The San Francisco call., 1897-02-14

| ity. Their slyness was comparable only
to that OF the coyote.
There was one feature in their civil sys-
| tenn. however, which doubtless saved
/ them great deal of trouble, and whose
benefits were twofold: First, if husband
did not, after some experience, feel salts
| fed with his wife he could return her to
her father and receive his money back,
and second, he could with impun1ty kill
| his mother in law. For any one else
whom he might be pleased to kill, how
| ever, he must with speed indemnify the
| relatives of such person, else his own life
would be taken in reprisal. A few strings
OF allicochick, equal in purchasing power
! to about three years labor of one man,
| were deemed ample satisfaction for such
an injury.
Thus private revenge was the only pun
ishment which met the commission of
the crime of murder, and as it was profit
able for this to be vented it occurred that
man had more concern evinced at the
manner of his demise than was given to
the method of his living. 1t was reckoned
that SO long as one should continue to
live he could look out for himself and his
property. and visit upon his offenders
such punishment as he considered their
crimes deserved; but this he could not do
if the offense inflicted him with death.
The wealthiest man of the tribe was
entitled to be its chief But his powers
were advisory, not coercive. de had no
means to enforce his suggestions. The
recipients of his views might accord their
conduct to them or not and infreouenty
they did not. His official functions ap-
| pear to have been anomalous, which was
due to the fact of the tribe being a peace
| loving one. Such was not the case with
| warlike tribes.
Among the articles in the collection are
about twenty-five baskets made by the
women of ferns, bark and roots. The
Cahrocs excelled i'll this art, and all the
designs which the Navajos put into their
blankets and the Oregon Klamaths shaped
into their bead work appear here woven
in the fibers of these baskets. The de-
signs are artistic, often intricate, some
times involving geometrical figures,
product which for excellence in workman
ship and ornamentation is not to be ex-
celled by any civilized artisan of the craft.
Many of the baskets displayed are hats,
| others are sip-nooks or trinket baskets,
yet others are shaped as the inverted
frustum of a cone, as receptacles borne
upon the backs of squaws sustained by a
| baad attached to either side and spread
around the forehead of the carrier. Other
baskets are the lncasements of papooses
as transported upon their mothers backs,
and still others are large ovate affairs with
semi-globular lids, used as trunks or for
storage purposes.
| The ceremonial costumes comprising
| buckskin jackets and aprons deeply
fringed with their strips of buckskin,
heavily strung with fragments OF the lri-
descent she'll of the haliotis, embellished
with festoons of eepe seeds, with feathers
of the blue quail, all comprising trappings
of gorgeous wealth and pompous ostenta-
ton, the otter skin bands for the feminine
coiffures, necklaces OF shells and berry
beads, besides soapstone ollas, the Indian
water vessel and the chisels, hatchets
allicochick purses of elkhorn are numer-
Gus and curious enough in the cabinet.
! But among the most interesting of the
| de partments rs that devoted to the wea-
, pons of the chase and the snares for game.
There are number of bows spears and
arrows, with their heads OF obsidan, tai
cose slate and bone and agate chisels for
chipping the heads; fishing nets woven