Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-09-01
DEATH FOR ELOPING.
The SAN BIAS INDIANS PUZZLE ALL
WHO KNOW THEM.
Marriage with white Men L. Capt
tai Crime Under Their Laws No
strangers May he ashore After
SIEhtfaII-w In Cocoanuts.

strangers May He ashore After
SIghtfaII-ueaIth In Caroanuts.
\ strange race oT people, with man
ucrS and customs stranger still. lives
near the coast AT San HAS. Colombia,
South America. To the few traders
who visit tho spot for coroauuiS and
vegetable ivory they are known as the
san BIAS Indians. az their origin and
history hut little can be- discovered.
one things l. certain. that although
friendly To the sovcrnmU nj Of the | nit
al States and to foreigners who may
enter or lind themselves weather
bound I'm the harhor of san BIAS there
is no record of their having ever been
conquered or Suhjugatcd 10y any other
tribe or power.
Ii IS quite probable that they have
descended from the ancient Toltccs,
hut what yirlSsituucS Of tribal life they
may have passed through will proba-
bly, never be- known.
Although inclined to be friendly,
they look with most Jealous eyes upon
any effort To cultivate n closer ac-
quaintancr than the necessities Of
trade require. No matter how many
vessels may lie NJ anchor in the har-
Dor or how much trading may have
been carried on during the day every
white man at shutdown must go on
board his ship or at least quit the ter
ritory of the tribe until the following
morning This Is a tribe law, against
which protest Is useless
The maidcns of this peculiar tribe
are quite attractive" and many Jack
tar has ri>l.rd his life In the effort TO
win or capture a duSky bride. Love.
as In other lands, occasionally over
comes all obstacles. but II the unfor-
tunatc girl is caught or returns to her
I people the punishment is death.
The young mite Of an El-,ish bark
lying in the harbor became cnamorcd
of 4 girl whose home was near the
beach. The mates attentions We're
/ persistent, and his love was secretly
returned
One night. just before the ship was
to sail the Indian maiden Sccretel her
sailor hoy il the thickctS until after
dark when they stole q canoe and
started to paddle out to he vessel. But
m awful tropic3I Storm came m
which caused the ciop,HG coupe 20 lose
their bearings. and only with difficulty
did they manage to keep anuai. When
morning daWurd. they were washed
ashore. almost exhausted. The en-
RACED Indians seized both and made
them captivcs copdCmntur the girl TO
/ immediate death.
Tho coutaiu of t,n horl. on+,cinotin,
trouble. Sent q booi'S cypy uslorr with
n rrSclr r3rtv. \ dcuonl was made
for the prisoner. whoreunun tho mate
was released, huf tho girl was hcIa for
| the death sentence
Finding argument useless thn dos.
ncratc youth, with 4 few sailors nj his
back. made Il rush 10 rcscuc his sweet
heart and had almost ACCOMPLISHED II
when he was struck down nv u sneor
thrust from the hand Of the rirrs ra-
thcr. She broke from hnr centors
cra2cd ,vitb criof and .oigirr +ba
smear, drove tho head Of if into hor
own breast The sailors MANAGED IN
carry away their wounded mato bur
were driven into their boat and away
from tho shore.
The territory held by tho tribe is
quite extensive although IFS hourda.