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Show INDIAN DEPREDATIONS 53 THE WALKER WAR CONTINUED. TREACHERY OF THE INDIANS. From Whitney's History of Utah, Vol. 1, p. 514. " On July 18th, 1853, Walker, with a number of warriors, rode down to Fort Payson, whose inhabi-tants, thinking no evil, received the red men kindly, and as usual gave them food. The Indians made no hostile movement until they started back to camp in the evening, when they shot and killed Alexander Keele, who was standing guard near the fort. Know-ing well what would follow, Arapeen hastened back to his brother and told him what had been done. Walker immediately ordered his followers to pack their wigwams and retreat up Payson Canyon, which they did. Several families of settlers were then living in the canyon. Upon these the savages fired as they passed, but were evidently in too great a hurry, fearing pursuit, to do serious execution. The people of Payson on their part, expecting a general attack from the Indians, at once flew to arms. They also sent messengers to Provo to apprise the military authorities there of what had occurred, and request immediate reinforcement. Colonel Peter W. Conover, who still commanded the militia in Utah County, hastily gathered about a hundred and fifty men, and proceeded at once to Payson. He arrived there July 20th. Troops from Spanish Fork and Springville were already on the ground. A council of war convened, consisting of Colonel Conover and his associate officers, and it was decid-ed to follow in the tracks of the savages, who, it was feared, intended to attack the Sanpete settlements. Leaving the infantry to garrison the Payson fort, the |