CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR WORKING ON THE INDIAN RESERVATION
When the government undertook the task of settling the Indians on the reservations, I was given the job of helping the Indian Agent of the Fort Hall reservation gather and keep the Redmen within bounds. This was no easy task. The Indians found it hard, after their many years of roving life, to be restrained. They often grew discontented, complaining at times that they were being cheated and otherwise mistreated. It is a well-known fact that they often had much cause to complain. The Indians have been abused shamefully by the whites at times, and I know it. Our dealings with the Redmen reflect no great credit on us.
If the Indians became disgruntled, as they frequently did, they would slip away to the mountains in a sulky mood. Whenever they did this, it was my business to bring them back. This task was not only disagreeable, but sometimes dangerous.
At one time a band under the lead of old Sagwich got angry over something, and struck for the hills, strongly determined that they would not come back to the reservation again.
I was sent to bring them back; they had a week the start of me. I had a good horse, however, and taking with me an Indian boy named Suarki, to lead the pack horse, I started out. The second day we struck their trail, and knowing well the signs they always leave behind them, we followed it easily; but it led us over a hundred and fifty miles through a rough country before we found the runaway band.
On the sixth day we came upon them camped on the Salmon River. We pitched our camp about a hundred yards away. After unsaddling our horses, I went over to have a talk with them.
Trading post at Fort Hall Indian reservation, Idaho.
Old Sagwich was very angry. He said he knew what I was after, but he wouldn’t go back; and I would not go back either, for they would fix me so that I couldn’t give them any more trouble. He said I ought to be their friend, but instead of that I was helping to bring more trouble to them. The whites he accused of lying to them and robbing them of their hunting ground and forcing them to work at something they knew nothing about. They would bear it no longer; they would fight first. The old chief grew angrier as he went on.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Piute Indian girl carrying corn (Southern Utah).
“You need not think of escaping this time,” he said to me. “We intend to tie you to that tree and burn you alive.” I tried to reason with them, telling them I knew I was in their power; but it wouldn’t do them any good to kill me. If they did, the soldiers would soon follow and kill the last one of them.
“We are not afraid of the soldiers,” he retorted. “We would rather die fighting than starve.”
“Well,” I replied, “if you kill me, you will kill one of the best friends the Indians ever had.”
But nothing I could say seemed to make any difference with old Sagwich. He was determined to carry out his threat. If he had his way I knew he would do it. The other Indians, however, were not so devilish. One of them gave me some fresh elk meat, and I went back to my camp. Things looked rather black for me that night. My only hope was that the other Indians would not stand by old Sagwich.
Dr. T. M. Bridges
At the Indian agency; squaw with papoose in Indian cradle.
If the worst came, I had determined to sell my life as dearly as possible. The Indians held a council that night. We kept close watch till morning, but as no one offered to harm us, we began to feel a little easier. After saddling our horses, I told Suarki I was going over to have another talk with them, and instructed him that if they made a move to kill me, he should leap on my horse and strike for home to tell the Indian Agent.
Old Sagwich was so sulky he wouldn’t even speak to me. The other Indians, however, acted better. They said nothing of what had been decided, but that day they packed up and took the trail towards home. We followed them. On our way down the river we came upon one of the Indians fishing. He told me about the council. Old Sagwich was stubborn in his determination to kill me, but the rest wouldn’t consent and he had to give up his bloody plan.
This experience made me feel that my job was too risky for the pay I was getting. The Agent wouldn’t raise my wages, so I quit him and went back to my home at Oxford, Idaho.
“Two Indians were behind them, both on an old horse of mine.”