HI) I TO RIAL 



59 



with no accidents. He had worked hard — 

 like a white man, as he expressed it — the 

 rope skinning his hands many times. One 

 could never tell when a buffalo would jump 

 for liberty. He told me of killing one heifer, 

 which he would have liked to save. She had 

 a very fine, bright coat. In a hard chase 

 along the side of a steep coulee, he singled 

 her out of a bunch of cows. He threw his 

 rope, and the noose settled on her neck. 

 His horse, a powerful roan, settled for the 

 shoek. In snubbing, he gave her too much 

 rope, and in the fall, which came an instant 

 later, this line heifer's neck was broken. 



"His wife advised him to quit now. They 

 already had five on the last hunt, and she 

 did not like the signs brought out by the 

 death of this fine animal. She said to him, 

 "This means we must stop." 



"Sam herded his buffalo with the milk 

 stock for five days, resting and making ar- 

 rangements for his trip across the moun- 

 tains. He was feeling satisfied with his 

 work, and hopeful that his peace offering- 

 would be accepted. He told me of his route 

 of travel, and that he would be fifteen sleeps 

 on the way home. Taking a small memo- 

 randum book from a parflechc, .ie showed 

 me where he had six straight marks and 

 then a cross for Sunday. He told me he did 

 not want to start on his trip home on Sun- 

 day, and wished to know the day of the 

 week, as he had lost his reckoning. I put 

 him right, and he said he would start on the 

 following Monday. 



"His buffalo were doing well, and were 

 becoming quite docile. All preparations 

 were made for his departure, and he talked 

 hopefully of getting safely across the moun- 

 tains. He always impressed me as being an 

 Indian of marked determination, and at no 

 time did it occur to me that he would not 

 succeed in his effort. 



"On Monday he bade me a cordial good- 

 bye, passing out, his wife and pack horses 

 in the lead. They had discarded the travois 

 with which they usually traveled, saying 

 they could handle the buffalo better with 

 her as a rider. Sam brought up the rear, 

 the buffalo following the pack horses. The 

 three bulls were head and foot hobbled, the 

 four heifers loose; seven head in all is my 

 recollection of the bunch. 



"Of the trip to the Teton river, to the 

 Sun river, to the Dearborn and up that 

 stream to the Cadotte Pass I have heard no 

 word; of the crossing of these streams at 

 this season, of the trip over the main range, 

 down the Blackfoot river, all trace is prob- 

 ably forever lost. Through Indian sources 

 I afterward learned that on the way over 

 by some accident one bull became disabled 

 and died. Sam arrived safely in the Flat- 

 head without further accident to the other 

 buffalo. I also afterward learned, through 

 Indian sources, that immediately upon his 



arrival upon the reservation he was arrested 

 and severely Hogged, by order of the soldier 

 band of his own tribe of Indians. As I 

 understand the story, Sam had no time or 

 opportunity to meet the fathers and tender 

 his peace offering. 



"In course of time 1 heard of Sam's death, 

 not in battle as a warrior, but passing away 

 peacefully in his lodge or cabin. His wife 

 followed him some time after." 



J. B. Monroe, of Teton county, Montana, 

 furnishes this additional information: 



"In 1882 or '83 Michel Pablo and Chas. 

 Allard bought the buffalo from Sam the 

 Pen d'Oreille. There were fourteen head, 

 but the number of bulls and females could 

 not be remembered. At this time there were 

 still a considerable number of buffalo on 

 the plains and they did not possess the in- 

 terest they now have. 



"Sam lived on Crow creek until '86 and 

 died in that year. He left a few head of 

 horses and very little property." 



THE NEW INDIAN POLICY. 



Early in March of this year Recreation 

 received information from one of its corre- 

 spondents in Colorado to the effect that the 

 Utes of Utah were killing deer and com- 

 mitting other devastations in Colorado, many 

 miles from their reservation. 



We referred the matter, in the regular 

 course of our work, to the Office of Indian 

 Affairs, Department of the Interior, at 

 Washington, and after the customary red 

 tape had been rolled off, the following re- 

 port was received : 



Dan Beard, Esq., Editor Recreation: 

 23 W. 24th St., New York, N. Y. 

 Sir — Referring to office letter of the nth inst., 

 advising you that the U. S. Indian Agent of the 

 Uintah and Ouray Agency had been requested to 

 investigate and report upon the complaint of your 

 correspondent, as to the Utes of Utah wantonly 

 killing deer in Colorado, you are informed that the 

 desired report has now been received from the 

 agent. He states, in brief, that previous to the 

 visit of the Indians to Colorado, to which com- 

 plaint was made, the matter of their going was con- 

 sidered and most of them were prevented from 

 going; that parties of agency rangers and police 

 were sent to Colorado for the purpose of pre- 

 venting the killing of game and bringing back run- 

 away Indians; that the allotted Uncompahgre 

 Indians living at White river, very remote from 

 the agency, went into the state before any knowl- 

 edge of their whereabouts could be obtained, and 

 undoubtedly killed many deer; that he is unable 

 to prevent these alloted Indians from leaving their 

 allotments and going on hunting expeditions in 

 order to obtain their winter supply of meat, which 

 if they were cut off from, they would probably 

 kill cattle belonging to private citizens and com- 

 mit other depredations which do not now occur; 

 that this fall, after the opening of the reservation, 

 all of the Utes will be allotted, and he will then 

 be unable to compel them by force to remain at 

 home, but will endeavor by persuasion to restrain 

 them ; and that he believes the only way to prevent 

 the depredations referred to is by having the game 

 wardens of Colorado proceed early to the game section 

 of the state and prevent the Indians from hunting 

 therein. He adds that he understands that the 

 Indians have heretofore been able to elude the 



