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Show REPORT OF THE COXMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. LXXXI cited citize~~tos allow theindii~usti me to get back to their reserve, and endeavoring to dissuade theln from further attempts to arrest Cibilo and Big 'rank. McAndrews gave the camp the startlinginformation that Colorado militia were already in pursuit, and that they must push on , to the reserve without stopping. Being then too late to round up ponies in the darkness, the lndians ventured to delay until morning, when the women and children were started on. At noon, as the men were pre-paring to leave, Ee~~dawl li,t h a posse which had increased to 80, came upon them over the trail ahiob they had takeu, aud Major Leslie also arrived by the main road from Meeker with 100 Golorado militia. At the request of the white men, two of their number had a talk vith two representatives of the Indians, Enny Oolorow and McCook, during which Major Leslie asked that the ludians remain where they wereuntil morning. On being assured that they could not delay but must over-take the women and hurry to the reserve as the agent had ordered, he replied, '' All right, go ahead; we will not molest you," and the four shook hands and parted. What motive lay behind this remarkable re-quest tbat the Indians remainwhere they were can only be inferred from the bloody sequel. That night the Indialis camped on the dis-puted ground, where they supposed the reservation line to be, and with such sense of security that, although their position was peculiarly ex-posed to w,ttack, ponies were turned out to graze and not even a11 out. look was posted. Bhortly after daybreak next mo<niug, August 25, while the Indians were cooking breakfast the soldiers and posse from whom they had parted the evening. before occupied the surrounding blufi, 100 yards distant,and without waruing opened fire on the unsuspecting and de-fenseless party. Achee ran to the attacking party, begging them not to shoot until the frightene? women and children could be gotten out of the way, and the reply was a volley which wounded him in the thigh. The fire being continued unremittingly, the lndiaus returned it for three hours and a half, until under its cover their women aud children were placed at safe distance, when they abandoned the entire camp outfit and moved 3 miles nearer the agency, to be absolutely sure that they were on reservation ground. The militia and cow-boys retired to Rangely, 15 miles distant, and there corraled the 300 Indian ponies which they had rounded up and driven off during the progress of the fight. The lndim loss in this fight is said to be one man, two small girls, and an infant boy, killed, and two men and a boy r eve rely vounded, besides their entire winter supply of dried meat, furs, blankets, trinkets, in fact all their possessions. The loss of the attacking party ik said to be three killed and several wounded.. Colorow had with him about 150 men, women, and childreu, which number is believed to have in eluded not over 25 fighting men. The news of the fight swiftly reached to the agency and created in-tense excitement; and that afteruoon a company of twelve United 8375 I A-6 |
