the blood
lest battles OF those olden days was
fought near where the capital OF
Nevada now stands. Another took
place on the shores of Lake Tahoe.
In fact the lake derived its name
from one of the most famous of the
Young warriors. It was war of
determination and almost beyond
civilized conception in its savagery.
At times from sheer exhaustion the
feud waned. but it never died. The
last bloody encounter took place
two years ago when the rival forces
met near the town of Los Vegas. in
the southern extremity of Nevada
At that encounter several were kill
ed on each side. but the determined
stand taken by the Federal authori-
ties has prevented a renewal of hos
tilities.
The warfare was in the nature OF
civil strife. Piutes, Washoes, Pah
Utes. Utes, and Gosh-Utes are all Of
one blood-are all Shoshone In
dams. Unable to agree upon the
boundary lines of the grazing and
hunting lands to BE .,sed by each, Sc
civilized brothers fall out about the
division of family estate, and lack
ing the white mans respect for writ
ten laws, all these Indians resorted,
to obtain their several claims, TO the
only arbiters the American savage
ever knew. the tomahawk and the
knife. Piutes fell upon WashoeS.
Pah-Utes, and everybody else who
dared dispute the Piutes' right TO the
lands occupied Washoes attacked
Piutes and all the other cousins. No
thought was held for the suffering of
human beings. The aim of the be-
siegers was always determination by
any means. Prof. john Sterling
Kingsley says that they are the most
degraded of all American Indians,
land in California in early days were
contemptuously nicknamed Digger
Indians" Each tribe had the animal
greed of all peoples so near the lives
Of beasts and never resting content
with well-defended possession of one
piece of land. but as soon as conven-
lent, tried TO drive away the neigh
boring nation and gobble up as much
or the territory as possible.
In the course of time, the Piutes
became stronger than the others
both In the land held and in ability
to defeat an opponent in open battle
The Piutes are the highest in intel
hgence of all the Shoshones and are
the most warlike. Even though, in
the words of Prof. Kingsley, they are
themselves ''plundering, miserable
savages, living on whatever the coun-
try affords, roots, grass seed. grass
hoppers, reptiles" they have never
been wanting in courage and energy