The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-04-19
THE MODOC MURDER.

Saturday from the seat of war in Southern
Oregon, between the government Of th'
United States and that formidable nation %
two or three hundred savages known as The
Modocs. The gentle savagcs had by appoint
mcnt met Gen. Candy and corps of peace com
missioners to have friendly talk, and while
the talk was quietly proceeding, the indiana
suddenly rose to their feet and began
treacherous attack on the unarmed and un
suspccting whites numbering Gen. Canb,
sioners, outright, and dangerously woundinl
Mr. Mcacham, another of the commissioners
| The Indians, as our readers are probably
aware, are entrenchcd in "a vast lava bed
hcaping together, over many thousand acres
of loose lava rock or pumice stone, full o
| holes in which the Indians find easy conceal
ment, as well as pcrmcatcd underneath by
caves and tunnels, in many Of which abund
ant good water is found; so that "A stronger
or more impregnabe fortress, in which a
few hundred well armed men can hold out
indefinitely against formidable army can
hardly be imagined This lava field is sur
rounded by about 600 L, S. soldiers, com
mandcd by Il Major General, couple of
Colonies, with Majors, Captains, &c.
While it is doubtful whether the little
band of half naked, half starved Indians can
be successfully dislodged from their fastness
by even the formidable military array around
them, no earnest effort in that direction was
made or probably contemplated, all the
efforts of the government and military being
directed TO secure Il peaceful solution OF the
trouble and the quiet removal OF the Indians
to some reservation. With this purpose in
view, the attitude Of the army outside of, and
the Indians in the lava beds, has been main
tanned since last December, the time being
in efforts at peaceful negotiation
Captain Jack, the chief %! the Modocs was
seems to have made up his mind to bring
matters to Il crisis, and to that end Deliberate
Y planned and executed this a;rocious muir
Ter the facts Of which are thu, detailed by
he dispatches;
On Friday afternoon april 1ithJ five
indians and four squaWs came into our camp, |
md were made presents Of clothing and pro
.isions by the peace commissioners, and
Message was sent out by the commissioners
skiing for Il talk this morning, al point
bout mile from our picket line Next
morning Boston Charley came in and
old the commissioners that Capt, Jack and
i've other Indians would meet the commits
toner's outside our lines Boston and
Bogus Charley" Ghe latter having come in
ne night before, pretending that he was tired
+ the war and would not go back again then
louutcd horse and started for the lava bed.
About IN hour after their departure, Gen,
andy, Dr. Thomas, Mr.. A. Il. Mcacham and
IT. Dyar with Frank Riddle and his squaw
" interpreters started for the place appoint
l. There they met Captain Jack, John
Black Jim, Shac>nasty Jim, /
linsman, and lIawkcr Jim. They had no
lns with them, but each man carried pistols
his belt. This, however, was not much
)iccd, as in previous interviews they had I
nd their guns with them. They sat down
/ n kind of broken circle. and General
andy, Meacham, and DR.. Thomas sat TO-
ether faced by Captain Jack and SchOnchin.
IT, Dyar stood by Jack holding his piece, :
it'll IIawkcr Jim and Shocknasty lin to his {
It, Mcacham opened the talk, and gave a -,
ng history of what they wanted to do for
lem, after which General Candy and Dr. |
homaS both talked for some time. Captain g
ack then talked in an apparently good, a
'rous strain, and when he finished stepped !,
acll TO the rear, near where McaCham's horse u
as hitched, near Schonchin. He then began v
} talk, and while he was speaking Dyar l.
card u cap miss fire, and looking around Il
lw Captain Jack TO his left with his pistol
Ointcd at General Candy. This was the
gnal for II general massacre, and II dozen
lotS were fired inside OF half IA minute y
aptain Jack fixed again on General Candy,
nd the noble old gentleman ran off to the
1T, but was speedily shot down and killed a
instantly Meacllam was shot at by Schon. =,
hin, and wounded in the head. He tried to
raw his dcrringcr, when two Indians ran up !,
nd knocked him down. DR. Thomas was !
lied almost instantly by two pistol shots in :
&c head. Riddle ran OIL and il appears they
id not fire at him, but they knocked his :
luaw down. Nj. Dyar, Riddle, and the
luaw returned in sciety TO the camp, About
ne hundred yards to the west Of the place Of !
ccting Mr. Mcacham was found, badly t
Oundcd with pistol shot over the left eve. c
fifty yards further on was the body of DR. u
4,
aist Life was extinct from pistol shot i
ouuds in the head. The body of General r
anhy was stripped of every vestige of cloth n
ng and lay about one hundred yards to the 9
outward with two pistol shot wounds in
he head.
About the same time this trcachcrouS at \
lck was made on Gen. Candy and the peace e
white flag was borne y
oWards Col. Mason, who was posted some
distance nom where the talk took place, Il
outside the picket line. Lieut. Sherwood and o
lieut. Boyle went To see what was wanted. II
They found an Indian boy who wanted them :,
o come up in the rocks where he was. but u
hey refused. Steamboat Frank raised nm
rom the rocks and called them to come, buI
hey refused again, when the Indians opened
ire on them At the second volley Lieutcn. I
nj Sherwood fell, shot through the thigh /
,reaking the bone CLOSE to the hip He was !,
lso shot in tn" arm, severing an artery. The
roops turned out under Colonel Mason. Can. u
"a in Razor LEADING fine skiruiSh limo =, "A