Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1873-03-08
Captain Jack.

"A correspondent of the New York
Herald, writing from the MOdOc country,
thus speaks of the efforts to compass the
reduction of Captain Jack:
1t will thus be seen that the work of re-
ducing Captain Jack is one that is likely
to take months to accomplish. Mean
while the willy old Indian lies in his lava
bed and laughs in his sleeve at the
trouble and expense he Is putting his
Great Father to. He has won two fights,
and is of course elated. He considers
himself as safe in his lair now as he would
be if there were no troops within thOus-
and miles of him. and he no doubt has
good reason to believe so. He has killed
thirty men all told since the war tegan,
and has lost but one warrior, and that one
in the first fight. In the last battle he
lost ncne at all, as ALI here cOncede.
have seen no one yet that claims that a
single Indian was ever injured. All this
has made Captain Jack more impudent
and saucy than ever. There are some
funny incidents of the late battle which
have not yet been printed, but which 60
to show the braZen effrOntery of these In
dams more than anything else. About
noon of the day of the fight, while Fair
child's company were in the very hottest
of it, L. A. Doris, one of Fairchild's
men, suddenly heard voice from above
him, apparently not more than forty feet
off. He looked up. and could just see
through the fog into little crevicc In the
rocks. There were two Indian faces.
which he at once recognized as belonging
to Bogus Charlie and Frank" the latter
the same who accompanied Doris and
Fairchld VIII n they went into Captain
Jacks camp six weeks ago. Quick as
lightning Doris lodged behind a rock,
when the two Indians began to laugh and
jecr him. Hi" said Frank, you old
man Doris, why you no go home and
stay there? What for you come here to
fight ModOcs? You say you no want TO
fight. We no want to fight you. You,
You SiskiyOu boys better all go home.
\ ou can't get lnjun out of lava bel"
Doris made no answer, but stood be-
hind the rock out of harms way. Just
then Colonel Green, who heard the talk,
came up and called TO his MEN, "Charge
on tat place, boys, and rOut ont those
two Indians. There's only two of them ~
The men were met with the fire of three
or four rifles from the crevice in
the rock, and for an instant they
wavered. up and at 'em boys" yelled
Col Green. "Oh, yes, that's all GOOD"
shouted Bogus Charlie from behind the
rocks. up and at 'em. but why you no
come up and at 'em yourself? You're a
pretty soldier. Why for you no come
yourself, chi 2" Colonel Green could not
stand this taunt. and he made one spring
at the rocks. The Indians fired at him,
but the fog was just thick enough to rem
der their aims imperfect. The soldiers
followed the Colonel, but before they
could climp up to the point the Indians
dodgeJ back, and their jibes and jeers
died away i'm the distance. Ten minutes
afterward Doris came out from behind
his rock and CROPPED his way through the
fog. He hadn't got but ten steps when he
heard Bogus Charley's voice again from
another direction. He looked. and as the
fog lifted a little he saw the Indians head
just above a rock Hi! you old Doris;
why you no go home? Nobody want to
Kill you; you want to kill me. You
come up here" Doris lifted his gun.
but before he got it up Charley twisted
his fingers at the end of his nose, and
with a jeer lodged behind the rock and
was seen no more. All through the fight
the Indians had several scalp poles plant
! ed on the rocks, each with several white
| scalps dangling to it. These have the
same significance that battle flag usually
has. Every once in a while they would
come up and shake the poles in suggest
i've manner and then dodge behind the
rocks. The savages all fought without
clothes. save a clout about their loins
They fought with terrible desperation,
and had it not been for the fog il is certain
hundreds instead of tens wOulL rave been
killed. Fairchilds and his men got pos
session of the spot where his interview
was held, but was unable to keep it, the
| Indian fire from the rocks above being too
hot for human endurance. Fairchilds got
behind sou.e rocks to protect himself from
fire, and while there Shack Nasty Jim
and Scar Face Charlie, who were not
twenty rods off, rode. up from behind
their shelter and called out, Hi, John,
come up here and get some supper.
We've got more to eat than you have!''
MIR. Fairchilds did not go to sup with the
Indians, but when the fog thickened got
down on his back and rolled out of the
| line of the fire.