The Red Cloud chief., 1890-11-14
Tne INDIAN

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81. PAUL. MINI. Nov s-Major-Cen.
esal Nelson A. Miles Z. s A.. con.
mander Of the division Of the Missouri.
who has returned from . tout Of the
West asked regarding the causes and
nature OF the religious craze now exist
ing among tho Indian tribes OF the
West said: II have learned that this
belief exists among the various tribes
Of Sioux. CheyenneA Blsckfest Sho.
shones and other tribeA In all the
craze has extended TO sixteen tribea
the Snake Indians being the only ones
70 repudiate II. There Is no
doubt that many Of the Indians
holding this belief in the Indian
Messiah are sincere, and some iew havc
certainly seen some person whom they
took to be that Messiah. Several small
part es Of Indians have gone westward
from their tribes to some point which.
rs near as ] can locate. is Nevada, and
there they have been shown somebody
disguised as the Messiah and have
spoken with him. ! am inclined 10 be.
lieve that there is moro than one per-
son i~mpersOnating this Messiah, ~
when Sioux have spoken with him he
has replied in the Sioux language and
10 Blackfeet he has spoken their tongue,
and so on with the representa-: lives Of
each nation or tribe, speaking their own
language to each"
What do you think is responsible
for this imposition upon the Ind!ans?'
II can not state positively but it Is
my belief the Mormons are the prime
movers in it. This is not . hard state
ment to believe, for there are 200, 600
Mormons and they themselves claim TO
believe in prophets and spiritual mani
f~estation. and they even now claim to
hold intercourse with the spirit Of jos
Smith. Besides they have had mission
aries at work among the Indians for
many years and have many converts"
do o think this new belief OF tho
Indians will lead to an outbreak and
blood shed?"
Il do not think so. but where an ig-
norant 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 In
dams that when he comes to reign over
them he says that firearms will no
longer be used or necessary. He tells
them also that with his coming tho
dead Indians will all be raised to lifo.
tho buffalo will return and he will
draw q limo behind which he will
gather all tho Indians. and then he will
roll the earth 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 Sit
ting Bull, who Is intensely Indian in
all his ideas"
DO you think the person who Is i'm.
personating the Messiah is q white man
or an Indian?"
mufied up and disguised so that they
don't sec / is face, but l believe that he
is q full-b!Ooded white. The argument
the Indians used in discussing the
matter is that the whites have
had their Messiah and the Indians
now have theirs; that il it is reason
able for the whites to believe in q
Messiah it Is reasonable for the Indians
to do so, too; and that they have as
much right to have IN Indian Messiah
rs tho whites have TO have a white
Messiah. The situation is not alarming
in any way. and ! do not know whether
any action will he taken by the Govern
ment regarding the matter until after l
have made nv report"