The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-06-16

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method that was easier.
Sunk Famous Chieftain
The chiefs body and property
were loaded into wagon and hauled
to large spring and they were
dumped in. Then his ponies were
led to the edge of the spring, one
at time, shot, and rolled in. The
place was like great bowl, and the
bodies lay in the deep water. w. +.
Oliver, the only white witness of the
burial, guided the party to the place
forty-one years later and in relat-
ing the circumstances of the funeral,
he said that as spring came on, the
bodies bloated and came to the sur
face and gradually disappeared. The
guns and other weapons, he thought
might be obtained by dredging if
there was hard bottom in the spring,
but if not, then they would be sunk
by forty years of settling. The pool
looked deep and blue at the cente"
but it was several rods across and
there was ring of mud and moss
around the outside. This, the Judge
said, was not there when the burial
was made. II had apparently been
tramped in all around by stock.
AS members of the party remem-
bered the doings of Chief Pocatello,
they became more interested in re-
covering a gun or tomahawk, and
the three newspaper men stripped
off to try diving if the water was
not too cold to be safe from cramps.
The great ring of mud surrounding
the spring proved to be very deep
and soft. Each man mired down
before he could get to deep water.
The mud was overgrown with rank
moss that wound about their legs,
and each time they tried to navi-
gate by swimming in the shallow wa
they, they got wound up in the moss,
while the central spring lay deep,
cold and blue at the center of the
great pool.
Chief Pocatello was one of the
chiefs who had strong convictions
as to how to handle the white peo-
pie. He believed in defending his
country against their entertainments,
and was by nature fighter. Old
chief Washakie was disposed to
peace, and every time Pocatello
,ried to form a union of forces with
him for more effective defense, they
and sometimes quarreled
bitterly Pocatello called Washable
l squaw, an old squaw, and various
other things, in his efforts to prod !
him into action against the whites,
no they kept pouring thru the coun- |
,ry in such great numbers every |
season that killing a few here and !
here seemed only to make 1t more
to approach the next ones.
Many stories are told Of his courage |
md cruelty. He was in the big fight |
It Battle creek on Bear river when
General Conner nearly wiped out the |
ed men. Old Cheney Eye, Poca-
clio and one other brave escaped by
under water, the defeat
vas so complete.
For many years he was hunted by
he government, and he avoided the
Dads and trails, operating with a
ew followers, to pick off small
ands of whites wherever he could
lie became very much embittered,
nd was exceedingly cruel. Amos
ltkinson was down from Rexburg
Ionday, and in speaking Of his boy
God experience with Indians, he re-
ated the following account of the
isit of Chief Pocatello to his par
nts' home one day when his mother
nd he were at home alone.
White Boys Story
We were living at Grouse, Box
lder county, Utah, and l was about
We years old. Father was away and
other and were at home alone.
must have been in the summer
1875. My fathers name was
homas Atkinson, and Pocatello
'de up to the house and asked
other if this was where Thomas
ved Of course she replied that
was, supposing he meant her hus-
md, altho there was man whose
rname was Thomas living on an /;
her claim. Pocatello promptly re- j!