Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-11-03
TAHLTAN WITCH DOCTOR

did not appear, and as the woman was
apparently worse than before the medi-
cine mans performance it 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 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
boys 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 klooch-
man? The deceased should certainly
know whether she was bewitched or not
and to whom the responsibility belonged.
From such court there was ne 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. \ big hunt was organized and
set for a date two months ahead, and
while waiting for the final act in the
tragedy the boy was frequently tied up
and whipped to bring him to 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
iourneyed to Telegraph Greek and laid
the matter before John Highland,
white merchant. who is still in business
there. Mr.. Highland Immediately COM
municated with Superintendent of Indian
Affairs Howell nj Victoria, who sent a
detective to Tahitan 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 convenient
spot on the banks of the Stickeen, Des-
culta's hunting knife, deXterously WELD
ed, disemboweled the poor little Siwash,
and the body was slipped under the ice
of the Stickeen, 4 river that seldom gives
up its dead
The day following the murder the de-
tective arrived on the scene. A friend of
Desculta offered to help him find the
murderer, and they started off on their
wild goose chase. The treacherous guide
led him to spot where. 20 feet away, an
Indian woman, with back toward them,
was scraping the snow from the spot
where the murder was committed; led
him by the tepee where Desculta was
gathering his possessions together pre-
paratory to going into enforced retire
ment; led him days march in the
wrong direction and then admitted that
Desculta must have escaped.
For two years Desculta has been a
wanderer on the face of the earth, living
on what he can kill and the roots he can
dig. He dare not mingle with the other
Indians. for they would betray him TO the
authorities: he dare not trust himself
with the members of his own tribe, for
there is price on his head. He doubt
less considers himself martyr, for he is
the first of his people to be prosecuted"
for practicing the pastimes of his tribe.
There have been other executions
among the Tahltans for the crime of
witchcraft. even within few months
In August, 1898, an Indian girl died Il,
Tahltan village. Before her death she
confessed that she had been bewitched
and declared that little Joe Cullihan, a
12-year-old orphan, who was purchased
from the coast Indians, was the boy that
bf4vitcbed her. OF course Joe denied the
accusation, but the girl died, and that
proved her story, according TO the Indian
belief. An Indian named Loll took upon
himself the right to mctc out fate 10 lit
tie Joe and tied the boy up by the
thumbs, according to the best methods of
the tribe. As SNOW would not arrive for
at least 90 days and as it would be con-
traly TO all Drecedeut TO order a big hunt