The record-union., 1894-06-06
A Vaccination Visit to the Hot Spring
indians.
How the Glory of the Red Man Has
Departed, and How He
Lives Now.

when at length the village stands re-
vealed in all its wretched squalor, with
its half-naked, dirt-incrusted children,
its filthy and horribly ugly old women,
its pack of starved and sneaking dogs.
one feels that his investigation has gone
far enough.
But there is smallpox in this part Of the
State, and the authorities have declared
that all Indians must be vaccinated, so
the doctor must penetrate every hovel
and hole into which an unwilling savage
might crawl. 1t was in company with
the doctor that / visited several of the
camps.
The largest was made up of perhaps
twenty-five wickiups and wickIup, by
the way is the queerest-loOking structure
that ever mortal devised. Considered as
crazy" work it is Il remarkable success,
but viewed from any other standpoint 1t
is most ignominious and dismal failure.
All sorts OF fabrics go into its construc-
tion-canvas, barley sacks, old pieces of
mating and carpet, and, indeed, such
hodge podge does the whole constitute
that one is forced to the conclusion that
the object Of the designer, like that of our
grandmothers. with their gorgeous bed
quilts, is to get in as many distinct pieces
and different colors as possible.
While there is apparently no system Of
government among the Hot Spring In
dians, yet there are certain men among
them who, by reason of their native SUI
periority are looked up 10 by the others,
and whose word is law among them. 10
a group Of these leaders the doctor with
many gestures explained the object of his
visit, not falling to bare my arm as well
as his own, in order To exhibit our vac
| cination scars as an object lesson TO the
puzzled savages.
1t was not the Doctors first appearance
among these people, as they had many
times had occasion to seek his services
when in the conflict with disease the eff
forts of their own medicine men had been
baffied; and it was IN all probability due
rather to their confidence in him than 10
any comprehensions Of the prophylaxls
OF vaccinia that they consented TO have
the entire camp undergo the slight opera
ton. When this decision was announced
it caused tlutter of excitement that ex
tended through the whole village; the
men talked together in short-Sentenced,
apparently disjointed jargOn, the women
exchanged grunts and exclarnations and
the girls giggled coquettishly.
A number of the men had large scars
on their forearms, which, they explained,
were made by fire at the time they had
emerged from boyhood into manhood,
with the object of testing their courage.
One old man had the lobeS of his ears
split and this, we were told, had been
done years ago as mark OF honor at a
time when he had surpassed all the others
of his tribe in a swimming contest. An
other had a large hole bored through the
septum Of his nose, which indicated that
he was famous runner.
"A WiZened old fellow with tattered
blue army cape hanging over lis snoul-
ders sat i'll the door of his wickiup and
eyed us sullenly.
"That is old George, said the doctor,
s'and he hates the whites now as much as
he did twenty-five years ago when ne
testimonial to the accuracy Of one mans
aim"
The doctor threw back the old mans
cloak, revealing the fact that he had lost
his right arm.
During the Bannack War;" said the
doctor, lit was suspected that old
George who is Piute, was acting as
spy for the hostiles. He was ordered to
remain at Fort Bidwell. though not
placed in actual confinement. One day
he managed to get by the guard, and was
not seen until almost out of rifle range.
The sentinel called TO him, but George
had a fair start and made up his mind to
run for it. He had not run half a dozen
steps when bang! went the sentry's gun,
soldier had winged him, and George
had 10 have his arm taken off at the
shoulder. No wonder he scowls at u.s."
As we advanced, / was startled by the
sudden movement of what l had taken
to be heap OF rags that lay in our path.
The heap moved, and slowly crept out Of
our way. On closer inspection we dis
covered that beneath the rags was an old
woman, so wrinkled and ugly, SO mis-
shapen by age and disease, that one could
scarcely believe her human. Squat on
her hams she dragged herself along the
ground. A rope about twenty feet in
| l0ngLn was fastened to her ankle, the
other end being tied to a stake driven in
the earth. Near the stake was mlnia-
ture wickIup, like a dog kennel, into
which the misshapen creature might
| crawl at night.
On asking one of the men the reason of
her being thus tethered, he tapped his
head significantly, and on observing her
tug at her rope without making the
slightest attempt to unite it, l readily
understood his meaning.
If it were not for the dirt with hich
they are covered from head to foot the
! children would not be unattractive. Som 9
/ of the girls of from 16 to 20 years are very
| careful as TO their personal appearance,
and although the beautiful Indian
maiden" is generally supposed to be
/
number OF girls to whom the term
pretty might fairly be applied. AS
soon as the women reach full maturity,
/ however, they lose what comeliness they
| may have had, and each succeeding year
! this ugliness increases. AS ii nature had
| not done enough for them in this direc-
ton they add horror to horror by daub
| ing their faces with black pitch which
| gives them a most disgusting appearance.
| lc a
mony or for its cosmetic effect was not
able TO learn.
The women do kind of wicker work
| with willow twigs, and the baskets thus
| formed are models as to strength and
! durability. some of the finer ones being
so closely woven that water can be car
! ried in them.
They also do some very ingenious bead
work, and much of their time is spent in
this occupation.
''That man ought to have been hanged
| long ago. said the doctor, indicating
stalwart old Indian with anything but
! an amiable countenance.
| lone of the early overland wagon roads
passed through this valley, and there is
/ no telling how many emigrant trains he
| has helped loot" he continued. 1T is
said that on one of his raids he captured
! a beautiful young white woman whom
he kept in captivity for several years.
When Fort Bidwell was about to be es-
tabIished and he heard that the soldiers
were coming, fearing punishment for
his crimes, he crushed his captive's skull
with stone. He disposed of the body
so effectually that it has never been dis
covered, but some of the other Indians
/ have told of the deed. His enemies
whisper that he still carries the wonaRs
scalp.n
Some of the more prosperous Indians
orally practiced among them. Judging
from the number of infants and the chill
dren l saw toddling about amidst the
sagebrush it would be hard to believe