Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25

far the Indian fortune tellers. | have
spent many years among the Indians il
the far west and have had many eXpe-
rlences with them Among the women, for
tune t-liers are very rare. there not being
many of them, but when they are met with.
they give more satisfaction to those who
consult them than the gypsies. More as e
lark than anything else 1 have consulted
number of them, as has also my wife
The Indian fortune teller is generally re-
garded as a kind of a witch more than any,
thing else that ] can compare her to, anu
l admit that some of their witchcraft is too
Geep for me- Some years ago, 1 was sta
tened at Fort Duncan in Texas and
among the occasional visit RS to the post
there was an old Indian woman. Her In
dian name was Tia Chpita, and she lived
IN an Indian village near Eagle Pass
IeNaS- She sought several of the officers
ladies and for a small fee told them their
fortunes. L happened into the room as she
was unfolding the future to my wife, and
pald particular attention to what she said
as TO our future. The singular part of the
matter was that nearly everything she said
mas since TRANSFERRED The Old woman told
US that she would appear in the garrison
the next day in the morning and in the
form OF jack rabbit. We had a good
Iaush over IL Tor We were pretty certain
that there was not much likelihood of a
jack rabbit putting in an appearance about
the post first, because a jack rabbit had
not been seen about there for years, and
second, the number of troops about there
would, We thought, scare off an ordinary
jack rabbit should he even desire to visit
the post When the morning came We had
forgotten about the prediction, but Just as
the clock struck ten, the hour designated
by the witch. an enormous jack rabbit ran
through the post. | dealt know that any
one besides my wife and myself had been
told TO look out for it, but the jack rabbit
was there just as certain that We were
there
= = = x *
There are but few who admire the COL
lection of beautiful sulphur crystals in the
National Museum remarked the gentle
man who collected them from the famed
sulphur mines in Sicily, to Star reporter,
Who have any idea in relation to the same
except their beauty. L don't think" he
SAID, there Is another spot on earth where
sLch abominable treatment such fiendish
cruelty. is inflicted ON the Iaborer as in the
sulphur mines OF Sicily. They are paid
barely enough to provide themselves with a
scant supply of the coarsest, cheapest food,
ana good portion of the time they are in
a state oi chronic starvation. When L was
last there, many of the mines were closed
and Sicilian paper stated that $1,000 peo-
pie were starving at the mines. The work
is of the hardest and most exhausling
character. Very few of the mines nave
hosting apparatus. and the sulphur ore
Sulphur and limestone combineD Is
brought up from the depths below the
backs of Men and boys. Long, sopng
narrow tunnels lead from the surface DOWN
to the sulphur beds 2OJ 10 Coz feet more
pelo" miners zig the stun out, and 1t is
carried Up in stout sacks, fat baskets.
Many or the IaboIers especially the boys,
work naked On their backs they wear d
piece Of mating, or something of the sort,
held by string around the neck. This IS
10 protect, the flesh from being torn from
Their bodies by the Jagged corners OF the
ore they carry No one can imagine a
more heart-reudinS sight than 10 see the
wretChed creatures toiling up the long,
steep slopes IN the mine, with their enor-
nous loads. Every step they take wrIIgs
a Sroan from their tortured frames. Most
piUful 10 was the sight OF the poor,
bent broken and emaciatei old men; mere
battered wrecks: and the young lads of ten
and twelve years, mo have just begun this
life OF cruel toll.
Staggering along under loads full as
heavy as d strong man ought TO carry, the
dreadful procession winds upward through
the narrow drifts and tunnels to the sur
race. where the ore is piled up in rectangu-
lar heaps and paid for by the cubic meter.
As evidence of the awful severity of the
labor, is the fact that very large per-
centase of these lads are so badly crippled
by the time they reach the age for military
service that The cOnscript officers forced
to reject them. And / assure you that the
Italian oyernment is not over-critical as
to the physical condition of the she
sends by the Ship!oad TO Massowah to be
butchered by the Abyssnians When the
Miserable creatures leave the inferno I'M
foreground and reach the surface they find
items. Ives in a veritable corner of hades
The sulphur is extracted at the mine by
roasting il in immense heaps slightly COW
cred with Earth, not unlike in form 10 a
charcoal pit The air is so filled with sui
phurous vaporS and dust as to almost suf-
fccate one. Not a green thing in sight for
the poisonous vapurs kill all vegetation.
The fierce sun beats down upon in
those verdureless valleys with great fury.
on every side there are the hot rocks, acres
of lInpdlpable. sitting dust and the yapors
from the Calcining ore only be COM
pared 10 blasts from the internal region"
x
"OIr models have teen returned from the
Nashville exposition said one of the Navy
Department watchmen to Star reporter,
land they are again on exhibition, and the
school children. well others, en-
icy them during their Christmas holidays.
The models are of the Wilmington, Helena.
Miantonomah. Petrol. Texas. Bennington,
Nashville. Concord. Bancroft, Yorktown,
Baltimore. Massachusetts. Kearsarge, Ka-
tahdin and NcsuYius. These models were
the leading attraction at the worlds fair
at Chicago. the Atlanta exposition and at
The Nashville exposition. and were enjoyed
by hundreds Of thousands OF people, many
visiting the places where they Were on ex-
fibition for the express purpose of seeing
So ms to the Navy Department every day
than anything, or, indeed. all things else
in the building 1t is more than likely they
viii be sent over 10 the coming Paris expo
s:tion.'
In the days when the present Lafayette
Park Was known and was Davy Burns
orchard said one Of the park gardeners
TO a Star reDc rter. where now stands Gen.
Jacksor's statue stood a clUmp of cherry
Ting 49,
been handed down about them they were
rot only elegantly shaped trees. but thew
bore fine fruit. In early times the local
military conn anies gave entertainments
and drills under them. and many were the
regrets when Il was learned that President
Thomas Jefferson had consented that they
Should be cut down. 1t transpired after
wards that John Gardner. who kept n school
couple OF blocks north of the orchard
had appealed 10 the President to have the
trees cut down. for the reason that he
could not keep his school boys from climb
ing into them in the spring and devouring
the cherries in such quantities that he