The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-13

are. including men. women and chill
dren, not more than ninety souls in
the town, but all true-blue Pamun-
keys. There is a smaller settlement about
twelve miles north, on the Mattapony
river. where there are about thirty-f1ve
Indians. They claim they are also Pa
munkeys, but the inhabitants at Indian
Town deny the relationship.
There is no individual ownership Of
land at Indian Town, the reservation be-
longing 10, the tribe as a whole. Each
family is allotted so much property,
which is used as a means of support.
The houses, though small, are built on
the modern plan They average about
four rooms each. are weather-boarded,
and the walls are plastered on the in
side.
The largest house belongs to Sterling
Sampson. The pretentious structure has
seven rooms. All the improved imple-
ments are used in farming. There are
no streets or avenues in the place. The
houses are many hundred yards apart.
The Pamunkeys all speak English,
scarcely a vestige of their old tribal
language remaining. They do, however
retain the habits and instincts of their
forefathers in many things, spending the
greater part of their time hunting and
fishing. They make their own dugout ca
noes from the solid trunk of a tree. and
they turn out as graceful and as steady
crafts as many of the latter-day clinker-
built boats They also make their own
pots, pipes etc, from Indian clay. Their
fish, game, frs and surplus farm products
find ready market in Richmond, which is
twenty miles away, and also In Baltt-
more. A few horses. cattle, sheep and
hogs are raised.
An elective chief. a council of fuor
and the town trustees conduct the tribal
government and administer the code Of
laws framed by the indians themselves.
The present chief is C. S. Brady and
the council consists of J. T. DENIES, w.
G. Sweat r. L. Sampson and Terrill brad
by r. w. Miles is town clerk and the
trustees are James II. Johnson, w. T..
Neal and DIR. b. Richards. The tribal
laws are not many, but the are rigidly
enforced. There is no such thing as por-
poral punishment. or Imprisonment, the
penalties for the first offenses being fines,
the most severe chastisement being eN-
pulsion from the town. This is very rareq
IN resorted to. The moneys collected 20
irto the town treasury There is never
a great amount of money on hand, but
when necessary it Is used to help along
families in need. AT the present time the
treasury is in a depleted state. Last win
ter an epidemic Of smallpox broke out,
and it was a severe blow to the settle
ment Some dozen or more were stricken
and it proved Fatal to three, including the
two Bradbys before mentioned. Three of
the houses were burned by order of he
county health officers.
In the settlement there is a Baptist
church, which is conducted by a white
minister The church receives the hearty
support of the whole tribe. There is
also a school. A native young woman
named Miss Norris is in charge, and
there are twenty-five children attend
ing There are also two physicians in
III nr.A
is the councilman, 3. Richards, and the
other is DR.. Lewis. Every native is
justly proud of his lineage and of the
prominent place once occupied by his
ancestors. They assume a kind of saw
age arstocracy over their Virginia
neighbors. Some of them are employed
on the steamboats, plying on the Vir-
ginia rivers, but not one of them will
establish for himself a home outside the
reservation He is too loyal to do that.
He retains his little cottage and plot for
his family. and most of them manage to
spend at least the winter months in town.
The natives have all the characteristics
of the Indian. They are distinguished by
their copper-colored complexion, high
cheek bones, straight black hair and black
eyes. Those at Fort Hamilton are not
exceptions.
The first of the tribal laws governing
the towns read as follows: mo member
VI the dlluIlkeys Inu1dH IIlDe small inter-
marry with any nation, except white or
Indian, under the penalty of forfeiting
their rights in town"
This partly accounts for the gradual di-
mlnishing of the tribe. They scorn a mar
rage with colored people and they do not
seem anxious to infuse white blood into
their veins. Some ten or dozen years
ago the number of the tribe was even
smaller than it is at the present time
There We're then not more than seventy
or seventy-five people living in the res
erVation. Another of the laws is that no
indian shall harbor a nonresident more
than three months, nor shall he employ
an outsider for more than sixty days.
II any help is wanted negroes from the
neighboring villages are usually hired
A fine of $ is imposed if one Indian is
found guilty of slandering another, and
for the second offense the amount is
doubled. Expulsion follows for the third.
1t is unlawful to swear on the highway of
town If a native is caught once he is
fined 20 cents. twice so cents, and the
thlrd ST. If one is found guilty of stealing
he not only has to pay for the full value
OF the goods stolen, but is also fined. The
thlrd omense means expulsion. Fines of
not less than 50 and not more than s. are
imposed for fighting on the highway. If
any one refuses to submit to the laws of
the town he is instantly banished The
chlef and council are judge and jury over
all who break the laws.