University of Oklahoma College of Law University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899 1-14-1881 White River Ute Commission investigation. Letter from the Secretary of the Interior, transmitting copy of evidence taken before White River Ute Commission. Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.ou.edu/indianserialset Part of the Indian and Aboriginal Law Commons Recommended Citation H.R. Exec. Doc. No. 83, 46th Cong., 2nd Sess. (1880) This House Executive Document is brought to you for free and open access by University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899 by an authorized administrator of University of Oklahoma College of Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 46TH CONGRESS, t HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. { Ex:Doc. 2d Session. J No. 83. WHITE RIVER UTE COMMISSION INVESTIGATION. LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, TRANSMITTING Copy of evidence take,i before White Rivm· Ute Commission. l\1:A.Y 14, 1880.-Referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs and ordered to be printed. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, May 12, 1880. SIR: I have the honor t,o· acknowledge the receipt of a resolution of the House of Repr sentatives dated March 27, 1880, as follows: Resolved, That the Secretary of the Interior be directed to transmit to this House, ~t an early day, a copy of the testimony taken by Generals Hatch and Adams, special agents of that department, touching the late outbreak of the Ute Iudians in the State of Colorado. In accordance with said direction I tiransmit herewith a copy of the testimony called for; also a copy of the letter of Geueral Hatch, prei;;;i­ dent of the Ute Commission, transmitting the original papers to this de­ partment. Very respectfully, 0. SCHURZ, Secretary. The SPEAKER of the House of Representatives. Proceedings of the Special Ute Cornmission convened by virtue of dispatches from the honorable Secretary of the Interior and the General of the Arniy, dated Wctshington, D. C., October 26 and 29, 1879. OFFICE OF UTE COMMISSION, Alamosa, Colo., Ja.nuary 7, 1880. SIR: I have the honor to tran. mit herewith records of the proceed­ ings of the Ute Com mis. ·ion convened by authority of telegrams from yourself and the General of the Army, dated October 26 and 29, 1879. The Commission a<l.journcd this day sine die. Very re pectfully, your obedient servant, EDWA.RD HA.TOH, Bvt. ~Major General, U. S. A., President. To the Hon. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, Washington, D. C. 2 WHITE RIVER UTE COMMISSION INVESTIGATION. Los 'PINOS AGENCY, COLO., November 12, 1879--2.30 p. m. / The Commission met pursuant to instruct10ns. Present, Bvt. Maj. Gen. Edward Hatch, U. S. A.; General Charle Adams, of Colorado; Chief Ouray, of the Ute Nation; First Lieut. Gus­ tavus Valois, Ninth Cavalry, recorder and legal adviser. General Adams then moved tbat the Commission sit with closed doors, pending which tbe Commission adjourned to meet at 9 o'clock a. m., the 13th instant. Los PINOS AGENCY, COLO., November 13, 1879-9 a. m. The Commission met pursuant to adjournment. Present,, BYt. Maj. Gen. Edward Hatch, U. S. A.; General Charles Adams, of Colorado; Chief Ouray, of the Ute Nation; First Lieut. Gus­ tavus Valois, Ninth Cavalry, recorder and legal adviser. Minutes of last meeting read and approved. The motion of General Adams of the previous day was then taken np and carried; the room was cleared and closed. On motion of General Charles Adams, General Hatch was elected president of the Commission. On motion of General Adams, H. J. Caldwell was appointed official stenographer, John Townsend interpreter, and George D. Sherman clerk of . aid Commission. · On motion, the members of the Commission were' tben sworn by the recorder, and he in turn by the president, after which, the stenographer, interpreter, and clerk were also sworn by the recorder. On motion of General Adams, the Oonnnis ion then proceeded to take te timony. ChiefDougla, of the "Nunpartca" band of "\Vhite River Utes, being worn by hief Ouray according to the cu tom of the Ute Nation, tes­ tified a · follow (Appendix A): At 5 o'clock p. m., on motion of Chief Ouray, Commission adjourned to meet at 10 o'clock a. m., 14th in tant. APPENDIX A. Ti stimony of Do11glcu,, chief of the White River Utes, November 13, 1879. long, and your rank. u rla , and I am chief of the Na-partca the l>e 0 'inuing of th trouble with killiu · of tl.Je ag nt and m1 lo,e WHITE RIVER UTE COMMISSION INVESTIGATION. 3 and the attack on the troops, n·ear White River, on the 29th of Septem­ ber, 1879.-A. The :first thing I understood of the trouble was this ~:ear; Agent Meeker diYided up pieces of land for work. He gave each of us a piece of land for house site. Then I told Agent Meeker that he had better wait a bit; that he bad given these sites to our people and I wished he would wait a bit before going further. The agent Raid after the sites were divided up that he wanted that land for plowing; the agent told me that he wanted that land for plowing. He wished the land already divided up for houses to be plowed. Then the agent told me that we should not have so many horses, because they were eating up all the grass, and that we had better kill a part of our horses and only Rave a few, so as to save the grass. In regard to killing the horses, I made no answer to the agent, but I told him be had better quit break­ ing up the ground where he had already given us for houses and take some otbfr land for breaking up. Then I told the agent that it were better that he should wait a while until I could speak to the Indians about this brPaking up the land where the houses were to be built. The agent then asked me why I could not take the houses from there where the3· were building. I said because I could not; it was impossible. He then told me that anyhow the land was not ours, as it was bought with blankets and such things; that the land was bought by the gov­ ernment, with blankets and such things. That was all that was said or done at that time, and then I went away from the agent and went home. Then at another time about two days after this last occurrence, per­ haps a little more, I went again to see the a.gent, and then it was that I found the soldiers were corning and that the order was already given. By the RECORDER: Q. From whom did you hear it f (Ouray here instructed Douglas to testify to that only of which he knew of his own knowledge and not by hearsay.) The WITNESS. Meeker told me that in about two days more, perhaps, the soldiers would be there. Then I told the agent that it would be well for him to order some of the officers to come to the agency, because the Indians were afraid of the soldiers. It was then that Meeker told me that I and four or frve more of us could go with him to where the sol­ <liers were. I told the agent that it was well, because I wished to go and see some of the officers to tell them of what work I had done at the agency. The agent then said: "Very well; in the morning we will go and see the officers." At this time, while we were talking, the soldiers and the Indians had already fought or were :fighting, but we did not know it, neither the agent or I knew of it. By the 0HAIR1IAN : Q. What time in the morning was that 1-.A. It must ha,Te been be­ tween eleven and twelve o'clock, because as soon as we had done speak­ ing the agent took bis dinner. As soon as I had done talking with the agent I went home, aud then again I came to where he was. .After I had seen the agent I went to the tore-room where the provisions were­ flour, &c. While 1 wa yet in the store-room with the storekeeper and talking with him, I heard a gun. hot. When I heard the gunshot I left the tore-room and went out a little way. Then I went to my house di­ rectly from where I was. When I 'tarted and got to my house it made me cry to thjnk into what a , tate my friend. had fallen. When I .came out from my hou , I . aw a wounded Indian coming out from a house. I w nt OYer to the hon e where I aw the woundeq Indian comjnq; from, 4 WHITE RIVER UTE COMMISSION INVESTIGATION. and inside the door I found there the carbine belonging to the wounded Indian, and I took it in my hands. By the RECORDER : Q. Do you know who the wounded Indian was ~-A. I did not know who the Indian was or who the carbine belonged to, but I took it. It was already dusk. I then went from where I was to my house, because my wife had already· thrown the house down, preparing to moving and going away.