The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-08-14
Am Extraordinary Discovery.
\ CURIOUS PEOPLE IN NEW MEXICO
THEY INHABIT A WALLED VILLAGE.

\ CURIOUS PEOPLE IN NEW MEXICO
THEY INHABIT A WALLED VILLAGE.
From the Denver News, DULY 22.I
Capt. w. C. Manning gives some in
teresting particulars Of his visit to the
village of q curious race of people in
Northwestern New Mexico, Just south of
the border line between that Territory
and Colorado. A strong wall surrounds
it. Within are houses for about 1000
people. The population has dWindled,
however, to about 1900. The language
resembles Chinese; SO IN ardent ar
chaOlogist, attached to The Wheeler ex-
petition, who visited the city a year ago,
says. Some of the minor customs cor
respond to those of the Chinese. The
women are of the true Celestial type
almond eyes, p%rOtuberant bodies, little
feet, etc. They dress their hair and
themselves in the Chinese fashion. Their
religion is barbarously magnificent.
Montezuma is their deity. His coming
is looked for at sunrise each day. In
mortality is part of their creed. The
priests have heavily embroidered robes
used for unnumbered years. The Cere-
monies of worship are formal and pOmp-
GUS. The morality of this strange peo-
pACS III a at C<b us SHC1S dlC CoII-
cerned, isirreprOachable. It's probable
that they keep a record of events by
ean of tying peculiar knots in long
chords. This, if true, seems to establish
some klnshlp or remote acquaintanceship
between them and the Aztecs. Their
government is Il conservative republic.
Power is vested in a council of thirteen
caciques. Six of them are selected for
life. Old men are generally chosen, in
Order.that THEN terms of Office may not
be inordinately long.
The remaining seven are selected from
time to time. One of them is the execu-
tive. Another is Il sort of vice president.
There is a war chief, a chief OF police,
etc. These eve caCiqueS arc usually
young men. They serve but a few
months. Suffrage is universal. 1t is
scarcely necessary to supplement these
facts with the statement that these
jewellers i Il towns are quite advanced in
civilization. On this point one fact
speaks volumes. Woman is not a beast
Indian tribes. She is held in high res
pect. Her tasks are confined to those OF
housekeeping. This isolated cOmmuni-
ty has maintainedits traditiOusunbrOken
for at least three and a half centuries.
TENDENCY TO SUICIDE.-Nr read that
during the past winter no less than fOul
suicides a day have been committed III
Paris. Age, condition in life, education,
culture, riches or poverty, nothing seems
to limit this strange mania for self-des-
truction. The subject has naturally DC
cupictl the thoughts of the reading pub
lie and in d~enOuncing suicide and in call
ing it cOwardice all classes are agreed.
Even the Radicals, with all their strange
ideas about the end of man and civil
burialS, are orthodox upon the subject
of suicide and lone of them will admit
that RObespierre attempted to take his
wv life. When found insensible, with
his jaw fractured and his life's blood
gradually OOZlng away, it was assumed
that he had been shot by a gendarme.
Volumes have been written to prove that
Robespierre did not fire a. bullet into his
OWn head. During tile revolution, how
ever, they were not at all scrupulOus
about suicide, and besides RObespierre
a number of prominent men made the
attempt with more or less success. But
never was this crime so common as it is
to-day, and in presence of the general
maniaiti is evident that something should
be done, but what that something is it
is difficult to say. Tt appears evident
that if suicide was less frequent in other
times, that was not because it was pun
ished, but because the moral and social
conditions of life were different. Then
the body of a suicide was exposed to the
public, and people were invited to insult
it, and to follow it with their maledic-
tions. The idea of such a spectacle may
have checked the hand of many. just as
the idea of lying exposed in the morgue
may check many to-day but any human
penalties eXecutable after death cannot
haye.a certain effect. It isnow assumed
that the dea of suicide has been fOrti-
fed by modern romances and by the
scenes of elf-destruction given upon
the stage. And as amajOrity of suicides
are due to IN inOrdinate vanity, it is
thought that something may be done by
refusing every suicide the publicity so
many seek. An effort is now being made
to get the journals to ignore every case
Of suicide. and never to mention the
crime when 1t can be avoided. Moral
maladies are contagious, and indissimu-
lating the epidemic it is pretty certainly
diminished,-GProof Sheet.
Rival .JOTRNAIIsTS-Thpu have in a