Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-10-15
INDIANS OF TEXAS.
Intelligent Tribes that Lived There
300 Years Ago.
OUApAWS NATION OF PEACEMAKERS.
Som. OF the characteristics OF the Red
skins Who Have Inhabited and Who
New Inhabit the Lone star State.
philadelphia Times.)

which conceives OF him only as the
bronzed warrior, securing ccntaur-like the
mains. intent on murder and pillage,
t~reacherous TO n degree that renders his
name a synonym for this trait, OF no
fixed habltstion. but subslsting on such
game as fall before his spear or arrow
For this view Of him we are indebted 10
the early histories Of the country when
have lived beyond their accuracy from
school-days memories. But TO the student
Of this strange, silent people they EXHIBIT
as many phases az they have names ana
are no more TO be Judged alike than the
Georgia Cracker Is 20 the ante-bellum
southern aristocrat, or the wooden nut
meg peddler to his erudite Boston bro
Their.
In Texas alone there are. or were, 10 be
found tribes moro or less lacking In the
general Characteristic supposed in the
nublic mind 20 be inseparable from the
redskins. In the present scope OF this ar
,icle II IS not proposed to dwell on the
remains OF the more ancient MOUND
builders. which are scattered In great
abundance along the coast as FAR as the
Ncches river, but only on such tribes as
were discovered and dcscibed by the ear
Hest settlers Of this State. Joutel, the
surviving companion OF "a Sale, came
across. near the Sabine river, "A nation
known as the Quapaws. who were nm
doubtedly Quakcrs in belief, and not My
ala not fight themselves. but had the curl
Gus custom Of visiting the camps of such
other tribes rs were on the warpath and
soliciting the privilege Of nursing the
wounded and OF freeing the captivcs held
by the belligerent party, often ransofning
these by the barter OF their own ponies
and other goods. The Frcnchman gives
an account Of this tribe Of p-eacemakcrs
running across a band Of raiding Indians
from the other side Of the Rio Grande,
anl making their usual offer OF e1chanE-
ing prisoners carried off during the cam
Vsigu. and that the strangers, not under
standing this policy Of mercy. offered to
engage the QuapaWs i'm combat, and ac-
Corlincly went to meet them on the
camping ground Of the latter. But on
rushing among the peaceful Indians thcy
found every man unarmcd and awaiting
death without resistance. DumbfOuudod
for a few minutc by this angular course,
the warriors paused until the chief re-
covering charged the head Of the qua
paws with being a coward and .the
father of towards" when the latter drew
his enemy 10 an adjacent fire. and thrust
ins his hand into glowing Goals held it
there without a tremor until the flesh
cracked and the sinews sizZied. and was
at last told TO take il out by the astonish-
ed chief. Vino probably for the first time
in hi7 life saw principle triumph over the
physical. Il IS said that this eXtraor-
binary doctrine Of peace and mercy was
taught tie Quapaws, according Ia their
legends. by a white man who came from
Heaven 10 save them. and whom they
Killed, not recognizing him as the food
Spirit until ho was dead. This legend is
Interesting as showing that this people
preserved 4 faint remembrance OF Christ
and Tho cruCidXion. however they may
have obtained it. or when.
THE KEECHTES A NATION OF
SOOTHSAYERS.
Another peculiar race was that Of the
kc"rnic.. known as a nation OF sooth-
savers. Who spoke "A LANGUAGE Of their
own, resembling in no point that of any
other Indian tribe not only in Texas but
ON the continent. The Gomanches held
this nation i'm open terror from fear OF
witchcIaft. alleging that on ono occasion
their conjuiing men pronounced a curse
against onr Of the Comauche villages.
and that every man, woman and child
there died in "a single night. The women
were also believed to bee able 10 blight
ana Kill by a balcful glance, correspond
Ing 10 the evil eve.
The Keechies are said to have believed
IN a devil, or spirit OF evil, an almost
unique article of faith among the Indians,
and that they Worshjppei this demonia-
cal god. Offering sacrifices TO him of the
brains Of n~ewly-h0rn infants and the
hearts OF unmarried women. Marriage
proper was unknown 70 them, Il sort Of
free love taking its place.
on the Trinity-riV,r the late George
wilkins Kendall in his Santc Fe eNpedi-
tiou tells Of a Waco village he found
there. where for seven or eight miles the
Indians cultivated the ground. cornhelds.
pumpkin and melon patches being rcgu-
showing knowledge of the requirements
of agriculture. while the houses were
built in streets and had domc-shaped roofs
which carried of the rain, and We're GOV
cred with a thatch. Within the houses
were rows Of bcrths. very neat and com
Portable for sleeping purposes. and the
rest Of the furniture betrayed the fact
that the owners OF the larger houses liv-
cd I'm something like style and all in an
undoubtcd civilized manner. Attached to
each residence was a corn-crib well-con-
structed and furnished with a sort Of
balcony where. il was reported, the mar
riaCeable maiden of the household retired
of an evening TO receive the lover-like
attentions of her swain, who stood below
and tWanged. or rather footed" a sort
of fife. the shrill notes OF which. no doubt
told the tender story as well and as sat
isfactorily 10 the listener, If not as must
cally, as could a guitar IN the hands OF
a Romeo in a s~wallow-tail to his Juliet.
Several OF these instruments were found
most deliberately carved.
The Pawnees. higher up the river, also
cultivated fields, and had extensive viii
iagcs, while the Aranamas, belonging TOO
To the Pueblas, and. according to the carry
missionaries who settled near GoIlad Ior
the purpose of dwelling in the midst OF
the people whom they came TO convert,
had tvo-storied houses and panes of
glass I'm their windows. and a sort OF
clay oven in which they baked corn bread,
The meal of which they ground in a mill
with a whee furnished with coSs.
\ CURIOUS BIT OF HISTORY.
,,nnccted with the little tow OF lsleta,
.FA the county stat VI r. L NoVf ANN'i
.A me extreme western part of the state
is q curious bit Of history relating not
only 10 the Pueblas Indians found there
b. the Franciscan missionaries, but which
raised the doubt whether ST. Augustine,
Tga.. is really the oldest town settled by
Europeans, or this little half American.
ALI Spanish village OF Isleta. In the re-
.Jrds Of the Spanish Catholic Church nov
~. Madrid is found the report of one Mar
Gus de Niza,a Franciscan monk. who,
leaving the City of Mexico. crossed the
Rio Grande, following the road he had
left 10 his mule 10 take, being resolved
10 leave all TO the guidance Of God who
alone should direct my course, and feeling
sure that He would lead to the spot
where l could do the most good TO these
poor children OF the Wilderness as he
piously says In his quaint manuscript
part OF which is written with blood of a
deer for ink. and his own forefipger mai
for a pen, having sharpened ii for tina
purpose.
Across the Rio Grande he found the vii
lage known now as lsleta, occupied by
the Pueblas Indians, whose traditions all
point 70 their having been OF the ancient
Aztec race. or 10 a people OF even more
remote origin. This was in 1881. and three
years later. Coronado. the Spanish eX-
plorer and soldier OF fortune. captured"
the town, as he poinpously puts IL. and
finding ~ "a thriving ppAcNablp IN