The sun., 1900-12-30
KILLED OFF BY TROUSERS.
SgNC;tJR IifF or DGGENER
IEYICAN INDIANS.
Prof. McGe" OF the Bureau OF Ethnoiosy DIS
cover, an nlookci-for Result OF tho Maren
OF Civilization In a Hitherto Cnehpioreo
u.1i OF Northwestern GeNiCO.

OF Civilization In Hitherto tnehp'oroe
Part OF Northwestern Mexico.
WAsHISGrON, Dec. 29.-One tribe OF Ind
ians totally estcrmiuatcd, and another rapidly
dying ont through the ure of civilized cloth-
Ing. istac mournful report brought back to ths
Bureau Of lthnology in this city by Prof.
j. McGce who has recently completed an ex-
tended tour through northwestcs Mexico In
the Interests Of archaeological research. lhs
party from the Bureau consisted OF Prol'
Notice. Mr. Delaney ". McGill, two COW.
pun,her. and an Indian interpreter. The
party left WASHINGTON about three months
agp, oUtattcd ot Ph~nix, Ari2,. where ths
Indians ana stock ~ tiers were recruited
and chen PROCEEDED into Sonora the most
northwestern Of tie Mexican States,
region which has been Il terra incognita "
science, up to half "a dozen years ago, when
the Bureau Of EthHology ilr't began TO pros
ccute it, inquiries into the life history or the
SeH Indians, that tribe OF reputed canntbah
inhahiting 1buron Island in the Gulf of Cal.
ifornia.
The object Of the present expedition was
to locate and study the Topohaw Indians on
the western coast OF Mexico, This tribe oor'
responds To the Digger Indians OF Arizona
and Nevada being one OF the lowest order OF
oil the aboriginal tribes of this country. They
differ from the Diggels. however, In the fact
that they live upon the barren coast OF the
Gu.f Of California and wiring a scanty sub
slstence from the sandy beaches by digging
mollusks. catching turtle and fishing In the
teeming subtropical waters Of the gulf. Like
several OF the Mexican Indian tribes. they
have been on the wane for the past hundred
years, but their primitive arts were Of con.
siderable Interest to science. as were also
their tribal Cur toms and their vocabulary. by
which the Bureau OF EthnolOgy has managed
to build up fairly comprehensive life history
of the various Indian tibes OF the continents
some Of the discoveries in this line have been
exceedingly interesting and promised In time
TO settle the much disputed question Of the
rigin Of tie American Indian tribes. and ths
population OF the Western hemisphere. IL
came t. tho knowledge Of the Bureau OF Eth
nology that the Topokaws were nearly extinct
They had been squeezed to the limit OF en-.
durance between the savage Apaches on the
north and the more savage Seris Of the south.
II was evident that II anything was to bl
learned Of their history as tribe " would
have 10 be done promptly. but TO the surprise
Cl the party from Washington when they had
covered tie hard overland trip from Phoeni3
| - the gulf coast, they found that Fate had
| been before them with the IOpokaw. and the
a remnant OF the tribe had vanished Oh the
Just what led to the final undoing Of this
| primitive tribe Of Indians 1t Is difficult Ia
| sdy, DUI tnc ldCt uldt several prosperous
| cattle ranches haye been planted in this
region during the last few years probably
/ furnishes the explans ton: The Topokaw:
/ cattle than delyo rations in tie briny water
/ OF the Gulf. Ranch owners, especially Mexi
| can ranch owners. object 10 this free and easy
mode of xi5tence ior Indian tribes. and do
| their best To increase tie iour-loOted popu-
/ laton OF the ranges a. tie exnense OF theif
| voka ranch wero rather ha2y as to what had
become OF tie beach digger Indians. but tha
country cSIi S' to Ut the sonthwsrd had flourish.
| ing graveyard Of Serls on Ito outskirts led
TO tie very logical conclusion that the To-
/ pokaws WHO are a more peas efui though
| perhaps no more honest tribe, had been
| iorcod 10 give up In tho struggle for exist
euce with the Mexican cattle and theif
! Mex lean owners
There is perhaps no more mysterious and
IsSn iHi e b lG'sIs ss,s o e haT: aah.
country. Caborca, the most populous Mexi.
can town Of the reslon. has a Romance all
can can crab6e and Gis iittle band Of hundred
Government. with the exception Of two mep.
1t was a story that Is well known In the South.
vest but which las scarcely found % ITS way
caSorcs was tho spot 70 which MeGee and
! his outfit returned as a base. after failing to
From an chronological standpoint the "Trip
had been water haul up to that point Ga
borea is snost The western Limit Of oiyilsa;;
! yNiayir, 10 tha norm mud west however
! ,bara nra n Tow, yiIarcs Of the Pepago In.
Ans lie sami-nomsGio arricult,irsl tribeS
| Of lie desert and beyond them lies the land
! - -. GnCnnay' wIo have never ns Vet bsen
| 30 .uh ,sct Of scisnti' irvestiraton
T ~ ,,gytv str,Ick ont acra :, the deSort from,
| C,hnrra ma l. ndod no Ouito vi Quito which
! - 80 - ia oIisst Indian ,sttIemerts In fhe
| no'n,ry anJ SI,Trosad 10 ha thc iost outnnss
otiict,nt Taforn o,s AZ ri,ss the month ~ ths
/ CoIIradn River where IL enters the C;uif OF
| roi gorrf. NJ hat was Tho siirrrise of ths
! Dor,v tharofoI, vl'en thrv fo,iii "A railroad
Mn, ws,t iron, mis- desGlsta Indian settle
n,ent. TO be- sure il was only narrow
| ,,,os,a railro,d seventeen miles IN lencth
sa';so ,,ra3c i. ,arbors To tnnsf renarusti:
| -, ap, rsiirnad IN the conn,rv II was buiiS
| slIoIv tn carry water 70 n Nexican cold mins
| Sp ,Ia bIIiS md inciIentalIv to brinS bao;
| 40 nroduDt ~ I no sta,nn mill which is 1ocafed
! ~ dis .lmost inaC,rssibie and unheard of
/ ntonni,ine"ri. The mine IL known as TIA
iSo'Ja Iias In !, re zion ,v h on a dscade fron,
| ,o,, No. yi, n.ss a rush of cold seeker ~ nlmoe1
! 49, aS i,,t'eiuous ss ,I,at which has powed 70 the
! Klcndike in the last TWO seasons II ia a
; rcTinn Of rotten quartz iedees bearing gold
= ia Srond navino ouantitjes but one which has
! na'.r falt tha stimulus OF American cnterpriss
! ard rnnitai The was n ~ from these noun
, tain lsdvss corried down by the storm water
I a,arr vsar have crs9ted creat placer Teid.
+ eli rlong tha Nest coesf which are worked