Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-10-19
MODOOS PASSING AWAY.
TRIBE THAT MADE THE LAVA BEDS
FAMOUS FAST DYING OFF.
1t VIII Be Only Few Years Until An.'
Have All Become "Good ihaian
How They Became the "Boxers vi
The Klamath Tribe.

Have All Become WV" =,
How They Became the
the klamath Tribe
The Modoc Indians are rapldly pass
ing away. 1t will be only a re" yeas
until they have all become "good In
dams" and their tribe will De eA'ih1''
The Modocs, at one time, were Tue
most troublesome and bloodthlrsty
sayages that this Government ever
tried to govern. Long before the White
man put in an appearance OIL 'ne
shores of the Pacific they were seekers
for gore. They were always IN trouoie
,, with other tribes. That is the way
they got the name of Modocs. II
means Enemies" 1t was given tnehi
by the other tribes on the Pacihc'
against whom they had waged war
But now things have changed Inc
Modocs no longer thirst for war. Ihey
are slovenly, indolent ana duii set
of beings, with no ambition. FROM
strong tribe Of brave warriors theS
have dwindled down until there are
only thirteen bucks left in the tripe.
The total population of the tribe Is
seventy eight, mostly women ana as
eased children. In recent years tne
Modocs have died off like sheep, ana IL
the ratio keeps up in less than de-
cade a Modoc Indian will be one OF the
curiosities of practically extinct race.
They are now quartered on small
reservation in the Quapaw country,
few miles south Of this city, under
guard of the Government for they are
still considered prisoners. The rev
members of the tribe are growing be-
cause they cannot go back TO the Pa
cific slope and spend the remainder
of their days.
The MOdocs once were part OF
the klamath tribe in North California
and Southern Oregon. They became
the Boxers of the Klamaths. They
broke away from that tribe and set
ND a government of their own ana
then waged war against their mother
tribe, lust as the Boxers are doing III
China. They also tackled outsiders
lust like the Boxers, and finally locked
horns with Uncle Sam just like the
Boxers did and with the same result.
Before they were subdued they would
make slaves of their prisoners OF war
and buy and sell them among each 9TH
er after the fashion of the ancient Rom
ans and Carthagenians. They had a
peculiar religion in which a mythical
deity whom they called Kamoose stood
in the place Of a god. In 1917, after
having licked all the tribes OH the
Pacific Coast, until it was no longer
any fun for them, they brushed up
against the Federal troops That was
the first mistake they made. They
got licked. But they didn't get enough
TO satisfy them and broke out again
two years later and massacred a lot
of whites. Then they got whipped
some more and hundreds of them were
murdered by the regular army.
In '6S they put their blankets on
and left their reservation again, squat
ting on some land ON Lost River
which did not belong to them. The
Government ordered them back to
their own reservation. They refused
to go and another war was on. The
Modocs retreated to the ''lava beds"
where they withstood two attacks by
General Wheaton and General Gillian.
The Government then appointed a COM
mission to arrange for a settlement.
The commissioners met the Modocs
on April II, 1873, and also their fate,
because the Indians treacherously am
pushed them, killing General Candy
and Dr. Thomas and wounding A. B.
Mitchell, so that he was left on the
field for dead.
The war was again renewed. The
Modocs desperately resisted the FEEDER
al forces, but were finally starved out
and compelled to surrender. General
Jeff Davis court-martialled Captain
Jack, chief, and three others who
planned the massacre Of the commits
siOners, and they were executed. The
rest of the tribe, as prisoners of war,
were transferred to the Indian Terri
tory and placed on a small reservation,
under guard, in the Quapaw nation.
At the time of their removal they were
told so they say, that they would be
held prisoners for twenty-five years
and would then be permitted to return
to their old hunting ground in Cali
fornia. The twenty-five years were
up in '0S, but the MOdocs, OF what is
left of them, are still here and they
are liable to stay. The Indian Com
missioner has no notion of sending
them back to the coast.
The chief of the fast vanishing tribe
now is Yellow Hammer. He is strap
ping big young Indian, six feet three,
and weighs probably 900 pounds. He
looks as strong as an OK, but he isn't.
He is sick a great portion of the time
and he hasn't many years to live.
Lung disease is getting away with
him. That is what has killed the tribe
off so rapidly. 1t seems that all are
afflicted with it, except one old In
dian. Chief Yellow Hammer has his
"hammer" out knocking on the way
his tribe is being treated. He says
they will all soon be dead unless the
big Chief" at Washington lets them
60 back to California. His tribe has
petitioned the Presidents to be re-
turned. Recently he visited Kansas
! City with his mother. He had good
time. In speaking Of the town he
said: "Heap big town; heap lots peo-