The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-08-22
INDIAN RUNNERS.
WONDERFUL FEATS OF RED
SKINNED MAIL CARRIERS.
They Possess Extraordinary Strength
aud Endurance-Fioatfng Alon:
tie River After. the Mall
Running Long Distances.

this city, has had some Curl
GUS experiences on the West
ern borders 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, / have seen these great.
strapping barbarians take their shovels
and press them down into the rock
with Just their bare hands-never u.s.
ing their feet at 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 a revelation.
sThere 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 the
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
doated down. Didn't seem to bother
them at all. They didn't swim-seemed
to stay right in the current and float,
while it bobbed them along.
"They made the whole trip down,
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 abou. as wide as the
Sacramento is at Sacramento. 1t is o
big sweeping stream with swift-rush-
ING current. How the Indians kept
themselves up don't know, but they
did it. That is their way OF going
down to Yuma. OF Saturday when
they would quit work every Indian we
had would jump into tho river and
float to Yuma.
ssThe trip back is no easy trip,
either. They are not 60 high, though,
as thew are difficult of access. The
Indians are extremely useful in carry
ing ore. They thought nothing o.
putting upon their shoulders, without
any help, 20O-pound sack of ore
They did the work of horses and mules
and could pack like mules.
"But those Cocopah Indians, dowl
on the south near the Gulf, SO far a
speed is concerned, don't take sec
ond place with anything there is OIL
the Upper Colorado. In 1894 Senate
Fair was down there. He was inter
ested in lot of land-about /, 900, 00
acres-and he went down to SEQ it AM
get braced up, his health not bein
good. That is very hot, dry climate
which makes it one OF the best place
for the cure of consumption that
know of. Well, he used to utilize tn
Indiaus to bring up our mail fror
Yuma and such other things as b
stood in need of from time to time
The Cocopahs are oil giants. Their
are none of them that are not six fee
high, and there are lots OF them tina
are more than that-great big fellows
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
themY They went with a swingin
run and kept it up all day in th
terribly dry heat.
ssThe distance down to Yuma frol
our place was called hundred miles
in round figures, but it was abor
, ninety-ive. 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
J bit tired. Why. you talk of men I
/. the Stygian Alps and the runners
! other parts of the world. I new
saw mountaineers or plainsmen tn
could begin to approach these peopl
s'The Government sends the
Indians long distances over the desc
: with the mails. When running, Il
!, Indians are entirely naked, with I'll
; execution of q breech-cloth. Thu
carry only canteen OF water and
4 bit of food. One OF the famous ru
g ners of the desert is Indian Jim. =.
: San Francisco Call.
is The Oldest Love Letter.