The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-04-28
A LEAF FROM MoDoC HrsToaY
A Treacherous Massacre by the Whites
Twenty Years Ago---Fcrty out Of Forty
Seven Modoes Killed--The Father
Of Schauchin thu Rirat Viatim

/ lar pan. Gradually they gave out, and
miners had TO seek other localities. Many
of the creeks, not far distant, such al
Greenhorn, Humbug, Cottonwood, Indian
Greek, and Scotch River developed good
claims, and Yreka gradually lost its pOpu
lation until it did not contain more thar
thousand inhabitants. When agriculture
took the place of mining in this part Of the
State, the town began to grow again. and
now numbers nearly 1900 permanent citi'
Gems, but it is far more important town
than one of an equal population would DC
in an Eastern State Indeed, 1t would
rank with one Of 10000 people, being on
the only road from San Francisco to Port
| land, Oregon, and the chief distributing
point for Northern California and Southern
Oregon. have been a resident OF Yreka
from 1851 to the present time, ana II Is
now my home, although l have been IN
! the east for more than year. The mines
| at Yreka were discovered, and the town
was settled in 1850.
/ CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MoDocS.
The Modoc Indians occupied the ter
ritory between Yreka and Surprise Valley,
the same being about 100 miles long by so
wide, and containing the present celebrated
Lava Beds. This country of theirs was
composed of rocky hills, fertile valleys,
| lakes and small streams swarming with
/ fish, and was surrounded by high noun
tains generally heavily timbered at the
base. Game of all kinds was very plenty.
The tribe was generally estimated at 1000
| including men, women, and children, out
of which about 300 were classed as war
riors They were regarded At that time as
the most warhke tribe in the State, al
though by no means the most numerous,
and held their own against their savage
neighbOrs. In their wars they were inya-
riably victorious over the Shasta and
- Pitt River Indians At that time they
were armed almost wholly with their prim-
/ tive weapons, the gun and pistol not hav-
| ing superseded the bow and arrow. Their
| bow, however, was a powerful weapon
| the stems OF the arrows would pull out and
| leave the barbed head imbedded in the body
of their game or their enemy. They cul-
tivated no land, but subsisted upon game,
fish, and the natural roots of the country.
Wild fowl was very abundant in the
lakes, and from all these sources they
were entirel y free from want No tribe OF
Indians had more productive hunting
grounds than the ModOcs, and they were
jealous of the immigration of the whites,
while the latter looked with longing eyes
upon their fertile valleys, and some col
hsions took place The ModocS were al
ways bold, and willing to battle hand to
hand In the year 1852 overland emigrant
trains from the East began to pass through
their territory, and the Modecs attacked
one Of these trains on the border of Tule
Lake, and with the exception of one man,
who escaped, massacred every man, wo-
man, and child. The scene of the massa-
ere has borne the name of Bloody Point
to this day. When the man who had
escaped reached Yreka there was great
excitement A meeting of citizens and
miners was at once called, at which | was
present, and company of % volunteers
was formed and placed under the command
of young and adventurous man by the
name of Ben. Wright, the expedition be-
ing fitted out and the expenses borne by
the citizens. A similar company was
raised across the line in Oregon, under the
command of one Ross. These two com
panies operated in conjunction, but as sep
arate commands Wright's force reached
Bloody Point just in time to rescue a sec
ond train, which the Indians had entrappeG
and had held for Sc hours but beyond
protecting the road, neither Wright MOI
Ross succeeded in doing much against the
MOdOcs.
THE TREACHEROUs DEED OF THE WHITES
When pursued the Indians would fly Il
the Lava Beds, the scene of the present
war, and secrete themselves in a cave
which, from this circumstance, has since
borne the name of ben. Wright's Gave.
As winter approached, and no more trains
were to be expected that season, Wright
not desiring TO return without some results
to boast OF, arranged for peace talk
with the savages, on which occasion hi
agreed to kill an OK. 1t is weiEknown tC
the old residents Of Yreka that his inten.
ton was 10 poison the OK, and thus dis.
patch them all When this fact became
known the sensibihties of many residents
Of Yreka were severely shocked, but the
general tide Of opinion sustained him
This act of treachery was never really per.
formed, but one was substituted, falling
little short Of it IN atrOcity. Pursuant to
the agreement, the Indians came, number.
ing A. warriors, under the command Of
their chief, Schonchin, the father of the
Schonchin who participated in the massa.
ere of Gen. Candy and party. The two
forces encamped close together. During
the night il rained heavily, render.
ing the weapons of the Indians use.
less by relaxing the strings and the sinews
upon. the backs Of the bows. When " right
in the morning saw them standing around
their fires, drying their bows, he changed
his plans, and, instructing his men accord
ingly, he advanced alone, extending his
hand TO Sehonchin, then suddenly drawing
his pistol, he shot down the unarmed chief
| This being the signal agreed upon, the rest
rushed in and 'butchered them, only sever
OF the Indians escaping. know this, NOT
only from general report at Yreka, but
from the lips Of one Of Wright s men, who
has related to me the circumstances many
times. The next year emigrants abandon
ed that route, owing tothe Indian troubles,
and went by the old road consequently,
this ended the war at that time with the
Modocs and, until about the year 1868, nc
further serious trouble occurred between
them and the whites. About that year, the
whites, needing good grazing land, began to
encroach upon what the Modocs had al
ways considered their soil, and the Gov
SOOh dlVCI lCllONtu IIlDG 10 a
reservation in Oregon but they refused to
stay, and gradually returned to their old
hunting grounds, where they remained
quietly, many of them working for the
settlers in herding stock, unt1 the attempt
to force them back upon the reservation
last Fall. This they regarded as an attempt
to drive them to starvation, and resisted
it. as that country is well known to be in
tensely cold and almost entirely barren.
The object of the Government agents
would seem to have been to drive as many
Indians as possible to the reservation once
a year, and keep them there long enough
to number them, as basis for appro-
priations.
THE LAVA BEDS
j have never personally visited the Lava
Beds, but | have been in the vicinity, and
have seen them with glass from the ton
of Shasta Butte, or Mount Shasta, which
rises 11,000 feet above the surrounding
country, and IA, 446 feet above the level Of
the sea- In the clear atmosphere of that
country they were distinctly visible, and
fully concurred with the general opinion
that they we're almost if not quite impreg-
nable. They are an immense irregular