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Show REPORT OF THE OO~88IONEJ2 OF INDIAN AFFAIRB. 165 he promised to bring back to use on the whites." They arrived at Tongue River on August 27 and were at once confined in the agency guard-house. The agent was convinced that the removal of Porcupine from among the Indians would have the effect of entirely breaking up the bad influence he had among his followers. October 20, 1900, the office reported to the Department on this matter, as follows: The Indian "Porcupine," referred to by Agent Clifford, is doubtless the same "Cheyenne medicine man Porcupine" who started the craze in 1890 and whose operations at that time were first reported through the War Department. In the annual report of this office for 1891 a history of the "Messiah craze" is given, and it is stated that this Indian "claimed to have left his reservation in November, 1889, and to have traveled by command and under divine guidance in search of the Messiah to the Shoshone Agency, Salt Lake City, and the Fort Hall Agency, and thence-with others rho joined them at Fort Hall-to Walker River k w a t i o n , Nev.; and that he by the next summer had returned to his reserva-tion and declared himself to he the new Messiah. The present movements and adions of Porcupine would seem to parallel those of ten yem ago, except that his successful return to Tongue River has been prevented by his having been arrested and brought back under gmrd. From the agent'a reports and the petition of the Northern Cheyennes themselves, it appears that the presence of this Indian on the reservation is a constant source of trouble and danger, and is very detrimental to the peace and welfare of the said Indians. In fact, viewing his recent actions in the light of his record of a decade ago, this office mgmds his continued presence at the Tongue River Agency as a most daneeroua ohstade to the Drooer eovernment and welfare of not onlv the ~ o r t h e r n E h e ~ e n n ~ahlsuot o f the 1l;diks of the other tribes who were once iniected and crazed hv his pernicious teachines. So lone as he is allowed to continue to spread his &tical-religious ideas amk g the ~ndiansw ithout being properly pun-ished, he will remain a dangerous menace to the sewice. It is therefore respectfully recommended, should it meet your approval, that authority he granted for the removal of Porcupine from the Northern Cheyenne Indian Keaervation. Mont.. in accordance with the ~rovisions of section 2149 of the Revised Statutes, &his presence thereon is detrimental to the peace and welfare of the Indians of the same: and this heinz done. that he he taken under auard and turned over to the commanding officer of Fort keogh for confinement at iard labor at that past until such time as he shall he thoroughly disciplined and taught to respect and ohey the officers of the Government and otherwise properly demean himself, and give aatiafaetory amunnee to the military officers that in the future he will behave himself and cause no further trouble. * * * The War Department to he reimbursed by this Department for the coat of the rations iasuedto the prisoner during his confinement. October 22, 1900, the Department recommended to the Secretary of War that Porcupine be confined and punished at Fort Keogh or else-where. Accordingly Porcupine was turned over to the commanding officer at Fort Keogh and confined at hard labor. February 28, 1901, the commandant of this post reported that Po8 cupine appeared to be thoroughly disciplined. His conduct had been excellent in every respect since his confinement, and he had promised that in the future he would behave himself and cause no more trouble |
