Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-06-22
TWINS IN AN. INDIAN CAMP.
The Medicine Man Has a Summary Way
of DispOsing of Them.

The Medicine Man Has Summary Way
of dispensing of Them.
The following true story of Indian
life is told by an Arizona prospector and
describes one of the queer superstitions
of a barbarc tribe: In January, 1886,
| was crossing a desert with a team. 1t
is necessary to carry water across the
plain, and l had good supply in a bar
rel on the wagon. Everything was going
along in good shape until nearly noon,
when an accident resulted in the loss of
every drop of water we had. 1t was
impossible to proceed further without
water, and yet to remain there would
be equally serious. We did our best.
Along in the evening | was picked up
by a band of Apaches in an almost ex-
hausted condition. They gave me water,
and one young couple who seemed to be
superior in intelligence fed me.
Il, however, did not have my full
senses. The terrible strain on dry
alkali plain without water and in a
burning sun was enough to turn ones
brain. Indians are superstitious, il
logical and childish to a degree of which
no civilized man has any conception.
This was to my advantage. They
thought me insane, and, as they regard
one out of his mind as something super
natural and to be revered, they treated
me with the greatest kindness. [ did not
trust the Indians, and hence when | be-
gan to recover my mental balance l
tried to give no outward evidence of
this fact, and wandered among them in a
solitary and speeches. manner. | was
shamming to get away all the time
"a few days after my arrival at
camp twin boys were born to the young
wife of the Indian who had fed me and
cared for me. This is not any more
uncommon among the Indians than else
where, and although the red man is
passionately fond of children, yet the APP
pearance of twins and crazy man, as
they thought me, forebode them evil. and
the medicine man said that the squaw
was a witch and that she and her in
fants must be sacrificed. Melo pleaded
for his wife without avail She did not
attempt to escape. i was not yet able to
understand the Indian language and it
was some time before [ was aware of
what troubled my young friends and only
a few hours remained before the mother
anu her children would be burned.
Il made my escape and succeeded in
reaching the agency. Here, with much
trouble, | secured a detachment of cav
airy and led them back to the Indian
camp. / had no hope of being in time
but, fortunately, the chief had eaten
something that did not agree with him
and the sacrifice was postponed a few
hours. When we rode up the noise of
the beating of tomtoms and the singing
of dancers drowned out the sound of our
approach. In the distance we could
see the young wife and her two children
being driven into her shock and the war
riors with burning firebrands gradually
closing in to ignite the funeral pile At
this moment we were discovered and the
dance was brought to standstill The
presence of the troopers was sufficient I
persuaded Melo and his wife to return to
Phoenix with me- They have lived
there since, and aided me in gaining
knowledge of the Apaches. Denver
Field and Farm