Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1909-08-06
MODOC JACK.

Today Modoc JACK IS half forgotten.
A generation age his adventures were
every .here told. Race-horses were
named for him. Small boys secret ~
longed TO go west and capture him.
He was h ID up as an example of the
true desperate. Yet, as matter Of
fact, he was more OF a man and less of
a cound -el than he has been painted.
The Modocs we've an ofishsot Of the
klamath nation in California. They
! lived on sixty five-mIle strip of vol
canic land known as 1.-THE lava beds"
The ground was hoDeycombe with
caves and tunnels, affording fine hid
ing places in case of pursuit. The
word "Modoev in the klamath dialect
means enemy And the Modocs
lived up to their name. They fought
their relatives, the Klamaths, for
years; then turned their attention in
1850 to making life peril for Califor-
MAS white settlers. Ben Wright, a
| frontiersman, hit on plan to crush
| them. Pretending to make peace, he
invited forty-six of the foremost Mo-
does to great feast in 1862. AS the
Indian guests lay asleep after the BAN
quet Wright and his comrades fell
upon them with rife and knife,
slaughtering all but five of the forty
six. This cold blooded massacre cowed
| T. a,f rfI fsp
but it ended forever all hope of friend-
ship between the Modocs and the
| White men. The relatives of the butch
1 cred Indians vowed vengeance a9d
bided their time. A swarthy giant
known to the settlers as Modoc Jack,
| or Capt. Jack, gathered about him
was youth named Scnonchin, one OF
/ the five survivors of the Ben Wright
! massacre. Schonchin was forever try
! ing to stir up strife against the white
men. But Jack sternly forbade any
outbreak. He believed in peace and re-
| fused to put on the war bonnet. Yet he
always went heavily armed. For,
! though he desired peace with the set
| tiers, he trusted them no more than
did the other Modocs. Between the
task of ruling his people and the diff
calty Of curbing Schonchin's plots for
warfare Jack had q hard tine in keep
ing to the peaceful course he had
chosen.
All the local tribes were summoned
by Indian Commissioner Meacham il,
1866 to Fort klamath for conference.
At this meeting the Modocs agreed to
leave their lava beds and settle on the
klamath Reservation. Jack and Schon-
chin were not at the conference and
they refused to be bound by the prom
Use. They stayed on, with their own
followers, at the lava beds. But when
the Government threatened to use
force to remove them. Jack said:
"Obedience is better than war; and
made his trbe-300 men, women and
children in all-go with him TO the
reservation. There new trouble set in.
The klamath and other Indians Sthat
were already on the reservation at
once made life miserable for sthe new
corners. TO avoid war and to stop t.. e
persecution of his trbe-folk Jack gath
cred his people together, fled by night
from the reserv alton went back to the
lava beds. But they found their old
lands had been givel to white men.
The Modocs were homeless, friendiess
and beset by enemies.
| A company of soldiers was sent to
evict Jack and his followers from the
lava beds. While the leaders were
comforting fight broke out between a
few of the soldiers and the Indians.
The conflict became general. Five, were
killed on each side and many were
wounded The Modocs file southwark,
destroying every white settlement in
I their path But though white men and
boys were everywhere slain. Jack
would allow 70 white woman or child
to be harmed. At last, with seven y
braves end many squaws and pappoos-
es, he sought refuge in the lava caves
of Lost River, Cot Wheaton, with
600 United States troops, came out 10
dislodge hun Jack and his braves
sent the sol liars ScIrtying back in