The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-02-15
The ModOcs.

For month or two past the California des-
patches have had a good deal tosay about war
between the government of the United States
and small tribe of Indians in northern Cali
forna, numbering some 500 warriors, known
as the Modocs. A battle between this for
mdable nation of ssvages, and the grand army
of the greatest republic on earth, was fought
some four weeks ago, iu which some 10 In
ion soldiers bit the dust, but no Indians, so far
as authentic reports can determine. The white
soldiers were mounted on gay chargers, and
accompanied with artillery and sall the para
phernalia of war The savages were armed
with such rifles and shot guns as they had
been able to trade for with California suffers
and speculatOrs-werc half starved, halt ma
ked-and fought from concealed holes in q
vast field of lava.
The question naturally suggests itself, what
cause can the great government Of the |. 5.
have had sufficiently aggravating to make
war on so feeble and insignificant band of
halt starved Indians? The nature of the an
swer will readily be appreciated when it in
wolves the words "credit moblier." That Is
enough to cover any rascality that can be con-
ceived. In this case it comes in somewhat in
tins way:
The first treaty between the Modoc Indians
and the whites was made in 1868, and its stlp-
ulations were, that in consideration that the
Indians would not molest or steal from the
white settlers, would trade with them, &C., the
tribe were to have undlsturbed possession OF
the Lost River Valley in Northern Califor-
MIA. That treaty the Indians faithfully kept.
But in 1869, the old chief of the tribe died,
leaving the present chief Captain Jack, as his
heir and lawful successor as chief of the tribe.
But few disordery Indians Of the tribe re-
fused to acknowledge Jacks craftsmanship,
and set themselves up as "regents," until an.
other chief could be chosen, anG willie thus
pretending to act, these malcontents made, in
1869 another treaty with the whites, by which |
the Modocs were to leave the valley Of Lost
River and move upon reservation of 10000
acres on the klamath. Captain Jack, the real
CHIEF, and 9o-l0otls of the tribe never assent.
ed to this treaty, which was sheer fraud, aud |
knowing that the tribe would starvc to death |
on the Klamath reservation in six months nev !
er took them there. But last summer one
Apologize, as Indian agent in that region,
persuaded the government to give him orders
to remove the Modocs to the Klamath reserva-
ton and as, in that case, it would be neccssa.
ny for the Indians to be supplied with beef
during the winter by the government, this
same Apologize entered into contract be.
tween himself, his brother and another partner |
Ga little credit mobiler, you see) and the gov
eminent, by which the Modocs were to be sup.
piled with beef at II cts per h., on foot when
the ruling price in the country was about 8
cts per h.; and that this little ring might have
an opportunity to make money out of their
beef contract, the army of the L. S. was put in |
motion to move the Modocs by force on to
the klamath reservation! The Modocs re.
refused to go. There was battle, and the t. |
,. regulars, SUI IN NUMBER, were badly whip |
ped by some 800 ragged Modocs
The latest reports from the "seat of war;
state that peace commission has been up to
see the Modocs and have agreed upon "com.
promise" to the effect that the Modocs shall
be allowed to return to their old homes in the |
valley of Lost River. Here Is diplomacy for !
you-here the conclusion of peace after
bloody war worthy of the greatest republic on
earth
When shall we learn that even barbarians
should be fairly and scnsiby dealt with, and
that nothing IS gained by treating them as
hnmon vermin. having no rights which Their
p"lc-faced brothers are bound to respect: