Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-04-22


D>~iss.sy- r.s-~ess1ax L.a< a.xs 50
AEyss~s fsAssf - .@s<-tse <F-.>i. $3.50. S.sss.-
Ei~s-
Rine.anau Enquirer
~I4lk as2as @asap aviag .esaeaay, 81
Lo3lag usthlns 10 - & ~ssEs, ysa >4oialt
hs- auoag case Digger lsati4ss awhile
f1@es gsspls t1.4E I've cheap fsF ~.
HAy. t-s very sls..- Dafrsl 6sa4sis ~ a great
city fss better than lsey a." sala
gsa lslaaa b. "a / speas ulanY ye4Es ia
AsKlre aa1 saats America . fee sssa-
inss sincs.
- aeg 49, Ika ulsanesr Looking peDpis,
thInk, - faee " ste sarta. essa
44asElsa f tasF afs " a a1en ailh ar-
dee tAaa alonksys. 4hsY aEs ~ dirty
5rossH ~ eapper color. and stand a5ous
Iss lses b. "a 6, al, poor iu flesh. lheir
s8dy j. All soass. aud aaea ald Their skia
is corrugated lac rh- hlsse n ra.aecsros.
Ttsir iess have a. calves a.ad tasir knse-
psns are ~ snern 1as size. Their chs 4
boles are Er AZ al a4gL. an4 s.eif head
covered siEh & j q matted hair, ~hieh
Tails dseA uaAempf, never eonted
84atfed - Ga rad, lousy aad saa "a nt,
over th lr sLouilsFs- Their eyes are
small a 4 spar 1ie, not With Intelligence
Aks a tx. bas ~ith low csniniug, IKE
Islal4- sros Yelling animals"
.Aud "a here a. they lives'
e GA the great deserts, where many =
poor Traveller la, starved g. death aui left
hls bosses 70 bleach .n the sun The most
peculiar vessta ioa that grows ga these
great deserts Is ths Wild sage. SORT Il
gray yssh-ss hlJs sut stance. and where II Is
found YOU can rest assured there Is neither
food nor drink for man Or horse. Essu the
donkey ~ou'J sar II. Ia tie days OF the old
Spaalsn trail these Diggers, hiding ln c -
aud caves, Used 90 p0unce upon horr~s and
mules that srrayed away from the to-n,
and, Ro- usiug the animals as beasts Oi
DtiTd %. KILLED end ATE them. But these
good old DAYS f1r the Diggers have gone
by, and noW they subslsJ upon few artl-
ci-s that would not sustain civilized man
a. Instant. Iney eat grassh0ppers, and
relish them, too. Sometimes they roast
them la small earthen pots, but more often
mix thsm N.th mesquite seeds and pulp,
making klnd OF grasshopper plum-pud-
dag. whsn the crop Is plentiful they
have 40 trouble ia collecting sufficiently
large quantities % keep them alive, bat II
The seasoa i a bad one they are put 70
AAHAA NAA - ~ NAAAH AA ttHAAtf 81 III -.
/ Then they exhibit consider able savage
shrew dness Tuey dig hole about three
feet deep ia the ceater of sage plain. aud
about as wide across the top, and then the
whole settlement, men, women and chill
dren, turn out, and, armed with sticks,
beat the Wild sage bushes, aiming 70 fright
/ sn the grasshoppers and drive them 10 Tho
center. AT last the crlckets. which were
scattered here and there over the plain,
begin u swarm in great black mass, ana
the beaters press hard upon them until In
one vast bufly- burly they tumble them
/ over the edges OF the pit. Then piles OF
/ dry grass previously gathered are thrown
/ on top OF the s-ething mass, and the liz
sects are roasted 20 death"
- Tnis IS not their only foodP'
/ - no, there Is a very small animal
called a sage hen, the color of which Is pre-
/ cisely the same a. the sage brush, 80 that
/ ,t is difiicull 10 distinguish It. This animal
Is esteemed great delicacy, though the
/ fesh Is bitter as wormwood The skin Is
| preserved 70 10 usei with others COW
erins in cold weather, and the hesh eaten
with relish. Worms, grubs and lizards are
eaten by these creatures, and even the
horned froS, a horrid looking reptile, is
made available a an article OF food.
/ Armed ~ In long saplings, hooked at the
end, the Digger haunts rocks, and pulls
from the hidden crevices the lizard which
has hidden from sight. The Digger's wifi,
s0mes, hat smaller an stature than her lOl d
and master, generally armed with the long
I pole, l. o. be seen hunting for lizards Tue
hook AZ the end Is simply the sump of a
/ topped branch, though sometimes IL Is
tipped witn horn and at others the hard
| point j. produced by calcining II in the
fire. Then there grows on the mesquite tree
a sort Of bean not unlike the honey-locust,
whicl aas a sweetish acid taste. These are
| collected by the squaw Diggers and stored
aWay in the corners Of their cages, hidden
out ~ sight, or sometimes placed in rude
baskets made OF woven grass As hunters
they arr a complete failure. They have no
wes pom strong enough - Kill the big horn,
sometimes seen near tbeir haunts, and as
! for the grizz.y bear, a whole settlement of
I Dzgers woui / run from one. AS 70 tilling
the soil they are absolutely ignorant Of
even the simplest modes Of agriculture,
and their ianzuage resembles series of
gruuts or hosvls, like hunSry ours. They
use signs and :. stures, but possess moth
in ike language"
A REFORMED GAMBLERS WOES.