The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-04

are going forward. The men are dis
posed about the field in the best posi-
lions suited to them. The swiftest
| runners are placed in the field, while
| the ablest and strongest players are
| placed at the poles of their opponents.
! At given signal the game begins.
! The ball is thrown up and there is an
| immediate rush for it. Hands are not
allowed to be used, but the dexterity
| they attain in the use of the sticks is
| remarkable They pick it up from the
| ground on the run with them, and
throw it with incredible force and ac-
curacy at their poles. The object of the
game is to strike the pole with the ball.
AS soon as the ball strikes the ground
they are after it again. 1t is no childs
play either, for all of the players are
men, many of them almost middle aged
and blood and bruises are frequent.
When the sticks strike a player, by ac-
cident or design, they seldom fail to
leave a red streak or cash as a me-
mento.
The endurance displayed is incredi-
ble Under a hot sun, for they seem
partial to that sort of temperature
!
clothes, without any sort of intermis-
sion to speak of, they tug and strain
and wrestle, throw and catch for hours
at a time. Two forty minute halves
are considered pretty lengthy foot
ball game, and then an intermission
of twenty minutes is usually had be-
tween. The length of this game is
regulated by the score, twelve consti-
tuting the game.
All the time of the play the squaws
are gting around with water, cheering
their particular braves on to victory.
The NANCY dogs on the outskirts catch
the prevailing excitement and forget
their f1eas in watchful interest.
When the last ball is thrown up then
comes the tug of war. One side al
ready has eleven, and the next will de-
eide the question in their favor. Then
is the time for their opponents to put
forth the most Herculean efforts to
prevent their rivals from scoring and
also to raise their own record Sudden
ly player on the prevailing side
catches the nimble sphere between his
two sticks. There is a rush at him
and in front of him to stop the ball in
it's flight. Whackl the extended sticks
have been in vain, and another score is
| registered.
Then the victorious side rushes to
the platform whereupon reposes the
spolia opima. Each brave selects his
winnings amid the acclamations Of his
crowd and the dead silence of his OPP
| ponents, who withdraw to reasonable
and detected distance. The victorious
side is deluged with compliments from
admiring spectators and the reign Of
joy is at hand.
Now the amiable Caucasian gets in
his work Be it said to their credit,
the Indians would probably dispense
without more ill feeling than a defeat
necessarily engenders after a terrific
contest were it not for a certain
swashbuckler element OF the whites
that is always present on these occa-
sions. They come to bet upon the re-
suits Of the game and to breed gen.
eral disturbance among the natives
They usually give the Indians enough
whisky to make them exceedingly
drunk, and then the reign Of terror
begins in dead earnest. AT first the al
terations are harmless and confined to
mutual boasting; then, as the infiu-
ence Of the liquor banishes all restraint
things begin to grow considerably
warmer, and, before any one knows,
the whole crowd is in an indiscrimin-
ate fight. These fights are frequently
serious, and often result death. OF
late years there have been very few
bad plays that have not terminated in
a death or might be expected, act the
part of peacemakers as far as they can,
but from the peculiar social status of
females among Indians, their advice is
not regarded as of much Importance.
Sometimes the general debauch will
continue for two or three days, at the
end of which time they all go home to
feel the sweets of victory for many
days to come, or to dream of revenge
and success at an early date.
The legislature of Mississippi at it's
last session passed law prohibiting
bringing whisky anywhere near an In
dian ball play, and making it Illegal to
bet upon the same The Indians might
have stood the inhibition of whisky,
but when legislation attempted to
strike at the cherished custom of gam
bling, which, more than anything else,
gave interest and excitement to the
sport, 1t struck a deathblow at the
game itself. Either the law will be
disregarded or the game will be dis
continued. 1t is more than probable
that the first alternative will be the
one adopted.-Memphis Commercial
| Appeal.