37 



An old fellow by the name of Toshob was chief of these bands on the Muddy ; a wily, treacher- 

 ous, cold-blooded old scamp, who was well known to have been the leader of the Indians that were 

 engaj^ed in the " Mountain ^Icadow massacre," that horrible murder of helidess cmifjrants, both 

 male and female, old and young. The details of this dreadful occurrence were gleaned here and 

 there, and, when fully known, for all coming history will stand out as one of the most disgusting 

 pictures of human baseness. 



The Utes or Tiedos cultivate the soil, are at war with no particular tribe, and, excepting the fact 

 that they are great thieves, and treacherous to a heightened degree, even for an Indian, do not differ 

 greatly from others of these mountain tribes. They have no hesitation to rob, plunder, and mur- 

 der, provided tliey are not found out, while their sagacity teaches them the advantages to l)e gained 

 from the reputation of "good Indians." They have a most wonderful antipathy against Germans, 

 whom they can tell at a glance, and no one of this nationality can get past their habitations without 

 a good chance of losing everything he has in the way of jjersonal effects. I know of no manner in 

 which to explain the above except that this tribe has been for long years at enmity with the Nava- 

 joes, who have been in the habit of crossing the Colorado and making inroads upon the Utes and 

 Piedes, taking their stock, squaws, or anything else, and then beating a hasty retreat. It is a 

 legend among these Indians that the Navajoos at one time captured a large German emigrant- 

 train, killing all the men and taking the women to their villages, and thereby created a changed 

 nice of bad blood, they say ; and possibly in their own minds they thiuk that all their troubles with 

 the Nava.joes have arisen in cons('(iu('nce. Tliese Utes or Piedes had killed two men in a canon lead- 

 ing into one that we traversed from ^leadow X'alley to the Muddy settlements. These were travel- 

 ers with good horses. The Indians who were supposed to have been concerned had left their wick- 



e-ups and lied. 



PAH-UTES. 



The Pah-Utes, or Water- Utes, are a tribe not differing in any marked way from the Utes, and, 

 like them, of strong physical build, a lively, bright, black eye, rather thiu front face and more aqui- 

 line contour, bespeaking acuter mental characteristics than most of the Indians of the great mountain 

 basin. Their eastern limit is the western one of the Utes or Piedes; the Colorado bounds them on the 

 south, and to the north and west, the Great Death Valley of Southwestern Nevada, that almost extends 

 to and joins Death Valley proper in California. We found their wick-e-up at Las Vegas Ranch, 

 at various poiuts on the S[)ring Mountain r.mge, and some few at Eldora<lo Caiion and below, 

 in and about Cottonwood Island. There cannot be more than two thousand in all, the jiriuci- 

 pal chief of whom is Tercherura, an honest, welldispositioned, chunky little man, who seemed to 

 have but little authority outside of his own small number of wicke-nps. 



For the most itart they are a wicked, saucy, and independent set. They have seen and mixed 

 with many whites, principally on the old emigrant road ; know well the value of money, and have a 

 great desire for clothes and blankets. They make frequent pilgrimages, and always return well 

 laden with spoils, both in wardrobe and fluids. They plant but little, living for the greater part on 

 pine-nuts, which are vei'y plentiful, and by hiintiug, which around these mountains is better than 

 at any point along the route. By a little good management they could be collected together and 

 made a self-supporting people. No presents, so far as I could learn, have been made to any of 

 these Indians to the south of 38° latitude, or (iuinn's Canon, to which point it is understood that 

 the treaty made by Governor, now Senator, Nye, in 1803, extended. 



It is hoped that the information at present gained, and which may be acquired by careful 

 attention on the part of the superintendent of Indian atfairs for Nevada, will soon give to these 

 Indians the same annuities that others receive throughout the State ; and it will have a great 

 effect in quieting not only them, but the ai^prehension felt bj- settlers who occupy, in small parties, 

 here and there, ranches, upon which the Indians at any time are apt to levy contributions. 



CLIMATE. 



The climate of the area in question, embracing such a large stretch in latitude, is necessarily 

 varied. There may be two natural limits assumed, as that between which snow does and does not 



