Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-25
ALLCOCK TELLS OF HIS LIFE
AMONG THEM.
THEY LIYE IN LOWER CALIFORNIA
Have Always Held Their Own With
the Apaches-Their Refinement NJ
Compared with other Tribes-Their
sDorts and Customs.
tsan Diego letter.

/ ana his 0lStOTy 10 ~ ~
hard to find nowadays g white man who
| has spent his life n the Indians, in
| captivity at first, and latterly by choice
| Allcock does not know his Christian
name, if he has any, and knows nothing
whatever concerning his parents, except
that they were pioneers coming to Call
fornia on the Texas route. Allcock Is
about 90 years of age. judging by civil
lied standards. But he is so hearty and
bronzed, with his long hair looped back
In the Cocopah fashion, that 1t is dill
cult TO estimate his age.
This man has spent his life on the
desert. The Cocopah stronghold Is in the
CocOpah mountains In lower California
between the coast and the Colorado river
and nearer the river than the coast. Inc
Cocopah range is secondary to the main
range of the Sierra Madres; 1t Is, IN 1act,
little low range of foothills rising out
of the desert and dropping into that mo-
notony Of gray some seventy-hVe 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 IL runs the OLD
wagon road between this city and Yuma.
Allcock has the build of a white man,
modified by his life on the desert. He
stoops slightly, but when one sees him In
motion It is apparent that this Is only
the customary Indian stoop he can
run a days journey about as well as any
Of the Cocopahs. He frequently makes a
run of seventy-five miles without APP
parent effort He speaks Spanish with
the customary Indian ignorance and drop
ping of letters, and, OF course, ne
speaks the Cocopah language. With Eng
lsh ne has an acquaintance-no more
than the other members of the tribe.
When he was a child OF or years he
was stolen by the Indians at Fort Yuma
and taken to their camp. He says he
can remember the incident and can re-
member. dimly, journey with his pa
rents 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 whore he learn
ed that his name was Alcock but
is sure that is his name He might have
been informed of this by the Indian
agent on the Rio Colorado.
In speaking with Allcock in Spanish
great deal of interest was learned con-
corning himself and the habits Of the
Cocopah Indians, who are the best speci-
mems. physically, OF any Indians in the
Southwest. They are the only Indians
Apaches, who fear them and respect
them. The Cocopah warrior is a pretty
husky individual, being able to travel
seventy or eighty miles between dusk
and dawn. He is crafty, too, and is
match with the Apache for cunning
stratagems. Physically. he is Superior,
being larger and with greater endurance.
Allcock said:
Il have no fault to find with my lot.
am happy. The desert is my home, and /
regard the Cocopahs as my people. am a
white man, and maybe I should live in
towns but 1 was at San Diego once, and
such mass Of people! C1elos! They were
walking in the streets as far as j could
see. l was greatly abashed, and was glad
to get my pony and leave. ! was home
sick for the desert. 1 shall not go TO San
Diego any more.
81 grew up with some OF the men who
are now the leaders Of the tribe. They
would make me leader if 1 said so. / do
not wish to be chief or captain. They
ask me for my opinion, and | tell them
what is best TO do. But they know as
well as I what to do. They are honest.
and we are happy. / have a wife and
babies. They are strong and well. They
are brown as Indians. every one.
"As 1 grew up the Cocopahs showed me
how to run, how to shoot how 10 hunt
deer, how TO kill the vlbOra G2t.lesnake).
and how TO find the plant thu Kills his
poison. They taught me how 10 donce.
and l learned their language. IL IS a
musical language full Of affection. II is
more beautiful than Spanish. and Eng
lsh is not so beautiful "a Spanish. II is
pleasant in the desert, where II Is warm.
and the moon shines clear, close 10 the
earth. We live well. We have melons.
corn, beans, potatoes, tobacco. deer,
phones honey, and we get cattle some
times. Some of us have horses TO ride.
Quail and rabbits are good and plenty.
We get fish from the Colorado when we
camp by the river. There is good feed
for our horses, too.
THE 'Cocopahs are the best Indians.
Some Of the Indians are bad like the Yu-
mas. They get drunk and stay in towns,
and their women-ugh Son muy malas,
The CocOpah women stay NJ home. They |
cook they sew they make baskets and !
olas and they can make blankets. All |
the baskets are made by them to hold |
the phones and the corn. When we 90
to the pinon harvest the women carry |
baskets and fill them with the nuts. That |
is pleasant, when we go into the pine |
woods and gather phones We build fires |
and roast the nuts and they shick easily |
We get sometimes fifty bushels in two
weeks.
Tho Cocopahs are not bad, like the |
heXicans. II a Cocopah tells you any,
thing. it is the truth. We kill liars. How? |
We send them out on the desert without
water. They die in the sand. BOYS and |
girls we starve until they understand |
that they must tell the truth. II they |
are liars when they grow up. they die. |
How can a nation live If one man lies to !
another and causes him to make long
Journeys for nothing? How can a man
live II he steals my horse by lying? Every
man must help another. and feed him |
When he Is hungry and tell him the right |
trail to take for his journey. 1t surprises
me to hear you say that the white people |
lie and cheat and steal from one another. |
How do they hold together? Is there not |
starvation and murder?
Every man in the Cocopah nation |
must be strong. If he is not strong he |
dies 1t is hard TO I'VE when you are not !
strong. The Journeys are hard. The old [
men cannot make the long journeys. We |
must feed them, with the women and |
children. The old men gather wood for |
the hres. The children play with the dogs |
ana learn TO shoot and hunt. The women |
work they make tortillas, IL we have |
corn fhey make atole, and make the |
soup or corn and beans and meat.
IL Is very hot In the desert We run |
at night when the moon shines. We |
eaten deer at night. We follow n deer
twenty miles. and he grows tired and /
we shoot him. IL is better TO foIlow A. /
der on foot than with pony. The pony |
gets tired quicker than a man. The |
country is too rough for a pony. There |
is plenty OF good water I'm the Coconab /
Mountains. We know where to find II.