Show people nave been led to believe ten the ghost dance is original with the sioux said an old frontiersman to a denver Ee publican man recently this is a mistake captain jack of modoc fame is the nestor of the ghost dance although it was not known then by that name the present sic ax dance may have received few extra embellishments but it is simply noth ingmore or less than tho old modoc war dance captain jack during the days of peace preceding the modoc war attended a dance given at a frontier tavern at which he was a spectator evidently deeply interested when he went back to his tepee he was seized with a desire to introduce some new features in the modoc dances so after a consultation with a few of his trusted lieutenants he inaugurated a grand circle dance the indians kept going continuously to the left to the music of tom toms dancing as they went with J 1 wild disregard to musical precision but with great enthusiasm finally scar faced charley fainted with exhaustion the danco was stopped when ho regained his senses he graphically described what a wonderful vision he had experienced ETC had seen wee NaE atah the most powerful of early day modoc chiefs when the tribe was in the zenith of its glory tho spirit of the chief told him that by killing the first three white men who came into their reservation all tho land would be restored to them and that all dead bodocs would be brought to life the story made a great impression on the indians and the fate of general canby and the peace commission in 1873 tells how rigidly the lodic thiefs t carried out the suggestion after the death of the commission this same tribe held one of their circle dances around their remains and with war whoops and bloodthirsty blood thirsty hearts started on the long campaign among the lava beds where they picked off soldiers among the natural fortifications of the region I 1 have been in the bad lands of dakota and it is indeed equally as bad a country as the oregon lava beds A dunce among indians is always a to trouble in 1873 it was the circle dance in 1890 ii was anc ghost dance it is as natural for an indian to use his feet and lungs before going on the war path as it is for a fish to swim it is part of their tradition superstition to a large extent pervades the breasts of the indians and they think that a war without the usual dance preface would be hoodooed hoodoo ed the sioux are not in my estimation the wickedest wick edest indians to handle they are the most cowardly tribe on american are thea meanest and the bodocs the bravest although every indian believes in fighting in ambush the apaches are perhaps the most numerous and merciless the indians ibave a ghastly ceremony when they don war they have a council of war then twelve squads squaws are huddled torether aether to and chant a weird death sona the oldest camors aged and unfit for further active campaigns then draw lots as to which will sacrifice his blood and be a martyr for the new campaign the one who draws the straw with a spot of black paint in the center then stabs himself in several places in ahe presence of the tribe As he falls th e blood gushes from his wounds into this blood each warrior dips his finger emitting unearthly war whoops as they do so this is equivalent to an oath that they swear by the blood of cheik sacrificed comrade to be true to the commands of their chiefs and fight to the last the bannocks Ban nocks at rosa pork agency anre perhaps the best dressed Indi ansin the country they are the dudes of the nation in that respect ordinarily an indian is slovenly dirty and indifferent in his dress the nocks of idaho however take good care of their blankets and have more pride than the run of redskins red skins they are great travelers also they enjoy the privilege of free transportation on all the union pacific trains provided they ride on freight cars or the blind baggage they are sp well behaved that the tn atan agoni allows atheni leave of ab ence whenever they wish to go T |