Smyrna times., 1896-09-16
BLACK ART Adopts.
STRANGE FEATS OF MEDICINE MEN
OF KINGS ISLAND.

Incantations and Fumblings Strange
Rock Upon Which a OReer People Re-
side In Apparent Contentment.
1.-The strangest island IN the world"
said Captain M. J. Healy of the United
States steamer Bear in the Occidental
hotel, ''is Kings island. $500 miles
northwest Of here and 1870 miles off the
coast Of Siberia.
"It lies almost in the middle of Be
ring strait, almost equidistant from the
Asiatic and American shores. 1t is in
habited by lSG of the queerest people 1
ever set eyes upon. The inhabitants
comprise men, women and children of
all ages, and besides these there are nu-
merous dogs of all degrees except high.
1.-The icland is little more than a rock
rising out of the storm tossed waters of
the ever turbulent strait. 1t is about a
mile long and half mile wide, and its
sides are so precipitous that they are
| like cliffs.
almost in the middle of the island
and at the south side is an indentation
made by the rushing waters. This is
expanded into a funnellike hole reach
ing into the island and out at the top at
an anglo apprOximating 90 degrees The
hole is $50 feet deep, and during stormy
weather tie natives let down rope and
| drag up the seals, walruses and other
sea animals which they have taken.
at is ON these animals that the ma
tives subsist. They are very expert i'll
taking them, as well as great whales,
| which they do not fear to attack, and
in fact secure as trophies of their PROV
ess. They hunt all these animals in
their kyaks-boats so stout and skill
fully made that, though they are often
tossed over and over by the surf, they
are never wrecked and are speedily
righted. Pho boatmen sit with their
feet in holes in the boats, clad i'll water
tight walrus skins. These boats will
put off successfully where the ordinary
boat would hot live minute.
but about the catch of these walrus-
es and other animals and the strange
island. The natives have scooped out
queer reccptaclcs Oh both sides of the
| entrance On the ledge. These are so cool
that they arc natural refrigerators, and
i'll these they store the bodies of the ami
mails for future usa. There are about
20 of these reccptacles or natural re-
frigeratOrs, and there is nearly always
a supply If meat i'll them, so that the
chances Ct starving at any time are COM
parativelJ scaIce.
"On the right side Of the island above
is the village Ct the Indians. 1t is
queer town whose miniature houses are
made Of wairCs skins, stretched on light
frames The ground is so rough that the
little skin aLCt!CS arc ranged one above
the Other, like house i'll mining camp
on lnCunt&in side, in the distance
they look sIH.H and fragile, but they
are full OF people and active as beehivos.
From tic tossing waves where the
bear lay the catacCmEl;ke refrigcrators
and the village presented a novel ap-
pearance.
''Tho islard, although q sort of re-
public i'll il government, IL ruled ny q
few medicine men. each IF different de-
grces Ct il 7; ltaLce. The medicine
men hold ticir positions by their re-
markablo fe;.ts CT legerdemain. Many
people have gone 10 see Hermann and
Blitz also il his lifetime and have
wonCClCd at the feats they have seen
them perform. But / undertake to say
that Eono Of these professors Of the black
art has performed mere marvellous
things than have seen these barbarian
medicine men do there.
For Instance, | have seen one of
these medicine nCn take a man and lay
him on table and take a big knife and
stick it right into him to the handle.
The man V ould writhe, turn pale, gasp
and die. Then the medicine man would
withdraw the Lniie, go through "a few
incantations, tumble over the victim,
and i'll moment he would get up and
go about, soGnd as ever
81 have also seen them pluck out rab.
bits, birds ard other forms Of animal
life from impossible places. They would
do things before your eyes that were
marvellous to us and to all the natives,
for of course the natives believe implic
, | lilly i'll the supernatural powers of theil
, medicine lnan.
"But the strangest thing | saw hap
pened on beard my ship one day. There
were about leo Of these natives aboard.
, One Of the natives girl, fell dowr
, with a hcmcrrhGge and vomited blood
, all around. The blood came from hel
, lungs in streams She was lying there
on the deck as pale as death, and
, thought that she Y Ould die there, so
! rushed Il r.aI Oh to get DIR. Yeamans
, the Bears sCcglon.
Before TIE doctor could get thert
2 the chief medicine man rushed out, and
, going to TIC rirl, he blew first into ON
! ear and then into the other, and thel
tapped her Cl the chin, and she got VI
! and Was all light again, and she began
{ dancin% around on the ship as health,
and active IS though there had neve
, been the least thing the matter witt
q her. Arl mark you, this wasn't tw,
q minutes from the time she had hemor
rhagCs. never saw anything so mar
velous i'll my life. Thle was all th
blood before ne On the ship too.
''The strange rock in the sea which
t the abode Of these natives is about 8
s miles from Fort Clarence. l relieve,
T. them twice when they had through in
/ fortuitous circumstances been borderin
p on starvation. San Francisco Call.
: Good Credit at the Grocer's,