The Iola register., 1890-11-14
THE INDIAN MESSIAH.
General Miles Gives the Result of His In
vestigation of the Indian FauatIcism.

| AuheS G1ve8 tne Result OF His In.
vestigation of the Indian FanatIcism.
ST Paul, Mimi, Nov. S-Majo jor-Gen.
eral Nelson A. Miles, q. S. A., com.
mander of the division of the Missouri,
who has returned from tour of the
West asked regarding the causes and
nature Of the religious craze now exist
ing among the Indian tribes of the
West, said: 81 have learned that this
belief exists among the various tribes
OF Sioux, Cheyennes. Blackfeet Sho-
shones 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 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 l can locate, is Nevada, and
there they have been shown somebody
disguised as the Messiah and have
spoken with him. / am inclined to be-
lieye that there is more than one per-
son impersonating 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
language to each"
What do you think is responsible
for this imposition upon the Indians?"
81 can not state positively but it is
my belief the Mormons are tho prime
movers in it This is not hard state
ment to believe, for there are 200, 900
Mormons and they themselves claim to
believe in prophets and spiritual mani
festation, and they even now claim to
hold intercourse with the spirit of Joe
Smith. Besides they have had mission
aries at work among the Indians for
many years and have many converts"
do you think this new belief Of the
Indians will lead to an outbreak and
bloodshed?"
81 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
dians 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 the
dead Indians will ali be raised to life,
the buffalo will return and he will
draw line behind which he will
gather all the 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 white man
or an Indian?"
Those who have seen him say he is
muffied up and disguised so that they
don't see tis face, but believe that he
is fuIl-blooded white. The argument
matter is that the whites have
had their Messiah and the Indians
now have theirs; that if it is reason
able for the whites to believe in a
Messiah it 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 white
Messiah. The situation is not alarming
in any way, and do not know whether
any action will be taken by the Govern
ment regarding the matter until after
have made my report"