The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1896-08-21
INDIAN BASEBALL.
Il IsRt Much Ilse the National Game,
but u 10 q Lively Sport,

BtHSlSt s04FV6 w kuuSSHASHt aWVlNB> all
the Americs9 Indian tribes, but. writes
Henry lnman, IN the Kansas City Star.
1t is conceded that tho Choctaws, in
their unciyilized state. were the most
skilled in the game OF course, the In
dian method of playing is not at all sim
liar to the American National game,
and indeed it is more like tennis.
1t is played with two. bats or sticks,
and in every house / visited in the
Choctaw Nation saw one or more pairs
of these peculiar bats, The sticks are
bent into an oval loop at one end, with
a web of fine buckskin thongs stretched
across them to prevent the ball from
falling out when tossed or caught Each
player carries two Of these bats, one in
each hand, and they catch the ball by
jumping into the air, and throwit from
the bats. and never are allowed to strike
it or catch it with their hands,
In their primitive days it was an in
variable law of the game that no player
should wear moccasins ON his feet, and
he could make his, appearance on the
ball grounds only in the prescribed
dress. He had to. wear his breech-clout
and beautiful head belt and tail, made
of white horse hair or quilts, with a
name around his, neck constructed Of
the same material as the tail, dyed in
colors. The match was made up months
before the day agreed upon for the play
ing of the game, and was led by two
champions, or captains, as we should
call them. These captains had the
power to go through the tribe, from viii
hge to village. and alternately choose
the men for their respective sides. The
choice of players. was generally effected
by proxy; two runners" were sent,
armed with pair of "ball-sticks. "
These were elaborately ornamented
with paint, ribbons and any thing that
had gaudy appearance, and were
touched by the players selected as an
evidence that they accepted and would
be on hand promptly at the appointed
time, prepared to take part. Each side
erected on the ground, where the game
was to take place, two upright poles
about thirty feet high and six feetapart
across the top of which another pole
was fastened. These were called the
goals or "byes," and the distance be
between them, onerepresenting one side
and one the other, was some 800 feet
At point exactly half way from eacf
goal a small stake was driven where the
ball was to be thrown into the air at ;
certain signal.
All the preliminaries for the game
were attended to by an old men, wht
were also the judges or umpires. FRS
line was drawn from one goal to the
other; this was called the betting line
across which all bets were made an(
placed in possession of the regularly-ap
pointed Shareholders, and all betting
was made the night before the gam'
was to be called. Every conceivabl,
thing was staked that the Indian pos
sessed, for there is no such inveterat,
gambler as poor Lo. The women of tn,
tribe, too, were as earnest to wager wha
their lodges contained, even to the las
blanket.
The night before the game, all thu
players assembled around their respect
i've "byes," whereA by the light c
torches and other fires, the squaws, bea
their tom-toms and sung the weird song
of the nation. Then was the "bal
play dance" INDUCED in, all the player
Of both sides, in, their full game dress
rattling their bats together and joinin
in the monotonous chants of the,tribt
Then the squaws formed on. each side {
the betting-line and there danced an
sung appeals to the Great Spirit to d.
eide the game tomorrow in their favo
r The game was always opened by fou
, old medicine men, who were also th
umpires The night before the gam
/ was called, while the players and tn
r hetters were dancing and having goo
3 time at the "byes" and the betting line
> they were squatted down at a. sma
9 stake, away from the fun, smoking
. the Great Spirit for ability to impartia
Q ly decide the game tomorrow, as the
duties required.
The four old men standing at tt
small stake throw the ball up in the a
and then the players, numbering 700
800 frequently. rush frantically to- tt
spot, leaping and actually jumping ov'
each others heads, darting betwee
their adversaries' legs, and all the tin
keeping up the most demoniacal vel
in their efforts to toss the ball to the
own. side. Something's regular han
to-hand fight occurs, but it never b
. comes serious, because, according to OF
= of the rules of the game, every weapc
= is left in the village and no man is 6
p lowed to go or send for one, so that the
r occasional broils never amount to an
n thing. The game is for 100 points, al
r a point is when the ball is pass
through the poles Of either side, whi
counts one.
All the players efforts seem to be co
eentrated upon keeping the ball up
the air, but of course it does fall to t
o ground. once in. awhile, and then t
scene is pandemonium broke loose; y