Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-02-05

consulted on all questions OF moment. and
their decisions often mean life or death.
Their charms and incantatious are oh a
ear with the darkest snperstitions Of Di-
houiey or Ashanti
But there Is one horrible CT stom of t.s
Tobias which j. probably worse than any
thing IN Africa. That Is the burying aliv.
Of those members Of the tribe who have
0uflived their ability 10 be OF service. II
a Toba Indian lives TO an age when he l.
regarded as no longer useful. he is told
that II j. time for iim TO die. The infor
nation does not take him by surprise. H.
receives il as a matter Of course and has
perhaps. even intimated himself that he
would prefer 10 20. The women Of the
village dig a grave deep enough for the
victim 10 sit down in. The work is done
by women probably because they do most
ofFthe work of all kinds. apart from hunt
ing and war. The old Indian steps into
the grave or is helped into il and sits
down Then the women throw the earth
In upon him until he Is co cred up. There
IS no monument to mark the old mans
grave. III he had a wife who loved him.
she puts perhaps a branch or sprig on
top of the grave rs a tribute of affection.
Such i the hideous manner in which the
TOBIAS keep their tribe young and vigor
Gus and able To resist their enemies.
" hfh q TINS SlDfb OF the tfuti
habits OF the TOBIAS. il recalled the an
swer OF "a boy belonging to one OF tn.
savage tribes of TERRA del Fuego to q
voyager who inquired why the sayages in
time of scarcity killed and ate their old
women when there were dogs they could
eat instead. The boy. who had a smat
tering of English, answered. Dog catch
otter-oid woman no..
While scientists have secured Africa
- - n
nary specimens of humanity. they nave
overlooked one of the most wonderful
works oE the creator in human form-a
tribe in the Amazonian forests with eyes
so situated that they do not look straight
in front Of them. but TO the right and TO
the left. Their sweep of vision on each
side is far greater than that of other hu
man beings. but they cannot look directly
ahead. 1t Is needless To speculate on this
popularity. which must be of great value
to savages living in the very depth Of the
dense forests of interior South America,
surrounded 10y wild beasts and ever on
the watch against various dangers. | was
introduced TO but one member of this
tribe and was assured on what | believe
to be trustworthy information that the
others had the same popularity.
The tigers. or jaguars, are fierce and
powerful beasts and do not hesitate To
attack cattle. y tiger VIII leap suddenly
from the tall grass or brush upon the
flank of a grazing animal. The rest of
the herd rush 10 help their companion.
The tiger does not wait for their on
sla ught, bur leaps from its victim and
disappears. Ii has, however, already in
fiicted fatal wounds by tearing open the
main arteries. and the animal il has at
tackled soon falls TO the ground and bleeds
to death. The herd after the disappear
ance of the tiger scatter about as before.
and the latter goes forth stcaithlly from
its hiding place and feasts upon its prey |
Tigers attack unarmed men, but are very
wary in approaching any one who Is arm
ed either with a gun or with the
used 10y the savages of the forests.
ITO bring the wealth of interior South
America within reach of civilization these
savage tribes must be won over. and
what the Spaniards nave failed to accom |
pif-n .~rrstus as n task for the United
States and western Europe. American
prestige was never SO great as now
among the South Americans. The late
war with Spain has opened the eyes of
The people there ~ they We're never open