The New York herald., 1879-11-02
Lights and shadows Of Indian Life.

the HERALD from the Indian country, and
printed on Thursday, Friday and Satur-
day. give glimpses of Indian life more Curl
Gus and instructive than anything which
has appeared in the press or in literature
for the last thirty years. A great deal Of
picturesque Indian life is painted in
Cooper's novels, but that is either fiction
or facts so embellished and heightened as
to be undistinguishable from the veriest
romance. In the reports we have had of
the incessant Indian wars in recent years
the barbarities of the native tribes have
made a great figure but there have been
few relieving features, and little light has
been shed on the kind of life which the
Indians lead among themselves.
Within the last few days the HERALD has
laid before its readers narratives of thrilling
interest which lift the curtain and disclose
phases of savage humanity as it exists in
the far-off Western wilds and enlarge our
knowledge of Indian character as it exists
at present. Public attention has been
chiefly fixed on the massacre and the rescue,
but since the women and children who were
carried of are out Of danger n singular
interest attaches to what happened to them
while they were in the power Of the savages
and to the knowledge they gained while in
that hapless condition. The minute and
interesting recital Of Miss Meeker, which
we printed on Thursday, supplemented by
the interesting but less graphic statement
of Mrs. Meeker, printed on Friday, and by
that of Mrs. Price, printed on Saturday,
form the most valuable contribution to our
knowledge of the interior life of the Indians
which has been made in this generation.
1t is better than anything in Cooper's
novels because it is authentic, and does
fictions in pictorial interest or curious
illustration OF Indian traits. During their
captivity of twenty-three days these ladies
had opportunities to observe the character
and the strange antics Of their captors such
as have not before occurred in our time,
and, it is to be hoped, will never occur
again to persons Of their sex.
Trusting that no reader has failed to Pc
ruse their deeply interesting narratives we
will merely recall some of the points which
seem to deserve remark. They were sub
jected to no other outrage than attempts to
excite their terror, which were happily
foiled by the splendid courage and self
possession Of Miss Josephine Meeker. It
deserves to be noted that the greater part
Of the savages did not approve of this
species of torture, and that many Of them
kindly told Miss Meekar that she was in no
real danger When the chief Douglass
had repeatedly pointed his loaded gun at
her forehead without frightening her she
says that call the other Indians turned on
him and laughed at him. and made so
much fun of him that he sneaked off and
went over to frighten my mother" This
and many similar incidents prove that these
savages are not destitute of sense of hu-
manity.
It also deserves to be noted that in the
wild orgies which followed the massacre
the Indians had an abundant supply Of
whiskey. Where they got it does not
appear, but both Miss Meeker and her
mother make frequent mention Of their
pulling out their bottles and drinking
and of their drunken behavior during
the first two or three days. The
worst exhibitions OF brutality were
30 evidently inspired by whlskey that
it is fair to infer that in the absence of this
maddening fluid the treatment Of the cap
tive women would have been conside crate.
ceived great deal OF kindness. Both Miss
Meeker and Mrs. Price were in
vited to join, and did join. in
the Indian singing on several occa-
sions, which implied sociability and
sense of companionship hardly to have been
expected under the circumstances. The
beastly insults to poor Mrs. Meeker only
happened during the first few days, while
the whiskey lasted, and were evidently
offered by drunken Indians. 1t is credit
able to the moral sense of the tribe that
no actual outrages were committed by the
drunken beasts that offered the insults.
They feared the restraining power of their
associates.
Among the many things deserving re-
mark is the way the Indians amused them
selves by their mimicking drollery. Their
imitation of negro soldier was SO comical
that Miss Meeker says, II could not help
laughing, because they were 80 accurate
in their personations" 1t is sur
prising to fnd 80 much mimetic talent
in so unexpected quarter. The sympa-
thy and tears of several of the squaws are a
more amiable and interesting part OF this
singular picture. We have not space to
particularize further, but no reader of
these remarkable narratives can think that
the Ute Indians deserve to be classed with
fiends
Generous Paupers.