Year: 1873




Black Jim was also anxious to take another
lease of life and proposed to General Wheaton
he should be spared and made chief OF the
tribe hear that the balance of the tribe will
leave in few days for Fort D. Y. Russell,
near Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory.


At about eleven o'clock yesterday morning
General Frank Wheaton kindly invited me to
accompany him to hear the post chaplain, the
Rev. c. L. Hegennberg, have


TALK WITH THE INDIANS


in the guard house. We stepped quietly
across the parade and walked into the main
guard room; the doors Of the cells were pres
emily unlocked by order of Lieutenant Taylor,
officer of the day, and the prisoners we're
marched out of their cells and took up posi-
ton in the southern end Of the guard room.
Jack, who, by the by looked considerably
worn and pulled down by close confinement
for two or three months, took seat on the
end of the bunk, and old Sconchin sat down
on his right, huddled up in his blanket. Both
of these modest braves were shackled at the
feet, and had rather wild and nervous ap-
pearance, as if very anxious about their
future.


Boston Charley and Black Jim, shackled
together, sat down on the left Of Jack, the
former on the edge of the bunk and the
latter on the foor with his back to the wall.
The Buckskin Doctor and Pete, two of the Lost
River murderers, sat next to Black Jim, with
Barncho and Slolux on their left, and Long
Jim on the extreme right. Young Sconchin sat
on the bunk on the right Of his father, and the
Curly Headed Doctor, Dave. and another of the
Lost River murderers we're squatted along the
wall on the right Of the semi-circle.
THE WHOLE PARTY WERE VERY FIDGETY,
as, although they had learned from outside
sources that six Of them were going to be
hanged, they had received no official notifca-
ton Of their approaching doom. After the
General had taken his seat, the Post Chaplain
livered the following address. The method of
interpreting was rather roundabout but as
both Dave Hill and Oliver Applegate are very
proficient in Modoc Gorgon languages, they
succeeded in explaining


THE MINISTER'S GOOD WORDS


in manner sufficiently comprehensive for the
savage congregation. The Rev. Mr.. Hegenn-
berg would speak few sentences in English
and then Oliver Applegate would put them
into Gorgon, which Dave Hill would interpret
to Captain Jack and his band in pure Modoc.
Dave Hill is one of the most intelligent
Klamaths on the reservation and proved a
very efficient interpreter. The object of the
Minister was to impress on the mind of the
Indians the necessity of repentance for their
sins if they expected peace and happiness in
the spirit land The following is an abstract
of the remarks:-


81 come again to speak to you of the love
told us he made his children to be good and
happy and that he would take all the good to
happy land from whence they would
never desire to remove, while he
would as certainly send all the wicked
to a bad and dreadful place. That all
might 60 to the happy land, he gave all his
children everything to show his love and to
make them good and happy. He gave the
deer and the elk, the sweet running water and
the seasons and materials necessary for their
houses and comfort; but, instead of being q
happy family, loving one another, they forgot
love and hated and killed one another. The
Great Father was angry and was sorry that
wicked a heart but the Great Fathers heart
was large. He wanted to have all his chill
dren happy and fit to live in heaven, He
therefore sent his Son, who had heart
like that of the Great Father to suffer in our
stead and to teach us how to live and be
happy, and saved all those who have received
Christ and followed his teachings have been
good and happy. They have been sorry for
their evil deeds and done them no more.
Many Indians have received Christ and been
good and happy. Many Cherokees and
Chicksaws, the Papages and far in the islands
the Zamany, just like yourselves Some of
these islanders were SO wicked they killed
ali