Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1890-11-22
INDIAN MESSIAH.
81. Teachings Are Peaceful snd De Urges
Indians &c Thrift and Industry and
Good Order, rs Opposed TO
Wars and Waste.
Report OF Visit TO Walker
Lake, Where the New Teacher Dwslis
-warIiko Braves Have Lied
Abonf Him.

CHICAGO. November 19.-General Miles
mas received from the pest adiutant at Fort
Custer. Montana, the report of Lieutenant
z. C. Robertson relative to the new religious
craze at the Cheyenne agency. ION my
arrival at the agency" says Lieutenant Rob
srtson, 81 put myself in immediate COM
munication with Porcuplne, the apostle of
the new religion among the Cheyennes, and
with Big Beaver, who accompanied him on
his visit to the new Christ at Walker Lake,
Nevada, last year. had a lengthy talk with
Porcupine ana Big Beaver. The former was
almost entirely the spokesman. Big Beaver
merely corroborating his statements. Por-
cupine, when questioned as to the identity of
the fifteen or sixteen tribes who were at the
Walker Lake meeting last year, said that
they included CheyenneS, Sioux. ArapahOes,
Crow, Ventres, Utes, Navajoes, Sheep Eater,
Bannocks and some other tribes whose names
he did not know. He says all of the Utah
Indians had been there and had left before
his arrival. He is sure there were no tribes
from the Indian territory represented, and
thinks the Sioux were the most eastern In
dams present. He says that he first heard
of the new Christ at the Arapahoe (Shoshone)
agency, where ne and twelve other Cheyennes
went on visit last fall. An Arapahoe In
dian named Sage, who had been to the south
western country in 1888. told them that there
was a new Christ arisen for the Indians;
where he would be found, and explained his
mission to them. Sage's story related, Por-
cupine says, to the man he himself after
ward saw at Walker Lake. Porcupine goes
on to say that he and the other Cheyennes
were much interested, and determined to see
this Messiah, but as all could not go as lar,
nine of the Cheyennes were sent back to the
Tongue river reservation to tell the people
what they had heard. Porcupine and the
other CheyenneS went on. When they got
to Utah they received large accessions to
their caravan, Indians joining them IN groups
at different points on the route, so that when
the final meeting took place at Walker Lake
to hear the Christ speak there were, as near
as Porcupine could estimate, several hun
bred Indians present, including women and
children. He especially insists that the
teachings of the new Christ were in the in
terest of peace and good order and industry
on the part of the Indians. l asked If he
could explain how it was then that certain
Indian tribes had made this new doctrine
basis for Deglecting their crops, indulging in
war dances and even disorder, as had been
the case on certain reservations. His an
swer is so shrewd and touches SO near the
probable explanation of the facts, that re-
corded it. He said that the Indians who had
gone to hear this new Christ with him had gone
hoping to hear him preach some incendiary
doctrine, and that they were disappointed at
hearing that the new creed required them to
simply work and behave themselves, so that
being known by their people to have visited
their Lew Messiah, they concluded on their
return home not to relate strictly what this
man had told them, but to put into his mouth
doctrines more agreeable to the Indians.
These men, said Porcupine, are all liars, and
they are responsible for any trouble that
occurs, not the new Messiah"