Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-11-14
CREDITED TO MORMONs
THE CAUSE OF THE LATE
ABORIGINAL CRAZE.
Gen. Miles Says 1t Ia Hi. Belief that Che
Mormons Are the Prime Movers in It
Does Not Think There Will lie Blood.
shed, but Stlll There Is Doubt.

MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, Nov. S.-Mai.- Gen.
Nelson A. Miles, of the United States army,
was in St Paul yesterday. accompanied by
number OF Il military men. He was rendered
reception by the Loyal Legion last night
at o'clock, at the Hotel Ryan, after which
the party went east.
When Gen, Miles was asked about the In
cian messiah craze in the west and north
west. he spoke quite freely. He has just
returned from an extended "trip in Utah.
Montana and the Cheyenne reservation,
where he has personally Investigated the
craze. He said concerning it:
THE Indian tribes in the districts have
visited are reported to believe that IL Mes
siah has come who is to restore them to
their former glory, bring back the buffalo
and drive the whites from the land. 1 have
learned that this belief exists among the
various tribes of Sioux, 'Cheyennes. Black
feet. Shoshones and other tribes. In all
the craze has extended to sixteen tribes, the
Snake Indians being the only ones to re-
pudate 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 j 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
impersonating the Messiah, as when Sioux
have spoken with him he has replied in the
Sioux language, and to Blackfeet he has
spoken their tongue, and on with the
representative Of each nation or tribe,
speaking their own language to each
81 cannot state positively" he continued,
'who is responsible for this imposition upon
the Indians. but it is my belief the Nor
mons are the prime movers in it. This is
not u hard statement to believe. for there
are 600 Mormons, and they themselves
claim to believe in prophets and spiritual
manifestations, and they even now claim to
hold intercourse with the spirit of Joe Smith
Resides they have had missionaries at work
among the Indians for many years. and
have made many converts.
Gen. Miles does not think the new belief
Will result ia any outbreak and bloodshed
although he admits il is hard to tell what
may come.
lit is noteworthy said Gen. Miles, "that
the so-called Messiah tells the Indians that
when he comes to reign over them fire arms
WIZ NV IouSSt w uScu OF necessary. lie
tells them also that with his coming the
dead Indians will all be raised to life, the
buffalo will return. andh he will draw a line
behind ON which he will gather all the In
dams. and then he will roll the earth back
upon the whites. This has naturally excited
the Indians and large numbers have ac-
cepted the new belief. Among those who
',.'-n ar-o ,ro .-.u.~ ..a.,+ ,h,,,
Sitting Bull, who is intensely indian in ali
MS IDEAS .
"fhose who have seensthe in,poster saw he
is mutiied up and disguised SO that they do
not see his face, but believe that he is a
hull-blooded white. The argument the In
dams use ia discussing this matter is that
the whites have had their Messiah. and
the Indians nowhnave theirs. That IL it is |
reasonable for tho whites to believe in u
Messiah. 1t is reasonable for the Indians to
do so too, and that they have as much right |
TO have an Indian Messiah as the whites |
have to have Il white Messiah. The stua-
ton is not alarming in any way, and do not !
know whether any action will be taken by
the government regarding the matter, UNI
Ill after have made my report"