Page:The Indian History of the Modoc War.djvu/295



Indians are youthful farm hands, capable and fully compe- tent intellectually to trade for and take care of themselves; that they have expressed a desire to make their own living and be no burden to the government ; that they be allowed to seek employment for themselves and enter the service of John C. Burgess, late Sheriff of Siskiyou county, California, who is a large farmer near Yreka. We would therefore re- spectfully ask that they be permitted to enter the service of said Burgess on such condition as shall be deemed advisable.

Very respectfully yours,

E. STEELE,

WM. H. MORGAN, Sheriff.

JOHN A. FAIRCHILD,

H. WALLACE ATWELL, alias


 * BILL DAD, the Scribe.

To THE HONORABLE C. DELANO,

Secretary of the Interior, Washington, D. C.,

Headquarters Lava Beds. lBjqr[

DEAR SIR : The Modoc War is over. The Modoc tribe, except five or six, are captives. Capt. Jack and his confed- erates are soon to be tried for the murder of General Canby and the Peace Commissioners. There can be but one verdict or result, viz. : The conviction 'and execution of all those who participated in the murders of settlers and Peace Commission- ers. I have spent several days in the Lava Beds and the coun- try adjacent thereto. I have investigated so far as I could the cause of the war between the whites and the Modoc Indians and after careful investigation, I can arrive but at one conclusion, viz. : That the zvar was caused by the wrongful act of bad white men. It is charged by responsible parties here that the Indians were compelled to slaughter their horses for food on the Klamath reservation to keep from starving, and when they had no more horses to slaughter, they were then forced by


 * Correspondent N. Y. "Herald."