Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/618

 and upper Klamath Lake; Sconchin, the head Chief having his original home on Sprague river. Keintpoos, a young sub-chief, had his camp anywhere convenient about Tule Lake, and ranging the country over between the two Klamath Lakes to Yreka, California. He was called "Captain Jack" by the white settlers, because he had a love for military ornaments. He was a thoroughbred savage, and as debased a specimen of manhood as could be found, quickly taking up all the vices of civilization, and making his easy money by the prostitution of the women of his band, petty thieving and downright robbery. During the years of the civil war with the Southern States, "Jack," who had acquired considerable knowledge of the English language at the mining camps, heard much of the great war among the white men, and how so many thousands were being killed off. And having no knowledge of the size or population of the United States, conceived the idea that all the white soldiers being now away at war among themselves it would be a good time and an easy job to kill off all the white men in the Klamath Lake region, and thus get rid of them. But before starting in on this enterprise he sought out and had an interview with Elijah Steele, the Superintendent of Indian affairs for Northern California. The Modocs being Oregonians, Steele had no authority to make any treaty with them, but he did make a sort of personal and individual compact with Jack and his band which amounted to nothing more than abstaining from drunkenness, prostitution, theft, murder, child-selling and killing the white people, the only penalty for which was the loss of Steele's friendship. This of course amounted to nothing with the Indians. They were free to visit mining camps, go where they pleased and do as they please and cunningly cover up their bad conduct. Sconchin, the head Chief, was now an old man, and "Jack" speedily grasped the reins of authority, and lost no time in making himself master of the Indian situation, and taking unto himself all the joys and pleasures of an unrestrained and bloodthirsty savage. He would not remain on the Klamath Indian Reservation where old Chief Sconchin had gone; nor would he respect any authority of the Indian Agents, or the advice or wishes of the other Indian Chiefs, who had become attached to a young chief named Allen David, and who was striving to teach all the Indians the arts of peace. During the summer of 1871 Jack frequently visited the Klamath Reservation, defying the military authorities, and boasting that he had friends in Yreka who gave him passes to go where he pleased ; and upon a challenge he actually produced a pass signed by E. Steele confirming the boast of the Indian. Becoming so arrogant and puffed up with his budding greatness. Jack went upon the Klamath Reserve and killed an Indian doctor, who having failed to save the life of a member of Jack's family, was according to Jack's reasoning guilty of the death of the deceased. For this murder Ivan D. Apple- gate, commissary at Camp Yainax, made a requisition on the commander of Fort Klamath to arrest Jack for murder ; and this effort to bring Jack to account was defeated by Jack's white friends in Yreka. Jack now assumed that he was all-powerful; and with this event the trouble commenced. If the Yrekans had joined in demanding Jack's punishment for the murder of his own tribesman, he would have been punished, and all the bloody Avork he inflicted thereafter would have been prevented. Jack now demanded a separate Reservation for himself, six miles square lying on both sides of the Oregon and California line near the head of Tule Lake. And Superintendent of Indian Affairs, A. B. Mea-