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Show THELVBIANMESSIUI. The agitation regarding the phenomenal m-vement among the Indians regarding the "Messiah" has of late been revived. The statements state-ments made on this sulject by General Miles, who has been ou a tour through tho West, would bo read with considerable interest He claims to have investigated tlie matter, yet some of bis enunciations enuncia-tions are somewhat mixed. It seems clear, however, that a belief In the Messiah is very widespread among the aborigines, including, according to General Miles, sixteen tribes. That gentleman has no doubt that the Indians have seen some person claiming to be Christ; also that there must be several individuals making that claim, for tho reason that wherever seen, he spoke the tamo language as the particular tribe whoe members were Iu his presence. The reports and rumors ou the sulject have been numerous and conllictlng, but nobody who has given tbe subject any special attention atten-tion appears to have any doubt that the Indians havo seen some remarkable remark-able personage, who has made a wonderful Impression upon them. Sitting Bull appears to have lately loomed up conspicuously In the agitation, being among those who claim to have seen the Messiah and conversed with him. A dispatch from JCatuas City, elated Nov. JUi, gave the substance of a special from Fort Reno. It embodlesan account given by Sitting Bull of an experience experi-ence he claimed to have had on the sulject. We here introduce some extracts: 'He was bunting near taeShoshono Mountains and as ths night came on he was seized with a strange feeling and at first Involuntarily, but finally with alacrity, be followed a star which moved westward. All night tbe star gullied blm and near morning in the mountains ho came upon tho Messiah, Mes-siah, clad in a white robe. Ills hair was long and his beard extended to bis breast and about his head was a halo, hen this sibt burst upon bitting Bull he fainted " Then follows a description of a virion ho had while In a trance. In this he was shown a large company of Indians who had died and gone Into the spirit world. 1 Presently he was restored to his senses, and tbo Messiah began talking to him. To those acquainted wl.h tbo Indian ckaratfer, tbo first docs not seem strange. He asked Sitting Bull what bo wanted to eat, and was answered an-swered 'buffalo ' Immediately he saw a herd Dear by, and killed one. Tbe Messiah asked If all tbe Indians would like to seo their dead kindred, and buffalo restored. re-stored. Sitting Bull says be assured him.they would, and was told to go back, and assure his tnbo that they wonld bo gratified. Tbe Messiah raid bo bad came to rave the while man, but they had persecuted him, and now bo had come todelher the long tormented tor-mented Indians. "Ho showed the holes In his hands made by tbe nails when he was crucified cru-cified to show that he was tho same Christ who had appeared long years ago. All day Christ ins ructcd him and vo him evidence of bis powers. "At sundown he bado Silting Bull to depart, and although hs had been hunting sway from his tribe for ten sleeps he came to It In a very few minutes, min-utes, lie told his peoplehlsstcryand asked thatPorcuplno ha sent forlo vei-ify.lt. vei-ify.lt. Ho returned with the samo talcs and presumably all were convinced"." We hav e at hand a large number of extracts from different newspapers newspa-pers on the sulject of the "Indian Christ," some of them claiming to embody the assertions of aborigines who state that they have seen the Messiah and heard him talk. Out of the mass of statements the following follow-ing appear to be tho central points urged by the leading believers iu the genuine character of tlie new Indian belief. That a personage exhibiting supernatural powers has shown blmelf and stated that he was the same Cbri't who appeared to their "cousins across the great waters" many years ngo, and that he was abused and killed by them by being nailed to a tree; that he showed the marks of spikes having been driven through his hands, and said he had similar marks on his feet, and tho evidence of a spear-wound In his side. Ho haJ offered tosavo the whites and they refused to accept him, and now lhe day of the Indians, who had been greatly wronged, was about to come. He proposed to destroy de-stroy the whites by covering tbem with earth, and Bavo the Indians, who aro to bo restored to the ownership owner-ship of the lands and have the nrl vl. lege of associating with their dead kindred, who are to appear among them by Uln; raised to life. He also taught tbem to be bonejt, peaceful peace-ful and cleanly, an J give up all bad habits. The restoration of the Indian In-dian f is to bcgln.they assert, shortly after the grass begins to grow, next spring. This embxlicj tho essence of what the followers of tbe new faith among tbe In Jians claim, and, to say the least, it is a wonderful movement, and cne is puzzled in endeavoring to account for it General Miles expresses the be Ilcf that the movement is attxlbut-ab'e attxlbut-ab'e to the "Mormon?," or, In other words, that tho Indian Meniah is one-, of their E'ders pretending to ba the Savior. More than that, it seems that he expresses ex-presses nu opinion virtually to the effect that as the being whom tbe Indians claim in have seen and heard speaks numerous tribal languages, a number of ElJers must be engaged in working this deception. A more foolish or unjust un-just belief could scarcely be entertained, enter-tained, and balder reasons for it could not beglventbanthose alleged to have been enunciated by General Miles. One is that the ''Mor mons" have hid- nnWonarles among the Indians. The same can be said of any other clses of rellgionU-ts. Another is that the Latter-day Saints themselves believe be-lieve In spiritual manifestations. Why, it appears from the General's own statement that be believes that the claim of tho Indians that supernatural super-natural powers have been exhibited by the person representing himself to be Christ is alt nonsense. Therefore, There-fore, from his own standpoint, what could this belief of tbe balnts have to do with this movement? Indeed, many "Mormons" aro themselves coDjeeturing as to the meaning ot tho extraordinary agitation among the aborigines, and are puzzled to know what It means. But the fallacious character of Geniral Miles' belief is exhibited more strongly than in any other way by tho fact that no "Mormon" would dare commit such a sacrilegious sacri-legious fraud as to personate the Savior of tbe world, in whom bis hopes of salvation are vested. Further, Fur-ther, any member or officer of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter-day SSfuta who would be guilty of such a heinous crime woald be cut off from the organization as soon as action could bo taken In his ca'e. There am no people on earth n ho have greater reverence for the Savior Sav-ior of the worldjOrmore faith In Him than tho "Mormons." To attribute to them such an act as that Implied by General Miles mu't be prompted either by malice or Is the result of ignorance. In this Instance wo le-Ilevo le-Ilevo It to originate in the latter cause. The eminent soldier Is evidently evi-dently not informed in relation to the faith and genius of the religion if the Latter-day Saints. |
