Omaha daily bee., 1915-03-25
SCOTT TELLS OF
TAKING INDIANS
General Makes Friends with Rene
gade Piutes and Brings Them
In Without Difficulty.
LIKE ovERGRowN CHILDREN

THOMPSONS, Utah, March "a
Seated at the head Of the table, Brig
adler General Hugh l.. Scott, chief
of-staff OF the United States army, AZ
the little hotel at Thompsons, served
four docile and happy Indians at din
ner last night. A few days ago these
Indians we're accounted the blood
thirsty leaders of a vicious and des-
perate band OF outlaws.
The Indians were Old Polk, chief
of one of the divisions OF the rene
gade Piutes; Tse-Ne-Gat, son of Old
Polk, who is charged with murder:
Old Posey, chief Of the other division
Of renegades. and a son of Posey. All
Of the Indians referred TO General
Scott in their Piute tongue as their
good white father.
The general insisted that the Indians
were not prisoners. but Gust his boys. -"
The Indians were bubbling over with de-
light when the general insisted that he
and the Indians be given a separate table
away from the 'Wnite folks.
Not a handcuff. not shackle. binds
these Indians. but the tie of genuine re-
gard for General Scott Is such that II
would probably take a posse larger than
that which Marshal Nebeker brought to
Bluff TO drive them from him
After they had eaten. the Indians were
supplied with cigarettes by General Scott.
and then permitted to wander about with
perfect freedom. The generals only con-
Germ was that the Indians might get run
over by train. They had never seen a
railway train before and can hardly re-
sist the temptation to get close 10 the
cars. The Indians had their first auto
mobile ride coming from Moab today and
they are looking forward with eagerness
to their first train ride, which will begin
when they start for Salt Lake City.
General Describes Negotiations.
General SCOTS story of the pacification
Of the Indians told to a Tribune re-
porter. follows;
I'VE left Washington to come out here
to attempt to settle this little mIsunder-
standing on March 8. with me were
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Z. L. Niche
my aide-de-camp, and Trooper p. r.
Randolph of the Fifth cavalry, my or
derby. We reached Thompsons on March
and went to Bluff, going by automobile,
wagon, sleigh, horseback and on foot
At Bluff we learned that Polk and Posey
and their Indians had gone to the Ma
vaJo mountains, some 126 miles west of
Bluff. We stayed day in Bluff and then
went to Mexican Hat, on the San Juan
river, twenty-eight miles west Of Bluff
T~In
Boy out to tell the Piutes I wanted to
see them. Some of them came in near
where we were camped, but it was not
until the third day that any dared to
come to the camp.
"Posey and four other Indians then
came into camp. We talked little
through a Navajo interpreter. 1t was in
the evening, and I Just asked them how
they were. I told them did not feel
very well and did not want to talk to
them until the next day. They helped us
kill a beef and we gave them a good
meal. the first they had had for weeks.
They were poorly clad and we gave them
some blankets. Posey and his men didn't
have any weapons, but l have reason to
suspect that they had hidden them in the
rocks near by.
Indians Blame Cowboys.
THE next day Polk and Hatch and
about twenty-five others came in to see
me. / asked them to tell me their trou-
bles They said the cowboys had come in
the daylight on horseback and surrounded
them, shot their children and wounded a
squaw. They said they didn't like the
cowboys. 1t seemed they had previously
had troubles with the cowboys.
Then told them some of my troubles
I told them didn't think they would
like to have their children chased by
soldiers and cowboys all over the noun
| tains and killed. l told them that !
wouldn't like to have my children treated
that way and that would be glad to
do anything / could to stop 1t. didn't
| try to push matters with them. l told
the agents to see that they had pro-
visions and blankets for the rest .of
their people and for their squaws and
children. I told them that after they
had thought matters over | wanted them
to tell me what they wanted to do about
it They talked together and then said
they wanted to do just what / wanted
them to do.
Then we sat down I'm a circle and I
said: The marshal wants you. and you,
and you indicating Posey, Polk Hatch
and Posey's boy, to go with him to Salt
Lake. The rest OF you can go back TO
! your people and go TO the reservation
with the agents. Is that all right? They
said 1t was and further they said that
II said so they would all come to Salt
Lake.
Then we broke camp and all rode
ponies back into Bluff. We rode ahead
and let the Indians follow us. Skey
have never been ironed or shsckled
never even led to believe they are pris-
oners. They never tried TO get away
Why, don't believe we could get rid OF
! them II We trie4. At night they have
slept together and nobody has stood
guard over them.
Hatch Denies killing Mexican.
They are perfectly harmless now. All
the Indians are satisfied The whites
are over their scare and there viii be nc
more trouble from this band Of Indie ms
| These Indians are Just children, easy "a
alarm and sometimes hard 20 appeaso
/ They Rad worked themselves up 20 a
pitch where they we're getting very dan
gerous They were attempting % get a
large band Of NavaiOs 20 Join them In
an outbreak. Where they we're camped
in tha Wild broken country near the