such magnanimity? Crook cautioned his subordinates on this point, telling them to disabuse the minds of the Indians of the notion that the government was favored by their abstinence from war.
Superintendent Huntington, who had talked with Wewawewa about the settlement of his people, was told that the Malheur Indians would consent to go upon the Siletz reservation in western Oregon, but that those about Camp Warner would not, and nothing was done toward removing them in 1868. Meantime Huntington died, and A. B. Meacham was appointed in his place. A small part of the Wolpape and Warner Lake Shoshones consented to go upon the east side of Klamath reservation; but in 1869 most of these Indians were at large, and sufficiently unfriendly to alarm the white inhabitants of that part of the state.
And now the bad effects of the late policy began to appear. When the Shoshones were first conquered they would have gone wherever Crook said they must go. But being so long free, they refused to be placed on any reservation. Other tribes, imitating their example, were restless and dissatisfied, even threatening, and affairs assumed so serious an aspect that Crook requested the commander of the division to withdraw no more troops from Oregon, as he felt assured any attempt to forcibly remove the Indians—a measure daily becoming more necessary to the security of the settlements—would precipitate another Indian war, and that the presence of the military was at that time necessary to restrain many roving bands from committing depredations.[1]
About the 20th of October Superintendent Meacham, assisted by the commanding officer at Camp Harney, held a council with the Indians under We-
- ↑ The facts here stated are taken from the military correspondence in the dept of the Columbia, copied by permission of General Jeff C. Davis, to whose courtesy I have been much indebted. For convenience, I shall hereafter refer to these letters as Military Correspondence, with appropriate date. The above expression of opinion was dated May 8, 1869.
