The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-22

was taking care of them, were grouped
round Moostoos. surviving by medicine
songs and other means at our command
to drive the evil spirit out of him. En-
tominahoo, our chief doctor, was inside
the medicine circle with his wand and
using all his science and skill.
Suddenly Moostoos called out: This
night YOU viii all doe. and commenced
twitching his limbs and rolling his eyes
Two of US, ChuckachuCk and myself. went
and sat on each side of him az his shout
ders, prepared to hold him down if he he-
came violent. while the two young VIC
men. Eliza and Felix's wife, sat al his
feel. Redhead. sick with fright, left the
shack. A1oostoos began throwing his arms
about and tried TO get up, saying again,
If I get up l will kill you all tonight.
Then four of us laid hold of his arms and
legs and held him down, while Entomina-
hoo continued his medicine using the most
powerful cons ad incantauons at his
command MoostooS now became unman-
ageable flung us off, rose to his feet and
sprang into the air, eXclaiminS; l VIII
XIII you all l will not leave one alive!
Fear, intense, blind fear, took hold OF
us; we jumped up, and in spite OF his 60
santic struggles we managed TO pun MIN
down and cover him with blankets. En-
tominahoo left his medicines lodge and sat
down close TO MoostOos, saying; It's no
use; | can do no more; do your best TO
hold him.
'.Moostoos struggles fearfully. throwing
his head about and grinding his teeth and
twice he tried to bite me, tearing my coat.
At that time l was holding his right arm
Chuckachuck his left. while the two wO-
men held his feet. | covered his face aft
er he tried to bite me. The noise of the
drumming and singing had been going on
all the time.
''Bv this time we were crazy with fear,
and what followed is like a dream. Eliza
sprang TO her feet. holding in her right
hand medicine belt and in her left an
ak. Her hair was flying loose and she
was dancing and singing. All Of a sudden
she ran round and struck Moostoos over
the face and breast with this medicine belt
several times | cannot say If she struck
him with the ak, as my head was bent
down, but l saw blood outside the blanket
after she had thrashed him. and | only
knew of two other cuts on the head while
the policeman found three She then hand
ed the ak to Chuckachuck and said: Here
brother-in-lawr
''Chuckachuck struck him with the AK
and split his skull. That blow killed Moos-
toos. Chuckachuck then handed me the
ak and knife, which | refused at first, till
Chuckachuck called me a coward and said
l wanted them all killed. 1 then drove the
knife into his belly and struck the ak into
his body over the heart. leaving both
weapons in the wounds. Moostoos breath
ed little after he got the first blow, but
he had stopped breathing before l struck
him.
IAN that night we sat around the body
till daylight by the light of the fire. We
expected him to rise from the dead, and
we wanted TO kill him again if he tried to
get up"
Being asked what he thought was the
matter with Moostoos. Napaysoosis re-
piled: He was Wehtika and l know
he had lump of ice in his body causing
the malady Why. we made strong tea
and poured II boiling hot into the ak hole
In the breast to thaw that ice, but first
Payoo and l drove a stake into that hole
and through the body into the ground;
then we pulled out the stake and poured
In the hot tea.
"After that toward morning, Entomina-
hoo's wife and l tied his legs with chains
to two pickets driven into the ground, so
that il he came to life again he could not
get up and run after US. And last of
all next day, 1 cut OFF his head with an
ak to make sure that he was dead and
In order that even if he got up, he could
not eat us Then we left him in the
shack tied up the door and left the place.
Being requested to say what he meant
by a Wehtiko. the prisoner explained THAI
il was a person, man or woman, into
whose body enters a most malignant evil
spirit which incites him or her to kill
and eat his or her fellow-men or women.
A Wehtiko is possessed of superhuman
strength and cunning, and the only thing
that saves the Indians is that it generally
warns them beforehand of its coming
state He added that it has always been
the Indian custom to kill these people;
that being their only means of protecting
themselves from their violence.