St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-11-11
INDIAN MYSTERY MEN
Some Of Their Feats Of Magic Are
Really Wonderful
How q Chippewa witch Drove Sea-
atOr Lewis Cass from . Con.
ference-A Redskin Edition
of the Rope Trick.
rspecial Washington Letter.I

l ISpeclAl w dSuiss6l ASlACK.1
THIS is story about Indians; the
aboriginal princes and pQten
tates of our country; the men
women and children who roamed at viii
over the prairies, down the dells, IN the
mountain businesses, along the salt-sca
coasts, and over the beautiful waters
of our great inland seas; the people
who owned all the soil, and who knew
no master save the Great Spirit, whom
Longfellow has eloquently described as
the Indians .Manitou the Mighty
The Smithsonian institution, the Ma
tional museum and the museums OF the
executive departments contain many
relics of the fast disappearing race
which lived in happiness between the
Atlantic and the Pacific until our CIV
ilization came to them with sword and
fame.
Government Ethnologist Hoffmann
interested the writer to-day with stories
about the medicine men" of the lndl-
ans, and their jugglers and mystery
men, and you will probably be enter
tained with some of his statements
about them. He says that these mys-
terry men" perform feats OF. magic
which would put to shame the famous
Yogis of India, who make plants grow
from sterile ground, and change bud
ding rods into serpents, in the pres
ence of puzzled representatives OF the
superior races.
Ethnologist Hoffman, referred to an
alleged fact that Senator Lewis Cass.
of Michigan, once went to Mackinaw to
confer with the Indians. concerning
transfer of some Of their estates to the
government, when he was entertained
at a big medicine feast; and after the
feast Chippewa woman, who car
ried an old dried up snake skin, in the
form of a bag, threw 1t upon the ground,
when it seemed to become alive, and
chased the great statesman from the
conference. He says that Senator Cass
told this story to many of his friends,
and that he always afterwards avoided
accepting official appointments upon
commissions to visit the Indians, be-
cause he could not rid his mind of that
occurrence.
''The bravest act have ever known"
he said, was performed by one of these
Indian jugglers. A favorite trick Of his
was one that had often been performed
by white magicians. It consisted in
permitting himself to be shot at. the
being IN arrangement by
which the bullet fell out Of the barrel
into a cavity in the stock of the weapon
before the latter was discharged.
he had another bullet con-
cealed in his mouth. which at the in
slant Of firing he pushed outward with
his tongue, so as to make it appear that
he had caught the projectile between
his teeth. Now it happened that this
man had rival, who was engaged in
the conjuring business in neighboring
village. On one occasion, when the
trick was to De performed, the juggler
as usual, that he was ready
to be shot at by anyone present, the
rival stepped forward and said that he
would do the shooting. But he de-
manded permission to use his owngun.
Naturally the juggler objected, but
his protest was overruled. 1t was de-
cided that the rival magician might use
his own weapon. This meant almost
sure death to the performer, yet he did
not blanch. To refuse the test would