The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-08-05
TIE IndIan Foot. Race.

TIE Indian Foot. Race.
The Goyernor of San Juan-for each
nueblo hasa Governor of its own ,,o-ro;-
nation and election -oravelv vailed
down to clear the course Tn his hand
he bore as s.seeptre what seemed 70 he a
bottle of whisky, but what in realty
was whisky bottle filed with gun-
powder that be distributed as lorgesse
to the Indians with guns. and behind
him came company Of guards in their
finest clothes bearing green branches
and wearing "a part of them. at least
garlands OF green leaves upon their
shocks of hair. These guards he dis
tributed, at intervals Of a hundred wards
or so, in couples along the course: the
couples beng taken. apparently, from
the opposite sides. This preliminary be-
ing settled q tremendous old patriarch,
with wavlng mass of gray hair down
to his shoulders and wrinkled beyond all
expression 8. rped out midway in the
truck bef777e rh-nis hands an ancient
drum. HA was clad gaily in yellow
buckskin leggihgs, a checked shirt that
he ostentatiously Wore outside of them
and battered old straw hat, once black,
that he carried on hs head as proudly
as kings IN pictures we're their crowns.
With becoming dignfy he sounded a
long roll upon his drum the signal for
the race to begin. Long before he had
finished, two lads, the youngest of the
racers, had started out together ard on
an easy lope came down the course, while
the three or four thousand spectators
sent up ringing yell. As the boys ar
rived at the goal two men started out,
not together, but as far apart rs the boys
were when they came in. This was
rather puzzling, but after little inyes-
hgation the principle of the race was
clear. The two sides were divided, each
into couples, one man of each pair be-
ing at the end of each track. As a run
ner came in his partner at once started
out, while the partner OF the man who
lost the heat had to start as far in the
rear as the distance by which the heat
had been lost The final victory rested
with the man whose man came in first
on the final heat. One advantage of this
arrangement, as far as the spectators
were concerned, was that the race was
going on all the time and as the man
behind frequently overlook and passed
the man who had started out ahead, vic
tory constantly trembled In the balance
and from start to finish the excitement
was kept at fever heat. For the most
part the running was magnificent, the
1.-the forms and vigorous muscles coming
out grandly under the spur of emulation
and the encouraging shouts of the
crowd. Indeed, the encouragement was
rather overwhelming, vigorous partisans
breaking through the line of guards and
coming close to the runners to shout
Aca I" "Aca - "Our side - "Our
side p The scene along the course,
meanwhile, was as picturesque as itwel
could be. Pressing close upon each
side over its entire length WIS the
brightly dressed crowd of INDIANS and
Mexicans, on foot and on horseback,
brilliant scarlet blankets an3white robes
giving the high lights, wbde softer col
ors shone in the shawls 9nd wraps of the
Mexican women, and 50 graded off into
the warm m.ps of Che ground and of
-a-a-elr sanlhreros
q ..ls 4.l6se Elmo color effect sfssfSsas Sss
repeated against the brilliantly clear
blue sky. And down the wide lane ira
versing the crowd from end to end, the
magnificent fellows went tearing along
as hard as ever they could go. 1t was
barbaric rendering of the Olympian
games. s.-Sa1l Juan (N. NJ Cor. PhiIa-
deiI1hiG Times.
A Suggestion to Commissioner LOring.
A Nebraska man, writing to New
York paper, says he has made chinch
bugs life study, and all his observations
go to show that the bugs are becoming
more andmore numerous and destructive
every year, though their operations are
confined strictly to spring and not to
winter wheat. He predicts that IN a
few years, if no remedy Is discovered for
them, almost the whole Northwest will
be obliged to give up raising spring
wheat and depend on the winter va
rieties, which is a more risky and pre-
carious crop. We trust that the present
agricultural commissioner, Mr.. Lorlng,
will find some device by which the chinch
bugs may be as happily abated as were
the potato bugs by commissioner LIE
Duo. When thecountry was overrun with
potato bugs and their destructlveness
was increasing year by year, when they
had reduced prosperous farms to poverty
and the railroad tracks out West were
covered with them a foot deep so that
travel was impeded, Mr.. LIE Due an
nounced that the thing had gone lar
enough and he would now give the mat
ter his attention. Calling to his aid an
eminent chemist, the two devoted sew
eral days to making secret experiments
with the bugs to see II they could not
be turned to some account as an article
OF commerce. The result OF their eX-
perIments was never given out to the
public ; but it was soon afterwards no
tlced that there was a great improvement
in IN the quality of western whisky, and
the potato bugs gradually disappeared.
We have always believed that Commits
sioner Loring was man of fully as
much ability as LIE Dnc, and we look
for speedy and satisfactory remedy for
the danger that has arisen from chinch
bugs.-Peck's San.