The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-28

did not appear, and as the woman was
apparently worse than before the medi-
cine mans performance 1t of course be-
came Immediately apparent to the In
dian mind that the dying woman was
possessed. The responsibility must be
fixed, SO with a howl and a leap the
Wolf doctor seized upon the 12-year-old
son Of a widow OF the tribe and dragged
him to the couch of the dying woman,
who admitted then that she was be-
witched; that the boy was responsible
for the bewitchment. And thus she died.
The mother wept and pleaded for the
boy's life. The lad declared that he would
not know how to go to work to bewitch
any one. But what could the mother and
child do against the deathbed confession
and accusation OF the bewitched Hlooch-
man? The deceased should certainly
know whether she was bewitched or not
and to whom the responsibility belonged
From such a court there was no appeal.
A brave of the tribe, Desculta, here
took charge of the proceedings The boy
was tied up by the thumbs and beaten
with switches as punishment for the
witches. A big hunt was organized and
set for a date two months ahead, ana
while waiting for the final act In the
tragedy the boy was frequently tied up
and whipped to bring him to a realizing
sense of his condition.
The mother of the doomed lad doubted
the wisdom of the elders OF the tribe and
the Justice Of the boys sentence, so she
~1ourneyed to Telegraph Creek and fald
the matter before John Highland, a
white merchant, who is still in business
there. Mr.. Highland Immediately com
municated with Superintendent OF Indian
Affairs Howell at Victoria, who sent q
detective to Tahltan village to stop the
murder and secure the executioner. In
those days means of communication be-
tween Victoria and the towns in northern
Cassiar were not up to their present
mark. and the detective arrived too late.
The hunt occurred, and, at a convenient
SPOT on the banks Of the Stiekeen, Des-
cuIta's hunting knife, dexterously WELD
cd. disemboweled the poor little Siwash,
and the body was slipped under the ice
Of the Sfickeen, a river that seldom gives
up its dead.
The day following the murder the de-
teetiye arrived on the scene. A friend Of
DescuIta offered to help him find the
murderer, and they started off on their
wild goose chase. The t~reaeherous guide
led him to q spot where, 20 feet away, an
49,
Indian woman, with back toward them,
was scraping the snow from the spot
where the murder was committed; led
him by the tepee where Deseulta was
gathering his possessions together pre-
paratory to going into enforced retire
ment; led him a days march In the
wrong direction AMI then admitted that
Desculta must have escaped.
For two years DescuIta has been a
wanderer on the face of the earth, living
ON what he can kin and the roots he can
dig. He dare not mingh with the other
Indians, fer they would betray him to the
authorities; he dare not trust himself
with the members of his own tribe, for
there is a price on his head. he doubt
loss considers himself a martyr, for he Is
the first Of his people to be "p~ersecuted'
for practicing the pastimes of his tribe
There have been other executions
among the Tabltans for the crime Of
~witchcraff, even within a few months.
IN August, 1898, an Indian girl died at
TahItan village Before her death she
confesscd that she had been bewitched
and declared that little Joe Cullihan, a
12-year-oid orphan, who was purchased
from the coast Indians, was the boy that
bewifched her. OF course Joe denied the
accusafron, but the girl dled, ana ina
proved her story, according to the Indian
belief. An Indian named LolIi took upon
himself the right to mete out fate to ut
tie Joe and tied the boy up by tht
thumbs. according to the best methods OF
the tribe. As snow would not arrive fol-
af least 90 days and US It would be con
trary to all precedent to order q big U
unfil there was snow on the ground and
lee III the river, the victim had a consid'
orabIe Ienssth OF time % attend to his sore
thumbs AID acquire 9 better understand
irx III t5e disadvantages Of being an ~