New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-05-18
Tho Nodocs-The Regulars and he Warm
Spring Indians.

Tho Modocs-The Regulars and :he Warm
Spring Indians.
rCorrespo p6eIce of the saerame n:c Reso:dl
I.v, BED. April 24-It is no dispar-
ao-meu; 10 the soldiers to say. las a lue,
tf4v are nat eoOod shots, for such is the
fac,. This, l take it. Is owing TO TWO canses:
FIRST. they are not drilled enough al target
sh,,,ino: second, the guns all shoot high
End vide. especially after being fired a
unu Der of rounds. l think aiu pretty
GOOD sbc- with a rifle or six shooter, butt
know Modoc would be tolerab!y safe be-
tore ne with an army gun-tltEer carbire
ny SPRINGFIELD musket. l have tried them,
and while you can shoot fast and az dis.
rance. they will not do for target work,
and that is just what shooting at the
Modocs is, and a very small target they are
roo. generally speaking. AS l have before
no,rtied Won't the safety of our men daring
,le right was owing in great iGef u:e, 10
,be fact that the guns used by the ModOcs
were those captured in the fight Of the
seventeenth Of January, and almost in
yar;ablv they overshot their mark,
The Warm Spring Indians are a 1ue-lcok-
ing body of men. many OF them being six
feet and even taller. They are very Decent
and orderly, much better oehaved Than an
equal nm Der of ordinary soldiers, for
vour soloier cti duty is not always the most
quiet and or derly man in the.wnrll. They
nnpy implicitly their leader, Donald Nc.
ksy. and the sub-chiefs who are with them.
The sub chiefs names are Miller. Warm
Spring George. Pi-Pockpah and Hornashtig.
They are fine men, and many OF them speak
and. ! think, some Of them read and write
Eool.sh. Their head chief is Daumeta and
he is a: Uma.illa with Il few of his people.
who number in all about 400. Their re.
servation is about seventy miles sOuth OF
the Dalles. ON the Des Chutes. in a very
good location. Their leader here. Donald
Mckay, is thirty seven years old. s.x feet
tail. weighs now gil pOunds-h!s lazy
weight being 225. He is quit:. reserved
man, a perfect specimen OF a lai!-oreed.
and device. The Modocs would give as
much to get his scalp "a they would fur that
o. General Gllem. He is one OF eleven
Hudson BAY Company trade: and
.he most celebrated Indian tighter ever
known on the northern part of this coast.
There are several other sOns-George. an
express rider. III the service OF the govern.
ment, and DR.. William, an accompil. bed
physician, now residing in Umatilla. Their
il Their came here Donald knows not when.
but he remembers hearing him tel! Of bring
ing in the first drove OF sheep and cattle
from California ever brought into Oregon,
and that his companions on that trip were
Coleman and Hall. He had at one time
eawul!li and rancho on Champoontz on the
Willamette, a saw and grist mill at " la.
lula, rancho and seven hundred bead Of
cattle on Butte creek iuot the one Of That
raIGe near here and a rancho on Villa
ine':e slough, where lie died in tie winter
OF 1880. So much for the leader: and
now | will give you little sketch ot the
manner in which they fight.
When cheir line was formed, the extreme
righ. and left end, or hank men. carried a
little flag HI a pole, that their true POSITION
coald be determined at all times. They
fgh.' Under cover generally. hunting N
:wcs." one covering the other. One ereeps
ahead, trying to entice a shot by every pos.
slhle device. Ii one misses to take aim at
the head one. the concealed friend blazes
away at once and the foremost Que is then
ready to tire at any one who>Ilses 90 return
that shot.
As AN instance of the tricks to which they
resort to draw tie eEemy's fire, or to make
him expose'his person, | will relate an inc
stance which came under my own observao
ZION during the second days battle. We
have, belonging to the governmen: pack
train. a Warm Spring Indian called joe
who speaks good English, and has been in
government employ tor several years.
Well. on that day tue train was 10" anu
Joe must have q shO'; so two or three OF his
tribe. who were on that side. went in !or a
!eetle eun. as Joe expressed it. They hape
Heued g 90 up into the skirmish fine before
that break occurred which lef: Colonel
Miller in such a warm place. The Modocs
then we're very quiet. and they found u
difficult 20 get shot at them. Cautiously
fhey erept forward. If one made forward
move j: was quick as IA flash. then down be.
hind rock. hat off and by his side. his gum
always at full cock and to his shoulder.
ready for firing. Waiting long time. as i
seemed. behind this rocky shield. ancther
forward move " as made in a eiualay Mars
r.
Getting tired Of This. ami no, succeeding
in provoking shot. tho old man ..eeley.
who is lame in one knee. laid down his gun
hy Joe and erawled forward like a snake ID
the direction of the ledge. After getting IN
advance some distance The old fell.W toOkc
two stones and grated them together. pro.
duc;n. sound like Che grating .: I; sol.
dier's hobnailed shoe on the hard laws
Stealthily !. Modoc peered out from his
cover 20 see where. the Boston man was.
when. quick as thought, Joe son: Is hulles
crushing through him. and the Modoc
threw np his arms and fell over. The Mo-.
doe. poured IN shos o.; balls. but Zee.
icy eprarg back. getting Knocked Gowi. bye
bullet. which cut The thick hair On the
t'I ol Nksi', N.ilJ 100 tDNtTtV ms StsTtaNse
\ few minutes after ward the firing opened
heavily. and then the shells. driving Milleg
and his men out. and as they came .7s. The
cres's the line Was broken, leaving Joe and
has comrades 10 stem the tide aloncs They
STOOD 'c awhile. and then fell back ana
came down TO Hospital rock. where General
GIiiem and staff were at the time. "Well.
Joe. said General Gllem In his pieasan:
way. have yon been fighting - Yes. SIR
Al loo
dlers custom: yes, sir. and it's id no:
up there" did You kill any Modoc..'
asked the General Don't know. sir: 60:
"A good shot at one. and he tumblei over.''
replied Jos. very mOdestly. Here Zeeiev
put III hls oar" az we say. and by signs.
for he cant speak English. showed how il;
was done aud where Joe had hit the Modoc.
asserting that be was killed. "We!i. Joe."
continued the General. with merry twinkle
but why did You not stay ard fgb:
longer = "Pight longer replied Joe.
uh" did not understand the cause
OF the line falling back, ''pight Ion ger; how
could ! !! The ID soldiers lun away and
lett me and him to fight alone. They left
one man dead in their hurry upon the line
and one wounded man. We kept the Mo
docs back as long as we could; but HI do
you spOse two men light all the id Mo.
docs . Slowly tho General turned away,
WIN q queer look in his eye and an odd
smile around his lips. which seemed 70 say:
.Joe. l respect yonr bravery and truth, but
can say that admire your diction, which
Is more torcible than elegant" joe had
mace mistake; the wounded man got
away. though the dead man was left. Blu:
there 10 no doubt that Joe killed or fatally
wounded the MOdnc. and some assert that
~ was Scarfaced Charley, but think, from
the description, it was Frank" who had a
scar on his face. and was found wounded
and dispatched the day following | must