The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-07
BLACK ART Adopts.
STRANGE FeATS OF MEDICINE MEN
OF KINGS ISLAND.
bringing the Dead Back to Life by Few
lamentations and Fumblings - Strange
Rock Upon Which n Queer People Re-
side In Apparent Contentment.

side In Apparent Contentment.
"The strangest island in the world,
said Captain NJ. j. Healy Of the Unlte
States steamer Bear in the Occidental
hotel, lis Kings island, 1900 mile
northwest of here and 1870 miles off tn
coast of Siberia.
at lies almost in the middle of BE
ring strait. almost equidistant from tn
Asiatio and American shores. 1t is in
habited by 1856 Of the queerest people
ever set eyes upon. The inhabitant
comprise men, women and children O
all ages, and besides these there are nu
merous dogs of all degrees except high
"The island is little more than rocl
rising out of the storm tossed waters OF
the ever turbulent strait. 1t is about
mile long and half mile wide, and it,
sides are so precipitous that they are
like cliffs.
almost in the middle of the island
and at the south side is an indentation
made by the rushing waters. This is
expanded into funnellike hole, reach
ing into the island and out at the top at
an angle approximating 80 degrees. The
hole is $50 feet deep, and during stormy
weather the natives let down rope and
drag up the seals, walruses and other
sea animals which they have taken.
at is on these animals that the ma.
tives subsist. They are very expert in
taking them, as well as great whales,
which they do not fear to attack, and
in fact secure as trophies of their PROV
ess They hunt all these animals in
their kyaks--boats so stout and skill
fully made that, though they are often
tossed over and over by the surf, they
are never wrecked and are speedily
righted. The boatmen sit with their
feet in holes in the boats, clad in water
tight walrus skins. These boats will
put off successfully where the ordinary
boat would not live minute.
but about the catch of these walrus-
es and other animals and the strange
island. The natives have scooped ont
queer receptacles ON both sides of the
entrance on the ledge. These are so cool
that they are natural refrigerators, and
In these they store the bodies of the ami
mails for future use. There are about
20 OF these receptacles or natural re-
frigerators, and there is nearly always
a supply Of meat in them, so that the
chances Of starving at any time are com.
paratively scarce.
"On the right side Of the island above
IS the village of the Indians. 1t is
queer town. whose miniature houses are
made of walrus skins, stretched on light
frames. The ground is so rough that the
little skin abodes are ranged one above
he other, like houses in a mining camp
IN mountain side. In the distance
hey look small and fragile, but they
ire full of people and active as beehives.
From the tossing waves where the
pear lay the catacomblike refrigerators
md the village presented novel APP
Dearance.
1.-THE island, although sort Of re-
public in its government, is ruled by
lew medicine men, each of different de-
yrees of Importance. The medicine
men hold their positions by their re-
feats Of legerdemain. Many
people have gone to see Hermann and
Blitz also in his lifetime and have
wondered at the feats they have seen
hem perform. But undertake to say
hat none of these professors of the black
lrt has performed more marvellous
;hings than L have seen these barbarian
medicine men do there.
For instance, have seen one of
hese medicine men take man and Law
aim on table and take big knife and
stick it right into him to the handle.
rhe man would writhe, turn pale, gasp
and die. Then the medicine man would
the knife, go through few
tumble over the victim.
and in moment he would get up and
90 about, sound as ever.
II have also seen them pluck out rab.
bits, birds and other forms of animal
life from impossible places. They would
10 things before your eyes that were
marvellous to us and to all the natives.
tor OF course the natives believe implic.
tly in the supernatural powers of their
man.
But the strangest thing l saw hap.
'ened on board my ship one day. There
were about 100 Of these natives aboard
)ne OF the natives, a girl, fell down
with hemorrhage and vomited blood
al around. The blood came from her
ungs in streams. She was living there
IN the deck as pale as death. and I
thought that she would die there. so
ushed a man off to get DR.. Yeamans
he Bears surgeon.
Before the doctor could get there
he chief medicine man rushed out. and |
'olng to the girl, he blew first into one |
'ar and then into the other, and then
apped her on the chin, and she got mn
ma was all right again, and she began
iancing around on the ship as healthy
md active as though there had never
'een the least thing the matter with
Ter. And mark you, this wasn't two
minutes from the time she had hemor.
hages. l never saw anything SO mar.
'elous In my life. There was all the
1000 before me on the ship too.
The strange rock in the sea which ;s
ne abode OF these natives is about 70
IA n