The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-11

Ocean. Couriers dashed up to his ranch,
their horses covered with foam, and
brought the news that Captain Jack and
his Modocs had gone on the warpath.
81 always sympathized with Captain
Jack" sa-s the major, because he was
attacked first without any provocation.
He and his people were catching fish in
Lost river, to keep the squaws n chill
dren from starving, when a body of troops,
led by d hot headed officer, fired on them"
The whole settlement was soon in a
gate of great excitement. The Indians
killed all the ~defenseless ranchers they
teuld and then fled to the lava beds of
! l;aho and intrenched themselves in cave.
ninebody had to ride to Jacksonville, a
uadrcd miles away, to warn the town
Id bring re-enforcements to the regular
isoc2s. Nobody cared to undertake it.
SCR Drannan saddled Black Bess and
a.artcd at shutdown. All night long the
s-.arp eyes of the scout and the sagacious
iiose CT his pet mare picked out the trail
as unerringly as q bloodhound. Before
sunrise the major rod into Jacksonville
and told the sheriff to gather a strong
posse, as Captain Jack was on the warpath
and numbering settlers by the score. Gen
eral Wheaton, in command of the regular
army forces stationed at Linkyille, sent
for Major Drannan.
"Drannan," he said, 1--WE haven't got a
practical scout in the entire command. I
want you to start in at once and organize
q scouting force to suit yourself"
ttIH let you know by 9 o'clock in the
morning, general" is the way Drannan
tells the story. "In the morning I was at
the generals ten mounted on Black Bess
- - x---I- I1Ison h,,.fs.r
again. We had to scout a strip of country
about 40 miles long every day in front of
where Captain Jack and his men were in
trenehed in the lava beds because the
officers feared an uprising of the Utes as
well. Not an Indian showed his head.
Their stronghold was nothing more than
a big cave in the lava rock, but it was alb
solutely secure. There was only one place
to get in, a narrow passage, but there were
numerous rifle holes on the east and south
sides. One day General Wheaton said to
me:
"tDrannan, I'm going to take Captain
Jack by storm. What do ~youthink of itf'
81 said, General, you'll never take
Captain Jack so long as his ammunition
lasts, for he has the same kind of guns
thatyou have, and all that the Indians
have to do Is to stand there and shoot
your men as fast as they a come
General Wheaton went ahead, now
ever, and the whole command, backed
by howitzers, turned loose on Jack for
three days. Sixty soldiers were killed,
bub the Indians did not appear to have
been singed. General Candy then took
command.
"sYour chief scout tells me Captain
Jack had 90 warriors in that fight said
General Candy to General Wheaton.
Eyes, replied Wheaton.
"tAnd you had / 800, said Candy, and
you got whipped. There must lave been
bad management somehow And then
General Candy tried taking Captain Jack
by storm himself and lost 100 men,"
A conference was then arranged be-
tween General Candy, his chaplain, Colo
mel Thomas, two Interpreters and Cap
tain Jack, all without arms. Before it
was held Major Drannan went to Colonel
Killer, Candy S aid, and said:
sColonel, if the general ever goes to
that council with Captain Jack, he will
never come OF alive
The major repeated his warnings again
and again, but Chaplain Thomas said,
1.-THE Lord viii protect us" and General
Candy laughed at the idea of treachery.
81 determined that 1 would see that
council" says Major Drannan, because
it seemed to me they were showing abso-
lutte ignorance of Indian nature, and 1 felt
sure Jack meant no good
Major Drannan and a trusty scout in
the company crept out OF q bluff over the
canyon and waited all night before the
date Of the historical meeting. At 9
o'clock that xlorning the fog lifted on Q
beautiful day. and the scouts strained
their eyes towfs-d the glade, a half mile in
front of Jacks stronghold, where the
meeting was to take place. 1t was over a
mile from the army camp and had been
selected by the Modocs themselves.
II could see Jack and another Indian
waiting says Drannan. Pretty soon,
looking through my fieldglass, I saw
General Candy, Colonel Thomas, George
Meacham and his squnw coming through
: little opening in the trees. They tied
their horses and walked slowly across the