The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-21

NO MAkksMEN IN THE ARMy-INFERIOR
ARMS IN THE HANDS or TIE TROOPS
HOW THE WARM SPRING INDIANS FIGHT.

LAVA BEDS, April M.-lt Is no disparage-
mcnt to the soldiers to say, Gas rule
they are not good Shots for such is the
fact. This, take it, is owing to two eau
scs First, they are not drilled enough at
target shooting; second the guns all shoot
a number of rounds. | think am a pretty
good shot with rifle or six-shooter, but I
know a Modoc would be tolerably safe be-
fore me with an army gun--either carbine
or Springfield muskct / have tried them,
and while you can shoot fast and at long
distance, they will not do for target work,
and that is just what shooting at Modocs
is, and very small target they are too,
generally speaking. AS have before no
tilted you, the safety Of onr men during
the fight was owing, in great measure, to
the fact that the guns used by the Modocs
were those captured in the fight of the 18th
of January, and almost invariably they
overshot their mark.
TIE WARM SPRING INDIANS
Are a fne-looking body of men, many of
them being six feet and even taller. They
are very decent and orderly, much better
behaved than an equal number of ordinary
soldiers, for your soldier off duty is not al
ways the most quiet and orderly man in
the world. They obey implicitly their
leader, Donald Mckay, and the sub-chiefs
who are with them. The sub-chiefs names
are Miller, Warm Spring George, Pi-Pock-
pah and Hornasheig. They are fine men,
and many of them speak and, think, some
OF them read and write English. Their head
chief is Daumeta, and he is at Umatilla
with few of his people, who number in
all 400. Their leader here, Donald Mckay,
is 81 years old, six feet tall, and weighs
now q pounds-his ''lazy weight" being
225. He is qniet, reserved man, per-
feet specimen of lalf-brccd, and fully up
to every Indian trick and device. The
Modocs would give as much to ret his
scalp as they would for that of General
Gllcm. He is one of eleven children by
Thomas Mckay, an old Hudson Bay com
pany trader, and the
MOST CELEBRATED INDIAN FIGHTER
ever known on the northern part of this
coast. There are several other sons
George, an express rider in the service of
the Government, and DR.. Williams, an ac-
complshed physician now residing in
| umatilla. Their father came here Donald
knows not when, but he remembers hear
ing him tell of bringing in the first drove
OF sheep and cattle from California ever
brought into Oregon, and that his compan-
ions on that trip were Coleman and Hall.
He had at one time saw mill and rancho
on Champeontz on the Willamette a saw
and grst mill at Wallalula, a rancho and
seven hundred head of cattle on Butte
creek mot the one of that name near here
and rancho on Willamette slough, where
he died in the winter of $4,000 So much
for the leader; and now | will give you a
little sketch of the manner in which they
fight.
When their line was formed the extreme
right and left end, or flank men, carried a
little flag on pole that their true position
could be determined at all times. They
fight nndcr cover generally, 'hunting in
twos, one covering the other. One crceps
ahead, trying to entice a shot by every pos
siblc device. If one misses to take aim at
the head one, the concealed friend blazes
away at once and the foremost one is then
ready to fire at any one who rises TO return
that shot.
JOE on THE sKIRMIsH LINE,
AS an instance of the tricks to which
they resort to draw the cncmy's fire, or to
make him expose his person, | will relate
an instance which came under my own oh.
servation during the second days battle.
We have, belonging to the government
| Ps'Nh p"ii's W ann ihNldil. ttlltt
Joe, who speaks good English and has been
in government employ for several years.
Well, on that day the train was idle and
Joe must have shot so two or three OF
his tribe, who were on that side, went in
for "a leetle fun, as Joe expressed it. They
happened to go up into the skirmish line
before that break occurred which left Col
Miller in such warm place. The Modocs
then were very quiet, and they found il
diffiult to get shot at them. Cautiously
they crept forward. If one made a for
ward move it was quick as a flesh, ther
down behind a rock, hat off and by his
side, his gun always at full cock and to his
shoulder, ready for firing Waiting a long
time, as it seemed, behind this rocky shield
another forward move wos made in a SINH.
lar manner. Getting tired of this, and not
succeeding in
| PROVOKING A SHOT,
the old man Zeeley, who is lame in one
knee, laid down his gun by Joe and crawl
ed forward like snake in the direction of
the ledge. After getting in advance some
distance the old fellow took two stones and
grated them together, producing a sound
like the grating of a soldiers hobnailed
shoe on the hard lava Stealthily Modoc
peered out from his cover to see where the
Boston man was, when, quick as thought,
Joe sent bullet crashing through him,
and the Modoc threw up his arms and fell
over. The Modocs poured a shower of
balls, but Zeeley sprang back, getting
knocked down by a bullet, which cut ths
thick hair on the top of his skull, but Joe
covered his retreat. A few minutes after
wards the firing opened heavily, and then
the shells, driving Miller and his men out,
| and nc they came over tho crnctc tho linn
was broken, leaving Joe and his comrades
to
STEM TIE TIDE ALONE.
They stood it awhile and then fell
back and came down to Hospital Rock
where Gen. Gillem and staff were at the
time. ''Well Joe, said Gen. Gilem in his
pleasant way, ''have you been fighting ~
YES, sir, said Joe, forgetting to salute, as
is the soldiers custom; Eyes, sir, and its
ID hot up there" Ibid you kill any
Modocs?" asked the general. Don't know
sir, | got a good shot at one and he tumbled
over, replied Joe, very modestly. Here
Zeeley ''put in his oar" as we say, and by
signs, for he can't speak English, showed
how 1t was done and where Joe hit the
Modoc, asserting that he was killed.
"Well, Joe" continued the general with a
merry twinkle in his eye, ''you have done
good service, but why didn't you stay and
fight longer!" Eight longer replied Joe
who did not understand the cause of the
line falling back, Eight longer; how could
j? The ID soldiers run away and left me
an him to fight alone. They left one man
dead in their hurry upon the line, and one
wounded man. We kept the Modocs back
rs long as we could but HI do you sup
pose two men can fight all the id Mo
docs ?" Slowly the general turned away
with queer look in his eye and an odd
smile around his lips which seemed to say
''Joe, respect your bravery and truth, but
| can't say admire your diction, which is
more forcibc than elegant. Joe had
made mistake; the wounded man got
away, though the dead man was left But
there is no doubt that Joe killed or fatally
wounded the Modoc, and some assert that
it was Scarfaced Charley, but think from
the 1pcrriptinp that IL >yac ssEronl. ~ ,vh,