The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-26
PEW ow ruE uoDoos LEFT.
Only Thirteen bucks Now Remain a:
n once Powerful Band.


I From being one O; the most savage.
I biood-thir.ty and ungoveruablc tribes on
| the continent the Modoc Indians have de-
generated into a small group Of the LATEST
creatures 10 is possible go picture. The
fagt-Vlnishlnr tribe now consists Of but
thirteen bucks. che total population being
scycnfy-cight. ail s.oycnly. indolent, dul
and utterly destitute % fhc smallest spark
ri ambition. Even This rftiful represen-
alatiuu OF what WIS once "a large aud pow
crful rtc - rapidly passing away. II
Will be only few years until they have
an become good Indians" and their tribe
VIII be- extinct The Nodes az one time
were thc most troublesome and blood
thirsty savagts that his government ever
fiied a. govern. Long before The white
man appeared on the shores Of che Pa
chc they were seekers for gore. They
wcr. always u trouble with other tribes.
That g. fhc way they got the name Mod
oes IL means enemies" II was given
them hy The other tribes on the Pacific.
against whom they mad wnged war.
But now things have changed. The
Modocs no longer thirst for war. In r.
cent years he Modocs have died of ike
sheep ard II the ratio keeps up. IN less
than q decade a Moioc Indian viii be
one Of the curiosities OF q practically eN-
unct rure. They are now quartered on a
small rescrvat on IN the Quapaw country.
p few miles south OF Baxter Springs,
Kan. under guard OF the government.
for they are sim considered prisoners
The few member Of che tribe are growl-
Ing because they cannot go back 10 tho
Pacihc ope and spend the remainder OF
their days.
Tho Modocs once were part Of the
Klamath tribe in northern California and
southern oregon. They became the box.
ers" or tho Klnmafhs. They broke away
from that tribe and SET up - government,
81 their own. ana hen waged war against
Their mother tribe just as the boxers
are doing IN China. They also tackled
outs ders Just like the "boxers." Before
they were subdued they would make
slaves ~ their prisoners Of war and buy
and sell them among each other after
the fashion Of the ancient Romans and
carhaglnlans. They had a peculiar re-
ugion in which q mythical deity whom
they called Kamoose stood IN the place OF
q gcd
Mnr In the Lnvn Reds.
In 1851. after having cked all the tribes
on the Pacific co ID until IL was no long
tr any fun Tor them. they brushed up
agnins; the trCors. That was the first mis-
take they made. They { licked. But they
dldn't get enough TO satisfy them and
p
~ red a Loo OF whites. Then they got
whipped some more and hundreds Of them
were murdered by the regular army. In
1875 they put their blankets on and left
their reservatin again. squaitlng on some
and on Lost river which didn't belong
20 them The government ordered them
back 20 their own reservation. They re-
fused 20 20. and another war was on.
Tho Nodccs reiterated 20 the lava beds.
80. H. NsnHF an
Wheaton and Cen Ga lem.
The government then appointed COM
mission 20 arrange for a settlement. The
commissioners met the Modocs on April
H. 1873 and also their fate, because the
Indians treacherously ambushed them.
killing Cen Candy and DR. Thomas and
wounding a y. Mitchell that he was
left on the field for dead. The war was
again renewed. The Modocs desperately
res s,ed the Federal forces. hut were nm
a ~ starved out and compelled TO surren-
der Gen. Jfff Davis court martialed Capt.
Jack. chief and three others who planned
the massacre OF The commissioners and
trey were executed. The rest u the tribe,
as prisoners OF war. were transferred 20
the Indian territory and p aced on a small
reservation under guard IN the Quapaw
nation. AT the time OF their removal they
were told. 80 they say. that they would
be Nflu IflHNNtFa LOT wen N-iihf years anu
would then BE- permitted 10 return TO their
old hunting ground iu California. The
twenty-five years were up In rs. but the
Modocs or what IS left Of them. are still
east OF the Rockies, ana they are liable
10 stay The Indi 4n mmiasioner has no
notion OF sending them back 70 the coast.
Mig hut Unhealthy Chief.
The chief OF the fast-vanishing tribe
now Is Yellow Hammer He Is strap
ping big young Indians feet 3, and weighs
probably ~ pounds lie looks az strong
as on OK. bur he ISN'T. He Is sick a great
poriio Of the time. and he hasn't many
years 10 live. Lung disease Il getting
away with him. That is what has killed
he tribe OF 50 rapidly. II seems pat al
are afflicted with a.. except one old Indian
Chief yellow Hammer. who complains
vigorously Of the way his tribe - being
treated says they will ali soon be dead
unless the big CHIEF at Washington let's
them 20 back 10 California. His tribe
has petlsioned the President to be return
ed. Recently he visited Kansas city with
his mother. He had good time. In
speaking OF the town he said: Heap big
town. heap lots people; heap good whisky.
Had heap good time. Coin back again.
what seems most remarkable In the
face OF the rapid manner In which the
Mondocs are going 10 their happy hunt
ing ground" g. the fact that there is In
the tribe an Indian buck 100 years OF age.
His name Is sam Boil. He was one OF the
orig nal boxers" who first left the kla-
mnth and organized a tribe Of their own.
He still has his "dandcr up" and wants
90 take the warpath again. lie Is as spry
as q eat and participates IN all the dances
OF his and ncighhoring tribes.
The thirteen surviving bucks are the
LATEST mortals on top OF earth. They
would starve On sixty days II Il were not
for the government Even the squaws
won't work unless driven TO Il. And the
children nrc all so badly afflicted with
various SORTS OF diseases that they can't
do anything. While prisoners o. war. the
government allows them considerable
freedom, and she only money which they
make is what they take IN by exhibiting
themselves Ia a tent az reunions and car
nivuls. IN southern Kansas towns. Their
show e. entitled che Last Of the Mcdocs."
and the thirteen bucks stiil living are the
performers. The performance consists
OF a couple OF dances. a war whoop and
request for quarter.
John Flood one OF the last Irish Rev
olutionlstsc iu che Fenjan movement OF