Tombstone epitaph., 1893-05-14
ONLY 4 FEW OF THEM LEFT.
The seminoles of Florida and the Curious
 Customs Obtaining Among Them.

The seminoles of Florida and the Curious Customs Obtaining Among Them. A queer condition of a9airs exists among the Seminole Indians in Florida -or what there is left of them. Dr. $. B. Chapin, who recently returned. says a special to the Philadelphia Times, from the Alien place" forty miles east of Fort Meyers, relates some highly interesting facts bearing on the ques- tion of Indian education and develop mcnt. About six months ago the United States government sent him here to superintend the erection of saw and blaming mill, a shingle factory and q schoolhOuse and cottage for the teach CTS, also to lay the foundation for an industrial school for the benefit of the Indians still inhabiting the high lands on the northern boundary of the Ever glades. This scheme was put on foot by the Womcn's National Indian asso- citation of Philadelphia, of which Mrs. Quentin is president. Prior to Dr. Chapin's coming this association sent Dr. J. F. Brecht to open school here, and he did so, and white children were allowed to attend it with the hope that the Indians would follow their example. But so far they have ovinced 10 inter, est whatever in the matter, and Dr. i'recht hopes that by good treatment of them and by pc rscverancc he may in ducc the Indians to take advantage of the opportunity thus offered.
 The Scminolcs, Dr. Chapin says, now number about five hundred, with per haps two hundred. in cracker vcrnac- ular, ''buclls," for they are warriors no longer. When Chief Osceola. or the Rising Sun," went down the warlilie spirit of the Seminole tribe was broken forever. Three conditions limit the in crease of the race-thcir restricted hunting ground, its malarial condition and the law of the tribe as to marriage. This law for bids the marriage of any two of the tribe where there is the least known blood relation, and it is as unaltcrablc as those of the Mcdcs and the Pcrsians. In consequence of this tribal ullasc boys of eighteen years marry women of eighty or more. IL often happens that to marry at all they have no other choice.
 The dress of the bucks is buckslin trousers and q turban made of as many yards of red or yellow calico as they can conveniently coil around their bronze bruws. The women continc their dress almost exclusively to beads. They all have an utter rcpugnance for photographers, and their features can be had on paper only by the use of . iudal< concealed from their sight. -l, .l...l al ''shaclls." and they care neither to i'm prove their minds nor to accumulate worldly goods. Around the Allen place the guava and many other semi tropical fruits grow wild in the woods. lud the very finest farming lands can bc bought for two dollars and fifty ,cnts per acre. Frost fell in this sec ton last winter for the first time in over thirty years, and the spring drought exhausted the usually ample supply of good water to such an extent that Dr. Chapin had to sink wells for supplying the stock with water while cn route from here to the schoolhousc site with lumber and machinery.
 .IL ,-...r.e..I IabIe.
 An Eagle who had lived to a Ripe
 
 Welded to the Idea of Peace at any price that he had Lost most of his Tail Feathers in his Efforts to carry it out. was Haunted and blufTed and grievous- ly Insulted by a Chicken hardly vet able to Scratch for himself To the great Amazement of the Chicken and all the other Fowls hooking on. the Eagle suddenly picked up his Insultcr and Shook off most of his Feathers and Demanded . string of Apologies as long as from the smokehouse door to the corn crib. Knocked out by the Un- expected turn of Affairs, the Apologies were Forthcoming, and while the Eaylc settled down to smooth his PIumape and the Chicken went for the Bushes. the Turkey elevated hIs eyebrows and Remarked to the Crowd:
 Well, by gosh. but who'd a-thoupbt it!"
 POSTSCRIPT.
 And that's what all the rest of us are