The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-04-24
INoIAN MAN EATERS,

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lean Island.
There are one hundred and seventy
four giant cannibals, men and women
living on Seri Island, in the Gulf Of Cal
ifOrnia, and not sixty miles from the
mainland OF Mexico" said George g.
Mcnamara to the reporter OF a San
Francisco paper.
What say might seem ridiculous,
but it is nevertheless fact, for I 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
Il 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 I saw them, as
few of them venture away from the
island except to sell the mats and shayvls
which they make from the skins and
feathers of the albatrOss- They are
cunning thieves, but otherwise their
minds are duIl-in fact they seem stupe-
fed. They have vacant stare in their
eyes, and, when not serious, an idiOtic
smile spreads over their faces
''The island of Seri is about twenty
miles long and at places ten miles wide,
and was told no Mexican or white man
ever ventures near or attempts to land
on it, 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 hive in 'dugOuts, '.or caves cut into
banks They roam about the island
and lead the LATEST life of any people
that I have heard of. No one can really
tell what their daily routine OF living is,
but it is fact that the tribe is dying
out, and It will not be many years be-
fore they will become extinct. Their
mode of burial is not known, but it is
estimated that where there are now
handful there were several thousand
not ten years ago, and if they bury the
dead and do not burn the bodies, as can
nibals do, the bones of their enormous
frames will cover a large area Of the
island
The man I photographed is over
seven feet in height His face was
study when he saw the lens pointed at
him, and he could not understand what
was being done. He, as is all his race,
was superstitious, but we Overcame that
obstacle by giving him a present of an
old pair of trousers, which he immedi-
ately tied around his neck. The gen
tleman standing next to him is about
six feet tall, and he had to hold the In
upper portion of the Indians limbs, and
it was tied around the waist The
blanket is made of a1batrOss skin and
feathers. The bow and arrows which
he holds are the only weapon they
know of or use. His legs from the knee
down are not covered. The hat he
wears is of straw, and he, as ne stands
there, is typical Seri Indian.
''The women wear patched dresses
made of cloth which they receive for
a1batross 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 wonderful people, CON
tinued Mr.. Mcnamara, land no doubt
their past history, if revealed, Will
bring to light facts that relate to the
magnificent reign of the Montezumas,
or even far beyond the time of COrtez. :"
Chicago Journal