The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-27

Fort Defiance, spoke, read and wrote
Spanish and English fuently, and had
fooled me as readily as ever New
Yorker was taken in.
But our effete Eastern ideas cannot
properly estimate the aboriginal view
of thieving. With them successful
larceny is considered not q fault, but
a habit to be proud of. Like their
Arabian prototypes, they recognize
theft as an accomplishment or an art
that cannot be held in too high es-
TEEN. Every Navajo is thief, and is
such by instinct and by hereditary de-
scent from generations of larcenous
ancestors. I have seen small Navajo
baby strapped in its cradle and propped
up against the wall of q store trying
earnestly to steal large tin watering
pot utterly useless to an Indian. Not
old enough to articulate, the bright,
snaky black eyes of the baby absolute
" cleaned with thievish desire.
A masterful lot of savages they are.
Turbulent and treacherous they are
utterly Indifferent to treaty obliga-
tions or ordinary considerations OF
gratitude. Physically they are better
men than most of their neighbors. The
Utes, who are nearest to them, are
generally low in stature, thick set,
broad featured and wear their hair in
long braids.. The Navajo, lighter in
color, is taller, wears his long hair
loose, and his features are of cleaner
cut. He is of the greyhound type
1.-the, wiry and tough. AS to cour-
age, he has enough to carry him sue
cessfully through his chickering's with
the puny Mexicans and the wretched
Apaches that are near him, but he will
not fight white men unless at every
advantage. IN the last fifty years our
Government has sent series of mill.
tary expeditions against them, but they
have been, with one exception, tier
failures. In their desert homes they
could not be brought to bay, and the
troops were obliged to retire because
they could not obtain water and for
age. In 1856 the late General E. V.
Sumner led the strongest OF the expe.
ditions against them and penetrated
the heart of their country, where he
established the post of Fort Defiance.
Bnt that accomplished soldier, with
the choicest troops of our army, was
unable to bring them to battle, and,
like mis- predecessors, returned from
an almost fruitless incursion.
The character of their country Is
such as to make military operations
AGAINST them almost hopeless, and
General war with them would, from g
military point of view, indicate failure
and modification in advance. There
is not enough water available in the
whole country properly to supply the
needs of it's inhabitants. What there
is can be found only in springs and II
small pools. and these can only be
fonnd by careful search. A stranger
would perish in this desert, though
the water might be close to him
Neither is there herbagc to feed the
large number of animals required. iol
force sufficient to deal successfully
with the strength of the Navajo Ma
ton. If the necessity for stern WORK
arises short spurs of railroads must be
constructed, and thus the difficulties
can be overcome, but without suct
means of rapid transportation a hunt
after the Navajos will be like the Irish
mans chase after the hea-"WheI
You put your finger on him he ISM
there" :.
They are polygamous, if then
methods of establishing marital rela
tions can be counted as appertainIne