The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1899-02-04
CoMANCHE sQUAw SNATCHING
OFFAL.

| VI
blooded Indians. Hundreds OF white
men, and. strangely enough, most OF
them Scotchmen, had intermarried
with the Cherokees, Choctaws, and
Chicasaws. long before they moved
! from their old homes in Georgia and
Alabama. Blue eyes are very COM
mon among these people, and one often
meets a Miss McLane or a McGregor
with flaming red hair.
camped a few days since with old
Chief John Paul and his family. They
were travelling through the country
and had stopped on the roadside to
kill beef. The old chief is himself
as white as anybody. and so are his
children. though his wife Is rather
dark, and has the manners OF her an
cestors. The boys who dressed the
beef are his nephews. but neither OF
them are full-bloods. They were very
particular. and took great pains to
keep the meat clean. Two or three
Comanche squaws sat and watched us
until we had hung up the quarters and
then they pounced upon the remains
Nothing could have more pronounced
ly shown the difference in the civiliza-
ton OF the two tribes. The Cherokees
are just about century in advance
Of their Comanche brothers.
The Comanches have only been in
the territory a few years, and they
still have the stomachs OF wolves. 1t
will mot Ia LONG hnuavar hafo,o 49,,
will dwell in houses and adopt the GUS
toms of white people. It is dinicult
to induce a wild Indian to become
clearly. These Comanches were q hard.
cruel. filthy set, but Uncle Sans agent
has forced them to set their tents In
line and keep the streets clean. They
would roll in filth and make the squaws
do all the work II the agent. who lives
in the little village did not watch their
every movement and threaten to cut
their rations short for any and all
acts OF disobedence. A few OF them
have been induced to cultivate small
patches OF ground, but they will not
advance very rapidly until the young
people, who are now In school learning
something. of more Importance than
hunting and war, come to their in
heritance.
Very often among the Choctaws one
sees under the same roof family
that could present a specimen OF every
degree OF blood from the painted war
rior to a blue-eyed babe. obtained
a photograph Of a bride and groom
belonging to the rich osages. The
brides mother is a full-blooded white;
the groom would pass for an Anglo
Saxon any day. These Osages are
the richest people in the world. Every
one of them gets $4,000 from the gov
eminent and large body OF the An
est land in America. These young
people are worth not less than 10000.
The bridegroom is without a watch,
and the bride does not possess a single
ornament. The 0sages do not seem
to realize that they are rich. Young
men who are looking for an helress
need not go far away, but before they
go among the Osages accounting II
would be we'll enough to learn that the
fathers and brothers OF these dusky
maldens carry big knife for all mere
fortune hunters. They are all eager
to endorse a proper alliance but once
an Usage, always an Usage. The man
who marries among them is expected
to remain and share their fortunes.
Nearly all of the old tribes dwell
In houses and cultivate farms. The
government furnishes tents to the new
tribes that have recently been brought
to the reservations and their villages
are very pretty The young people
take great pride in their blood and
lineage. A young Cherokee belle may
find much to boast Of in a red grand
parent with plated hair and rings in
his ears while she would look with
indif 7ce upon a relative in store
clothes For Instance, no member OF
the bridal party just mentioned was
more conspicuous and highly honored
than a young cousin OF the bride, who
was evidently a full-blooded Indian.
Certainly the Indians OF the territory
furnish many features OF interest to
the students OF race pecularities.