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Show • vv..: t ! » rea.- ona.- le tin-. e for the arrival of tho. se whom be expected and desired to participate ia the first council. • © pray arrived on the l i th of AngU6t, and on the 10th we caused a message to he cert to Ignatio, lagalor, and Toupauohe, tho head chiefs of the Weemiuucbo, Muache, r. r. d Capote bauds, that we desired to have tho first conncil- with them and their people « n the 20th, at 2 o'clock p. m. At this hour on the day indicated, these chiefs, with their followers, to the number of 12:.. umon£ whom were the principal men of each tribe, met Messrs. Man? penny, Bowman, Russell, and Mears, and Mr. John R. French, the disbursing clerk, and Interpreters Curtis and Hums, tho latter speaking the Spanish ] ar.: r*- a£ e. in the grove near the camp of the commissioners. The Indians were complimented by the commissioners for their promptness in assembling, and tho Washington agreement, as amended by the act of Congress of Juno 15, together with the provisions of said act, were read and rendered into tho Spanish language by Mr. Ei- r-:?, and into the Ute language by Captain Curtis, and the Indians requested to consider and act upon the subject- matter submitted to them without any unnecessary delay. Apparently upon bis own motion, and without any consultation with his fellows, Alaiaudra, a subebief of the Wc- eminuche band, who was one of the Indian police zx the agency, arose at once and made a very vigorous speech against the ratification of the agreement. Xo Indian followed either to approve or disavow tho utterances of Al& LiUidra, but Ignatio suggested that it would bo well to allow tho Indians a few days in which to consider the grave matters submitted to them, and then they would, hethougbt, be able to come to a conclusion. To this end the next council was fixed for the 23d of August. On that day, at 2 o'clock p. m., tho Indians and commissioners again met in open council. The only result reached after a protracted discussion was the announcement from the Weeaiinuchc Utes that they were not inclined to ratify the agreement. The Muaches and Capotes were 6ilent. The council adjourned over until " the 24th. Before the bour for meeting on tbat day Chief Ouray, who was ill when he arrived at the agency, expired. His death occurred about 11 o'clock a. m. Frora the rime of the arrival of the chief until his death every effort possible was mac* to arrest the disease and save his life, but all efforts and the skill of physiciaus were of no avail. As rapidly as the 6ad news reached the groups of Indian tepees dispersed along the banks of the Rio los Pihos these were struck, and the inhabitauts fled as from a pestilence. None of the Indians appeared again in council until the 26th of August, when about eight of the chiefs and headmen met- in open council in the grove near our camp. Several hoars were consumed in discussing tho agreement, followed by an invitation to the Indians present to come forward and execute the instrument ratifying the same. In respouse. Ignatio and others replied tbat they thought the Utes had done all that con! d be asked of them; that thi.. had already given up the mountains in which the minerals were, and wished to retain the remainder of their country. Whereupon the council adjourned without day. On the morning of the 27th of August, the commission met to dispose of some routine business preparatory to breaking up camp and removing beyond tho line of the reservation, there to await events for a few days, and the clerk was directed to notify Captain Pollock that the members desired to move early the following morning. About noon, and scarcely an hour after the commission had adjourned its business meeting, Icnatio, IagalaV, Tonpoache, Buckskin Charley, Sararo, and about 70 more of the male adults of the Southern Utes, rode to our camp in a body and requested that another council be at once convened. Immediately the request was complied with, and the commissioners, joined by the clerk and the interpreter, met the Indians ia opf- n council in the grove. Without ceremony Iguatio announced that there had been strfficient talk, and he desired no more; that the Indians present had now come to execute the instrument of ratification, and it was the desire and hope of all of them tbat the commissioners would be careful to see that the government faithfully fulfilled and carried out its part of the agreement. Seventy of the Wecminuche, Muache, and Capote adnlt male Indians joined their head chiefs, Ignatio, Iagalar, and Toupauche, and all came forward and as rapidly as their names could be written touched the pen, and then each of them assented to and ratified the agreement. On the morning of the 2i: h of. August additional male adult Utes, chiefly from the Muache and Capote bands, came to our camp, and before noon these, to the number of 59, affixed their marks to the instrument of ratification. ' The intention of the commissioners to leave the reservation on this day was modified by this unexpected action of the Indians, and in the evening a meeting was held at which it was determined to request the agent to aid the clerk in taking the census of the Southern Utes, acd that a committee of three members be detailed to visit the La Plata Yalley and the country in the vicinity, with a view to the eelection of lands on which to locate the Southern Utes. and that the other members remain at the a^ encv to supervise the taking of the census. Messrs. Bowman, Russell, and Mears were detailed to visit the La Plata, and the chairman and clerk remained at the |
