New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-14
A TCNEFUL LIAR.
ANOTHER PHASE Of CONTEMPORARY
JOURNALISM.
HOW svSpyc,TE ARTICLE Of THE NAvAJos
WAS MADE Dy AppHorRIATING AND MIS-
APPLYING TIE WORK OF WE'LL

WAS MADE Ey ,PPEOPRIATlNE MD MIS-
APPLYING THE WORK OF WE'LL
KNOWN ETnNoLoGI IT'S
TO the Editor OF the ,,a uo,.h
Sir: Some weeks ago. while en- route iOr ',S ',,.s
| Oh S ,. ,,c,,ions among the wild tiiDes'
| ,o., q, ,,,,e nm II copy Of "The ~. LOUIS ro''
| nsbatch" when my attention was "''"' xo,o
| three. column Illustrated article " - %
| Nus,cion-Scchltcc sings some oi INV ~ 1,,o.,
Ills Nation" CHANGING down tue 'o'''n,' ","', 81
| ro,,, sonrs which ut once rccoghlheu as sum"
49, ,,,u,Iinc song, published In "The Amer
wv ,,h.,,o,oss, ~ OF January, lss9-four years "so
n ,h d,s,,ngu,shed NAVAJO specialist Dr. NnS"''.s
,on Matthews L. s. A., poSt-9"'s'o' :" W, ,o,o.
| N.w.Mcxico Wondering u MY "'''u, Wv -. ,ha
had ot last become syndicate wno'r' ioon'" '
,,,om n, the article but found there anothcr NAM
| Tho voice indeed, was the voice OF Jacop' "' Vs.
,,,rro ,v,s rhot OF Miller lIageman. Thinkihs '''
rn,ns the doctor out Of the fulncss OF hls in'o'"'
| tIon might have been giving few crumbs " SUI
literary Lazarus I began TO READ ''e a'"0'e' w
| osto,ndcd TO find that Dr. Matthews was ho' MN
,io,d rom horlnninc to end, but that Miller iaee
| man claimed theSc things rs his own ""'"'""e ~
| his story he had been 50 extremely for'un'Vc WI
roccn, y,sj, IN the Navajo country as TO come a'"'
a modciu. man OF n hundred odd years, naucn sun
flee who knew the traditions and ceremonies oi III
| the tribes living on dead. from Canada 10 NeAoo' !"
cc,her with th. rites OF the various secret orders d
| he NaVajOs and who was WiihhE anu ""A'"'' w
| them 10 An utfer stranger for the asking.
| IIo,,,, introduced his hero and dllatcd upon his
Intelligence bcncvoencr and general loveliness Mt.
IIageman goes TO tell Us how he sat al the lee, VI
scchitee while the old man sang one song "i'e'
ano her and he noted down the music. Every one
OF Theses songs Il stolen bodily from Dr. Matthew
article already mentioned. and the music Is evolved
from the inner consciousness OF the thief. The sp'ir
ING Of The Indian words l. according to the peculiar
scientific alphabet OF the Bureau Of Ethnoloey, the
alphabet used in the original publication
Coud scclitcc sing the song Of the IIockcaynm the
famous torture dance OF ia" prairie tribes! Oh course
he could. So he tells OF the staitanS who invented
| the dance whose women were amnz0ns ana rode III
| tho front Of battle with their husbands. Then
lighting a fresh cigarette he describes the fate OF the
Assniboin warriors. who deliberately walked into an
air hole In the Ice and were drowned rather IMAM
fall into tho hands 81 their enemies. the Mondans.
| The old man has a good memory. and even tells the
| name OF the chief who thus committed harikaH In
North Dakota than 100 years ago. Cnforiu'
natcly, however for scchltec. II not for Mr.. lnge-
man. who Is paid money for this sort Of thing, The
dance In question was never known among IN" NaNa-
JOS but belonged to the hostile tiibes 10 tho east,
and II Navajo had opportunity Of seeing II.
he certainly never lived 70 return and tell the tale.
The whole story u the Stations aud the suicidal war
riors-is much Of It rs is not invcntcd-is from
Lewis & Clarh's Travels" published originally about
1906. and probably read by Intelligent Navajo In
one OF the later editions. told that h. had
N library quite filed with books" although Mr..
iIageman f0rgeis 10 explain why II was that he had
10 talk through an Interpreter.
by this time Scolce l. fairly warmed mp TO his
work. and We asked to Imagine TIL, I'D man.
over 100 years old. hopping and advancing round
| tall stick with hat on II f-r scalp doubling up
his toes and Chanting the weird. shrlI scalpdancc
! song He wants to sing, and explains; " The song
Of the lockrnynm, which Will sing for you NV.
|
around suspended warrior" Unfortunately again.
| however. the s'ng Is "thr very same song" which
Mr.. Iagrman found In Colonel Dodec's book. "Odr
Wild Indians. published somr twenty years ago. II
| IL Che! rnnr song and probably never heard by
Navajo. In this Mr.. llgeunn far forsris the
meihcd OF his madness 10 Dodg,'s alphabet
| INSTEAD Of the Bureaus. But he makes amends for
H. goes back To 1T, nrsl .tyr and gives ns "ly
request sort O enc re- the sors ~ The Thunder.
from Dr. Matthew's Mountain Chant" published In
thu lith Irput 81 ia" Bureau of Ehnoloey Ia lScs.
We nrc further told that "S",bt,. know, some.
thing - MI The Indian tcngucs"-thcrc are about 400
IN the United stat -" has quit, an Indian Library
Matthews, Dodge. Levi, and Clark, and the Burcau
reports" and the best cabinet Of Indian curo,It's
| of all of 10" Tribes woot Of the Mississippi, Witch
| cabinet be- has collected with eirat care ana nj no
small expense fr N Indian. Indian explorers, trap
per- AMI tiad'rs and Ir'fhap, by correspondence
| through the want column of The Post Dispatch
| niis-ioncrs. whc. for two years have been sending
agents all this Western country to collect with
great carr aud at II" small rApu>c" wlalcvc; Of this
hind they can lay their hands upon. la addition to
his scholarly attachments. cyinccd by hi, lin
| sus,ic abilities, his cabinet and hi, library.
told that l." Is ia" Proprietor al picture gallery ana
i i.an'y wOr,hippr although IN his young days.
some eighty or hundred year, ago, n" wa, n,ly
terror.
Ana nov. Mr.. llarcmnn mark how plain n tale shall
put Tue" down Ia" faces III The case these: bout
lire. months ago the agent Tor the Navajo, became
Involved IN srriou, dimcmlty attempting to get
SON" of their children mi" srIOcl, Perhaps these
savag"s thought ilat with their picture, grri., mi-
,r,ni' ana libraries they had no need Of education
BILL Mr. lag.man came down Ia write up tn. mat
,.r Tor {. Snd,caic IL" stopped at Fort winsatc
Of Brookiyn congregation. and WIS treated with
shown The library. Including the works above quoted
talked win Pr Matthews, and took copIous notes,
II % S at '' True s to HY s s a% % @n m' r n
drumming up rscrniis for song srrvicc and church
Stay sheep Of the ID Cavalry and pictured to them
ia" gori', 81 That heaven whore thieves do not break
In aud steal, and where there 'nfrrcth any one
That mnk"th lie Then he goes back and appropr
In all his story he was than DAYS Jour
in the, naval" nation The porr" given as his is
enough means ." The Lar" but lhut Of course has
understand, although have not seen the article
na ~ e Sn" way has published S his own in
long account Of Indian burial customs, taken bodily
without credit from the paper on Mornaiy Customs"
by Dr. II. C. lnrrow, In the Report Of the lurcau Of
Ethnology for lS.i This report also shown him
NJ Fort Wingate
This + only one instance. hni hav" all suffered
BLc ElhnOlogy is fascinating science. but requires
long years ~ study and patient sesnc rcr "a achieve
results. ard II is unjust that who have borne the
burden and beat oI the day. In deserts aud Indian
camps through hunger. fatigue and prvnlion, 10 gain
exact Information, should have thu honor, uchcI from
them 10y irrcspoE~ Idle parties. As of my re-
marks may possibly seem severe, cn"crfuly acknowI
edge that Mr. lIagcman must b.. given credit for sound
literary Judgment. IL Is sufficiently evident That The
reverend gentleman knows what steal, while inf.
peculiar genius entities him 10 rank with Morse and
EisOn among the great Inventor, ~ the ag.
JAMES MOONEY,
United States IIurcnn Of FihnoOgy
In the field Moki Villages Arizona April, l, IsO3
RICHARD n. HILLS EXPLAINS A CONTEST