BULL. 30] 



KINTPUASH 



697 



and civil authorities, but without shak- 

 ing liis purpose, and it became evident 

 that he was planning for a treacherous 

 outbreak at the first opportunity. At a 

 final conference, Nov. 27, 1872, he abso- 

 lutely refused to go on the reservation or 

 to discuss the matter longer, and the atti- 

 tude of the Indians was so threatening 

 that an order was sent the military at Ft 

 Klamath to put him and his head men 

 under arrest. The attempt was made by 

 Capt. Jackson with 36 cavalrymen at 

 Jack's camp on Lost r., Oreg., Nov. 29, 

 but the Indians resisted, killing or wound- 

 ing 8 soldiers with a loss to themselves of 

 15. The Modoc, led by Jack, fled into 

 the impenetrable Lava-beds on the s. 

 shore of Rhett (Modoc or Tule) lake, 

 just across the California border, killing 

 a number of settlers on the way. Those 

 under Sconchin remained quietly on the 

 reservation. 



KINTPUASH (after MeaCHAm) 



The war was now begun, and volunteer 

 companies were organized to assist the 

 small body of troops available. A num- 

 ber of friendly Modoc, Klamath, and 

 other Indians also enlisted. The Modoc 

 position was so strong with rocks and 

 caves and hidden passages that it was 

 ]>ractically impossible for the troops to 

 enter with any prospect of success. On 

 Dec. 22, 1872, the Indians attacked a 

 wagon train with ammunition supplies 

 and a skirmish ensued in which one or 

 two were killed on each side. On Jan. 

 17, 1873, an attempt was made by Col. 

 Greer to storm the Modoc stronghold by 

 the entire force of regulars and volunteers, 

 numbering nearly 400 men, assisted l:)y a 

 howitzer battery, but after fighting all 

 day among the rocks against a concealed 

 foe the troops were obliged to retire with 

 the loss of 9 killed and 30 wounded. 



Soon afterward civil indictments for mur- 

 der were procured Ijy the settlers against 

 8 Modocs concerned in the killing of set- 

 tlers. Another conference was appointed 

 under a regular peace commission, con- 

 sisting of Gen. E. R. S. Canby, Indian 

 suijerintendent A. B. Meacham, Rev. E. 

 Thomas, and Indian agent L. S. Dyar. 

 By agreement with Jack, the commission- 

 ers, together with Frank F. Riddle and 

 his Indian wife, Toby (^Yinema), as inter- 

 preters, met Jack and several of his men 

 near the Modoc camp, Apr. 11, 1873, to 

 debate terms of settlement. Hardly had 

 the talk begun when, by premeditated 

 treachery. Jack gave a signal, and draw- 

 ing a revolver from his breast shot Gen- 

 eral Canby dead, while his companions 

 attacked the other commissioners, killing 

 Mr Thomas and putting 5 bullets into 

 ]Meacham, who fell unconscious. The 

 others escaped, pursued by the Indians 

 until the latter were driven off by a de- 

 tachment of troops who came up just in 

 time, one of the officers having already 

 been killed in the same treacherous 

 fashion l)y another party of the same 

 band. 



Active measures were now put into oper- 

 ation and Sf company of Warmspring In- 

 dian scouts from n. Oregon, under Donald 

 McKay, was secured to assist the troops 

 in penetrating the maze of the Lava-beds. 

 With these and the aid of the field guns 

 the Modoc were si ion compelled to vacate 

 their stronghold and take refuge in the 

 rocks farther along the lake shore. On 

 Apr. 26 a search detachment of about 85 

 men, under Lieuts. Thomas and Wright, 

 was suddenly attacked by the Indians 

 from cover, with the loss of 26 killed, in- 

 cluding both officers, besides 16 wounded. 

 In consequence of this defeat Col. Jeffer- 

 son C. Davis, in command of the Depart- 

 ment of the Columbia, restored control 

 of operations to Col. Wheaton, who had 

 been temporarily superseded by another 

 officer. Other minor encounters took 

 place, in one of which Jack in person led 

 the attack, clad in the uniform which he 

 had stripped from Gen. Canby. By this 

 time the Indians were tired of fighting, 

 and many of Jack's warriors had deserted 

 him, while he, with the rest, had vacated 

 the Lava-beds entirely and taken up a 

 new position about 20 m. farther s. The 

 pursuit was kept up, and on May 22, 1873, 

 a party of 65 hostiles surrendered, in- 

 cluding several of the most prominent 

 leaders. Others came in later, and on 

 June 1 Jack himself, with his whole re- 

 maining party, surrendered to Capt. Perry 

 at a camp some miles e. of Clear lake, 

 N. w. Cal. The whole military force then 

 opposed to him nundiered 985 regulars 

 and 71 Indians, while he himself had 

 never had more than about 80 warriors. 



