The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-17

certain prominent Indians as bedfel-
lows, and kept under close guard > In
the morning another council was held
ana then Jack let them depart, calling
out, as they drew a long breath and
hurried away: "Meacham-you tell
Meacham me want him come. Me want
see Meacham." Although these words
were uttered with an attempt at sob
riety of manner. the Outstanding. In
dians undoubtedly placed a special in
terpretation upon them, judging by
the course laughs, and grimaces with
which they were received.
few weeks later council was ar
ranged between the Modocs and the
Peace Commissioners. Candy, Mea-
cham, Thomas. a white man named
Dyer and Frank Riddle, an interpre-
ter met Jack, Boston Charley, Bogus
Charley, Shacknasty Jim, Hooker Jim,
Schonchin, Ellen's Man, Tobey. and
Black Jim. All the negotiators We're
supposed to be unarmed. After some
preliminaries, Jack proceeded to state
the terms under which his band woltid
resume their normal relations with the
government. He had got as far as to
name the site which he wished the gov
ernment to give them for a home and
the commission had made a partial
promise that they should have it, when
he thrust his hand into his bosom and
drew forth a revolver, which he aimed
at Canbys head, at the same moment
pulling the trigger. Only the cap ex-
ploded. He tried another barrel at
once and set bullet through the gem
erals brain. Candy had tried to es-
cape, but Jack and Ellen's Man had
pursued him. and as he fell they
stripped him of his clothing. Then
Ellen's Man put another bullet into
his head. Dyer and Riddle broke and
ran, Dyer covering his retreat with a
pistol which he had till then conceal
ed; both escaped.
Boston Charley had drawn a re-
volver on DR.. Thomas at the same
time that Jack had attacked Candy
The minister received the bullet in his
breast, just above the heart and
dropped upon his knees, begging his
assailants to shoot no more, as he was
already wounded unto death. Their
response was to push him over and
mock him about his religion, shouting
at him: why don't your medicine
turn the bullets? Isn't it strong
enough?" Finally Bogus Charley
placing the muzzle of a gun against
the dying mans head, blew a hole
through it, while his lips were moving
in prayer. The murderers stripped his
body also.
Meacham, who had been simultan-
eously attacked by Cchonchin, made a.
hard fight for his life. He was shot
in different parts of the face and head,
and fell, as the Indians supposed. dead.
He was bald but Boston Charley. who
was resolved to have his scalp in
some way, whipped out a dull pocket
knife and hacked away at the un-
conscious skin till squaw whom the
victim had once befriended interfered,
shouting that the soldiers were COM
ing. The Indians engaged in the bloody
business scattered, and Meacham's
life was saved by the ruse, though
he was always a semi-invalid after
that and disfgured out of all SEM
blance to his former self.
Gen. Jefferson c. Davis took the
field against the Modocs, and after
stubborn fight captured the band.
Jack and three of his most savage fol-
lowers were hanged. The rest were
sent TO the Indian Territory as pris-
oners of war, and warned that they
would have to stay there twenty-five
years, Many of them died in captivity.
Towards the close of their long So
journ, few of the band had wander
ed back into the country from which
they came, their spirits broken and
their bodies weakened by the climatic
change to which they had been sub
jected, Scar Faced Charley was among
those who fell a victim to consump-
ton without seeing their old home
again.
Back of the first outbreak related
here, had been q story of a. massacre
of settlers by the Modocs in the ear
ly fifties, and the vengeance taken
for this by Ben Wright and a. COM
pany of white frontiersmen, who had
treated the Indians with much the
same treachery that the Indians show
ed to the peace commission, taking
advantage of them under cover of a
flag of truce. They had nursed this
wrong for twenty years before wip-
ing it out on the persons of Gen,
Candy and his civilian colleagues.