The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-01
PASSING OF THE COMANCHES
Purely Prairie Tribe Which Once
Covered a Big Territory.

Guthrie, y. T., March 91.-The settle
ment of the Kiowa and Comanche
country, following the allotment OF those
Indians to lands, now generally accepted
as contamination to be expected in a
very few months, involves in it as one
of its incidents the progress of one of the
most peculiarly wild Indian tribes, from
a condition of tribal tenure of land to in
dividual ownership, practically, if not lit
orally and then the end of the, CO.
manches as a tribe
The knowledge of. the Comanche
Indian in the modern west is restricted
largely to a phrase-that a man or baby
or coyote yells like a Comanehe In
DIAM
The ''Comanche yell' merits perpet-
uation. for once heard it was thing
long to be remembered, and the phrase
will probably be used when the tribe is
no longer in existence
The Comanche Indians were peculiar
in this; that until a very late date they
did not consent to treaties with the
United States; they occupy today part of
the same ground they occupied when the
ing in the far west they did not come
in contact with the white man until very
late; that when that contact came they
proved exceedingly jealous of their ter
ritory. They were met by two civiliza-
items, that of Spaniards in Mexico and
the Anglo-Saxon of western United
States. They warred on both valiantly.
AT the beginning of this century the
Ccmanches numbered about 1900 souls.
$500 of these warriors They were known
as Texas Indians, being located in Cen
trail and Northern Texas. But their de-
predations covered a wide territory. At
one season they would be making raids
into Chihauhau, Mexico, and at another
season would be attacking immigrants
on the Kansas trails, and again making
forays on eastern Texas. Both western
whites and Mexicans dreaded them and
kept cut of their way as much as pos
sible. On two occasions the Comanches
also strayed far enough out of their path
to give the Osages and the Pawnees
lickings.
Their versatility in war was based on
the circumstance that they were the
best riders in the world, were in fact the
original Rough Riders of the continent
They have never been excelled in the art
Of Workmanship, and probably never
There is in the Comanche tribe
a slight Mexican and sequentlally, Span. |
ish blood admixture. At one time they
lived near Santa Fe. New Mexico, and
a great deal with the Mex
there. In many other In
stances they captured Mexican children, |
and adults as well, and amalgamation |
came about in that way. They also cap
tured occasionally the Anglo-Saxon |
Cecilia Parker. the mother of Quanah |
Parker, the present chief of the Cam |
anehes, was a captive Anglo-saxon.
Speaking of the caDtives of the Com i
anches, Daniel G. Burnet. a famous !
Texan, and good old soul by the way. |
in the second decade of this century !
found four captive Mexicans in a band |
of Comanches Good Mr. Burnet bought |
the Mexicans for the value of 500 each /
and took them home with him. One OF /
these Mexicans in return for this kind (
ness stole horse from his deliverer. two /
became such loafers that he sent them /
away, and fourth. according TO Mr..
Burnett, rendered some remuneration by 4
personal services" Mr. Burnet after |
ward found a number of juvenile Mexi- /
can prisoners with the Comanches but.
as Indians held them much higher /
than $40 each. and moreover as the olu- |
dren were reluctant 10 leave the Indians
whom they had learned to love, Barnet
did not try again his iberatlng policy.
IN connection with the matter OF can
tives. it was the Comanche scuaw who
gave to history the story that it was the
Indian scuaw who led in the torture Of
captIves. This was not true OF most Of
the Indian tribes OF the Choctaws. Chick
asaws. the Creeks. who came from
United States. or the Della
wares. who came from the Ear east. or
the Sacs and Foxes, Who came rom tn
north. But 1t vas true Of the Comanchez
in the early part q the present century
A pioneer writes OF the Comancha
They are decidedly more zero
cious and cruel to prisoners than the
men among whom have sometimes W.T.
messed a cleaning of kind ard h.zneyes
lent nature i Is an ancient custom 70 /
surrender a prisoner 20 the women for
torture for the first three DAYS 81 MS ar
rival among them These fends stake
out the unhaDpY victim BY day. that l.
fastea him on MS back 20 TIRE ground
with his limbs distendea by earss and
stakes At evening he Is released ana
taken 20 the dance. where be Is placed IN
the center Of a living circle. formed by
the dense mass OF kts tormente~s ana
made 10 dance and sins while ne f,,-fes
q the inner line beat him with stirss
and thongs % rawhiae with great an.