The St. Johns herald., 1894-08-02
TRAPPING ANTELnPEs.
Methods of the Navajo Indians in
 Capturing the Timid Animal.
Pens in Which Hundreds of the Wary Creatures Are Corraled at Once-A Cruel Practice That Should
 Be Checked.


 Cruel Practice That Should
 Re Checked.
 Few people in the west, ano scarcely any in the east, have any idea of the unique manner in which the Navajo Indians have from time immemorial caught antelopes, writes a correspond ent at Helen, N. NJ. Thousands of the beautiful creatures still abound upon the vast tablelands of this territory. In the country just south of the Nava- jo reservation, and between it and the Atlantic G5 Pacific railroad, one ire quently comes upon long, straight rows of the trunks of trees and the branches of cedar and pine, stretching for miles across these treeless pla1ns. In many places, says the Chicago Jour nal, they are nearly rotted away, and only the larger limbs and trunks now mark these lines. These are the ruins of ancient antelope corrals or pens. The large bands of antelopes have long since been destroyed in this part of the country, and only small herds of from five to ten can be seen. These are mostly hunted down upon the Amer ican or white mans plan. However, directly south of Winslow, about fifty miles distant, large bands of these graceful creatures still roam, and there is in existence there a new corral that is in running order at the present time. It is here that the old men of the tribe, who believe in the ancient manner of catching game, enjoy their annual hunt.
 This corral was built in 1890 by the order of the old chief, Gano Mumcho and his son, Many Horses. A place was selected where slight hill was found upon the border of a wide prai- rie. Not even a sagebush could be seen, and trees for the corral had to be brought from the cedar-covered hills nearly ten miles away. They were cut and dragged to the place by the men and boys on horseback. A close pen, cir cular in form, about one hundred feet across was first built against the steep side of the hill, so that the tops of the posts used could not be seen from the opposite side Two lines of trees were then dragged and laid loosely upon the ground, but close enough to appear like brush fence. These lines at the pen are about twenty yards apart and run almost parallel for one hundred yards or so and then spread apart tan angle of about thirty degrees and ex- tend across the plains for four and half or. five miles.
 When the party reaches the corral for the annual hunt the chief first se lects the officers, four to watch each point of the compass around the pen. For each a pit is dug deep enough to put him out of sight. The less space required the more the occupant is es- teemed and considered worthy of pro- motion later on. The chief and his as- right side of the entrance to tic pen, standing in d hole dug for the pur- pose, and just deep enough to hide all except their heads From five to eight Indians on the heetest horses are set out at daybreak to surround band of corral. An antelope when startled keeps as far as possible away from any place where an enemy might be hiding, hence they keep as far away from the wings of the corral, which are on either side of them, as they can. After being closed in upon they cannot turn back, as the drivers are in hot pursuit, and they make a dash for the top of the hill, which to them appears to be the only opening between the horrid lines of brush fence. But, alas for them, they find themselves inclosed in stout pen, around which they run in circle, never trying to jump over. The shouts and yells of the Indians at length so completely terrify the poor animals that they stand trembling and appar- ently unconscious of the Indians, who now approach and kill them with clubs, stones or anything at hand. As many as two hundred and fifty have been caught at one time in this man. ner, and for wholesale destruction of game it surpasses any murdering proc ess in vogue, and should be stopped en- tirely.