What the Piute Queen Says of the Late War

Sarah Winnemucca Silver State September 3, 1878, p.2 col.2 What the Piute Queen Says of the Late War A reporter of the Idaho Statesman interviewed Sarah Winnemucca, who is now at Boise City, and gives the following as the substance of her remarks: “She has visited Fort Boise and attempted to interview the Indian prisoners now at the Post. She first visited the women, who refused to tell her anything and when trying to talk with the men, one of the squaws interfered and told the men to say nothing as Sarah would be certain to t ell everything they said to the officers. Sarah says that she never saw any of these prisoners before, and knows nothing about them, but thinks they are Shoshones or Weisers. Of the Piutes she says Oitz is the most guilty, and should be severely punished, as he was foremost in joining the Bannocks, and encouraged them with assurances that they would be joined by Umatillas, Warm Spring and Columbia River Indians. Oitz was also active in raiding the ranches beyond the Malheur reservation and in gathering in the horses running upon the range. The Piutes, she says, were very nearly without arms or ammunition, but the Bannocks had extra guns which they had stolen from the whites, and furnished such of the Piutes as joined them. The majority of the Piutes were unarmed and virtually prisoners in the hands of the armed hostiles, from whom they were continually making efforts to escape. Many of them did escape, going to McDermit and other places. Sarah seems earnestly in favor of punishing Oitz and all others who were actively engaged in robbing and murdering and professes to be anxious to do all in her power to identify them and bring them to punishment. She says that she has positive evidence that Buffalo Horn was killed at South Mountain by Piute Joe at the time of the battle with the Silver City volunteers. Of the quarrel between the Bannocks and the Piutes after the hostiles were driven back from Umatilla. She says all that is know of that affair is what was told her by a squaw who was taken prisoner. From this squaw she learned that the Bannocks laid the blame of the failure of the campaign upon Oits and his band, who, they claimed had misled them, in the belief that they would find allies among the Umatillas and the other Indians. The Bananocks then resolved to leave the Piutes and return across Snake river to the buffalo country as they have since done. She says that she will remain here until the present difficulty is settled, and then she will go to Washington to see what can be done for those of her people who may be left. Sarah thinks that Chief Egan was badly treated, as she knows that he persistently refused to join the hostiles; that he was kept a close prisoner by them, and compelled to remain with them against his will. She also related many other things of which there have already been many versions given to the public. Sarah is a remarkable looking woman, speaks English fluently and is quite intelligent and communicative.”