Arizona republican., 1914-05-02
U lHe U Great Trials
 ~ History
TRIAL OF MODOC JACK

That it required treaChery to deal with trcachery was the idea of the United States government during tho years following the Civil War when the at Washington were trying to bring order out of chaos in the Far West through the frequent Indian up- risings One of the hardest tribes they had to deal with were the Modocs, who inhabited what was then known as the lava beds of California This tribe was so thoroughly entrenched and so hard of access. and for q long period they were able to sally forth, commit de- prcdations of every character. includ- ing the murdering of whole villages. and return home with the spells they were able to collect
 The later part of 1872 saw the be- einnng of the end of the governments 'rouble with the Modocs. But in order to bring this about they were com pelcd to icsor; to Indian tactics. They summoned the leadi9e trihesmen to- -ether and when they had them. through dcception. at their mercy. they fel upon them and slew the chief 'cader9. Put an Indian nevr~ forSets f" avnnee wrong, and the Modocs 1iG'd Their time for vnnQeance.
 The leadirs spiri; of this tribe was 'M"doc" Jack A compqnv of soldiers were sent 10 the lava beds tn eyict lack HNd his followers \ conference '"'" hald ard vhi'o th4 leodor, were "crferring a fieh- broke out between a fHw of the soldiers ond the Irdians Whi, ended in q general scrimm1ge in which fvc were l-i:lsd on each side ana many injured. The ModoCs ed south ward destroying every white settle ment in their path. But though white men and boys were everywhere slain. Jack would allow no white woman or child to be harmed.
 At length, with seventy braves he sought refuge in the lava caves of Lost river Colonel Wheaton. with 500 United States troops. was sent to dis lodge him, but Captain Jack sent the soldiers in retreat, killing thirty five of them. Then an army. under Gen | eral Canby, was brought up and be- | sieged the caves When Jack found himself surrounded and likely to be l starved out he proposed a conference with the officers. It was arranged that l five Indians and five white men should l meet unarmed on April II. 1873. at a 1 neutral spot between the lines.
 1 Whether Jack suspected treachery or whether he merely wished to avenge ] the previous massacre of histribesmen cannot be known. At any rate, he and 1 four of his men went to the confer ence armed They fired on the white men. killing General Canby and wounding Colonel Meacham Then l they got back in safety to their caves
 But their hiding place was discovered
 and Jack was betrayed by his own l braves and was the last man captured The government decided to make speedy work in their averaging the death of the brave American officers General Jeff C. Davis. the old Indian
 fighter, favored the immediate execu- | ton of Jack and his cOnfederates. but | Washington directed that the prisoners
 should be held Oregon authoritie, | tried in vain to have them turned ovel
 to that state for punishment and the
 friends of the Peace Policy at the Ma | tional Capital raised the question
 whether the Modocs could be legally
 tried by military commission.
 The entire press Of the country dis | cussed the question and the people took 1 sides on it. All the objections were | however overruled by the president
 and military commission was ap- pointed and the murderers were tried | and condemned to death Aside from | ModOc Jack, there were eleven others | condemned to death, five of them fOr l having taken part in the massacre and
 the others for having killed settlers.
 The execution took place on October
 5, 1873, at Jacksonville, Oregon. Two of the prisoners were reprieved on the
 day of the execution, but they were
 compelled to stand in front of the scaf- l fold and see their brothers hanged. The | ten Indians were hanged upon the
 same scaffold To adjust the moose il
 was necessary to cut away little oi | Captain Jacks long hair which was ir
 the way of the rope. Five hundred
 Klammath Indians witnessed the awful
 spectacle. Walls of deep and bitter
 anguish went up from the stockade,
 where the wives and children of tho
 scene.
 Tomorrow Trial of the Vain
 wrights.