In Loving Memory of our Family that was
murdered on this day Oct. 3rd 1873
Captain Jack (our Chief), Schonchin John,
Boston Charley and Black Jim
Although it’s been 140 years ago, we will
never forget!
On 1 July 1873, a military commission
consisting of five Army officers heard evidence against Captain Jack and five
other Modocs. All were found guilty of murder. Four were sentenced to be hanged
by the neck until dead. Once President Ulysses S. Grant approved their
sentences, the accused were hanged at Fort Klamath, Oregon, on 3 October 1873.
Measured against today's court-martial
procedure, the Modoc military commission was flawed. The accused did not have
the assistance of defense counsel, and the trial lasted only four days. Perhaps
most importantly, the five officers who decided the case were not impartial or
unbiased; all knew Canby, and all admired him. However, this military
commission was a unique event in our military legal history: the only time the
Army ever prosecuted Native Americans for violating the law of armed conflict.
Although
the US Military killed unarmed Modocs and murdered some of our unarmed elders,
women & children, murdered our people under a flag of truce. They have never been held accountable for
their actions.
No comments:
Post a Comment