Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-05-31
CANNIBAL INDIANS.
AMERICAN sAvAeEs WHO AZ one
TIME ATE HUMAN FLESH.


Does Not Prevail It the Pressnt rise.
There was one spot On the North Ameri-
can continent, and only one. OF which We
have authentic account, where man eating
people dweit, and that dark spot WAS
found within the geographical limfts u
what Is now the states OF Indiana and ILL
nois- Here, prior 70 the beginning of the
present century, WAC found Z oociefy a
savages belonging TO the MinnaWaSs
fMiamis), who deyoured the bodies Of mis-
oners Of war that were burned at the
stake The writer, while q resident a
Fort Wayne, Ind, over ffty yessrs IN.
where the Miami and Pottawatt0snie In
dams then resided. had very often seen
very old, shriyeled up squaw, = repulstvo
looking creature. who, it was said, No.
descendant Of the family Of man eaters -
longing to the Miamis.
! remember one Sabbath afternoon IL
September. 1895, while taking stroll with
my aged friend. Jeane Battiste Bruno. an
old French engage and Indian trader, then
at least eighty years old, q very fnteliigeut
man, having been educated Tor the priest
hood, possessing an extraordinarily Uood
memory; we had reached beautiful spoe.
small grove that skirted the banks a thG
St Joseph river mile above the torn.
Seated on log on the elevated hank a III
stream, he gave me thrilling descripti0a
Of the terrible defeat OF General Hammer
az this very spot in l79i.
He was a spectator Of this enforcement.
50 sanguinary and disastrous in its results
While talking, a canoe with several Indians
In it was passing down the stream On
discovering Bruno the canoe was headed for
the shore, landing at our fret. at once
recognized that same old bag Of q suuaw ~
one Of the party. After short talk with
Bruno they turned into the stream again
and passed on to the town
MAN EATING FAMILY.
then told my companion the oft repeat
ed story that | had heard regarding this
woman He said that it was true; that he
had known her for over forty years; that
she was the only daughter OF White Skin.
the last head Of the family OF man eaters.
II knew her father, - he said, when first
came to this part of the country to trade
with the Indians in f770. White Skin aS
that time was said to be about ninety years
old. and no doubt it was true; yet he was
an active. industrious man, possessed Of .
very retentive memory. The family, dur
iLg the time knew them, consisted Of the
old man. an aged son and this daughter.
They resided on Eel river They werp
known far and near as the man eating
family. The Indians seemed to shur, them,
The old man and his family manufactured
buckskiDs. were tanners or dressers Of
deerskins; they exceIled in that business.
For number Of years | traded with them,
purchasing their skins for the Detroit
market, where | found ready sale for
them found the old fellow had no re-
luctance To talk about the man eating
charges made against him. particularly
with me.
'.one beautiful moonlight night, while
seated upon the grass in front Of the bark
hut, smoking our kinnikinnic, the old man
gave me the entire history of that portion
of his life connected with the man eaters.
And this story have written and told SO
often that ! know it by heart, as the
schoolboys say.
White Skin said that to eat human
flesh was religious rite conferred upon
his forefathers many, many generations
before, when the Minneways included
most all Of the Indians living on this side
OF the big river, the Mississippi, and, by
hereditary descent, passed from family to
family.
a RELIGIOUS RITE
ION the death of his grandfather, his
father and his brother became the sole
representatives OF this order, each having
the right to perform the ceremonies at
these human sacrifices asked him how
often he had eaten human flesh. and did he
assist in killing those to be devoured,
No. said he, they were always prison
ers of war and generally Indians from hos
! tile tribes, and now aud then a pale face
In my younger days 7 participated in q
| great many of those feasts. We all liked
Ia rne-r IF lsr7v.. ak t. Il.
sweeter than the flesh of wild animals. We
never ate it solely for the purposes of food,
to satisfy hunger. We partook of it as a
religious rite. although some of the In
| dians when invited to partake with us
| would eat more than others. Ny brother
and sister liked it so well that they would
| eat until they were full. AS time passed
the custom gradually declined The Catho-
| lie missionaries did much to stop these
| sacrifices Ii has been over twenty years
| since last tasted human fiesh.'
! White Skin prided himself upon the
| TACT that he represented family that had
| such great distinction conferred upon it.
When was about twenty years DID, said
| he, 4 attended grand feast of this kind.
| held on the east bank Of the ST Joseph
| river, near ke-ki-on-ga Fort Wayne). We
were notified by runner the day before to
| be at the place of sacrifice early the follow
| ing afternoon. We reached the ground
about noontilne. The faces of the entire
family We're painted black; even the pap
| poose on its mothers back.
THE CEREMONY
! "A crowd of several hundred Indians
had already assembled, anxiously await
ing for the ceremonies to begin. The pris-
oner, Sank Indian, who was perfectly
! no -aaf faSt ,aI +1f- Hhar
his death song. lie was very brave. When
the sun was yet about two hours high Il
squaw approached with dambeau in her
hand to ignite the fagots, when the doomed
| prisoner snatcheti the fiambeau from her
hand and set fire TO his own funeral pile
/ AT this act of bravery the great crowd sent
up shouts of admiration.
when dead the body was laid upon the
burning Goals until il was well cooked
| After prolonged ceremony, my father cut
off IA piece of the flesh for each member of
the family, presenting it to US upon a
sharpened stick, while we sat in a circle
around the slnoldering embers- After the
family were all helped, my luther, in loud
voice, asked if there was any person present
who wished to participate in the feast.
when several men and squaws came for
ward and seated themselves in the circle.
| They were then told to help themselves.
while the feast was going on deep
| silence prevailed. And just as the sun
! went down behind the treetops it was an
uounced that the ceremonies were ended,
when yell went up that shook the earth :"
Detroit Free Press,
! Couldn't stand Daylight.
/ The Salt Lake Herald ia rasr,apS;hfa