The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-08-12
NO. 90
Issue Day at Ignacio.
BY M. v. D.
Written for the vIReINrAN.1
fOoa,17,x<JaI

the majority of Colorado country tables
d'hote, it was not provided with napkins
each guest dispensing with the luxury, or
using pocket handkerchief, as seemed to
| him or her good. But felipe, who en-
ployed his knife and fork in the most ex-
emplary way. and slipped his tea with
nicety-remarked: II would like a nap
kin. if you please.'' Who shall say after
this that the Indian may not be super.
civilized
The serious business of the day trans
acted. the braves, wrapped in gay blankets
and impenetrable calmness, had with
drawn themselves into picturesque groups,
and sat smoking. A few still chartered
and chartered at Mr.. Ed. Schiffer's agency
store. which caters to all the red MANS
wants, from staple dry goods and silver
jewelry. to peppermint candy and TO-
bacco. Wherever long adobe building
afforded promise of shade, the squaws had
clustered under its Leland gestculated
and shrieked in gutteral Ute. Their
1 pappooses were strapped to their backs,
and pairs of beady eyes peered over the
mothers shoulders. The oil Ter children,
in a sketchy blanket toilet, trotted about,
and chartered as vociferously as their
mamas, who were as eager as they for the
candy we tossed them.
| The Ute women are short and thick set,
with mass of coarse, black hair, under
| which you see merry black eyes and good
| humored faces. 1t is of the younger
| women that [ speak-the elder develope
| into hays of appalling uglness. Their
costumes are varied in the most astonish-
ing Experimentation of calico and
| flannel which distance a crazy quilt-and
even on this hottest of July days, the
blanket seemed to be indispensable as the
finishing touch to toilet. Many of them
wear pretty little pouches of bead work at
their glrdles, for specimens of which we
negotiated successfully. was anxious to
procure one of the water.bottles which the
Utes get from the Apaches. They re-
semble wide mouthed jar in shape, are
woven of twigs and smeared with pitch so
as to be water tight. They are slung over
the shoulder by thong passed through
horse-hair handles. Though many of the
women carried these bottle. they stead
Easily refused to part from them. At last
one was found who succumbed to the
temptation of the silver which felipe
held. and after some talk, for which he
stood interpreter, the coveted bottle be-
came mine. But had not bargained for
the water in the bottle, so that l should
| not have. Los Pinos was only hands
breadth away, tut thai made no difference.
The squaw sliced the bottle with both
hands, and drank copiously. Then she
passed it to the next, motioning to her to
do the same, and so on. all along the line,
| till l began to fear for the Indian women
the fate of the inflated frog in the fable.
| At last the bottle was handed back to the
first squaw, and she poured the little
water remaining. on the ground, and
| handed the bottle to me with a triumphant
| flesh, and no more. Since then. have
| becom a convert to the hypothesis that
| in the North American Indian we see the
| descendant nf the Ten Lost Tribes of Is
| rael.
| The day WAS wearing to a close the
| bright patches CEASED To enliven dull adobe
and dusty ground the braves trotted
homewald on their brorchos. and the
squaws dragged IL lsomely after them, UNI
| der he shade of their large cotton UNI
brellas. And now, standing by a fire,
where hideous old squaw was Jerking"
meat Cutting it in long strips On the ont
skirts of the forest, found the true Ante
lope, for inquiry had developed that the
bright-eyed Julian was the WRONG Dromio.
! Whether my hating Spanish compelled
mistake. or whether Julian desired to be
Antelope for the nOnce, for the sake of
Antelope s. perquisites-will remain al UNI
solved mystery. Antelope was Il strongly
built young Indian-the side of his throat
| dislignred by frightful swelling or tumor.
When he was helping 10 buil1 the school
house. haan fell upon him. and caused
this injury.
"Can not The doctor help YOU - said.
s'No Senorit;. > said Antelope. simply
HE thinks it hot get WELL ternOrse
fully bestowed np0n Antelope the scanty
contents of my purse AMI the last cigar
ettes He wrote little message for his
white friends. and conlided it to my
charge. Il love Mrs. Adams.'' said he
s'Adamus (the G-neral) too-how Julia
how Willy p And the tears stood in his
eyes.
AS the Denver Il Rio Grande engine
whirled .me away. amid the good byes of
my hospitable entertainers. | felt glad
that the latest impression on my mind was
one of the gratitude ana fidelity of the In
dian to those " no had cared for him.
Scarcely IL week before two hundred
armed warriors had thronged to the agency,
patient, yet persistent, demanding justice,
for cruel wrong had hetn VIZ, cked upon
innocent members of thu ir tribe in they
had learned enough Of the white man s.
law to appeal TO justice rather than to
force. Any moment the scale might turn
toward revenge and massacre, but Mr..
: Stallsteimer confronted them alone-One
man to two hundred-(in half an hour they
had assembled from the remotest parts of
the reservation) and lie reasoned with
them. and promised to right them in the
name If the Great Father in Washington
: So the Indi ms agreed to put thu ir ven
gence by and wait-wait upon the tardy
Justice which has failed them so often.
When was at the Apri-ey they were walt.
ing still, and they asked Mr.. Slallstt liner
if / had come from the Crest Father to
help them get justice. So will do them
the small justice in my power, and set
down here the story OF the summers out
break, as l heard it from Mr.. Stalls teimer' s
lips.
, There is not even enough game on the
: Indian reservation to supplement- the
1 seanty portion Of me- allowed by the gov.
ernment. So the agent gives certain In
dams occasional permission to leave the
+ reservation and hunt at will. The cattle
men claim that these hunts result in thu
loss and mntilation CT their cattle. Cattle
S stealing is the prominent crime of the new
[Conclu,ie,i On Fourth Page.l
Miraculous Escape.