The Branding iron. [volume] (Atoka, I.T. [Okla.]) 1884-1884, 1884-03-15


Tor him. lie has learned all the bad
and none ~ the good. He dresses in
che prevailing style of the mining camps,
with flannel shirt and broad-brimmcd
hat. In the spring summer and fall he
hunts, fishes and picks berries. and
dispOscs Of his surplus stock To the
whites. lie is an invcterate gambler. u
hard drinkcr. when he can get liquor.
and when drunk is ;icnd. The tribal
relations of the Piuics have been broken
mp. although they still recognize n NOM
inal Chief. They roam Gmlcssly
over the country from place 10 place,
begging and stealing. and living the
Lord only knows how. In the winter
they are the scavcngcrs Of the State.
They know the location Of every swill-
barrel. refusc-hcap and ash-pilc in
Nevada, and never q day passes that
they do not make rounds. always find
ing something 10 repay them for their
trouble. One of them recently came
smbling up to an ash-barrcl which, the
owner remarked to bystandcr. con
Nained nothing that even n Piutc would
decm of value. The red man pokcd
around II for n time, and then tipped
1he barrel over, cmpting most VI its
leDntents ou the ground. Tho owner
md some misgivings. but he still
laughed, and said the ''Iniun' would
efind nothing there. Pretty soon the fcl-
Vow picked out something and put IL in
'hls pocket. Tho owners curiosity was
aroused. Walking up to the rcdskin.
,hc asked:
"You don't find much in there do
youP'
"Mcbhc." said he; cheap catch EN-
eoback."
lie had found one or two ancient to-
bacco Quids in the ashes. and did not
despair Of picking out a few more. So
thcy 60 from tho back doors Of the best
houses 10 those of saloons and slaughter
houses. gladly approprating Ia their
own use hundreds Of things which the
white man has discarded as useless.
To most people the Pluto is the persona
hcation of n joke. a more solemn
mortal than he can not very well be
Imagined, but his quaint ways. his imita-
ton of the white man, more especially
'thc bad white man. and his queer as
sumption of The airs Of civilized life
make him very picturesque object
when he does not render himself n
nuisance. ~ isssquiic apt to be the case.
II doesn't take n great deal Of silver
change to start n big gambling game
among the Piutcs. II crowd of lif-
teen or twenty can raise ten dollars or
twenty dollars in silver the sport will be
Kept up for hours. These gambling
spells take on the nature Of n tourna-
mcnt. and last sometimes for weeks, at-
trac,ing the red sports from all parts
of the State. They meet in the daytime
on the sunny side of their wickiups,
from which they extend wings b; ;y-
ing blankets on poles to break the forcc
ofthc wind. The gamblers place two
poles on the ground about ten feet apart
and parallel with each other and seat
themselves on the ground cross-lcggcd
outside the poles. There are generally
six or eight bucks on each side. and the
stakes are stacked on the open ground
between the poles. The game that thcy
play is incomprchcnsiblc 10 the white
mind. but Il seems to be nothing more
than guessing by ono buck in which hand
enoehcy holds some, n1lss While the
|IA. SodIs. S
ond fro. When night com on sage
brush fires are lighted. and thc games
often last until morning, the sQuaws
and children standing near, rs deeply
Interested In the game rs the players.
No game can he played without the
dismal accompaniment Of chanting, and
MO wcrdcr sights can bc imagined than
those to bc witnessed in one Of these
prOtractcd day and night tournaments.
IL ives at one of these festive gatherings
shat one of the wives of Chief Nachez
gave birth to twins, and the proceedings
were broken up in the expectations that,
in accordance with the traditions of the
race, one Of the newcomers would he
given up 10 be killed. Tho mother
however, begged SO pitcously that the
life Of her offspring be spared that
Nnchcz concluded Ia let them both live
and the disappointed redskins resumed
their gambling.
The Piutcs have no enemies but the
Washocs, tribe even more degraded
than they. Reports frequently gain
currency chat the two "nations" are at
var, and that dreadful hloodshcd has
resulted These stories usually origi-
nate with the Pmtcs. who are unconscioi-
able liars. and seem to enjoy the narra-
tion of tales OF slaughter tor the cdilica-
.ion of the whites, particular, when
the latter are in generous mood. The
two tribes have not had an actual fight
since 1868. when the Piutcs managed to
reduce their ancient enemies Ia subiec-
tion, and from that day ~ this they
have lordcd II over the subject race in
the most nhuman manner oWashoc
ispcrmiitcd 10 own n gun or any kind
of n iircarm, and the discovery that one
bi them has anything of the kind in his
possession is the signal for II Piutc raid
and fight, il the weapon is not immedi-
ately SURRENDERED This terrorism in
which the Washocs are held by the
Piutcs, themselves the least warliko
perhaps ot all the American Indians cN-
ceptng the Washoes, would be ludi-
crons were il not almost pitiful, Low
and despicablc n the Piute may be, it
sa.una 70 onnrI him, satisfo,,tnn l.,