Morning journal and courier., 1889-11-26

and it happened in this way: The family of minister of the name of Hurd was travel ing with us. One morning before resuming our journey young Charley Hurd and set look for the horses which had been 'hobbled cut the night before. I had proceeded probably five miles from cur camp on Bell knap creek without finding any trace of our animals, when all at once found that had ridden right into the camp of @ marauding band of Comanohes, whose particular busi- ness was horse stealing in Texas. The red fish nor 8 word of Oomanche, so, as you may imagine, there was not much parleying. recolleet that ore of them wore yellow oil-cloth coat, known in that country as Q 'slicker.' There were about one hundred and fifty bucks in the band and several squaws to do the drudgery. At first supp posed they would burn me at the stake or torture me in some horrible manner, but knew it was worse than useless to make any attempt to escape.
 sThe Indians were in horrible war paint of red and yellow, and they wore great va- riety of feathers. After examining nay 1 clothes, pinohipg my flesh and grunting l around in self-satisfaotion 8 little while, 1 they pulled me off my horse. About half an hour later they moved north across the Red river, taking me with them. They dis- played no particular cruelty, but I felt cer- 1 tain that I would never see my mother again. and I cried till thought should die. "They took me to their village on West Cache creek, and half dozen Indian boys ] were detailed to guard me and keep me from running away. These boys made me miser- able by setting dogs on me, poking me with l sticks, throwing mud on me and having fun with me generally. The boysza all had bows and arrows. c29-4ss-9a st5 s4at sI soon discovered that had fallen a prisoner to Chief Santa Taker, who was 6 l tall, powerful Indian; and I was not long In ! realizing that he intended me to grow up like l any other young buck and remain member of his tribe.
 "When you enter 8 Cemanehe village a I swarm of poodle dogs will come around you snapping just like 6 swarm of infuriated rats. Every Comanche keeps lot of poo dies; some are bobtailed, some are decorated l with bells. The poodles mix right in at meals and eat with the rest of the inhabi- | tants.
 sAfter four or five months had elapsed, | seeing that had no disposition to run away. ! was permitted to go out hunting with them. "The Comanches usually had plenty of game when I was with them. They had ! deer, buffalo, antelope and black bear. When they wanted buffalo they went over | to the 'Llano estacado' in the pan handle of 1 Texas. The only vegetables saw were wild turnips, wild onions and 'pansi root, which 1 resembles the sweet potato. These were l eaten raw. But the squaws are very good cooks. They broil their meat on sticks over ! fire in the center of their tepees, and bake l their bread in Dutch oven from flour made of a mixture of wild oats and wild rye, which is ground between the stones. The 1 dough is wound in coil around stick and l thus baked; the bread is very wholesome. One striking characteristic of a Cemanohe is 1 that he will eat all the time and do nothing l else till everything is gone; 1t is either a feast or a famine with him; he is too lazy l even to hunt or to steal so long as he has l anything to eat. There is no table, no dish,' es, no knives and forks. Dogs, Indians and squaws, old and young, sit on their haunch- es round the fire and dip in with their fin gers and claws.
 ''The Comanohes are very hospitable to strangers end will divide what they have, l but when on the warpath they will rob and murder right and left.
 'sI never saw cat in 8 Comanche camp, have seen young Comenche boys catch 8 1 frog and cut off one leg and let it go; have 1 also seen them catch a bird, pluck out itf 1 eyes and set it free. They are taught to dc | these things to cultivate cruelty in their sav. age nature.
 from two to six sauaws. Two are generally 1 young and supple for breeding; the rest ar' old and perform all the drudgery-builc fires, take care of horses, carry wood, water l Sc. I have seen the noses of old squaws GU
 off when they have refused to work; some
 times they are beaten to death. The mar | .ofA A1o1 kI old folks going up on high hill with cou pie of blankets. The af6anced pair lie dowl on one blanket while the old folks shake tht l second one over them to 'shoo' away evi
 spirits. Then the second blanket is dropped over the lovers and the ceremony is over. l. "For burial high hill is also selected
 with the belief that this situation is just SC
 much nearer the Great Spirit and shat ht
 will find the dead quicker. Corpses wert
 formerly buried in tree tops or on high polei
 for the same reason. The corpse is securely
 wrapped in blanket like a mummy. Tn,
 favorite horse of the deceased is killed SC
 that 1t can carry it's master to the happy
 hunting grounds; bows and arrows are bur
 jed with the dead. The grave is visited a
 sundown every evening for two moons, fooi
 being carried and left there for some raven
 ous wolf to devour, bat which the mourner
 believe is consumed by the departed. Tn
 mourners go to the burial in single fle-frs
 the chiefs and bucks on horseback, then thu
 squaws walking behind, carrying the wate
 and food. They all chant mournful dirge l which is a conglomeration of gutteral sound
 with no particular words, yet it is very pa | thetic.
 "Many Comanches live to be one hundred
 years of age, and funerals are rare occurrence
 except when the braves fall in war. Tn,
 bucks pull out their whiskers and eyebrows
 Their clothes are made of buckskin, tn
 finest I ever saw, and it is tanned ant
 dressed by the squaws, who afterward tailo
 it into leggings and shirts with fringes an'
 beads.
 'Tuavuoinequa' is their head medicin man and has been for twenty years. The
 think it is impossible to kill him; that if
 bullet were fired at him he would oause it t,
 rebound and kill the sender. This medicin
 man practices the faith cure, besides usinl
 numerous decoetions of roots and herbs He bastinadoes drum, chants dirges, blow his breath on afflicted spots and effects man,
 wonderful cures.
 .I found Comanche bucks inveterate gam
 b1ers and cigarette smokers. Their grea game at cards is Spanish monte, and tn
 stakes are usually ponies, cattle, blankets O
 money. They spend their winnings buyipI
 red shawls, beads, paint, fancy belts ant
 trinkets for their young squaws-the ol'
 squsws get nothing. have seen young eQudW Wltn DIdsb Dl6coictb cotoE1uS ucI hEI0
 to the elbow and with tremendous ear orna
 ments. For cigarette wrappers the buck
 use corn husks, which they get from tn
 Mexicans and Texans, as they don't raise an,
 corn themselves.
 'Imagine their great dexterity in horse
 manship when say have seen young In
 dian place his hand on the blanket on hi
 korse's back, while standing on the ground
 and by one leap mount to his seat withou
 moving the blanket an inch. They can rid
 in all positions and prefer to have no saddl 1.-the blanket is enough. They wear D.
 hats, or at least did not few years ago.
 "The sealping spot on Comanche's hea
 is about as large as lady's boot heel an
 oval in shape. Many imagine that tn
 whole top of the head is taken of in tn
 soalping process, but this is not 50. The
 have songs of war, songs of peace, songs Q
 love, songs of fishing, hunting and pleasure
 but no song has any sensible arrangement c
 words. It is a mere humming or chanting
 "Every year after harvest the tribe gath
 CTS in glorious sun dance. They regar
 the sun, moon and stars as SO many eyes Q the Great Spirit set out to watch them frou