Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-07
THE INDIAN MESSIAH.
Gen. Miles Describes the Prevailing
Craze Among the Red Men.

CEoZc FAhiOuS thc lhcu VAcus
ST. Paul. MINI, Nov. Maj. Gen. Nelson
a. Miles, U.S.A., commander of the military
division Of the Missouri, arrived in st. Paul
yesterday and registered at the Ryan Hotel.
The general was interviewed by a reporter,
and in the course OF q long conversation made
some interesting statements regarding the
causes and nature of the religious craze now
existing among the Indian tribes of the west.
II have been out in Utah. Montana and the
Cheyenne reservation" said Gen. Miles, in-
vestigating this craze. You have no doubt
heard that the Indian tribes in the district l
have mentioned are reported to believe that
Messiah has come, who is TO restore them to
their former glory. bring back the buffalo and
drive the whites from the.land. have learned
that this belief exists among the various tribes
of Sioux. Cheyennes. Blackfcet, Shoshones and
other tribes. In all the craze has extended to
sixteen tribes the Snake Indians being the only
ones to repudiate it. There is no doubt but
that many of the Indians holding this belief in
the Indian Messiah are sincere, and some few
have certainly seen some person whom they
took to be that Messiah. Several small
parties OF Indians have gone westward from
their tribes to some point, which, as near as
can locate is in Nevada, and there they have
been shown somebody disguised as the Messiah,
and have spoken with him. / am inclined to
believe that there is more than one person i'm
personatinC this Messiah, as when Sioux have
spoken with him he has replied in the Sioux
language. and to Blackfeet he has spoken their
tongue, and so on with the representatives of
each nation or tribe, speaking their own Ian
guage to each"
Who do you think is responsible for this
imposition upon the Indians?'
Il cannot state positively, but it is my be-
lief the Mormons are the prime movers in II.
This is not hard statement to believe. as
there arc 200, 900 Mormons and they themselves
claim to believe i'll prophets and spiritual
manifestations, and they even now clI.m t.
hold intercourse with the spirit Of Joe Smith
Besides they have had missionaries at work
among the Indians for many years and have
made many converts
''Do you think this new belief Of the Indians
will lead to an outbreak and bloodshed?"
Il do not think so, but where an ignorant race
OF people become religious fanatics it is hard
to tell just what they will do. 1t is noteworthy,
however, that this so-called Messiah tells the
Indians that when he comes to reign over
or necessary. He tells them also that with
his coming the dead Indians will all be raised
to life. the buffalo will return and he will draw
a line behind on which he will gather. all the
Indians and then he will roll the eai:.l back
upon the whites. This has naturally excited
the Indians and large numbers have accepted
the new belief. Among those who have done so
none are more ardent than Sitting Bull, who is
intensely Indian in all his IDEAS -
DO you think that tho person who is imper-
sonating the Messiah Is a white man or an In
diam"
Those who have seen him say he is muf1ed
up aud disguised SO that they do not SEQ lis
face. but believe that he. is a full-blooded
white. The argument the Indians use in dis
cussing the matter is that the whites have their
Messiah and the Indians now have theirs. II
1t is reasonable for the whites to believe in a
Messiah it is reasonable for the Indians to do
80 too, and it is al much their right to have IN
Indian Messiah the whites have to have
white Messiah. The situation is not farming
IN any way. and / do not know whether any
action will be taken by the government re-
garding the matter until after have made my
report"