The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-05-04
INDIANS AS BoWLERs
The Game as 1t Was Formerly Played
In Alleys Built In the
Open Fields.


The American Indians were great
bowlers. Alleys of greater length than
any in use to-day were built in the
open fields. Balls hewn out of stone
were rolled by genuine Indian masele.
In fact, there is scarcely popular
kind of game played in this country
to-day but that it's counterpart can be
found in the ago of the rcd man. They
were gamblers. too, even to FORGETTING
the clothes uton their backs, their
wives or their liberty. Strange to say,
the average school history has abound
ed in description of the Indian in
nearly every point except the details
of the games he played.
Relics of the Indian bowling alley
are rare except in few sections of the
country, thus showing that the game
was not universal one, and of all the
games which the Indian played bowl
ing is Undoubtedly the most remote.
The western reserve of Ohio was one
of the centers for the Indian bowlers.
In several parts of Ashtabula county
some of the older residents have these
relics preserved, which they have
picked up themselves in their early
farming, usually in the open field.
The balls used, instead of being large
wooden ones like those in use to-day,
were made of light colored stone and
range in size from an ordinary league
ball down to the common small toy
rubber ball. The alleys were built of
wood carved out to make reasonably
smooth surface. The game was more
to see how Ia one could roll rather
than accuracy in striking the ten pins
at the opposite end of the alley. The
alleys were built SO long that it is al
legged it was a hard matter to roll one
of these stone balls so that it would
reach the end. The Indians, too, kept
a score and, like in all other games,
they gambled. Sockalexis is not the
only Indian interested in the national
game.
The Indians were inveterate ball
players and excellent ''rooters." Their
game lasted usually from nine o'clock
in the morning till shutdown. It was
participated in by from 900 to 1000
young men divided into two sides, and
the games were Witnessed by from
5000 to 5000 men, women and children,
who formed an immense ring around
the entire field. The enthusiastic Indian
Yells were not altogether unlike the
noises of the modern ball park. There
was scarcely en- intermission of five
minutes during the entire day.
The game, however, resembled our
football rather than baseball. When
the ball was in the air there were kicks
and struggles, MANNED limbs and
bruised bodies. A prescribed line di-
vided the 'srocters" of the two sides
and across this line the gambling took
place. Old men were selected as UNI
pires. Women on both sides brought
the crude household goods of the fam
lily to the BAH park to be staked on the
game. Stockholders guarded the
goods. The scene resembled two dis
tinct camps, although there was not
necessarily more than one tribe en-
gagged in the game.
There was a feature in the Indian
game which will be new to the ball
players of the year 1900. Several med
icine men, among the Choctaws, sat all
might on the spot where the ball was
to be started next day and smoked to
the great spirit who was to witness
the game. The night before there also
occurred what was known among the
Indians as the "ball play dance"
Prior to the game each Indian was
provided with two instruments which
resembled our tennis rackets of to-
day. The judges threw the ball into
the air and Immediately hundreds of
Indians started after it. One would
finally succeed In catching it between
the large ends CT the two tennis rack
cts" and throw it ''home," or between
two poles, the limit of one side or the
other. This would count one point to-
ward the game and the side getting
100 points first won. Often in the ter
rible struggle for the ball difficulties
would rise between two slightly in
jured contestants and the game would
stop until they settled the dispute.
The women also played ball. When
Tic men WCIC lEcQ tncJ WOulQ an
noupce a game among the women and
prizes would be awarded their winning
wives.
Among the popular amusements dear
to the lighter side of the American, a
parallel for which has been found
among the Indians, are the following:
Bowling, ball playing, horse racing,
foot racing, dancing. wrestling, check
ers, dominoes, ouoits, sham fights,
. Many things which some of us to-day
may believe are contemporaneous only
with the age in which we live by re-
search may be found to have existed
in the everyday life of the American
Indian. Polygamy was practiced by
certain Indian tribes long before JOS
eph Smith founded the Mormon belief.
Vapor baths were enjoyed by the In
lian before the first white man came
10 disturb his hunting ground.-Chi-
cago Chronicle.
The Grenade Throwers.
The Grenadiers, the senior of the
Rritish reofmaufe which oor,,~sa ~,