The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-24
Gen. Scott Tells How He Ended
Piute War.
Used Moral SuasiOn to Subdue
the Indians.
HE FED AND CLOTHED THEM
Then Talked the Situation Over
With Them.
Are Returning to Salt Lake, but
Not as Prisoners.

Thompsons. Utah, March 24.-Seat-
ed at the head of the table, Br1gadler
General Hugh L. Scott, chief or starr
of the United States army, at the Lit
tie hotel at Thompsons served four
docile and happy Indians at dinner last
night. A few days ago these Indians
were accounted the blood-thirsty lead
ers of a desperate band of outlaws.
The Indians were Old Polk, chief OF
one of the divisions of the renegade
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 or
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 "just his boys"
The Indians showed keen delight
when the general insisted that he and
the Indians be given a separate table
away from the white folks" Not
handcuff, not a shackle binds the In
dams, but the tie of genuine regard
for General Scott is such that 1t Will
probably take a posse larger than that
which United States Marshal Nebeker
brought to Bluff to drive them from
him.
After they had eaten the Indians
were supplied with cigarettes by Gen
eral Scott and then permitted to wan
der about with perfect freedom Ine
generals only concern was that the
Indians might get run over by train.
They had never seen railway tram
before and can hardly resist the
temptation to get close to the cars.
The Indians had their first automo-
bile ride coming from Moab and they
are looking forward with eagerness
to their first train ride which will
begin when they start for Salt Lake.
Scott's Own story.
General SCOTS story of the pacifi-
cation of the Indians follows;
1--WE left Washington to come out
here to attempt to settle this little
misunderstanding on March 3. With
me were Lieut.. Col Robert f. l..
p r. Randolph of the Fifth cavalry,
my orderly. We reached Thompsons
March s, and went to Bluff, going by
automobile. wagon, sleigh, horseback
that Polk and Posey and their Indians
had gone to the Navajo mountains,
some 126 miles west of Bluff. We
stayed a day in Bluff and then went
20 miles west of Bluff.
1--WE sent a friendly Piute, called
Jim's Boy, out to tell the Piutes that
I wanted to see them. Some of them
came in near where. we were camped
but it was not until the third daythat
any dared to come to the camp. N
"Posey and four other Indians then
came into camp. We talked a little
through Navajo interpreter. 1t was
in the evening and just asked them
how they were. l told them did not
feel very We'll ana 0l0 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
Posey and his men did not have any
weapons but l have reason to suspect
that they had hidden them in the
rocks nearby.
Polk Came In.
The next day Polk and Hatch and
a nf in n M
/ asked them to tell me their troubles
They said the cowboys had come in
the daylight on horseback and sur
rounded them, shot their children and
wounded a squaw. They said they did
not like the cowboys. 1t seemed they
had previously had troubles with the
cowboys.
Then 1 told them some of my trou-
bles. l told them did not think they
would like to have their children
chased by soldiers and cowboys all
over the mountains and killed. I told
them that l would not like to have my
children treated that way and that I
would be glad to do anything L could
to stop it, 1 did not try to push mat
see that they had provisions and blan-
kets for the rest of their people and
for their squaws and children. L told
them that after they had thought /
matters over L wanted them to tell /
me what they wanted to do about it. |
They talked together and then said /
they wanted to do just what 1 wanted |
them to do.
Then we sat down in a circle and !
said: The marshal wants 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 rightY They said it was and fur |
Their they said that if 1 said so they |
would all come to Salt Lake.
Rode Back to Bluff.
Then we broke camp and all rode I
ponies back into Bluff We rode /