St. Paul daily globe., 1891-06-20
RACE OF GIANT CANN1BALs
Strange Men and Women Popu.
lating Mexican Island.

strange Men and Women Popus
lating a Mexican Island.
San Francisco Examiner.
a man staying for a time at a hotel
IN San francisco thus spoke recently ia
a reporter: There are 147 giant can
nibals, men and women, living on Seri
island, in the Gulf of California. and
not sixty miles from the mainland Of
Mexico.
what say might seem ridiculous.
but It's nevertheless fact. for | have
seen some of them during my travels in
Mexico. Who their ancestors were or
how long they have occupied the island
is not known, but they are now becom-
ing extinct
saw three women and one man. and
their appearance and manner gave me-
the impression that they are brutes by
nature and bruteS in heart and soul. 1t
was Just by chance that saw them. as
iew OF them venture away from the
Island, except to sell the mats and
ShaWlS which they make from the skins
ana feathers OF the albatrOss. They are
cunning thieves, but otherwise their
minds are dull-in fact, they seem stu
pehed. They have vacant stare in
their eyes, and, when not serious, an
ldI0tIc smile spreads over their faces.
'Ihe island of Sari is about twenty
miles long and at places ten miles wide.
and L was told no Mexican or white man
ever ventures near or attempts to land
on 1t, as they claim the island is their
domain, and shoot the intruders with
poisoned arrows or capture and eat
them. They exist on fish and goat meat.
which are plentiful. Low houses, built
OF shrubbery, are their abode. Some
live III 'dugOutS' or caves cutintO banks.
Ihey roam about the island and lead,
the latest life of any people that Z
have ever heard of. No one can really
tell what their daily routine of living
IS, but it is fact the tribe is dying out,
and 1t will not be many years before
they will become extinct.
Their mode of burial is not known
but 1t is estimated that where there are
now handful there were several thou
SAND not ten years ago, and if they bury
the dead and do not burn the bodies. as
cannibals do, the bones of their enor-i
nous frames will cover a large area Of
the island.
1.-The man L photographed is over
seven feet i'll height. His face was a
study When lie saw the lens pointed at
him, Iand he could not understand what
was being done. He, as is all his race,
was superStitious, but we overcame that
obstacle by giving nIm an old pair OF,
trousers, which he Immediately tied
around his neck. The gentleman stand
ing next to him is about six feet tall,
and he had to hold the Indians hand.
An OLD rag encircled the upper portion
of the Indians limbs, and it was tied
around the waist. The blanket is made
OF albatrOSS skin and feathers The
bow and arrow which he holds are the
only weapons they know of or use. His
legs from the knee down are not COW
cred. The hat he wears is of straw, and
he, as he stands there, is the typical
Seri Indian.
"The women wear patched dress es
made of cloth which they receive fori
albatross mats and shawls. They are
wrinkled and old, very few girls being
among the tribe. The bowls on their
heads contain broken vessels made Of
clay.
They are a wonderful people, and nc
doubt their past history, If revealed,
will bring to light facts that relate to
the magnificent reign of the Montezu-
mas. or even far beyond the time Of
CorteZ."