The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-18
IS He A MORMON ELDER2
General Brisbin Tells About the
New Christ Who is Imposing
Upon Indians.
September is the Date Fixed
for the Great Trans
formation.
Pale Facesl Will All be Destroyed and
the Red Men Will Have
the Earth.

General James A. Brisbin, U. s. A.. COM
mand in Montana, with headquarters at
Fort Custer, is now guest of the Hotel
Broadwater, and was met by re.
porter yesterday morning as he
was reading The INDEPENDENT Miles
City special dispatch giving the ex-
elusive news of the excitement among the
Cheyenne Indians of the Tongue river res
ervation over the hallucination that they
have found new Christ.
do You know anything of this affair,
general?" asked the reporter.
"Well, yes; d." he replied, "and the
matter is causing us considerable annoy
ance. cannot tell how it will end. It
may be for good or it may be for bad, but
it is one of the strangest things OF modern
times.'
General Brisbin's writings of Indian wars
and frontier adventures have formed inter-
esting pages in Montana's history and no
man in the west is better acquainted with
the traits and characters OF the red men
and he has been greatly interested IN watch
ing this latest movement, which he says
has spread with alarming rapidity among
all the western tribes.
Eyes, the Indians believe in second
Christ, and that he is already upon earth.
prophet believe he is Mormon elder, and
though his hiding -place has not been dis
covered believe he is somewhere in Utah,
probably on the Bear river. So wrought up
are the Indians over it that they
refuse to work and have taken
far the efforts of United States troops to
compel them to resume their usual voca-
tions have proved useless. The first news
of the new Christ reached the Cheyennes
during March. when two Bannack Indians
ostensibly to visit the Grow Indians, who
have their agency at Fort Custer, but really
came to teach the second coming of Christ,
and to warn the Crows that he was already
upon earth, and approaching from the
great south mountains. The Bannacks
loft after arousing the curiosity OF the
Crows, and then went to the Northern
Cheyennes and preached the new doctrine.
The Cheyennes we're not firm in their
belief of the new Christ, but to make sure,
they held council and delegated four of
to 90 and seek the truth. They started out.
we're gone thirty days, having remained
seven days with the false prophet.
The new Messiah is evidently a man of
intelligence, and from his general descrip,-
on 1 fn be Sela 9 o. the he
what they aaw and heard and were told to
preach. The belief among the Indians is
this: That next September this world will
end; the new Christ says that the whites
will be placed on one side of the world and
turn the world over. the whites will be
down and the Indians on top. and great
flood will set in, which will extinguish all
the whites from the face Of the earth
Then he will return to the Indians
the new world into what it was Lee
years ago. The Indians will get all their
game back and will not have to use fire
arms to kill it, nothing more than bow and
arrow and spear, and he particularly warns
them to throw away their guns, for which
fight with the whites, as they will not be
long for this earth.
II have learned that delegations from
nearly all the western Indian tribes have
called upon the false prophet, who strictly
admonishes them to keep secret from the
whites his instructions to them. The old
fellow must have great power over them,
for they obey his orders to the letter, because
they are told if they do not believe
in him they will be destroyed with the
whites. The promise OF a return OF former
hunting days, no work. but continual hap
piness, has strong influence upon the
Indians, who are very superstitious race,
and the false prophet knows their weak
points. notwithstanding the secrecy with
which he binds tho Indians We have been
about this impostor. 1t is evident that he
has mutilated himself and is a spiritualist.
Shortly after the arrival OF the Bannack
apostles, received message from the
agent at Tongue River agency saying that
the Indians were rising, leaving their
holding dances, and acting as If they were
preparing for war. All the schools had
been broken up, the children taken to
camps, and planting was suspended:
"Major Henry Carroll was sent with three
troops of the First United States cavalry,
and on his arrival at Tongue river. found a
queer state of affai1s prevailing among the
red men. They informed him that Christ
had come, and that it was useless to work
ae the world would soon come to an enc
perish. They were only dancing to propiti
ate the new spirit and had no idea of goinl
to war, They said Christ was surely in tn,
mountains near Washakie and that man.
of the Crows, Cheyennes, Shoshones ant
Bannacks had seen and converted will
terrific thunderstorm, and during the storm
Christ would manifest himself and exter
inmate all the whites on the earth.
1.-THE Bannaoks said party of Chey
ennes were now out with Christ, and woult
soon return and report. 1t was time tn
Cheyennes were back, and as soon as the,
came, the Indians would hear something
great from Christ, and must then come t.
him. The assemblage on Tongue river (ol
rather Rosebud, branch of Tongue river
for that was where they were) was not fol
war; but to dance and await the return o.
the messengers sent to Christ. AS soon al
they danced a little more and heard from
the couriers they would break up and g
home and if they were not called into the
mountains to Christ, they would plant thei
fields.
'.Major CAROLS command has been re
rationed and will remain out and watch re
suits.
Jules Semerole, the old interpreter a
Tongue River agency. recently received tn
intelligent half-breed from Che south.
would indicate the belief in the secon
coming of Christ to be very widespread
among the Indians:
DARLINGTON, Ind. Ter, March &c, 30
"'JULES SEMERoLE-Dear Friend: l wa
away from home when your letter came, an
Just got back four weeks ago and took sic
soon after came home, and have now JUS
got able to get about little, SO thought
would write you few lines. l suppose 20
have had some sickness among you, as "
have had here great deal-the grip the
call it. Crazy Mule, Cut Nose, Sleepin
Bear and a great many Others have died {
it. will send you some things as soon as
can get them. and some jerked bear meat
eat The boomers are about to mai
another raid on the Cherokee strip.
1.-The Cheyennes, Arrapahoes, etc.. al
greatly excited about Christ's coming j
among the northern tribes of Indians. II
Arrapahoes have been getting letters frol