Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/620

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THE MODOC WAR.

power to kill them. As for himself, he would take no more risks among them.

Meacham then telegraphed the secretary of the interior that the Modocs rejected peace, and meant treachery in proposing to shake hands with the commissioners unarmed; but Delano, with the theoretical wisdom of the average politician, replied that he did not so believe, and that negotiations were to be continued. Canby telegraphed Sherman, March 5th, that the reports from the Modocs indicated treachery and a renewal of hostilities, to which Sherman replied that the authorities at Washington conﬁded in him, and placed the matter in his hands.^[1]

It was not until this intimation of a change in the board was made that the commissioners, having completed their examination of the causes which led to hostilities, presented their report. The conclusions arrived at were that in any settlement of the existing hostilities it would be inadmissible to return the Modocs to the Klamath reservation, the Klamaths having taken part in the war against them; or to set apart a reservation on Lost River, the scene of their atrocities. They also objected to a general amnesty, which would bring the federal government in conﬂict with the state governments, and furnish a precedent calculated to cause misconduct on the reservations, besides greatly offending the friends of the murdered citizens. It was their opinion that the eight Indians indicted should be surrendered to the state authorities to be tried. Should the Modocs accept an amnesty, they should, with the exception of the eight indicted, be removed at once to some fort, other than Fort

↑ The despatch read: 'All parties here have absolute faith in you, but mistrust the commissioners. If that Modoc affair can be terminated peacefully by you it will be accepted by the secretary of the interior as well as the president. Answer immediately, and advise the names of one or two good men with whom you can act, and they will receive the necessary authority; or, if you can effect the surrender to you of the hostile Modocs, do it, and remove them under guard to some safe place, assured that the government will deal by them liberally and fairly.'

[1] The despatch read: 'All parties here have absolute faith in you, but mistrust the commissioners. If that Modoc affair can be terminated peacefully by you it will be accepted by the secretary of the interior as well as the president. Answer immediately, and advise the names of one or two good men with whom you can act, and they will receive the necessary authority; or, if you can effect the surrender to you of the hostile Modocs, do it, and remove them under guard to some safe place, assured that the government will deal by them liberally and fairly.'

[1]