The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-10-20
The Execution of the MOdocs.
How They Received Their poOm--oom-
parsons and "Reminiscences.

How They Received Their poom--c Conn
parsons and "Reminiscences.
That gtpup Of sayages, listening
through double Interpretation to the
comforting words Of q clergyman, says
the New York Herald, whom they can
only speak Of as "spirit.man," Is q
novel scene for the world to ponder
over. They heard the sentences trans.
lated into Modoc jargon and then rem.
dered into pure Modoc, but their
speeches hfterwatd betrayed how little
the thoughts Of the preacher had sunk
into their savage souls. They spoke in
turn, and the strange offer OF Captain
Jack, that Scar.iased Charley should
suffer in his stead, was made. In neither
his nor Bclohchin's speeches did the
calm, impassiye, unshaken stoicism MP.
pear which we have insensibly connect.
ed with the Indian when facing his
doom. From Captain Jack looking
wistfully round with lis searching,
glitterihs eyes, and saying, at Is
terrible to think / have TO die, because
whenever / look at my heart / see o de-
sire to live" werecali the famous figure
Of tho Virginia Indian, Logan, when,
rs a prisoner after q bloody war in
which he was ever towering spirit, he
said, Logan would not turn upon his
heel to save his life." From Schonchin,
speaking as smoothly and ingeniously
as Shakspeare's Mark Antony, saying:
" Boston Charley has told tile truth
when he called me q woman. / was
like woman, and opposed to war;" we
can go back to 0sceola, the famous
Chief OF the Seminoles, enduring his
imprisonment with the dignity OF q
Brutus, expressing no regret save that
lie had allowed himself to be betrayed
into the hands Of the pale face enemies
who were seeking, with blbody hand,
tho destruction OF his race.
The long intermixture with the whites
had grated the idea upon the mind OF
Captain Jack and Schonchin that while
there's life there's hope-that the life
which had been struggled for with
tooth aud nail was worth struggling for
with the tongue. Different is this, in
deed, from Black Hawk, when made n
prisoner, saying pithily and with the
grim spirit Of an ancient Greek, Have
done my best pale faces too many,
that's all. Although the old men and
chiefs betrayed this yearning for life,
In the two younger men, Boston Char.
ley and Black Jim, the defiant spirit OF
the savage unused 10 the flood OF
gentler emotions was seen, and particu
larly in the former. Schonchin,"
said Boston Charley, reproaclfully, al
AIN not afraid to die. l fought in the
front rank. Lam wholly man, not half
woman" SO the "talk" went on with
some OF the old Indian eloquence,
wherein their paganism, tempered with
Christian expression, is heard -" The
Great Spirit who looks from above will
see Schonchin in chains, but He knows
that his heart is good, and says, You
die (; you become one of My people. ,"
Soon another scene takes place with
more Of the human element in IL, when
tho squaws, papooses and relatives OF
the doomed were let in to vent their
grief in a passionate storm Of farewells.
Even with fettered sayages and their
barbarian kindred this grief Is some
thing sacred, from which we must turn
away.
Night comes down over the camp
with the death songs OF the Modoc
women wailing through the air. Then,
save the sentry's tread, all is still.
Morning breaks, and the reveille rings
ont. All are afoot at dawn. The
solemn pomp Of death is prepared. The
morning advances, and the troops march
ont and take position. Five hundred
Klamath Indians squat upon the ground
before the broad gallows, to see and be
impressed by the death struggles Of four
brethren OF their banned race. A loud
wall from the stockade where the Modoc
squaws and braves are Gagged is heard,
and then comes the escorted wagon
with the doomed. Hope llas gone out
Of their breasts, and the stoicism OF
the savage asserts itself in this supreme
moment. The fated four are seated
pinioned on the gallows frame, with the
sun shining on their backs, never to
shine upon their faces in life again.
The long, dreary form Of reading the
sentence and praying is proceeded with,
and the Modoc wall, rising again from
the wives aud children, is Us agonizing
accompaniment. We wonder il it en-
tered the minds Of the Klamaths look
ing coldly on, that so their race was
passing away with the sun upon their
backs, their Swallowed destiny on the
ground before their faces, white officers
reading their doom, white chaplains
pointing to a happy hereafter and the
walls and sobs OF women and children
interviewer and mingled with It all. The
thud OF an axe is heard, and the -four
wretches struggle through strangula-
ton into eternity. -Four corpses sway.
ing in the wind now tell that, in slow
fashion, the murders Of Candy and
Thomas have been avenged.
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