The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-24

newspapers both OF which get shart cable
dispatches. The papers are cried by news
boys on the streets. They are printed on
old American presses from type made in
the United States. although their paper
and ink come. I am told, from Germany.
Among the other institutions OF Ecuador
are a hospital here. and a hospital. a
lGuatie and leper asylum at Quho. The
cemetery at Quito is on the psgeon-hole
system You rent a box in the wala Cor
your cef'in. and il stays there as long as
your relatives or friends pay the rent
When the pay stops. the authorities pull
out the coffin and dump the remains into
great cistern adjoining the cemetery.
similar custom prevails In the cemetery OF
the city of Guanahaato. in Mexico. where
the bones of the delinquent dead are SHOW
eled away into grea, vault. where they
lie piled up like SO much corn in 4 gran
AIRY.
They Trade in Human Heads.
Tie bulk of the population of Ecuador
is made up OF Indians There are 1aW0
Indians in the republic who have never
been subdued. and some OF the savages
upon the Napo river. which flows through
the eastern part OF Ecuador into tho
Maronon, are less known than the people
of interior Africa. Some of these tribes
shoot their enemies with poisoned arrows.
using blow guns made of reeds. They
and a scratch from one OF them Is sure
death. 1t is in this same region that dried
heads of human beings are cured for So -.
As / write these words human head cut
of just below the chin, lies on the table
before me- Whether il is that of man
or a woman l do not know, but its hair
is as long. as black and as silky as the
hair OF any brunette belle who reads this
letter. When l photographed 1t a few
minutes ago, holding II In my hand before
the camera. the black strands hung down
almost yard below my fist, and the hair
was so thick that / could hardly grasp It
ALL The head is one of the famous dried
heads of the Ecaadorlan Indians who live
on the eastern slope OF the Andes. They
have for ages adopted this method Of
picking or curing the heads of their enc
mics, and ! have been told that such a
demand has existed among the foreigners
for the heads as curiosites that within
recent years the Indians have been killing
their friends and relatives as Well in or
der to supply it, The Ecuadorian govern
ment has recently passed law making
1t a crime to buy or sell such heads. and
the severest penalties are imposed on those
who engage in the traffic. Still. am Of
fered this head for $loo in gold. and l
could buy several more at the same price.
1 don't think / shall take it. 1t is, how
ever. wonderful thing. All of he bones
have III some way been taken out OF it,
and the flesh, skin and hair of the head
only left. In parting the hair at the back
i see stitches, and it Is evident that the
skin was cut open here TO get out the
skull The remainder OF the skin is as
perfect as IL was in life, only the whole
head is so shrunken that 1t is not much
larger than a baseball. Its color Is per-
fectiy black. The eyes are closed. the
forehead. over which the dark hair hangs,
tg inytf In sg .trrA tf.,, Of
negro in shape. The lips which were once
full, sensuous and voluptuous, are sewed
together with long cotton strands. which
hang down like a macreme fringe, and the
chin has pronounced dimpie in 1t, which.
l doubt not, once smiled at its sweetheart
and friends. Whether Its owner was killed
by treachery or in battle no one knows.
How the Heads Are Cured.
The method of curing the heads is also
mystery. II Is said that = red-whiskered
German came out TO Ecuador some years
ago, determined to learn the process. He
went to Quito, and then made hts way
eastward TO the Indian country. Since
then he has never been seen. but Il Is said
that about three months after his disap-
pearance a head beautifully cured was
brought in for sale. II was of lighter
complexion than the one on my table. and
the features were German in cast, while
on the chin was a beard of the same
brlck-dust hue as that of the German ex-
pforer. From native sources learn that
the Indians cure the heads after they have
removed the bones by filing them with
hot pebbles and passing them from hand
to hand. pressing them so carefully in
ward that in shrinking they do not lose
their shape. After this they are baked i'm
the sand and so treated that they will last
for ages. The skin of the neck of this
head Is about one-sixth of an inch thick
Its pretty ears are about the size of
silver quarter. aud as push back its hair
and look at its closed eyes / almost fear
tina. IL will open them and glare at me.
The Indians of Ecuador
The most Of the Indians OF Ecuador are
semi-civilized. We have. Ii is estimated.
about a60 00o Indians In the United States
Ecuador has $4,000 Indians In a total pop-
ulation of l.ee0,eoo, the remainder OF the
inhabitants being made up of 10000
whites and about 100000 people Of mixed
races or crosses of the whites and negroes
with the Indians. The whites are tho
ruling class. They are the government.
the wealth. the brains. the Ecuador that
We know I'm business and i'm trade The
Indians are the working population They
are thr.ftless. and seem TO have little
spirit or ambition Their highest idea OF
pleasure is plenty OF liquor and the
Ecuadorian smile" is as common as the
drink OF America. They live like dogs
and work aimos; from birth TO death.
They till the soil. carry the freight on
their backs up and down the mountains
and are, in fact. often treated more like
cattle than the animals themselves. They
submit 10 the whites and are accustomed
10 being advised by them. Only the few
est Of these Indians can read ar write
and very few accumulate property
don't think the rativs Ecuatforians will
eyer be large consuming class Their
wants are few. A suit or sSo &c cotton
clothes, little rice and meat. and cane
hut I'm the iowlands or one Of adobe brick
in the mountains suffice for them IL does
not cost much more. | am told 10 raise a
child 10 maturity among the Ecuadorian
Indians than /; does on the banks OF the
tianges or the Nile. These civilized In
dams are the descendants Of those who
We're here when the spsniards conquered
the country. They were even then the
slaves or subjects OF the Ineas. and they
seem - be one OF those races which, Ike
the fellahin OF Egypt. are ever destined
10 De subject 20 and work for a stronger
race These Indians are. with a few ex-
cept!ous. Catholics. They are ruled by
the priests. and large part Of their
ear tn Na 1Nn IL ura.r