The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11
COCOPAH INDIANS WAYS.
ALLCOOK, THE SQUAW MAN, TELLS
or HIS LIFE AMOyG THEN.
They Live in Lower California and Have
Always Held Their Own with tho Apnches
Their Refinement ms Compared with
oLA.. r.iha.- uri..I. e..nrhn mud Ennfnnna-

Their Refinement ms Compared will
other Tribes-Their Sports md Customs
SAN DIEGO. Cal. Nov. 20.-Allcock. tn,
Cocopah sauaw man. was Mt Cuoro de Venndt
the other day. Allcock is we'll known along thu
frontier, and his history is remarkable. 1t Il
hard to find nowadays n white man who has
spent his life with the Indians, In captivity a.
first. and latterly by choice. Allcock does mo-
know his Christian name, II he has any. ant
knows nothing whatever concerning hi:
parents, that they we're pioneers coming
to California on the Texas route. Allcock Is
about so years of age. judging by civilized
standards. But he is so hearty and bronzed
| with his long hair looped back In the Cocopal
fashion, that IL is difficult to estimate his ngo.
This man has spent his life on the desert.
The Cocopah stronghold is In tho Cocopah
Mountains in lower California. between the
coast and the Colorado River. and nearer the
river than the coast. TIL Cocopah range is
secondary to the main range OF tho Sierra
Madres: it is. in fact. a little low range of foot
hills rising out of the desert and dropping into
that monotony Of gray some seventy-nve miles
further to the south. The northern end of the
Cocopahs is Black Mountain, or Sierra Prieta.
a famous landmark on the desert. Not far
from it runs the old wagon road between this
city and Yuma.
Allcock has the build OF a white man. modi-
fied by his life on the desert. He stoops slight
ly, but when one sees him In motion II Is ap-
parent that this is only the customary Indian
stoop. He can run n days journey about as
well as any Of the Cocopahs. He frequently
makes q run of seventy-f1ve miles without ap-
parent effort. He speaks Spanish with the GUS
tomary Indian ignorance and dropping of let
tiers. and OF course he speaks the Cocopah lam
guage. With English he has a an ac1uaint-
49, H. A. q -
tribe.
When he was a child OF 3 or 4 years he was
stolen by the Indians at Fort Yuma and taken
to their camp. He says he can remember the
incident. and can remember dimly a journey
with his parents before his capture. He does
not know whether his parents were killed or
whether they went on without him. He says
he does not know where he learned that his
name was Allcock. but Is sure that ia his
name. He might have been informed Of this
by the Indian agent on the Rio Colorado.
In speaking with Allcock in Spanish q great
deal of interest was learned concerning him
self and the habits OF the Cocopah Indians.
who are the best specimens physically Of any
Indians in the Southwest. They are the only
Indians who have always held their own with
the Apaches. who fear them and respect them.
The Cocopah warrior is a pretty husky indi-
vidual. being able to travel seventy or eighty
miles between dusk and dawn. He is crafty,
too, and is a match with the Apache for cum
ming stratagems. Physically he Is superior,
being larger and with greater endurance. All
Il have no fault to find with my lot. I
am happy. The desert is my home, and 1
T w6Its m the onG mnNbG a + s my ,5SeI21 Ia am a
but l was at San Diego once. and such a mass
Of people! Gie'os! They were walking in the
abashed, and was glad to get my pony and
leave. l was homesick for the desert. Ishall
N.Y. grew ' up With Wtts9 some ony NOR" Of the men who are
me leader II l said so. l do not wish to be a
and I tell them what is best to do. But they
know as well as l what to do. They are honest
a TRey w are er stF HanPy and | w naE' Z They %ltG are en9 br oN91e as
Indians. every one.
to r as h SssT to u" sh e@s GGS hove 20 ha snp deer! me how R9 ts
kin the ribo,G trattlesnakel and how to find the
plant that kills his poison. They taught me
more beautiful than Spanish, and English is
shines clear; close to the earth. We live, we'll.
We have melons. corn. beans. potatoes, tobacco.
times. Some Of us have horses to ride. Quail
and rabbits are good, and plenty. We get dsh
There is good feed for our horses. too.
The C2eopahs are the best Indians. Some
VI 1T 1nuld1S are DHu, ike Ine 1UmaS, Ihey
get drunk and stay in towns. and their women
stay at home. They cook. they sew. they make
AZ the baskets are made by them to hold the
phones and the corn: When we go to the
Hi them with the nuts, That is pleasant VIXEN
" go ihto the pine woods and gather phones.
shuck easily. We get sometimes fifty bushels
The Cocopahs are not bad. like the Next
cana III "A lnpnnuh tnllg Won nnythin0 IL 10 fhn
truth. We Xii liars ~ How We'sesnid i + th ene
put on the desert without water. They die in
understand that they must tell the truth. II
they are liars when they grow up, they die.
other and causes him to make long joupneys
Tor nothinGY How can 8 man live II he steals
tell him the right trail to take for his Journey.
II surprises me to hear you, say that the white
other. How do they hold together? Is there
not starvation and murder2
Every. man in the Cocopah nation must be
strong. II he is not strong. he dies. It is hard
to liye when you, are not strong. The journeys
H5s h Ne Me- m H1s % Pesa t fSnno w %hf tSe the %oS ISss
H. r. 4, irs e ~. Tie aahiiafss% 1 5fS F fdh!I The S GSSa and nd
make ot9le. and make the soup Of corn and
II Is very, hot in the desert. We run at
night when the moon shines. We catch deer
aU niRnt. we follow q ueer twenty miles, and
he grows tired and we shoot him. 1t Is better
to follow a deer on foot than with a pony. The
pony gets tired quicker than n man. The coun-
good water In the Cocopah Mountains. We
where to find it. you see; The white men
queer Ways. They have fine guns and
Indians could kill them all In the night with a
stone. But the Indians like to SOC white
Ineh come. because that makes work for the
ing to do.
"spmetimes the Indians go and wash gold.
We don't like to do that. 1t is bad work. There
Is, plenty OF gold in the mountains. We know
where to look for it. II We are paid well we will
the white, men where It Is. Every camp
81 white men has a Cocopah watching IL, AZ |
shutdown one Cocopah must stay with the white
men while they are in that country. Then we
are safe. Tn white men must give the Coco
supper and tobacco. But the Cocopah must
not ask FOR more. That Is fair.
The Coeopah houses are better than the
white mems houses. They are better because
they are smaller and warmer. 1t is cold on the
desert sometimes. The Coeopah builds his
He fought the Apache and the Yuma. and knew
he must hide his house low down. In the brush.
and not to build fires during war times. The
smoke goes very far and can be smelt far away,
How did / get my wife? / asked for her Il