OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF UTE COMMISSION. Stickney had in the brief period of his official connection with the Commission en-deared himself to every member of it, and all felt anddeeply deplored his loss. According to agreement, s. number of the Unoompahgres and some of the White River Utes met the Commission in open council on the 21st of Julp. All the Com-mission and the interpreter were present, and among the Indians there was a fair representation of the leading men of the respective bands. The Washington agree-ment of the 6th of Maroh, with the amendments thereto embodied in the act of Congress June 15, 1880, as well a8 the se.veral provisions of said act, were eaoh and all read and interpreted into both the Spanish and the Ute languages, section by section, and the Indiana requested to take the agreement and the law into their own council and give them deliberate consideration. Withont any respon~e to the remarks of the members of the Commissioo, Chief Ouray mrrde an exhaustive talk to the Utes, explaining the action of himself and his co-delegates who were at Wash-ington and joined in the agreement of Maroh 6. Following him the chiefs and head-menoccupied considerable time in conversational ttalk smong themselves in reference to the action of the Utes who were at Wsahingtou,as well as the misaion of the Com-mission then present. The conversation was orderly iod free from exoitement, al-thangh it was known that s number of the Indians did not approve of what had bean done. At the olose the council adjooroed. On the 22d and 23d of July the Indians and Commissioners met in open cooncil. On eaoh day there was oousiderable disoussioo, bot no conclusion wasreaohcd. On the ersning of the 236 the coouoil adjpurned until Monday the ZGth, Saturday the 24th, being the regular dsy for issoing retions. At the olose of the discussion in ooonoil on the Zth, a pressing invitation was given to the Indians present to oome forward and excoote the instrument ratifying the agreement which hnd been sobmitted to them. Ouray, in response, said that he did not know ao Uooompshgre Ute who was prepared to do so; that it was necessary that they have further time toaoosider and discuss the sobjeot in their own councils. On consultation it was deemed proper ta adjonrn the conncil over to the 28th, on which day theIndiana thooght they would be prepared to meet us again. This they did do, but io diminished naruhers, many being detained at home to repair their hsbitatioos, s~hiohw ere serionsly injured by storm the previous night. At half-past two o'olook in the afternoon the council opened. Two and a half hours were consumed in discoasion andexplanation of portionsof the agreement, when all present attaohed their marks to the inatroment, ratifying the Washington agree-ment of Maroll 6th, with the smendments thereto. The number was thirty-six Un-oompahgre and ten White River Utes. Stevens, a White River Ute, and brother of Douglas, was the tirst man to came forward and touch the pen. He was followed by Sspevaosri, of the Unoompbhgre Utes, and the trusted friend of Chief Ouray. On the 29th, 30th, and 31st of Joly additioonl names were added, until the sggregate number was one hundred and forty-five, of whom one hundred md eleven were Uncompahgre and thirtyfour White River adult male IJtsIndians, who had executed thd instrament ratifying the sgreembnt. AB many of the young men of the respective hands were at this time absent, and ' could not immediately be reached, i t was deemed sdvisahle to leave one of the corn- missioners at the Los Pinoa Agency to obtain additional signatures to the instroment of ratifioation and make an etfort to take a census of theUocompahgre Utes, while his oalleagnes moved for the Southe~nA gency, to begin the work there. Mr. Meacham was detailed for this duty. and on the 4th of Anguat Mesare. Manypenny,Bowrnen, Russell, and Mears, accompanied by a small military escort under commandof Captain Pollock and Lieutenant Claggett, of the Twenty-third United States Inf:~ntry, left for that agenoy. Before departing, Chief Ooray snd a few of hi^ subchiefs were invited to visit the Southern Agency, with a view to have their sid in the work to be done there. The diatsnoe between the agencies by way of the Indian trail across the mountain ranxe does not exceed 130 milea, and yet to make the journey by wagon roads con-sumed twelve daya. On the way we were joined by John R. French, the successor of Mr. Stiokney, deceased. On the afternoon of the 15th of August, we arri;ed at the Southern Agency. Many of the Indians were expecting ns, since such of the Uncompahgre chiefs aa accepted the invitation had goneover the trailand heralded the news that the commission were ou their way many days in advance of our arrival; and on both hanks of the river, above and below the agency, groops of Indian tepees were t,o be seen. Early on the morning of the llith, several representative men af the Southern Ute branch called at our camp. About 10 o'olook Ignatio, the head chief of the Wwemi-nuohe baud, called. It hsd been given ont that the eommissianers desired s, prelimi-nary ooonoil with the principal men of the several bands who were then preseot,at 2 o'elook p. m., of that day. After paying his respects to the members, Ignatio ex-pressed the wish that the proposed preliminary oonnoil be deferred. He aald that several chiefs, whom he thought it important should he present, had not yet arrived, hot were known to he an their way in, and henoe his request for delay. Moreover, he was quite anxious that Chief Ouray, whom he learned was on his way, should be at |