The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-04-30

River to what mas Oeen KnO"u eVei
since US Bloody Point, on the eastern
border of Tule Lake, a distance Of
fifteen miles. Over the entire OF this
distance were found the dead and
mutilated bodies OF men, women and
children. The greatest slaugbter~.
however, had occurred at Bloody.
Point, high bluff of rocks over
which the trail passed from the elc'
waited grounds beyond to the border
:. Of the lake. At it's southern eXtrem.
ity this ledge rose out of the water
but, diverging in its course from the
lake as it ascended northward. there
was narrow strip of land between
it and the water. The Indians con-
cealed themselves in the rocks, 80 as
not to be seen by the immigrants.
When q train of the latter had come
over the bluff and reached the lake's
edge, the Indians would rush with a
war whoop from their concealment
and drive the train on the narrow
slip of land between the ledge and
the lake. Having them thus cor
|ralled, the Modocs proceeded to mas,
sacre them at their leisure, as a
butcher would slaughtera corral full
Of untamed cattle. In this way one
whole train was murdered. Another
|train was corralled for massacre, but
fortunately Wright's force arrived in
1time to save them from their fate.
He heaped on the Indians terrible
retribution. Tn a hand-to-hand en-
counter with forty-seven savages all
except seven of the duslky. warriors
were cold and stark in death at the
end of the fight This experience
seems to have taught the Modocs a
lesson they did not soon forget. We
hear of no further depredatious COM
milted by them until The Summer. OF
1856. when they made a raid into
Shasta Valley and drove off a LOT OF
stock. This was the occasion of'the
Modoc war Of 1856.
In July of that. year force was
organized in Yrelka to cDastise the
Modocs for the theft they had COM
mittcd in the earlier part Of the sea-
son. The force consisted Of three
companies, all under the command OF
Gene al J. D. Cosby. There was not
much fighting done, but Cosby claim
cd TO have brought the enemy to
terms and made treaty with them
What the terms Of the treaty were
never clearly appeared. Whatever
was accomplished, however, a long
period ensued during which the Mo-
docs did not. harass the settlers in
any shape, but the settlers were still
at long distance from the Modoc
country.
THE STEELE TREATY OF 1864.
Mr.. Elijah Steele, of Yreka, one of
the late Peace Commissioners, claims
to have made q treaty with the No
docs in 1864, by which 'they (the
Modocs) in consideration of consent
ing to live on amicable terms with
the whites were to be permitted to
remain in undisputcd possession of
all their lands on Lost River, to hold
aud use for fshi { and hunting SO
long as they should exist Us q tribe.
On theil part it was agreed that they
would never modest any white man
crossing their lands; that they would
tarry all persons passing through
across Lost River, and also permit
the cattle and horses belonging to
settlers near them full range Of al
their land MIR. Steele though at
this period Indian agent in California,
had no authority. or power to make a
treaty with tribe of Indians whose
headquarters wero not in his district.
Such agreements require the consent
and approval Of tho President and
Senate. 1t is plain, therefore that
the treaty between Mr.. Steele ard
the Modocs had no more wei ght than
"talk" between private citizen and
Captain Jack.
A FORMAL TREATY soLEMNLY RATIFIED.
1t is clear however, that the au-
tborities at Washington did not regard
what Mr.. Steele had done as invested
with the sacred character of treaty;
for during the Fall Of the same year
two citizens of Oregon - Messrs.
Huntington and Logan - were ap-
pointed and empowered TO make a
treaty with the Modocs and other
wild tribes, and locating a reservation
on which to colonize them. This the
Commissioners accomplished; the
Modocs, for certain stipulated consid.
erations, agreeing to cede their lands
on Lost River and to remove on the
Klamath res rvation, which had been
located. This all happened subse-
quently to Steele's agreement. AS
the terms of this treaty are entirely
repugnunt to those of the one made
with Mr.. Steele, the Modocs, OF
course, abandoned whatever rights
they might have claimed under that,
if it ever had any validity. Further
more, Captain Jack acknowledged
bic acceptance Of this treaty in the
most formal manner by going on the
reservation in 1869 in pursuance OF
its terms.
CAPTAIN JACK VIOLATES TIE TREATY.
So far, therefore, from Captain
Jnck being on his own territory ut
Lost River, after leaving the reserva-
tion iu 1869, he was there in violation
of the express terms of a treaty, the
binding obligations OF which he had
himself acknowledged in the most
solemn and formal manner. we hno
] Inul, and his