OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF UTE COMMISSION. B ency. The gentlemen named set out on their journey to the La Plats on the 29th OP ~ u g o sat n d returned t o the agency on the 5th of September. The aame members left on the 6th of September for Alamoan, and, if deemed peoessary on their arrival there, to proceed to the Los Pinos Ageooy to further the work a t that plasoe, they were instructed to do ao, while the chairman and clerk were left at the Southern Agency, to procure add~t ionasl ignatures t o the lnstrnmenr of rat~ficstion,a nd if possible t o com-nlete the oeoans. On the first issue-dsr after the membem of the commission left to visit thela. Plats. it wxs futtod That "endy nll the st1 111 mala Indiaoa of all the bands nf tba ~outi,urd Ageucg hsd loft s , ~ t l ~ r i ri ~ lblu nt, since scarrrlg any but fe,nales enme in tbr mriona. Alnhnndra was amouc r h o f u \ ~m nn who were or e~ant . In conrenat!an wilh him it \Tar aacvrrnillc~lt bat ' ibs ronog ),.en uf rloe \ ~ ~&n i n u c hIuetu alr l1w1 all Cone away,xt~d IICs ~tppoardt he7 were 11;en or, rltu i.'lorid:il aod the L; Pialn, destiotd t o tllo l).,lorra %lonnr;iiudr o l~ttor. ll!lr verv few of the \Ve~minncl~casc re s i r l , innatiuar tltb a r o r s on the day he ereonted the iistrnment ratifying the agreement. I? was deemez not only important but necessary to obtain the names of such of these Indians as were willing tc ratify the ameemeot, and Alahandra was asked if he would go out after and briog them in. He had himself executed the instrument when Ignstio did. He agreed to make the effort and started at ooooe. On the eft,ernoon of t,h* 6thof Septem-ber, he returned, bringing with him24 adult malesof the Woemiuuche bands, of whom 23 execotnd the inatroment ratifying the agreement. He followed to the Dolores be-fore he overtook them. He stated that there were many more on the Dolores who were oerfectlr willine to ratify the eereement. and wonld move in and do so when the ~ 0 0 0 ;p rui~liiedr hk&arrired'n!,d t.cudg for disrril,nnr:lb~. I g # ~ a f ~nroro n,panied Alt~f.:iudra from tbn Plorld;al ro rile agctter and wae prrwot mhm the 21% oE lei* band trrcuretl rhn inbrrn#o#a~olft r;ttiticnti~~an. h s nemcd ro I,+ moch nlerssd wtrh \vhar war accomplished. On consnltstion with 1,bnatio itwes fonnd thiat'he was williqg to go o u t t o the Dolores in company with Agent Page and Interpreter Burns to obtslo addi-tional signatures to the instrument of ratifioatioo. aud hv srrsnxement the soent, in-terpreter, sod the chiefstarted the next morning 6n this errand.' The resolt was that at s council held on the Dolores River s t the Big Band on the l l t h of Septembar, 47 additional names were aecured. I t was arranged that an the return of the agent and interpreter, the chairman and clerk should nloet them st Aoimae City, and oo the l l t h the lnttsr left the reservation for that plwe. The agent, sod interpreter arrived thore an the 13th, and on the 14th the ohairman sod clerk left for Alamosa, and reached that phlace on the 18th of Sep-tember. On the arrival of their oolleaeoea at Alamosa. s, week before. Mr. Meam left in~mzdiat*.l?fu r tilt> Lo9 I)int~~l g c n r y " t oa aeerlnin rba cond!tioo of the work there whirl) Itad b s o uonC.lnd to Culvnel hiencham. On tllc '7.11 oi September the roll of nazuev uirhc 170nmpnhgre nod \!'bile I<ivtr Utur obr"in..cl ro the iuelromenr of rafiti-ration at the l.or Pinos .\gene)-, 1t0111. by hlr. 31rlard to S>t ( l l lacIa~n~d from thence l,g spcclal is.r.saon.rer, wan rrceirt.d ut Alaulusr. It was fouutl rbnr tha n:sa,us ohrainad a1 llotlt ~ r o o e i r sr , r.r..r w.,r r e d 5?l adulr male, I l f r Indlanr of the eoufedernred l~nndai n Colorado:' Thir numhrr the roma i~r ioot rdw ere sarirfivd \rns i n erreraof three-foorthr of all rll,: adult xualt, Ltldianl id sail1 coufederated b.i~~tI$. l'l~ina -ue tit* lirsr duty cu~~l idetdo thawlnmiraioo bv ronr inetrortiw~e. Comr,l,,ted under the most favorabie oircumetanoas, it was a veri "ditfionlt thing toaooomplish. Generally oor Indian treaties have beenmade with tho ohiefs sod headmen. Could the negotiations with the Utes have been confined to this clasa, they could have been as. sembled a t a single point and the husinessaonoludedin a brief time, but hy the treaty of 1868, ss well as by the larr of Jnoe 15, 1880, the assent of three-fourth8 of the sdnlt male population of the confederated hands of the UteIndians in Colorado was required to cive e5eot to the cession of any portion of the reservation of these Inaisoa. Alerge nrooortion of this nnmber was onls to be obtained smonz such of the Indians ssrasrn i n d hrnr, and lllese were dispersed ill diIterrl)t d i r ~ ~ ~ r i ~ ~a~t i~l~l li tl ll d f i3st anr fro01 tb., ngvnrice, aud it wq n i n ~ lti me ro hrlng tbaln =,thin reach. Ad~ledt o thvse dlr71. e~rllivst. l todmt l~ofM r. Jriekllcv, our rlerk.nntlof Chief Otlr;tr anal Kcnnnlac (rim lntlor wua kllluli by liglttning x t ; , ~t l " ~ ~a. fer or ti~odearllo i ~ ~ ~ m y f c o n t r i ~tuo'rdredln y our work, anal hence it mnn rbu 2.-,111 of Seplrnlbnr I~oiurei t was known lhl r rhe nceeasnry. n u ~ n l t eo~i nsmea had heen callrrioed tu r u r i f ~t he scrcrmeot. .\I1 rllertnnwa ; ~ t t n r l ~t~o, tdh e instrnrmrnt bf mtiticn~iou were placed thnro in rhe prc-nnco of ooo or muru uf the ~otllzn~is~i.,#n,~.rXaC, P I I It he 47 ohrilioe~ls f the Big- Udol ofthe nulorre. M'e believc tlnrt all u!~der,leol tho cantertrs of the agreement aod tho ohligntians assumed when they executed the instrnmeot of r~t~ificathn. They acted aithoot restraint and of thair own accord. It was, however, painfully evident that i t was s fearfill struggle for them to give up their country where they from infancy and their fathers before them had roamed st will over the mountains and through the val-leys of Western Colorado. Mgreovt;r they miatrnated their ability to meet the reapon-sibilitiea of the new mode of life outlined for them in the sgreemeot, sod they hsd fm as to the fidelity n i t h whioh the government would fulfill its part of the agree- |