The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-12
IN awful PEOPLE
Alaskan Sons Who Kill Their
Own Fathers.
NEW PHASE OF SAVAGERY
And Yet They are Friendly TO
Strangers.
NEW PHASE OF SAVAGERY

A special correspondence Of the New
York World says:
That there are in the United States
men who kin their own fathers is the
report brought back from Cape Nome
by AIRS. John Il. McKeever from the
frozen north
AIRS 8dcKeever. an ethnoIogist OF repute
is the wife Of the contractor who built
the new army post, Fort Davis, in the
Klondike
said Mrs. McKeever, to-day: ''There
have been many divisions made Of the
natives Of Alaska, but I like TO think OF
them as three races Esquimau, Indian
and Laplander.
THE Esquimaux are small people. dark
complexioned-the name Esquimaux
means --hsh-eatersT or "fesh-eaters. -
Their food is principally fish When
they cannot secure fresh FISH they subsist
on dried ones and upon seals and wal
rus In summer they live in huts and
tents, but the winters drive them into
snow houses and holes dug into the
ground.
These natives are friendly with
above I'VE. Anything more than that
number is simply a great quantity, They
are very superstitious- They believe in
witches and wizards, but the practice
OF Witchery is kept a secret, as the gov
eminent officials forbid it
'The Indian or Innuit are larger than
theEsq uimaux, dress more ike our In
dams, but conform to the extreme cold
climate. they like to have their pictures
taken. They ali live an indolent life
and work only when necessity drives
them They VIII pick up a decayed fish
and eat it in preference to going in a
boat for live ones.
Consumption is the prevailing disease
perhaps caused by their unclean man
ner Of living, breathing foul air for nine
months Of the year and eating unclean
food. Another cause Of the disease is
perhaps that these people nearly always
keep their mouths open.
'sThe Laulanders are more civilized
than either of the other two peoples
They dres IN gaudy manner ana are
fond OF bright colors, red and blue be-
ing their favorites. They dress in woven
garments and use furs only in winter.
They also are very supersttious and fear
the camera more than the rife. The
Laplander is an expert with the rife.
"Au the natives are fond Of whiskey
and tobacco and would give away their
last possession for a portion Of either.
a peculiar custom praeticed by the
natives is that when a person becomes
old crippled or diseased. his nearest rel
alive is designated TO kill him. This is
done publicly and with great ceremony.
The condemned is either shot through
the heart or thong is placed around
the neck and the executiOner places q
stick through this and twists the stick
until the person is choked to death.
Everyone seems to take great pleas
ura in this hideOus ceremony. Even the
person who is to die shows no signs Of
fear or melancholy. but stoically ap-
proaches the place Of his execution. Then
a great feast and jubilee follow.
1.-THE natives vii never want for fuel,
as the ground is covered with an almost
inexhaustible supply of wood From
ten TO twenty feet below the surface this
deposit may be found and also skeletons
OF mastodons, showing that the climate
was once warmer.
Another peculiar custom is their sys-
TEN Of disposing Of their dead. They
build an open sepulchere OF logs and
place the remains Of their friends in it,
They wrap the corpses in a blanket or
fur robe and place all his belongings
near him, There he is left exposed to
decay or be devoured by wild animals"