The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-01-15
0ur Faded Indians.

The remarkable success of the Minneapolis
Public Glass, which meets in Harrison Hall
every Thursday evening, and the deep inter-
est that is excited by its debates, furnish a
sufficient excuse for continuing the discussion
in these columns.
Last Monday evening was devoted to con-
sideration of the "Mound Builders and early
Traces of Civilization in America During
the two hours, one of the speakers inquired
if anybody knew anything of the Mandans, up
the Missouri near Bismarck-a small band of
light colored Indians, with sandy hair and
blue or grey eyes. He represented them as a
timid, unaggressive people, who live in huts
and serve as scouts for our officers. He also
alluded to similar band in California Civ
ing some history OF them, he said that in 1869
Father Junipero, Spanish priest. pushing
up the Pacific tarried at San Diego. There
he learned of people about $50 miles east
who were nearly white. He sent out and
brought some in, and reported home that
''they appeared like Europeans" only that
they were in comparatively wild state. They
are still found there, said the speaker. There
is the ruin of a very ancient church among
them. They live in low houses of brick and
stone-always sleeping in the attic and draw
ing up their ladders after them. They are an
exclusive, and inoffensive race. 3
This story Of white Indians on the Missouri
and on the Pacific receives some important
confirmation from the archives of the Welsh.
According to them, in the year ITO. Prince
ModOc, leaving his brothers to quarrel over
the heritage of the kingdom, fitted out a
small fleet and sought adventures by sea,
sailing west, and leaving the coast of Ireland
so far north that he came to a land unknown,
where he saw many strange things" Madoc
| is supposed, by those who credit the tale of
| the voyage, to have reached either Georgia
| or Florida. He was so delighted with the
country, as compared with the barrenness OF
| Wales, that he returned home and prepared
| a number Of ships (ten sallsl ana got WIN
| him such men and women 1901 as were de-
sirous to live in qu:etness; and, taking leave
| of his friends, took his journey thitherward
| again" We quote Hakluyt, who wrote in
| 1880 This is the last that was ever heard OF
| Modoc's party. Palfrey, in his history Of
| New England, says: ''The stcry is not with
| out important confirmation, furnished by
recent observations oftravelers among Indian
| tribes"
In harmony with his statement, we have
| the word of Rev. Morgan Jones, missionary,
| that the Tuscaroras understood his preaching
sin the British tongue'' about 1880; and the
statement of zone Oliver Humphreys" re-
spectng natives near Florida, who spoke
| Welch and had Welch features and complex
| ion. Benjamin Sutton. captive in the bor-
| der wars of 1866, said that he had been with
| the Choctaws to an Indian village. ccnsid
cradle distance above New Orleans, whose
] inhabitants were of lighter complexion than
| the other Indians, and who spoke Welch,
| ard chad book among them wrapt in skins
but could not read it, and that some of
them spoke Welch with one Lewis, captive
| Welchman.
| The remarkable account given by Captain
Isaac Stuart in 1882, is as follows: Eighteen
years before, he was taken prisoner by the In
dians, and carried to the Wabash. After two
years of bondage. he and a Welch fellow cap
| tive, named John David. were redeemed py a
Spaniard, and, accompanying him 70 tne hed
| River, they Travelled up that river several nun
dred miles, when they came to nation of In
dians Remarkably white, with hair Of red
] dish color" The day after their arrival, the