The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-17
THE LAST OF THE MoDocS.
- 10 Remove from Their Reserva-
tiOn Prison.

The news tnaI the last Iehihdht VI
40 once. combative and dreaded Modoc
Inc are preparing to remove from
~. little corner of the Quapaw re-
ya in Indian territory. to which
nav and their companions OF the Lava
pods massacre were consigned as
srisoners, calls up some weird and not
arogether pleasant memories. t's'N.
rba Modocs were cut out by nature
eo- "irreconcilables, or in modern
lpo~l,nce. "kickers." They were never
pl,tsfed with anything-even the rule
of heir own kinsmen of the klamath
.r;be in Southern Oregon. After throw
Ing off that yoke and wandering about
: ~ Pacific Coast in search of other
IInsians and isolated white settlers to
.rs~ upon. they were soundly whipped
r. detachment of United States
,roons. But they had not yet had
snough: and presently they made an
otbar outbreak, led by their war chief,
Cant Jack, and attacked the ranch of
settler named Brotherton, killed the
Nod of the family, his two adult sons,
and a hired man, and laid siege to the
ranch house in which Mrs. Brotherton
had taken refuge with her two little
bovs She was a women of great
coHrage. and with her own hands bar
riraded all the possible entrances to
.ba building. armed both the boys
with rifles. and took one herself, and
hold the fort for twenty-four hours,
Filling two of the band and wounding
As soon as the Indians had raised
the siege and made off, Mrs. Brother
ton and her sons slipped out of the
cabin, and, between walking and rum
ming. managed to gain military
camp, about twenty miles away, and
Give the alarm. Gen. Candy, the To-
Sal commander, at once organized an
expedition under Lieut.. Col Frank
Wheaton-now a retired major gen
eral-to force the Indians out of the
lava beds, where they were intrench-
ing themselves, and back to their res
eryation. Wheaton appears to have
thought rather lightly of his tack, for,
in a letter acknowledging receipt of
his orders, he said: II have 400 men
ready to start for the Lava Beds. All
are enthusiastic. We will meet Capt.
lack about day after tomorrow, and l
think that Mr.. Jack will soon report
AT Fort Klamath, lashed to the POM
mel OF my saddle" He was so sure of
a sneedy capture of the whole band
that he urged that the Indian Office
make the necessary arrangements in
advance for taking care of the prison
ers.
He had counted without his host.
True, all his preparations had been
carefully made for surrounding Jacks
stronghold and attacking it at daybreak
the morning after the arrival of the
troops but Jack was too much of
general to submit to that. About sun
set. and without warning, he gave the
signal to his warriors to begin the bat
tie themselves. The Modocs were fair
y well armed, and understood handling
their weapons; and from behind every
iuttng lump of lava came shot Which
told. The troops, taken wholly by
surprise, returned the fire wildly, and
as soon as night fell were glad to re-
tire. with the loss of eight killed and
twenty wounded men, and thirty head
of horses, abandoning their wagon
train entirely and retreating to ranch
thirty miles distant.
The result of this first encounter.
which occurred in January, 1873, spread
dismay throughout the region. Rein
forcements were hurried forward from
the nearest points, until body of 800
additional regulars had reported to
Wheaton, ana Col! A. CT CifI1em, of.the
cavalry, followed to take command.
Meanwhile. however, the press OF the
EdSl, DIT lIl6 lIlStdItCG VI iSdQlIlS dO-
vocates of the peace policy" which
had recently come into vogue, made
so loud an outcry against further
boodshed that the Washington author
tiles countermanded Gilems orders for
fresh expedition, and the President
appointed A. B. Meacham of Oregon,
A. NJ. Roseborough of California, and
a Methodist clergyman named Thomas
as peace commission to treat with
Jack and try to bring him to terms by
moral suasion. Gen. Candy was in
assist it in person.
The commission approached the lava
beds in February, and sent in mes
senger with a flag of truce to invite
Jack to peace powwow. Jack was
III disposed to parley, especially as he
had long cherished a grudge against
Meacham individuality. But attached
to the government party was a ranch
man named Fairchild. whom the Mo-
docs knew and had always liked, and
the chief sent word out that he would
meet Fairchild and another white man
named Steele, OF Yreka, Cal, on GER
tain day which he named, if they would
come with only a few companions of
their own choosing. unarmed, and with
out any soldiers. Steele was a lawyer
VINO had once defended a group of Mo-
docs prosecuted for cattle stealing, and
they regarded him as friendly. Fair
enid and Steele accepted the invitation,
though realizing the hazardous char
acter of the enterprise, and selected
.hree newspaper correspondents. for
thelr companions, but imposed the con-
utlon that five unarmed warriors
should be sent out by Jack to act as
me escort for the white party. Gen.
Canby also supplied them. with few
huhdred cigars to distribute among the
braves before the talk began.
hooker Jim, Boston Charley, Bogus
Charley, and Shacknasty Jim consti-
uted the escort that came out to
meet the whites, and Scar-Faced Char
iey' Jacks head lieutenant, joined the
Party later" The parleying crew were
ied into the heart of the lava beds
oy tortuous and hidden trail, and
louhd themselves in a natural fast
ness formed by volcanic action They
IoQK. with them some pack animals
iaden with bacon, flour, and other edi-
pes as peace offering for the
Indlans. Before starting, Steele ad-
dressed a few words of warning to the
"eWspaper correspondents.
Gentlemen" said he, this undertake
ing may be made a success or a fatal
lallure by the degree of discretion you
snow. Keep cool. Do not talk to the
lhdlans-leave all that to Fairchild and
myself. Submit to any indignity, main
tam conciliatory air throughout, and
20 what we do without question. If
Oapt. Jack asks who you are, we will
explain that you are men who write for
.he newspapers that pass under the
eye of the Great Father, and that you
VIII take careful notes and report faith
N 4. -