Boston Charley (c. 1854 – October 3, 1873) was an Modoc warrior in the

Modoc War The Modoc War, or the Modoc Campaign (also known as the Lava Beds War), was an armed conflict between the Native American Modoc people and the United States Army in northeastern California and southeastern Oregon from 1872 to 1873. Eadweard M ...

of 1872. He was reportedly given the "Boston" moniker by miners who felt he had a lighter complexion than the other warriors. In 1873 he had joined the group led by

Kintpuash Kintpuash, also known as Kientpaush, Kientpoos, and Captain Jack (c. 1837 – October 3, 1873), was a chief of the Modoc tribe of California and Oregon. Kintpuash's name in the Modoc language meant 'Strikes the water brashly.' He led a ...

, and was later involved in a massacre in which fourteen people were killed at

Tule Lake Tule Lake ( ) is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon. Geography Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River. The eleva ...

. On April 11, 1873, he was part of a group that murdered

Edward Canby Edward Richard Sprigg Canby (November 9, 1817 – April 11, 1873) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. In 1861–1862, Canby commanded the Department of New Mexico, defeating the Confederate Gene ...

. Charley did not personally kill Canby, but during the raid he killed a Dr. Thomas. On October 3, 1873, Boston Charley, Kintpuash, Schonchin John and Black Jim were executed for the murder of Edward Canby. He reportedly met his execution stoically, asking only for tobacco.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charley, Boston Modoc people People of the Modoc War 1850s births 1873 deaths 19th-century American criminals Executed American assassins Executed Native American people American people convicted of war crimes American people executed for murder 1873 murders in the United States 19th-century Native Americans People convicted of murder by the United States military People executed by the United States military by hanging 19th-century executions by the United States military People executed for war crimes

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