Interview with Grant, Josephine, and son Finley Bayles on October 6, 1986

By Annette Carroll

Stockade built in Blanding to contain Utes after the Posey War of 1923.  (Utah State Historical Society photo.)

Carroll: Do you remember any personal experiences with Posey?

Posey and Dinner

G. Bayles: I remember one time when Posey came to our house and wanted dinner, so we fed him dinner. When he had finished, he took out a little sourdough biscuit and wiped his plate clean. Really clean. Then he took a whole bunch of pine nuts out of his pocket and piled them on this plate, so that not one was slipping off. Then he said he wanted some flour. I knew Posey from 1917-1918 and never had an unpleasant experience with him.

Posey and His Glasses

F. Bayles: Posey used to have some old glasses. The Indians at that time were really fascinated by glasses and they loved to wear any old pair they could get their hands on. Posey had an old pair with leather thongs to hold them on. They were mostly leather with tiny little lenses in the middle to see through. They were really handy, they thought, when they were riding and when dust storms came up. They could still see. They thought those glasses were very neat.

A Lady Gives Posey What He Deserves

J. Bayles: A lady (Jane Walton) that lived in Monticello had an experience with Posey. She had come from Scotland and had quite a mind and a temper of her own. She was working in her garden in front of her home one morning where she lived in Bluff, and she noticed Posey ride up to her and dismount. She kept on working as he swaggered toward her. "Posey want chineyagoes," he said. She replied by saying that she'd get him some food as soon as she finished hoeing the row she was working on. She bent back over her work and kept a sharp lookout for him out of the corner of her eye. Now Posey wasn't used to this kind of treatment. His strategy usually worked on people because they were afraid of him. This woman was different! All of a sudden she saw his feet move toward her. She quickly straightened up and swung the hoe she was working with, with all her might. She caught Posey right behind his right ear with the edge of the hoe, making a big ugly gash and knocking him out cold on the ground. Then she stood over him debating on what to do. Her motherly instinct told her to run get a warm, wet, washcloth and fix that gash that was bleeding all over. But then her Scottish temper flared and she thought, "He got what he deserved." Then she stood firmly planted with her feet straddling the rows of peas and carrots. After a little bit, Posey twitched and slowly opened one dazed eye and looked at her and the hoe above him. Then he slowly and carefully inched his way over to the fence. She stood watching him as he got up, mounted and rode off.

Chopping Wood for Supper

F. Bayles: Whenever the Utes and Posey came to someone's house for a meal, the host(ess) would make them chop wood sufficient to pay for their meal. Well one time a guy, a trapper, had come across the Elk Mountain and was out of provisions and was cold and hungry. He stumbled into Posey's camp and asked Posey for some food and a warm place to sleep. Posey told him, "Go chop wood." Now this guy was really tired and he mumbled and complained but figured that he'd better chop wood or he wasn't going to get anything to eat. So he went and chopped wood. Well, when he thought he had chopped enough, he went to Posey and asked if he had chopped enough. Posey looked over this guy's shoulder and said, "Nope, go chop wood." This guy was exhausted and really bewildered as to why he had to chop wood, but he went and chopped some more. He did this several times before Posey finally said, "Yep, all the same, white man, me. Now come and eat your cold dinner."