Forty Years Among the Indians: A true yet thrilling narrative of the author's experiences among the nativesJones, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster)
History
Forty Years Among the Indians: A true yet thrilling narrative of the author's experiences among the natives
Jones, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster)
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America; Latter Day Saint pioneers -- Biography
This I thought best to do at the timer reserving the right, however,
that if the whites ever broke faith with the Indians I would seek to
protect them at all hazards.
This contract has been measurably kept with more or less grumbling from
some of the shareholders. The lands the Indians occupied I had secured
to them the best I could by having my sons claim some of it in their
names. One quarter-section was secured by purchase from a Mexican,
who settled on a forty, allowing the Indians the balance. I bought
the Mexican out and sold the forty to a supposed friend, with the
understanding that he was to use the forty and let the Indians have the
balance, as formerly agreed upon.
This agreement was broken. The party told the Indians that I had sold
the whole quarter-section to him and agreed to drive them off. The
poor Indians believed him and gave up the land, when the good friend (?)
sold the whole to a third party, who knew nothing of the facts.
The Indians felt very badly towards me about this. I knew nothing of
the transaction until too late to remedy the wrong. This same man gave
testimony against me afterwards, stating that I had sold the whole
quarter-section, and I had to pay the Indians for dispossessing them.
It now became the popular idea to try to jump the Indians lands. The
Indians on the north side were threatened with land jumpers from
Phoenix and Tempe.
One party moved on their lands taking tools, surveying outfit,
provisions, etc., and went to work just as though no Indians were
around. There were quite a number of them.
They had sent their teams back home. The Indians gathered around them,
and in a good-natured manner loaded all their stuff into their wagons,
then by main force of numbers picked up the whites, loaded them on top
of the loading, then seized the wagons by hand and hauled the whole
outfit off from their lands laughing and joking all the time. The
whites dared not make any resistance. This raised a big excitement, and
armed companies commenced to gather both at Tempe and Phoenix.
It looked now as though blood would be shed. I went to McDowell and
reported to Major Chaffee, he said he would be ready at five minutes'
notice to come to the protection of the Indians; for me to go back and
keep watch of the moves and let him know the minute any violence was
offered. This whole business was broken up by the cunning of an Indian
who lived at Tempe.
The Tempe company was headed by a captain who said the Indians had
broken into his house and robbed him. He had raised a great excitement
and quite a company, and was getting ready to join the company from
Phoenix to make war on the Indians who had ran them off from their
lands.
This Tempe Indian was standing looking at Captain J---'s company, when
someone asked him if the Indians had really broken into Captain J---'s house.
Juan said: "Yes."
"What made them do it?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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