St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-18
TORTURED BY HER TRIBE.
A Mojave Indian Girl Burned at
the Stake for Alleged Witch

A Mojave Indian Girl Burned at
the Stake for Alleged Witch
craft.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL, Sept. 1.-THE
story comes from good authority at Los
Angeles of the burning of young
squaw by Mojave Indians, because she
was accused of practicing witchcraft.
The scene of the torture was near the
Colorado river, in the eastern end of
San Bernardino county. For the past
two months strange disease has at
tackled members of the tribe. Its spread
at last became so alarming that the men,
bers of the tribe became panic-stricken
and slaughtered their dogs and
burros as a sacrifice to appease
the anger of the Great Father. This
proving of no avail, council was held.
Every buck in the tribe was present.
The medicine men sat around huge
hole which was filled with herbs, while
the bucks were squatted in a semi-cir-
Gle, some distance away. The medicine
men watched the steaming of the her bs
until the mess had been boiled down to
a tea cup full of liquid. Then a pigeon
and his mate were taken from basket
and held by the medicine men while the
liquid from the herbs was poured down
their Threats. The male bird when re-
leased, flew away. The female bird
fluttered few yards and then
FELL HELPLESS AND DYING
on the ground. The medicine men now
seemed craZed with excitement. They
leaped to their feet and danced, while
the bucks sat in sullen silence. While
the medicine men were in the midst of
their orge, they declared that there was
q witch in the tribe. The female bird
had died, while the male bird had flown
away into the night. This test deter
mined the sex of the witch. When the
bucks heard the words of the medicine
men, they became wild with rage. Each
brave suspected the other of hardening
the witch in his tepee or cabin. But a
final test was to be made. " ith wells
and imprecatiOns, the frenZied reds
drove their women to the place where
the council had been held. and where
the white pigeon still lay among the
herbs and grasses. The sQuaws were
driven in single file, with the medi-
cine men watching with nervous eX-
element the face of each as she passed
the bird. Finally young squaw, the
daughter of Creso, Sub-chief, stepped
out of the ranks and was about to pick
up the bird, when the medicine men,
with loud yells, seized the girl and
pinioned her arms. The unfortunate
squaw pleaded piteously for her life,
which she seemed to foresee was in
peril, but her cries were of no avail. her
own relatives assisting in dragging her
to the council place. The death of the
female pigeon was conclusive evidence
that Squaw was the witch. The first
sQuaw to touch the bird was the fatal
test of guilt. The poor girl, who was
but eighteen years old, was stripped of
her clothes, tied to stake and a
SLOW FIRE BUILT UNDER HER.
For two hours she fingered in awful
agony, and while her death screams
filled the air the braves danced about
the fire and the medicine men muttered
lamentations. When morning came
nothing but the whitened bones of the
girl and the black emberS of the fire re-
manned about the stake. The disease
from which so many of the Mojave
braves died is believed to be malignant
typhoid fever. The details of this
strange story were brought to Los An
geles by lanchers who had been at
tracted to the camp of the Indians by
the noise which attended the terrible
death of the girl.