The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-08-29
SWIFT INDIAN RUNNERS
A CURIOUS RACE BY THE STRANGE
TAuRI MAURl TRIBE.
Ii Was f20 Miles Long, and, Incidentally.
the Racers Threw Wooden Ball. Re.
Tore Them by Means of Their Toes
Their Swiftness Surprising.

o'o i"eh ny means OF Their Toes
Their swiftness Surprising.
Most tourists in Mexico see LITTLE of
the strange Thuri Maurl Indians
writes the chihuahua correspondept
OF the New York Sun. The first TourI
Mauri we saw was mail carrier
among the San Lorenzo Mountains
about l2O miles south of chihuahua.
This Indian makes two round trims
over a distance of eighty-five miles
twice a week. making total OF some
$40 miles week on foot. Several
times, when the Government had rea
sons for rushing mails to their destina
ton, he made even three round trips
in seven and a half days. The route
leads from Guarlchic to San Jose de
los Crues over as rugged mountain
tran as ever tried mountalneer's
muscle
The Indian mail carrier was bare
headed and barelegged. his entire suit
consisting of about three yards of
narrow cloth woven out of goats
hair. On his back was n mail sack.
that. with its contents, weighed forty
pounds. This was supported by Il
strap across his forehead and another
across his chest He came trottinig
down the hill smoking a cigarette and
moving as easily and gracefully as If
just starting out. instead of having
some twenty miles already to his
credit that morning.
AS he reached the level ground in
the valley he dropped bail about
the size of a baseball on the ground,
and, catching it deftly on his toes,
gave 1t throw forward and raced
after 1t with the speed of n deer,
picking 1t up on his toes and throw
ing 1t forward again without in the
least. so far as we could see, checking
his speed. As he overlook us the ball
was placed in his armpit. and he
trotted along by the side of the mules,
chatting quite socinbly
The Tauri Maurl Indian carries one
of these wooden balls with him every
where, tucked under the armpits until
he is in Il hurry; then it is thrown
forward, and away the owner rushes
after it. 1t is their way of keeping.in
training for all the time, and of hur-
rying themselves over the ground.
, 1t is always thrown from the toes.
and never from the hand.
There are some 10000 Tauri Mauri
Indians in Mexico. Twice every sum
mer they meet for sort of tourDa-
ment. 1t is custom centuries old.
II xvoe tIo xx,ritor's Uoo1 for+una IN ha
present at one of these periodical as
sembles among the San Lorenzos.
about twenty miles southwest from
Chihuahua.
The Tauri Mauris are long-liinbed
and slender. giving the impression of
being over the average height. There
| is scarcely any muscle on their puny
arms, but their chests are deep. and
| their backs broad, and their limbs as
| trim and muscular as greyhound's
/ They look as If created for speed.
The great contest of the tournament
was n race. The wagers of the rival
towns were piled up in the centre of
| the plaza, and consisted of strips OF
| goats-hair cloth, bows, arrows,
sandals. goats, chickens, and sheep,
| with two wooden plows for high
| prizes; but these were thrown far in
| the shade when some American visit
ors added n cupful of copper coins,
gaudy lithograph, and n water color
| painting of n cross surrounded with
flowers. Such prizes had never been
offered in the memory of the oldest
| inhabitant, and the runners swore
| that 1t should be the race of their
lives.
In the afternoon they asked us to
! look over the course. TO our as
tonishment we found that it was
twelve miles long and that the circuit
was to be made ten times. A royal
race, indeed, of 100 miles. The race
was to be run in the night and con-
cluded in the cool of the next after
noon.
About FIVE O'Clock in the afternoon
everything was ready. Ten athletes
stood on the right side of the plaza
and ten on the left. To each side
one wooden bail was allotted. The
racers were dressed in native trunks
of goats hair cloth, and many of these
were discarded before the race was
over.
At the word both OF the balls were
thrown forward and the twenty
bounded forward at a speed that II
would tax bicyclist TO keep u9 with.
We thought that such burst of speed
would soon tire them out, but 1t was
meant only for the start of three
miles straight away acress the valley.
Before reaching the other side of the
course the runners began cutting of
the corners and racing ahead on the
oval course so as TO receive and carry
on the ballot thelrplrty The ball was
pitched forward by the foot of the
first one and that side TO reach 1t, and
IL n rival could reach it first IL was
thrown back on the course. The pur-
pose was to get the ball around the
prescribed course. no matter how, 50
long as 1t was touched only by the
feet OF the players. TO touch 1t with
the hand was to lose all bets.
Tripping, crowding, and all the
rough work of football players were
permitted to prevent an opponent from
reaching or throwing the ball Run
ners were permitted to cut across the
valley at jog trot, and so be ready TO
receive the ball rs 1t came along and
| thau apurt pyifb n IfmpirpS and