Blythe and Hatch's Preservation During Council with Navajo Indians

In early April 1874, while engaged in a mission to the Oraibi in present-day Arizona, John L. Blythe and interpreter Ira Hatch were summoned by a group of Navajo Indians to Kanab, Utah. This meeting was intended to address the killing of three Navajo individuals by white herders the previous winter in Grass Valley on the Sevier River. Despite the extreme danger of the situation, Blythe and Hatch agreed to meet the Navajo council within ten days. Upon their arrival, they were informed by other Indians that there was immense excitement in the camp and that the lives of the two white men were in significant jeopardy. For twelve consecutive hours, Blythe and Hatch were held in a small, cramped, and uncomfortable room, surrounded on all sides by Indians who were in a state of high agitation. Throughout this ordeal, the men remained unarmed and never moved from their positions. Although the atmosphere grew 'exceedingly squally' at times, with the Indians' eyes gleaming with vengeful fire, the two men retained their composure and were not physically harmed. Through their steady demeanor and negotiations, they successfully obtained a two-and-a-half-month extension from the Indians to secure a proper response to their demands, effectively de-escalating a volatile situation.