Arizona silver belt., 1890-12-20
Indian folk Lore. Another Version or ihe
 New Messiah.

vears, was stationed at the Neg Perces agen cy in Idaho, recently delivered the following sketch of the new Messiah, Def, )re convention of the American Folk Lore, in New York City: "This Messiah craze is an old story" said M iss Fletcher, land has possessed various Indian tribes for number of years. Being very much interested in he outbreak, 1 took the trouble to thoroughly investigate it's history and origin, with the result of ascertaining that it hed its rise in the neighborhood i of the Cheyenne river, between six and seven years ago The exact date was unable to learn, but the craze began with the nominal conversion of an h. dian to Christianity. He became very enthusiastic, saw visions and recounted them to his comrades, who took on his enthusiasm and were also able to ol1- serve strange sights. The vision seen by the original convert was one repre- senting the good old times of Indian history.
 "There was large herd of buffalo, and the convert also saw his ancestors come from the spirit land agitated by 6 great awakening, and there seemed to be a path open from the Indian viii lage to the luminous place Along this path figure advanced. The mysie- rions figure had robe thrown around it so as to conceal the figure and spoke to the Indians, calling them My Indian children. Throwing aside its mantle the figure proclaimed itself to be the Christian Saviour and, barring its arms exhibited the marks made by the nails that were driven into the cross.
 ''erbis is what the white man did to me, said the figure in the vision, show ing the scars received at the cruciii1ion. I como now to my Indian children, whom the white men have oppressed and despised. The figure counselled with the Indians and declared to them that all Of their former glory would re- turn and that the dead Indians were raiiyiag from the spirit land around their living daseendants.
 Tn these earlgF visions the figure did not betray any active antagonism to the white race beyond that arisingf fl the rejeetion of the figure by the
 faees as their Saviour. The Inc .s N ho saw these visions returned to their villages and related what they had seen and heard. The outcome of this was n great religious revival and these visions and revivals occurred and re-occnrred during period of six or seven years, spreading from one Indian tribe to another. Men undertook to imperson- ate the visions in the genuine converts at the reviyals. These impostors in- dulged in sayings and advice differing from those proceeding from the vision. This drought trouble. The Indians were aroused over wide stretch of country, from the Cheyenne river down into the Indian Territory. The craze pre-eminently affected the Cheyenne Indian who made pilgrimage to those places at which the visions were seen by the converts, so AS to come into con tact with the figure proclaiming itself | to be the Saviour of the white race. The bona fide vision did not counsel using arms against the whites, but sim ply counselled arraying one race against the other The story of Christ's sec ond coming was echoed and re-echoed over the Indian country and it exerted ali effect upon the Christian as well as upon the pagan Indians.
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