The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-06-17
INDIAN MAN-EATERS.
A Peculiar Cannibal Tribe Who Inhabit n
New Mexican Island.


A Peculiar Canniba1 Tribe Who Inhabit
New Mexican Island.
There are ia giant cannibals,
men and women. living on Seri Island,
in the Gulf of California, and not sixty
miles from the mainland of Mexico"
said George G. Mcnamara to the re-
porter of San Francisco paper.
What say may seem ridiculous.
but it is nevertheless fact for l 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
becoming extinct.
II 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 l
saw them, as few of them venture
away from the island except to sell the
mats and shawls which they make
from the skins and feathers of the al
| batross. They are cunning thieves,
| but otherwise their minds are dull-in
fact they seem stupeGed. 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 1 was told no Mexican or
white man ever ventures near or at
| tempts to land on it, as they claim the
island is their domain and shoot the
intruders with poisoned arrows or cap
| ture and eat them. They exist on fish
| and goat meat, which are plentiful.
Low houses, built of shrubbery, are
| their abode Some live in 'dugouts,'
or caves cut into banks. They roam
| about the island and lead the LATEST
| life of any people that 1 have ever
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 before 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 the cannibals do, the
bones of their enormous frames will
| cover large area of the island.
The mani photographed is over
seven feet in height. His face was a
study when he saw the lens pointed at
him, and he could not understand
what was being done. He, as is all of
his race, was superstitious, but we
overcame that obstacle by giving him
present of an old pair of trousers.
which he Immediately tied around his
neck. The gentleman standing 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 al.
batross 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 no
covered. The hat he wears is of straw
and he. as he stands there, is the typi
cal Seri Indian.
"The women wear patched dresses
made of cloth which they receive fol
albatross mats and shawls. They art
wrinkled and old. very few girls be
ing among the tribe. The bowls OF
their heads contain broken vessel
made of clay.
They are wonderful people" con
tinued Mr. Mcnamara, land no doub
their past history, if revealed, will
: DrlnS 10 lISnl AdcLS GHaL IeldLe " III
magnificent reign of the Montezunias
or even far beyond the time of Cortez.
In regard to his visit to the Mexican
, mines, he said:
| Il left Port Townsend in early De
cember and after travelling in various
States in Mexico, l arrived at Her
mossilo. left there on January L
4 on horseback, with five natives. w
: travelled by trail to Soyopo, distanc
, of 140 miles, from there to Bacanorf
, through the Ariveche, which is the las
civilized town on the road. The countr
we entered is uninhabited; there wa
no trail to guide US, and we reache
the much -talked-of mythical mines b
an indirect route of about 125 miles
The mines were worked by the olt
fathers or Jesuits from Spain and the
Yaqui and Mayoi Indian slaves up tt
! 1920. when the Apaches who lived IL
Chihuahua came and massacred all tina
did not escape. The country immedi
ately around about is beautiful-lov
s hills inside basin something in tn
. shape of saucer-with high mount
= aims on all sides. The priests in thos
r days only worked ore which paid $40
ton or more, so the people that wer
with me said, and base metal was no
9. mined.
+ "There is lots of land to be got ther
f just for the asking. l went dow
there in the interest of large com
pany and brought up some specimen
> of ore. They are mostly copper glance
!, and as yet l do not know what th
specimens will assay"