The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-03-21

Fs5m ths san Fur-isco Cali
The last stand made By Indian savaSes
on this continent - a. Uburon Island -
the Calf az California. The laquIs, uh-
conquered from time lmmcmoridl. have AT
last patched up a peace with the Mexican
government The Apaches, teTHo.e by
reputation. IN reality are pretty tao'-
oaghIy coUed and scattered The Jtes'
Is bIootihIrsty az the Apaches, are sur
rounded by miners and irgish'gi7' "H'
promptly xiii them OK 81 they Oe-h 10
raid. All these indians are more OF less
civilized or toned down iy contact WIN
the whites. The Sesls ot Tiburon alone
arc saydges. pure and simple, with heath
oa rites and british customs.
IL has been pTctyi.y generally dlsLroNe1'
however, that the SrIis ore canH4DtIs-
once 30 was declared with posit!feEtSs
that they ate human i!esn. The MeAicdh7
al sonora. who see more or less OF tAe
Sar.s. especially the women, declare that
The Indians are not eaters OF human
flesh. They cat raw flesh, however either
o. animals OF fish. and esteem ourTo meat
above all others.
The bucks OF the SeTi tribe used coca
s..raUy 20 visit the Mexican ranches OF
San Francisco de Costa RiCa and santa
Ana. owned by Don Pascual Encinas. ne
Costa Rtca ranch is fifteen miles from
the eulf, and the nearest settlement 70
TfuUron. Santa Ana ranch IS norm Oh
Costa Rica. Both are cattle and morse
ranches feeding thousands Of head. The
l.Yl.ros are Young MeziCdns and fapaso
Indians with occasionally NaquL Inc
80
the Southwest Of being the best hsntefs
among the Indians. They are better rite
shots than the Apaches or Serbs ana SUCK
10 a trail longer The Seris are IN mor'di
dread OF the Papagos ICr the latter never
LET 10 In the chase when once they are
aroused. The Apaclc5 too nave oe.h
cleaned out several times by the Pa
pages.
The Sonora country, opposite IIbureh
Island. is level and covered with Dfush'
paIo nerro or ironwood, mesquite. palo
verde. garambullo, &c. Occasionally lhtFe
IS a giant suhuaTo cactus, holding us Sreat
arms up as if supplicating for ram. me
streams run only in the rainy season and
therefore il is necessary TO dig wells 10
supply live stock. II was in digging the
first well in that country, at Costa RIcA
ranch. that Pedro Eicinas, son OF ola Don
Pascual, almost lost his life through Seri
tTeacheTy.
Dangerous Well-digging'
Young Encinas had no help except the
Seris. who at that time frequently crossed
10 the mainland in their catamarans at a
place called the Embarcadero. The Serls
professed the greatest friendship with The
white man. But the white man carried a
rife and six-shooter constantly, and never
permitted a situation where the Indians
would have him at a disadvantage For
instance. he would never descend into the
well unless some of the Indians preceded
him. He knew he would be stoned 10
death in an instant by the treacherous
brutes. But with some of their number IN
the well he felt safe. In this manner the
well was slowly sunk to depth OF IoI
feet. The only means OF hosting was
Windlass.
one dav young Encinas had occasion to
ascend to the surface. He stuck ms 1ooi
in the rope and gave the signal Inere
were two Indians in the We'll aAG ths
others were at the top holsuhS. W HeL
the Seris had nOlsted Enclhds AalL way
they suddenly stopped. -, .
The Mexican instantly felt a emil u
horror. He knew MISCHIEF was bItW!iSl
with his life as the forfeit u the IHILtils
could catch him mapping. But, steauyils
his voice, he called out, asking why IheS
"No puedo TRAFALGAR mas" was the re,
plv 'El muchacho muy cansadD-
cannot work any more. The boy Is very
Young Fncinas meantime hung between
ron and bnttom facing death. lie rdpluly
surveyed the situation. but saw lAdl he
could do nothing. Thanks 10 MS plScau-
ton in having the Indians IN the Wei; ne
hot az. ID
would not dare TO let him drop, thus Kill
ing some of their own people. lie heaIo'
nevertheless with a great deal o. lore
boiling the mutteTlngS OF the SdNaSes
above his head Finally, after an hour OF
bCrriblf suspense the Indians reJulnel &c
the ereaking WindlaSs and pulled him out
Auuar-ntly their simple minds saw al
excellent chance to kill him, but they
could not devise the way TO do II WITHOUT
killing some Of their own NUMBER
Customs az 80 ~"ri
Since the Serbs murdered Capt. George
Porter and Sailor John Johnson at Thu
ron Island something over year ego, ths
bucks have kept away from the Mexican
ranches. They stick close TO the island
and live on fish and turtle. The womer
have only recently resumed their visit:
10 the ranches. 10 pick up little prop
erty in the way of cast-on clothing, &c
ON these visits they puy on their clothing
leaving none at all on the island. Blu
1T best they are IN rags, not sufficient Il
hide their nakedneSS. Ia Squalor dhl
depth Of degradation they cannot be com
pared with any other Indians OF III,
Wgs.
On one Of the women recently visiting
the ranch was a large mantle made U
pelican skin. The skins of five or 81,
IrllCaus are used 20 make their wraps
With these and the hides Of wildcats tn
Indians manage 10 cover themselves i
very cold weather. Al other seasons thel
90 naked. They have no houses whatever
their abiding places being merely temp o
raTy camps on IN" bare ground, with
campfire sometimes and sometimes not
II hey are hard pressed Tor shelter The!
take the tops Of two adjoining bushe
and draw them together ami tie them
uulluE Il little shelter underneath
LIprts have been made time da
time again by MeNlcInS and by America
scientists % discover The tribal custom
and laws VI tar S.g,5. Very little .GtuI
nation 3 obtJirab.e This is Tor the rea
son that l1 ono man. Mexican or Amer.
can, ls safe among the Indians, and IN
SIHagos Tbs Ust,Ec> give u,tie light o.
llf.r home he. IL D. known that unit
recently there were IUJ chiefs each al
pOrrLtly with cqlai poWer-Meta De- Mai
corn S,all and Po.aIO PelleD. Pelad
IS dead. and his successor IS nor known
80 lar as ascer,aiuei. these chiefs a.
g.. repository co. all power A. The sam
tine Jlr tribe has customs o. UukuoW
antiquity owe, which the chiefs have n
control
When o Seri gil arrives az woman
iHHH she is made 90 ~lt al the end of
.g-I lame made Of byanceus stuck j
rGs ground while there is a feast al
dance Al the end % the dance the XII
Wa.4s through the lane AMI is thus oft
emily proclaimed woman ana maj
r.aa-abI- The bucks secure wives %
trading skins, weapons. OF other Vtlua
bios for them. Ih. father of the girl g-
t.4g .u He can ana the lover giving a
lJl3a -s possible
DrHcoaian Code.
The islanders have a stern code som,
where boo their Jurisprudence. as W.
shown some years ago when the MeXiea
government took steps 10 punish them "a
the murder OF a Mexican citizen. NO.
Wss seat that the murdercrs must /
surrendered Immediately 10 the MeXica
authorities or The whole island would I
cleaned out. The Two chiefs. after va.
UsfI.yius finally replicd by sending