Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-06
BLACK ART Adopts.
STRANGE FGATs or MEDICINE ss,:
Or KINGS ISLAND.
Brinsiss ths Dead Bscl Go Lie - . Zee
Iseantations md fumblisgs Ssrsags
Rock Upon which . oseer People re.
side In Apparent C~ooseatmens

''The strangcst island in the world"
said Captain NJ. J. 1fclly II the United
States steamer Bear iu the Occidental
hotel, lis Kings island. $500 mile
northwest uf here and I2o miles Of the
coast OF Siberia
lit lies almost in the middle % Be-
ring strait. almost eeuidisian; from the
Asiatic and American shores II IL in.
habited by is6 Of the queeresf peo1lc ]
ever set eyes upon. The inhabitants
comprise men. women and children u:
all ages. and besides those there are ua
msrous dogs Of all degrees except high
THE island he little more than a roek
rising ort VI the storm tossed water. II
the ever turbulent strait. IL - aboat .
mile long and half n mile wide. and 10.
sides are SO pfscipitOas that they arc
like elisa
"AlmoS: IN tho middle of the island
and at the south side j. an indsntafion
made by the rushing waters This b.
expanded iato a funnellike hole. reach.
ing into the island and cut a; the top at
an angle experimenting 81 dcgrees Ths
hole Is $50 fs+t de- p. and during stormy
weather the natives Bet down q rope and
drag nj the seai@ w~alfuscs aud oshei
sea animals which they have taken.
"I, l. On ;hssc animals that th. o
tivCs s-hs:rf. They are very expert In
taking them. Is well - great whales
which they dn lot fear O. attack. and
in fact secure a. trophies of their rrow-
oss. Thsy hurt all ihcsc animals In
fhsir ly:.k--i-ais 20 stost and skill
fully made ;s.st. though they are often
tossed cvrE ard over ty ihs surf. they
are rcyc- wrecked and are speedily
Iirhtrd. Til iraimcn sit with ils 10
feet in holes in the beats. clad In water
tiSht walEus skins These boats will
put OF successfully where the ordinary
boat v-ould not; live a minute.
"Hut aboat the catch II these walrus-
es and other animals and TN. strange
island. The natives have scoopsi cut
queer recpptacics ON 10th sides Of the
entrance ON the ledge. Thesn are so cool
that they nre natural frfrigcrators. and
in these they s,orc the bodies of the AMI
mails for future use. There are about
70 Of these rccvptaclcs or natural ne
frigu rio.s, and there - nearly always
u supply IT meat in them. 40 that the
chances Of starving ut any time are com
paratively scarce.
''On the right side Of the island above
is the village Of the Indians. IL IL n
queer town. Whose miniature houses arr
made of walrus skins. stretched ON light
frames. The ground is 50 rough that the
little skin abodes are ranged one above
the other. like HOUSES IN a mining camp
On q mountain side. in the distance
they Look small and fragile. but they
are full of people aud active as bcchiy.S.
From the tossing avcs where the
bear lay tie catacomhlike refrigerator
and tho village presented n novel ap.
pearance.
1.-The island. although n sort of re.
public in its government. il ruled ty q
few medicine men. each of different de.
grees a Importance. The medicine
men hold their positions ty their re
markable feats of leecricmain- Many
people have gone to see Hermann and
Blitz also in his lifetime and hav.
wondered Ct the f,ais they have sect
them perform. But I undertake 60 say
that none Of these professors of the black
art has performed more maryclou.
things han i ave seen these barbarian
medicine men do there.
For instance. I have secn one Of
these medicine men take n man and lay
him on n table and take a big knife and
stick IL right into him TO the handle
The man would writic. turn pale. gasJ
and lie. Then the medicine man woull
withdraw the knife. 40 through q few
lamentations. tumble over thc victim
and in a he would set up ant
go about. sound as ever.
Il have also seen them pluck out rab
bits. birds and other forms Of ANNA
life from impossible places They woul,
do things t.:orc your eyes that wcr'
marvellous TO rs and TO all the natives
for Of course the natives tcli.y. implic
lilly in the supernatural powers Of thsi
medicine man.
But the strancest thing ! saw hap
peped ON beard my ship onc day. Their
were about; 100 of these natives aboard
Ono 81 the natives. n girl. fell dowi
with . hemcrThase and vomi;.a bloc
all around Tn. blood cam. from he
lungs in streams She WIS lying th.r
"" "' s'CA - lAst - Nt-lts anu
Thought that sine woald die there. -
rushed u man OF to get Dr. Y.smans
the Bears surgeon.
Before the doctor could get fher
, the chief medicine mar rushed out. and
, going to the giri. h. blew first into ON
ear and then into the other. and the
, tapped her an the chin. and She got u
and WINS ali righ; again. and she bega
dancing around on the ship - health
and active ~ though there had pevs
been tho least thing the matter wit
her. And mark you. this wasn't tw
> minutes from the time she had herboi
,, rhagcs l never saw anything 81 mai
veioas in my life. There Was all II
: blood befurc mo an the ship tro..
The s'ralgc rock IN the s,a y Inch
. the abode Of these natives j. abou, .
miles from Fort Clarence. I relieve
D them twice when they had through ia
fortuitous circumstances BEEN borderir
. on starvation san Francisco Call.