Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-10-23
INDIAN RUNNERS.

From the San Francisco Call.
DR.. Marc Lexington Of this city had
some curious experiences on the west
ern border. He had interested in
mining both in the northern and
southern portions of the state. He
owns the old Campbell mine, now bet
ter known as tho San Felipe mine, up
the Colorado river some distance from
Yuma. lie has been interested in the
mine only six or seven years, and at
has spent two or three months there
''I think the most remarkable thing
in my experience down there" said
the doctor yesterday, twas the extra
ordinary endurance which l witnessed
of those Indians along the river. 1
refer to the Yumas We used to en-.
ploy them in the mine.
"Why, l have seen those great
strapping barbarians take their
shovels and press them down into the
rock with just their hands-never US
ing their feet at all-and they would
keep it up, go right along that way.
The strangest thing about it was the
rock was so hard, too. TAey 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.
"There is another thing that those
Indians used to do tnat I never saw
eq allied or heard of its being equall-
ed. They used to, when we wanted TO
send any Of them down the river for
the mail to Yuma, go rightout to the
river and jump in; sometimes there
would be twenty to thirty of them,
and they just jumped in and floated
down. Didn't seem 20 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 about
three quarters of an honr. Then
they'd start with the letters and come
back up and make the round trip in
side OF two hours, the whole forty
miles.
"The Colorado river at the San Fe-
lipe mine is about as wide as the Sac
ramento is at Sacramento. 1t is big
sweeping stream, with swift-rushlng
current. How the Indians kept them
selves 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 the river aud Goat to
Yuma.
"The trip back is no easy trip. e!-
ther, A good deal of it is up very
rugged heights. They are not SO high,
though, as they are difficult Of access.
The Indians are extremely userut in
carrying ore. They thought nothing
of putting on their shoulders without
any help a 2OO-pound sack of ore.
They did the work of horses aud could
pack like mules.
"But those Cocopah Indians down
on the south near the gulf, so far as
speed is concerned, don't take second
place with anything there is on the
upper Colorado. In 1894 Senator Fair
was down there. lie was interested
in alot of land-about a million acres
and he went down to see it and get
braced up, his health not being good.
That is very hot, dry climate, which
makes it one OF the best places for the
cure of consumption that l know Of.
Well, he used to utilize the Indians TO
bring up our mail from Yuma and
such other things as he stood in need
OF from time to time. The Cocopahs
are all giants. There are none Of
them that are not six feet high, and
there are lots OF them more than that
great big fellows. The first time
Senator Fair saw these Indians run
ming he was struck with surprise.
Why, look at them, he said. Did
you ever see anything like them%
They went with a swinging run and
keptlt mp all day in the terrible dry
heat
"The distance down to Yuma from
our place was called hundred miles,
in round figures, but it was about
ninety-dve. The Indians would go
down one day and come back the next,
and come back in good shape, too, and
running right along. Didn't seem a
bit tired. Why, you talk of men Of
the Syrian Alps and the runners in
other parts of the world. l never saw
mountaineers or plainsmen that could
begin TO approach these people.
"The Government sends these In
Moro Curative Power
Is contained in one bottle Of Hoods