Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-18
TROUBLESOME INDIANS.
They are Excited OYER The Coming Of
the New Messiah.
SETTLERS FEAR AN OUTBREAK.
Interview with an Apostle Who
Claims to Have Seen the
Great Being.
SETTLERS FEAR AN OUTBREAK
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE REcoRD-uNIoS. J

Great Being.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES To THE REcoRD-uNIoN.l
MANpAY On. D J, November 17th.-Super-
iptendent Green at Riverside ranch, whose
range is near the Sioux Reservation, came
in this morning. He says the Indians are
coming north and are well armed and act
ing in an unfriendly manner. A number
of Indians are armed with two guns each
and they have plenty OF ammunition
They passed through town, presumably to
stir up the Indians on the reservations
north. Settlers are coming in from the
south, begging the citizens to stir up the
authorities at Washington to action
Enough Indians are travelling about this
section to run off all the cattle and kill hall
the settlers in the country.
A friendly Indian brings warning from
the Sioux Reservation. He says the great
est danger is here. The Indians propose to
attack Fort Abraham Lincoln, knowing
there are but fifty soldiers there, and then
capture Mandan, massacre the citizens and
burn the town. The greatest alarm pre-.
walls among the people. 1t is reported the
Indian police at Standing Rock have torn
off their badges and revolted.
MEASURES TAKEN TO STOP ANY OUTBREAK
CHICAGO, November 17th.-General Miles
accompanied by Colonel Corbin, returned
this morning from st. Louis, where he yes
terday had a consultation with Secretary OF
War Proctor concerning the alleged Indian
trouble in the Northwest.
Colonel Corbin said to-day that there is
no doubt that if the Indians were TO decide
upon an outbreak they could do much
harm. They have an abundance of rifles
and ammunition, plenty of horses and
large supplies of meat, but winter is COM
ing on. and the officers do not think there
is eny immediate danger of an outbreak.
Colonel Corbin said that the stories of the
evacuation of districts by the settlers IN
North Dakota are overdrawn. There may
be some timid residents, who, fearing the
redskins ay have left their homes, but the
stories of wholesale excavations are abso'
lutely without foundation.
I'VE have made" he said, "a careful esti.
| mate of the number affected by the Messiah
| craze, and there ere in all not to exceed
| 10000 Indians. OF this number, perhaps
one. fifth are able bodied warriors and one
| halt, or 5000, could bear arms. Such 8
body, of course could do much harm il
their movements were not properly ar
rested, but We have taken measures TO in
| tercept any outbreak"
THE NEW MESSIAH.
CHICAGO, November 17th.-General Miles
| has received from the Post Adjutant al
| Fort Custer, Montana. report of Lieuten
ant Robertson, who carefully Investigated
| the new religious craze at the Cheyenne
Agency. His talks were principally with
Porcupine, the apostle of the new religion
among the Cheyennes, and with Big
Beaver, who accompanied Porcupine or
his visit to the new Christ at Walker Lake
| Nevada, last year.
| Porcupine told him that there were sew
eral hundred Indians at Walker Lake a.
| the time, including representatives of the
Cheyennes, Sioux, Arapahoes, Gros Ven
| tres, Utes, Navajoes. Sheep Eater Bannack;
and other tribes he did not know.
He (Porcupire) first heard of this new
Christ at the Arapahoe Agency, Wyo,
where he and some other Cheyennes Wis
| tied last fall An Araphhoe had been tC
| the southwestern country in 1888, ana tolc
ii-tkem about it. PorcupiDe and Others were
much interested, and determined 10 see
| this new Messiah. They went from point
to point, travelling sometimes by railroad
and sometimes by ponies or wagons.
| Porcupine insisted that the teachings oi
| the new Christ were in the interests o.
peace and good order and industry on the
| part of the Indians.
! Lieutenant Robertson asked him how il
was, then, that certain Indian tribes hac
! made this new doctrine basis for neglect
! ing their crops, indulging in demoralizine
dances and even disorder.
| Porcupine replied that nearly all the In
dians who had gone to hear the new Chris
with him had gone hoping to hear him
preach some incendiary doctrines. They
were disappointed at hearing that the new
creed required them TO simply work anC
| behave themselves, and concluded on their
return home not to relate strictly what had
been told them, but to preach doctrine:
more agreeable to the Indians.
These men," said Porcupine to tht
| Lieutenant, "are all liars, and they are re
sponsible for any trouble that occurs, no
the new Messiah"
! Porcupine cited one case in point of s
Sioux warrior whom he heard of, but die
not know. This man preached that the
new Christ told them that belief in his
religion gave the Indians charmed life
From these arose the insolence and trouble
Lieutenant Robertson obtained from
Henry Reed, an Arapahoe Interpreter and
an intelligent half-breed, information
which, if true, would establish the identity
of the new Messiah. Reed says he is {
Pah- Ute Indian named John Johnson. He
is very intelligent, but not an educated
man. This man lives on the Walker Lake
Reservation, where the other Indians claim
to have seen the new Christ.
| Reed reported that the Arapahoes were
much excited over the doctrine, and thai
many of them have even torn down theil
houses and sold the logs. Reed says tht
Agent and Indian police have entirely los
control over them.
From all Lieutenant Robertson coulG
learn, Porcupine's influence has been con
stantly exerted for good, and in lieu o
| what he claimed the new Messiah tolC
him in counterdistinction of the preach
ings of other redskin missionaries.
| Appended to the Lieutenants statement
is a statement of Porcupine, as writer
down by Robertson, with the aid of an in
| terpreter. 1t is lengthy, describing in de
| tail how be first heard of the new Christ
and the various stages of the journey ht
and companions took to meet him.
He said the people at the point where
the new Chris. was seemed all good peo
| pie, although of many tribes. There wa.
no fighting or drinking. The chiefs of the
| Homer tribe brought word from the Mes
siah 10 remain fourteen days in camp
when be would come to see them. HI
sent them something to eet like big white
nut.
Finally one morning hundreds of people
gathered near the Walkers Lake Agency
in great ring, and just before sundowr
more people came dressed in white men!
/ Il IA IT, ~