Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-07-24
The Modocs Justified.

tue
The following letter to this paper
contains statements which many
who are familiar with the treatment
Of the Indians and who are unpreiu-
diced will readily believe. If tue,
they palliate, ifindeed they DO not
justify, the recent action of the Mo
docs. 1t may be added that they
do no rest alone on our correspon-
dents authority, since it is known
that several of the Indian commits
sioners have made similar assertions.
Our correspondent says:
As your paper has spoken kindly
of the Modocs. and has not Joined in
the cry of vengeance and extermina-
tisn, | thought you would value a
few facts pertaining TO them.
While in New York last week, at
tending peace meeting at Cooper
Institute, l had the pleasure of see>
ing and conversing with john Bee
son, a venerable old man of warm
heart and sincere manners, who is
we'll known in New York as Gather
Beeson" Mr.. Beeson said to me l
have farm in Rogue River valley,
Oregon, not far from the place where
Capt. Jack and his men have taken
refuge. l have lived in that west
ern country twenty years. have
known Capt. Jack since he was a
small boy, He is marked man and
would be picked out any where
among Indians or white men as n
superior man. He IS full blooded
Indian, is short of stature, broad
shouldered, has broad, high, fore
head, thin lips, clear ey es and a nose
that is slightly aquline. He is no
talker, but thinks much. He is not
treacherous, but he's been maddened
by oppression. l don't want a bet
ter neigbbor. L tell you, sir, the
Indians, the Modocs, have been most
shamefuIly and cruelty treated. The
Modocs were naturally peaceabe and
friendly.
But as long ago as 1912 that por-
ton Of Oregon was in the same con-
dition that Kansas was in 1856. The
territory was filed with border
ruffians, who was trying to make q
slave state oft. Children of the In
dams were stolen and sold into slave
ry "a good sized boy was sold for
three hn ndred and fifty dollars, be-
cause the Indians resented these out
rage they were set upon by the
whites, then their land was wasted,
and they were driven from one place
to another. 70 get rid of them
most villainous and unheard of piece
of strategy was resorted to. In 1912
company of whites, under lead of
Ben Wright undertook to make
peace as they called it with the Mo-
docs. Their real OBJECT was to get
their land away. The Modocs were
not to be cheated, so Wright and his
men got up a great feast. Seven
oxen were slaughtered. All the ar
senic that could be bought was secu>
red-a druggist who sold the arsenic
told me this hlmself-and the car
casses of the oxen were poisoned
some half breeds and interpreters,
knowing the fact, communicated it
to the Modocs; 80 when they came
to the feast they refused to eat until
their entertainers had partaken.
This led TO talk, and the whites find
lag they could not induce the Indians
to eat, fell upon them and massacred
forty Indians warriors, among whom
was Capt. Jacks father. Capt. Jack,
supposed that the recent interviews
with Candy and the peace commits
sioners were only preliminary to
similar massacre, and acted accord
ingly." Such is Father Beeson's
story. If these statements are true,
it would seem that Capt. Jack and
the Modocs have more right TO ex-
perience the sympathy and kindness
of the government than TO feel its
power. Respectfully yours,
JUHN j. Corr.
Grston, June l6.