The Opelousas courier., 1896-08-15
INDIAN RUNNERS.
WONDERFUL FEATS OF RED"
SKINNED MAIL CARRIERS.
They Possess Extraordinary Strength
and misunderstanding Along
the River After the Mall
Running Long Distances.

Gus experiences on the West
ern border. He has been
interested in mining both in the north.
ern and southern portions ofthe State,
He owns the old Campbell mine, now
better known as the San Felipe mine:
up the Colorado River some distance
from Yuma. He has been interested
in the mine six or seven years, and
at different periods has spent two or
three months there.
81 think the most remarkable thing
in my experience down there" said
the Doctor yesterday, "was the extra.
ordinary endurance which | witnessed
of those Indians along the river. l
refer to the Yumas. We used to en-
ploy them in the mine.
"Why, 1 have seen these great,
strapping barbarians take their shovels
and press them down into the rock
with just their bare hands--never US.
ing their feet OF all-and they would
keep it up, going right along that way.
The strangest thing about it was the
rock was so hard, too. They might
have done it in the sand easy enough.
Anybody could do that readily, but to
work that way right in the hard rock
was something to me entirely novel
and in the nature of q revelation.
"There is another thing that those
Indians used to do that [ never saw
equalled. They used to, when we
wanted to send any of them down tho
river for the mail to Yuma, go right
out to the river and jump in; some.
times there would be twenty or thirty
of them, and they just jumped in and
foated down. Didn't seem to bother
them ct all. They didn't swim-seemed
to stay right i'll the current and float,
while it bobbed them along.
"They made the whole trip down, q
distance OF twenty miles, in three
quarters of an hour. Then they'd
start with the letters and come back
up and make the round trip inside OF
two hours, the whole forty miles.
"The Colorado River at the San
Felipe Mine is about as wide as the
Sacramento ID at Sacramento. 1t is a
big sweepingSfream with a swlft-rush'
ing current. '..dow the Indians kept
themselves up J. don't know, but they
did it. That is their way Of going
down to Yuma. OF a Saturday when
they would quit work every Indian VT
had would Jump into the river and
float to Yuma.
"The trip back is no easy trip,
either. They are not so high, though
as they are difficult of access. This
Indians are extremely useful in ca,vJT
ing ore. They thought nothing o
putting upon their shoulders, without
any help, a 200-pound sack of ore
They did the work of horses and mules
and could pack like mules.
"But those Cocopah Indians, dowr
on the south neal the Gulf, SO far a
speed is concerned, don't take a sec
ond place with anything there is OIL
the Upper Colorado. In 1894 Senate:
Fair was down there. He was inter
ested in a lot Of ~land-about 1000, 00i
acres-and he went down to see it an:
get braced up, his health not bein'
good. That is a very hot. dry climate
which makes it one of thu best place
for the cure of consumption that
know of. Well, he used to utilize tn
Indians to bring up I'LL mail fror
Yuma and such other things as b
stood in need of from time to time
The Cocopahs r. all giants. Their
are none of them that are lot six fee
. high, and there are lots of2them tina
are more than that-great big fellow;
The first time Senator Fair saw thes
Indians running he was struck wit
surprise. Why, look at them,' b
said. Did you ever see anything lik
them?' They went with a swingin
run and kept it up all day in th
terribly dry heat.
"The distance down to Yuma frol
our place was called a hundred mile!
in round figures, but it was abou
ninety-five. The Indians would 6
down one day and come back the mex
and come back in good shape, too, an
running right along. Didn't seem
bit tired. Why, you talk Of men {
the Stygian Alps and the runners
other parts of the world. I neve
saw mountaineers or plainsmen tbs
could begin to approach these peopl,
"The Government sends thes
Indians long distances owe the dese1
with the mails. When running, til
Indians are entirely naked, with th
exception of a breech-cloth. The
carry only "a canteen of water and
bit of food. One of the famous TIL
ners of the desert is Indian jim
San Francisco Call.
, Salu:ing the Flag.
From "What the Bugle Tells OF
Warship," by Lieutenant John n