Unbound
by Thomas J. Tennant for Charles D. Moore
"Charles D. Moore, [and that he] assisted said Charles D. Moore, in outfitting for said Campaign by furnishing him . . . with a saddle horse, [and that he] believes the Claim of said Charles D. Moore to be just and correct. . .."
Washoe Valley, Nevada. 1890 about events that occurred in the Utah Territory in 1860.
This affidavit and letter of transmittal were sent to Theodore Winters of Washoe Valley, Nevada by an attorney, Thomas J. Tennant, in 1890 to verify
"Charles D. Moore's Piute Indian War Claim" that was spurred by an attached newspaper clipping that announced the Nevada Secretary of State was convening a board on the 23rd of April offering individuals a chance (perhaps their last) of "proving up Piute Indian War and Indian Depredation Claims."
The transmittal letter, dated April 21, 1890, reads in part: "Inclosed find Affidavit relative to Charles M. Moore's Piute Indian War Claim, which if it meets with your approval, you will please sign, swear to, and if possible return to me in time for the meeting of the Board of Examiners. . ..."
Recognizing that Winter would be unable to return a notarized affidavit in time, Tenant informed him that "the Board will accept your letter, if you can not send affidavit. . .."
The affidavit, prepared by Tennant from information provided by Moore, reads in part:
"Theodore Winters . . . was a resident of Washoe Valley, now in Washoe County, State of Nevada [and] at said time he knew one Charles D. Moore, [and that he] assisted said Charles D. Moore, in outfitting for said Campaign by furnishing him . . . with a saddle horse, [and that he] believes the Claim of said Charles D. Moore to be just and correct. . .."
Since the affidavit remained unsigned in Winters's possession along with the transmittal letter, it is likely that he responded by sending a letter to the examination board.
Moore was undoubtedly a member of the Washoe Regiment that fought at the Second Battle of Pyramid Lake, and Theodore Winters had become wealthy running a freighting business and investing in real estate. By 1860, Winters was the most prosperous man in the region.
During the mid-1850s, the relationship between settlers and the Paiutes was cordial. Despite some tension, peace was kept, primarily through the efforts of the elderly Paiute leader, Winnemucca, also known as Captain Truckee, who was a longtime friend of white settlers and had even enrolled family members in white schools. In 1857, he allied with a stagecoach agent, William Olmsby, and together established a force of about 20 settlers and 300 Paiutes to defend against raids by the Washoe people and Pit River Indians. Both sides also agreed to a no-vengeance pact; whenever whites or Paiutes were accused of theft or murder, there would be no revenge. Rather, accused individuals would stand trial. An easy peace continued until the discovery of the Comstock Lode which brought in thousands of miners and settlers who disrupted the Paiutes' way of life, especially by the wide-spread felling of Pinyon groves whose nuts provided a major component of their diet. Additionally, the Pony Express began to establish stations at water holes that had formerly been used exclusively by the tribe. In frustration, some Paiutes began to extort cattle from some settlers and murder others. Tensions rapidly increased following an especially bitter winter in 1859 during which many Paiutes starved despite being provided with free food supplies by the settlers which they refused to eat fearing they contained poison.
With the death of Chief Truckee in 1860, his successor, Numaga, renounced the no-vengeance pledge, and a settler, Dexter Demming, was murdered by a band of marauding Paiutes. Still, an uneasy peace continued until a group of Paiutes massacred and mutilated three to five white men (accounts vary) at Williams Station, a stop on the Pony Express route. Accounts also vary widely as to why that raid occurred. Some claim that it was simply a raid without cause by a band of renegades. One reports it was a deliberate attempt to provoke a war. Another suggests it was in retaliation for the stations staff's abuse of a Paiute man and rape of the woman who accompanied him. A fourth version, first offered by Captain Truckee's granddaughter in her 1880 autobiography, claims that the station crew kidnapped and raped two young Paiute girls. Interestingly, in a lengthy interview recorded at the same time by Myron Angel, one of the massacre's perpetrators never mentioned any Paiute girls being held captive or raped.
Regardless, when the news of the slaughter reached nearby white settlements, 105 men volunteered to "apprehend the perpetrators" and selected Olmsby to be their leader. Anticipating no resistance from the Paiutes, this 'militia' carried more whiskey on their campaign than firearms, and some accounts report that almost none of those firearms were rifles. When the disorganized posse encountered a handful of Paiutes near Pyramid Lake, the warriors fired upon them and fled. Olmstead led a charge in pursuit, following them into a ravine. Immediately, hundreds of Paiutes arose from the surrounding high ground and fired into the group, killing Olmstead and another 75 men on the spot; the rest of the command fled to safety. Reports suggest that only three Paiutes were killed in the battle.
A month later, a second campaign - the one in which Moore no doubt participated - kicked off. It was composed of a larger and better-led settler militia, known as the Washoe Regiment, augmented by a detachment of soldiers from Fort Alcatraz. This force of between 500 and 800 men found the Paiute war party near the first battle site and routed the warriors, killing about 120 (although some have reported considerably less) while only losing 3 men. Although at least one contemporary newspaper article judged the war to be "indecisive," the Paiutes ceased harassing the settlers and never returned to Pyramid Lake.
One lasting effect of the war was the dissolution of the Pony Express. Every station between California and the Great Salt Lake had been destroyed, their horses stolen, and many staff and riders killed. Replacement costs were estimated to be $75,000, far more than the company could afford.
(For more information, see Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins's Life Among the Paiutes, Amgel's The History of Nevada. . ., "The Pyramid Lake War" at the National Park Service Pony Express website, Tapahe's "The Paiute War of 1860" at the Intermountain Histories website, and "Theodore Winters" at the Historical Society of Winters website.)
Exceptionally scarce. At the time of listing, there is no Paiute War original source material for sale in the trade. Rare Auction hub lists none as having ever appeared at auction. OCLC identifies none held by any institution. (Inventory #: 010072)
Washoe Valley, Nevada. 1890 about events that occurred in the Utah Territory in 1860.
This affidavit and letter of transmittal were sent to Theodore Winters of Washoe Valley, Nevada by an attorney, Thomas J. Tennant, in 1890 to verify
"Charles D. Moore's Piute Indian War Claim" that was spurred by an attached newspaper clipping that announced the Nevada Secretary of State was convening a board on the 23rd of April offering individuals a chance (perhaps their last) of "proving up Piute Indian War and Indian Depredation Claims."
The transmittal letter, dated April 21, 1890, reads in part: "Inclosed find Affidavit relative to Charles M. Moore's Piute Indian War Claim, which if it meets with your approval, you will please sign, swear to, and if possible return to me in time for the meeting of the Board of Examiners. . ..."
Recognizing that Winter would be unable to return a notarized affidavit in time, Tenant informed him that "the Board will accept your letter, if you can not send affidavit. . .."
The affidavit, prepared by Tennant from information provided by Moore, reads in part:
"Theodore Winters . . . was a resident of Washoe Valley, now in Washoe County, State of Nevada [and] at said time he knew one Charles D. Moore, [and that he] assisted said Charles D. Moore, in outfitting for said Campaign by furnishing him . . . with a saddle horse, [and that he] believes the Claim of said Charles D. Moore to be just and correct. . .."
Since the affidavit remained unsigned in Winters's possession along with the transmittal letter, it is likely that he responded by sending a letter to the examination board.
Moore was undoubtedly a member of the Washoe Regiment that fought at the Second Battle of Pyramid Lake, and Theodore Winters had become wealthy running a freighting business and investing in real estate. By 1860, Winters was the most prosperous man in the region.
During the mid-1850s, the relationship between settlers and the Paiutes was cordial. Despite some tension, peace was kept, primarily through the efforts of the elderly Paiute leader, Winnemucca, also known as Captain Truckee, who was a longtime friend of white settlers and had even enrolled family members in white schools. In 1857, he allied with a stagecoach agent, William Olmsby, and together established a force of about 20 settlers and 300 Paiutes to defend against raids by the Washoe people and Pit River Indians. Both sides also agreed to a no-vengeance pact; whenever whites or Paiutes were accused of theft or murder, there would be no revenge. Rather, accused individuals would stand trial. An easy peace continued until the discovery of the Comstock Lode which brought in thousands of miners and settlers who disrupted the Paiutes' way of life, especially by the wide-spread felling of Pinyon groves whose nuts provided a major component of their diet. Additionally, the Pony Express began to establish stations at water holes that had formerly been used exclusively by the tribe. In frustration, some Paiutes began to extort cattle from some settlers and murder others. Tensions rapidly increased following an especially bitter winter in 1859 during which many Paiutes starved despite being provided with free food supplies by the settlers which they refused to eat fearing they contained poison.
With the death of Chief Truckee in 1860, his successor, Numaga, renounced the no-vengeance pledge, and a settler, Dexter Demming, was murdered by a band of marauding Paiutes. Still, an uneasy peace continued until a group of Paiutes massacred and mutilated three to five white men (accounts vary) at Williams Station, a stop on the Pony Express route. Accounts also vary widely as to why that raid occurred. Some claim that it was simply a raid without cause by a band of renegades. One reports it was a deliberate attempt to provoke a war. Another suggests it was in retaliation for the stations staff's abuse of a Paiute man and rape of the woman who accompanied him. A fourth version, first offered by Captain Truckee's granddaughter in her 1880 autobiography, claims that the station crew kidnapped and raped two young Paiute girls. Interestingly, in a lengthy interview recorded at the same time by Myron Angel, one of the massacre's perpetrators never mentioned any Paiute girls being held captive or raped.
Regardless, when the news of the slaughter reached nearby white settlements, 105 men volunteered to "apprehend the perpetrators" and selected Olmsby to be their leader. Anticipating no resistance from the Paiutes, this 'militia' carried more whiskey on their campaign than firearms, and some accounts report that almost none of those firearms were rifles. When the disorganized posse encountered a handful of Paiutes near Pyramid Lake, the warriors fired upon them and fled. Olmstead led a charge in pursuit, following them into a ravine. Immediately, hundreds of Paiutes arose from the surrounding high ground and fired into the group, killing Olmstead and another 75 men on the spot; the rest of the command fled to safety. Reports suggest that only three Paiutes were killed in the battle.
A month later, a second campaign - the one in which Moore no doubt participated - kicked off. It was composed of a larger and better-led settler militia, known as the Washoe Regiment, augmented by a detachment of soldiers from Fort Alcatraz. This force of between 500 and 800 men found the Paiute war party near the first battle site and routed the warriors, killing about 120 (although some have reported considerably less) while only losing 3 men. Although at least one contemporary newspaper article judged the war to be "indecisive," the Paiutes ceased harassing the settlers and never returned to Pyramid Lake.
One lasting effect of the war was the dissolution of the Pony Express. Every station between California and the Great Salt Lake had been destroyed, their horses stolen, and many staff and riders killed. Replacement costs were estimated to be $75,000, far more than the company could afford.
(For more information, see Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins's Life Among the Paiutes, Amgel's The History of Nevada. . ., "The Pyramid Lake War" at the National Park Service Pony Express website, Tapahe's "The Paiute War of 1860" at the Intermountain Histories website, and "Theodore Winters" at the Historical Society of Winters website.)
Exceptionally scarce. At the time of listing, there is no Paiute War original source material for sale in the trade. Rare Auction hub lists none as having ever appeared at auction. OCLC identifies none held by any institution. (Inventory #: 010072)
(571) 409-0144
