The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1897-11-20
buIsN.NG A CHlEfa
Weird Sceneb at the Funerql OF !
Mojave indian.
An Occasion of Teassing Afnacpg n
Hungry Children of tho pasert-s
strange and Revoitin

Dan Murphy, who owns the create
part of all that is valuable in the tow
of Needles, was in San Francisco
Gently.
ga short time ago." he snid ~
aminer reporter, as he leaned OK
counter and pulled his big s
thoughtfully over his eyes,
part in one of the stranges
ceremonies that was even
west. The corpse was
Joc, the old chief of the "a
who was one of the best lao
IN the west. Joe was one Of
for years, and while just
lay sort of buck Ia iffcs
thing OF philosopher
round'goo fellow in hia
ne was inchhad to dri
muck when lie could Sc
of years aSe2 Joc cam}
one of his bsarsts OF 0
me that, as he Nsas
he realized that his stfeisss - 49,
ing, he had decided TO prepa1
death. lie had told; his relativ
said that when lie died he wan
70 take charge of the body a
him the best scrd-off | col
wanted the thing done up in
indian style, but he wanted
about the finest thing of thS
could be arranged.
"'Nie heap big Injun, n
gested. Heap hoss, heap
sheep. lynn by die. Yo|
Il promised to do th<
and thought no more
long time. One night, how vel. 's>!{l'
weeks ago was arousod from a deep
sleep by q noise in my room, and when
nwolso / discovered number of
bucks and squaws standing about my
bed, They had an old-fashioned tiI
lantern, such as our grandfathq
used, with holes punched in it to-
the light shine through from -
candle that burned dimly
They told me that the chiefvG
and that they had come as RED
to have me arrange for the fs
They were bent on having it,
place at once, but persuaded them u
wait until morning.
son the following day we burned
Capt. Joe on the banks of the Colora-
do, about two miles from town. Thf
Indians came for miles and gather@
by hundreds to see their chief starl
on his long journey to the happy ~
ing grounds. Bundles of me-
wood were brought by willing
and when they had been forme
an enormous heap the body. y.ofe
placed on the top and match ~
at the bottom. As the flames -
the dry wood and licked their Whvl
ward the Indians formed q great cit
about the funeral pyre, and with
most fantastic gyrations of the b
vailed funeral dirge so weird
actually felt the cold chills chase ed
other up my spinal column. This e
tinued for hours, but at last the p
burned ont and the body was redus
to ashes These they covered with
heap of dirt, and then the feast began.
Nine horses, six cows and seven
sheep were slaughtered in quick order
and while the heih was still quiverin(
they cut the carcasses into hinge So
tions and threw them into steami
pots that hung over great fires
in pits dug for that purpose.
this was going on the indians
about eager for the feast, and til
ment the flesh was cooked
there was q scramble. A bl14
suuaw would seize a chunk Of MALI
cooked horsefiesh, and, eating 1t with
the avidity of wild animal, would
make raid on the beef. following i
with an attack on the mutton. In this
way they would eat until they were
gorged, and would era
off in the bush and sleep only 70 awakl
and feast afresh. For three days. and
nights this continued until every
mouthful of meat was eaten and the
bones picked clean. During the entire
time the widow of the chief yves ne
allowed to eat, but, with her "a
painted black with grease taken FROM
the box of railroad car, was com
pelled to sit alone and mourn with all
The weird walls she could command
When it was all over the IndiaI1s ys,'
back to their old lazy life to await an,
other FEAST