The New York herald., 1873-10-03
tween Captain Jack and tna Peace Commis-
THE MORNING OF THE MASSACRE

THE MORNING OF THE MAssACRE
he breakfasted with DR.. Thomas, went out
and tried very hard to induce General Gillem
to make one of the party, but the latter officer
was indisposed and declined to CO. When
Jack gave the signal Boston took Dr. Thomas
for victim, and within three hours from the
time they last met the guest had killed his
host, and broken even the laws that the wild
Arabs of the desert were known to respect
and hold sacred. The two others, Barncho
and Slolox, that are to suffer on Friday, have
really only been accessories to the deed and
not active participants. They are two igno-
rant and brutal savages, not members of the
Modoc tribe. but belonging to
THE coMBArAsHEs, OR ROCK INDIANS.
They evidently were following the orders of
their chiefs, and appeared on the scene when
the shooting commenced, carrying five or six
rifles, which they distributed among the rest
of the party From the nature of the wounds
received by the victims it has been ascertained
that Dr. Thomas was killed by shot from q
rifle or carbine, and some surgeons even 60
SO far as to say that General Candy was shot
in the head by a cerbine ball. l, however,
do not believe that General Candy received
two shot wounds in the head, but am
satisfied that the theory Of Assistant
Surgeon McEldery is correct. DR. McEldery
maintains that the two apertures in General
Canby's head were caused by one pistol ball;
the small aperture is where the ball entered,
and the large. jagged wound is where it made
its exit No carbine ball could have made
such wound; and even if it had been dis
charged from short range it would have been
certain to have passed clear through the head
These two Combatashes therefore, think,
may be held gultless Of Canby's murder; but
there is little doubt that one of their weapons
was used to finish DR.. Thomas They are,
however, SO ignorant and british that even
now they can hardly comprehend what they
are going to suffer for.
THE OTHER CRIMINALS,
Shack Nasty Jim, who boasted to me yester-
day that he sshot Meacham high up;"
Hooker Jim, who ran after and fred four
shots at Dyar; Bogus Charley, who assisted
in entrapping General Candy, and Steamboat
Frank, who performed q similar Office
on DR.. Thomas, are walking comfort
ably about receiving clothing and rations as
government scouts. They have certainly been
of considerable service to the government, as
it is doubtful whether Captain Jack could
have been captured yet if they had not lent
their assistance. Scar-faced Charley, the
manifest Indian of the whole tribe, was also
| present at the massacre--that is, he watched
the proceedings from behind rock, some
fifty yards away. asked him yesterday why
he was there, and he told me he "only came
in order to see that no one hurt Riddle, the
Yreka man, as he would have killed any
Indians that shot Riddle"
THE PREPARATIONS
for carrying out the sentence of the law were
commenced on Tuesday and finished yester-
day, under the management of Mr. Fields, the
,1ax-a ,f <1o
government for the past twenty-five years
The erection of gallows to hang six at q
time is rather an undertaking but Mr..
Fields has erected framework that will
probably prove equal to the occasion. The
uprights stand about seventeen feet high,
surmounted by q cross beam thirty feet in
length. The PLATFORM set on pine spiles, is
eight feet below the beam, solid at the back
and with hinged front, on which the GRIM
inals will be placed, standing. The cutting of
a single rope will upset the three supports Of
the front of the platform and give the six
murderers
SIX-FOOT DROP.
Lieutenant Colonel Hoge will oficiate as
Provost Marshal, and superintend the adjust
ing of the moose by the sergeants and non-
commissioned officers. The sentence and find
ings of the military commission will be read
by Lieutenant Kingsbury and translated to
the Indians by Riddle, of Yreka. The execu-
ton will be public and it is expected that
nearly 1000 Indians will be present.
THE LAST RITES OF THE MODoC5.