[Hosea Stout Diary] Tuesday May 25th 1847. Cool morning. Went out with ten men. To day a number of Omahas came up to bring up a number of horses which they had stolen from our people from time to time. We met them about six miles below here near where we met the ottos. We stoped them for Br Parley P. Pratt had forbidden us to let them come in because they had been so treacherous that he had determined not to have any thing more to do with them. We informed them of the determination which chagrined them very much & they contended hard for their right to go in but we told them that we could not violate our orders.
After some debate on the subject however & their declaring their determination to live in peace with us, we consented to let young Elk & two more of his chiefs go in and take in the horses and receive the pay for them which the owners had promised them previously & also have an interview with parley & others which might explain matters better for them than it now presented itself for we now occupied a hostile attitude towards each other & the Omahas considered us at war with each other at present.
They took six chiefs & braves instead of three & we went inthe others agreed to remain there till we come back[.] They brought in six horses
When we came in I went to see parley and reported to him what had been done and also told him that my reasons for admitting them in was because they had come to make offers of peace & to present the good desires & wishes of old Elk to us & enter into more friendly relations, then had hither to exhisted between us
He would not see them nor give me any satisfaction about them not tell me what to do but said to tell them that our chiefs were mad & did not want to see them not have any thing to do with themthat we were able to keep peace & take care of ourselves but if the local authorities had a mind to do anything they might do as they pleased & abruptly left me
I went then to see Br John Taylor who when he found out what Parly said took the same position thoug in a mild & friendly way & refered me to Br Lott & Father John Smith Br Lott chanced to pass by at the time & I reported to him who also said he had nothing to do with it to which I said rather in anger that neither had I & if they authorities had nothing to do in it I would go away & leave them in the streets where they had been standing all this time. All this was in hearing of Br Taylor[.] I was going to leave & go on guard & Lott went & saw Father Smith while the Brethren were paying them for their horses.
They decided for Lott to go with me down to the other Indians & he & I to hear their report as it could not be maid only in the presence of all of them.
The Indians delivered up their horses & recieved their pay and we all started back and joined the others who had been very impatient while we were gone & tried once to force the line but the guard stood firm and prevented them
We formed ourselves into a regular council. The Omahas on one side & Br Lott myself & the guard on the other other when the "talk" commenced by Young Elk who stated that he was now ready to hear any thing we had to say. Br Lott replied very angrily that we had said heretofore all we had to say & they would not live up to their agreements & if they had nothing to say it was no use talking &c
After several passes like that on both sides, Young Elk still waiting for us to lead out the talk commenced with very hostile & what I considered unreasonable feelings from Br Lott
Elk keep down his feeling admirable well and coolly related how he had been sent in my his father to bring in our horses & enter into a better understanding of peace & had been stoped on the prairie like wild beasts & not even admitted a hearing & how it wounded his feeling to have to be guarded into town & leave his braves under guard to offer peace to us & deliver up stolen property & give their pledge that no more should be stolen & also how he had to contend with his own peple before he could get them to give up the horses & now he was not well recieved but said let all that pass & we would be at peace from this time & we might now know that what he said would be done on their part
He spoke very sharp at this ill treatment & laid it to our chiefs & said that if the "Big Red headed" chief (Brigham) was here it would not be so but he would have taken them in & fed them & spoke friendly
Said he did not expect to be stoped this way but he expected for his chiefs & braves to have seen the wives & children of our chiefs saying they would not have hurt them[.] He often remarked that he wished the "Big Red headed" chief would come home & stay here & then we would always be at peace.
At another time he said they would not have stoped the meanest of our men from coming into their village much less our head chiefs and braves I thought his remark apt and just & so thought the whole company.
Br Lotts wrath abated & he talked reasonable in a short time & we all verity believed they were sincere in their words.
(Elk rebuked the authorities for their ill treatment towards him whi [crossed out])
After the above was over they wanted a definite answer from us & presents to take to his father which we could not give but agreed to take his words to our chief (Br Cutler) when he come from Missouri & then let them know his answer & what he would do and they went on not any too well satisfied and we started home about six oclock.
[Diaries of Hosea Stout]
No comments:
Post a Comment