Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-18
THE RED MESSIAH.
Great Excitement Over the
Indian Christ.
His Gospel One Of Peace and
Not of War.
An ArapahOe Chiefs Interview With
the New Savior.
Smart Pah-Ute Thought to Be the I'm
poster - Bad Indians Pervert
His Teachings.
Associated Press Dispatches.

OhlShUOt ANOfs sISs--oCnCIdl Miles, dC-
companied by Colonel Corbin, returned
this morning from st. Louis, where he
yesterday had a consultation with Sec
retary of War Proctor, concerning the
alleged Indian trouble in the nor Invest.
Colonel Corbin said today there is no
doubt that if the Indians were to decide
upon an outbreak they could do much
harm. They had an abundance of rifles
and ammunition, plenty of horses and
large supplies OF meat; but winter is
coming on and the officers think there
is not any immediate danger of an out
break.
Colonel Corbin said the stories Of
evacuation of districts by settlers in
North Dakota are overdrawn. There may
be some timid residents who, fearing
the redskins, may have left their
homes, but the stories of wholesale
evacuation are absolutely without foun-
dation. "We have made" he said, "a
careful estimate of the number affected
by the Messiah craze, and these are in
all not to exceed 10000 Indians. Of
this number, perhaps one-fifth are able
bodied warriors, and one-half, $1,000.
could bear arms. Such body, of course,
could do much harm ii their movements
were not properly arrested, but we
have taken measures to intercept an
outbreak"
General Miles has received from the
post-adjutant at Fort Custer, Mont,
the report of Lieutenant Robertson, who
carefully investigated the new religious
craze at the Cheyenne agency. His
talks were with Porcupine, the apostle
of the new religion among the Chev-
ennes, and with Big Beaver, who ac-
companied Porcupine on his visit to the
new Christ at Walker lake, Nevada, last
year. Porcupine told him that there
were several hundred Indians at Walker
lake at the time, including representa-
tives of the Cheyennes, Sioux, Arapa-
hoes, Gros Ventres, Utes, Navajoes,
Sheepeaters, Bannocks and other tribes
he did not know.
Porcupine first heard of this new
Christ at the Arapahoe agency in Wy
oming, where he and some other Chey-
ennes visited last fall. An Arapahoe
had been to the southwestern country in
1883, and told them about it. Porcupine
and others were much interested, and
determined to see this new Messiah.
They went from point to point, travel
ing sometimes by railroad and some
times by ponies or wagons.
Porcupine insisted that the teachings
of the new Christ were in the interests
of peace and good order and industry
among the Indians.
Lieutenant Robertson asked him how
it was, then, that certain tribes had
made this new doctrine the basis for
neglecting their crops, indulging in de-
mOralizing dances and even disorder.
Porcupine replied that nearly all the
Indians who had gone to hear this new
Christ with him, had gone hoping to
hear him preach some incendiary doc
trine. They were disappointed at hear
ing that the new creed required them to
simply behave themselves, and con-
cluded on their return home not to re-
late strictly what had been told them,
but to teach doctrine more agreeable
to the Indians. These lnen, said Porcu-
pine to the lieutenant, are all liars, and
they are responsible for any trouble that
occurs-not the new Messiah.
Porcupine cited one case in point,
that OF Sioux warrior whom he had
heard OF but did not know. This man
preached that the new Christ told them
that belief in his religion gave the In.
dlans charmed life against the white
man. From this rose insolence and
trouble.
Lieutenant Robertson obtained from
Henry Reed, an Arapahoe interpreter,
an intelligent half-breed, information
which, if true, would establish the iden-
tity of the so-called new Messiah. Reed
says he is Pah-Ute Indian, named
John Johnson, very intelligent, but not
an educated man. This man lives on
the Walker lake reservation, where the
Indians claim to have seen the new
Christ.
Reed reported that the Arapahoes
were.much excited over the doctrine,
and that many OF them have even torn
down their houses and sold the logs.
Reed says the agent and police
have entirely lost control over
them. From all that Lieutenant
Robertson could learn, Porcupine's in
tiuence has been constantly exerted for
good, and in lieu of what he claimed the
new Messiah told him, in contradistinc-
tion to the preachings OF the other red
skin missionaries.
Appended to the lieutenant's state
ment is the statement of Porcupine as
ViiecOAi NOWh Wy 1eODClt5Oi Will Iilc dlQ
of an interpreter. This is lengthy
one, describing in detail how he first
heard of the new Christ, and the various
stages Of the journey himself and COM
panions made to see him.
He said the people at the point where
the new Christ was, seemed all good
people, although of many tribes. There
was no fighting or drinking. The chiefs
of the Homer tribe brOupht word Of the
Messiah to remain fourteen days in camp
when he would come to see them. He
sent them something to eat like big
white nut. Finally one morning
hundreds of them gathered at Walkers
Lake agency, and just before sundown
more people came, dressed in white
mems clothes, although mostly Indians,
and the Christ was with them. He was
not SO dark as an Indian, or so light as
a white man. He had a beard and
heavy eyebrows. He was dressed like
a white man, excepting that he had on
moccasins.