Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-01-04
CHRISTMAS AT loNAc.o.
1t Is Time for Horse Racing and Gard
Playing.
(Dcnyer Timeg.l ]

John =. Altberger, manager of the
Western Union local Office, ana Chas.
W Christy. Denver's famous scout.
returned today from Ignacio. Colo,
where they spent Christmas week
with the Ute Indians. breathing the
fresh air of the open country and par
in the holiday games of the
rcd men. They went to Ignacio last
Friday and were entertained by II. H.
liall, the post trader and Joseph
Smith. indian agent.
Did We have a good time? Well.
should say we did" said Manager Ait
berger between hurried attacks Oh
hunches of dispatches and reports
we h1d the-what about that Allen
business. CharIie?-hottcst time that
over happened in Colo-answer tn.
telephone ChGrlie-rado, and / got
more pictures than few. including
several sGuaws playing-too busy now.
Charlie; tell him I'll call him up Later.
Indian games with cards on blank.
cts and all that sort of-twenty times
i1H is-thing
"Ycs. We mad gay time There
are $40 Indians on the reservation.
and they're about the cleanest lot /
have ever seen. The houses are
clean and the Indians are clean. They
like all Icdians, do not work during
the coll weather, and when the
Christmas festivities commence. there
were about 500 hlanketed redskins ami
1000 others on the grounds. | tell
you. it was a pretty sight when they
al, come down the course on horses.
yelling and waving their arms, playing
all sorts Of tricks in the saddle and
wild with enthusiasm. Chief Buck
skin Charlie was there happy as Il
lord, and so was Savaro, his subor-
Ginate chiol.
The Indians bad been paid OFF TIL.
night before Christmas, each one re-
ceiving 81 annuity. and Christmas
morning they were all up ready 20
part with their cash on the forthcom-
ing horse races. Indians are good
'osers, by the wey. These particular
ties have little money. but they are
game to lose it all when they have
half chance to win. There were all
kinds of races That afternoon over Il
60O-yard course. which had been meas
ured out neal the post traders house.
and the way the Indians yelled as the
winning horses crossed the line would
make the average college foot ball
crowd feel weak by comparison. The
great event CT the card was the rac.J
between SavaIos horse and an animA
owned by the post trader. Sava8
had te@tea oyorything D afterno IN
and was still IN the .i.;s. open to ar II
co--c--.
The crowd became tremendously
l..cited when tho two horses drew MP
for the great race of the day At tho
word the animals We're off, the riders
stripped to the skin save for little
underwear, and down the course they
went like mad, with string of excit.
cd admirers following in the rear and
yelling as though they were on the
warpath.- Near the finish Savaro
spoke to his horse. At the spoken sig
nal the giant in hosefiesh gave a Nigh.
ty bound and left his opponent, cross
ing the line with a flourish, while tn,
loser uttered an exclamation of disap.
pointment and rode deiectedly back
to the starting pint to watch the 9TH
er races. SavaTo lost the next race.
and took his defeat laughingly.
The squaws, for the most pare.
spent the day playing games with
cards, using blankets stretched on the
ground in lieu OF tables. Did YOU ev-
or attend n sewing circle meeting, or a
convention o! mothers. or a suffrage
meeting? well, that's the way the
squaws played Grads, and tho
bucks lounged about occasionally
speaking an encouraging word to one
Of the players, who would look up and
laugh as she took her turn in the
lead"
Christy brought back to Denver with
hum handsome pair of buckskin rid
ing gloves, covered with elks and fir
ures in beaded work, presented to
him by Bhckskin Charlie. He also
brought ar interesting story of how
Mr. Altberger undertook to mount a
lucking pony and landed all over ia
acre OF ground, and how he arterward
9an foot race with the Indian agent
and won.