The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-05
AN INDIAN SACRIFICE
MEDICINE MAN FAILED Tt
 STAMP OUT SMALLPOX.
Tribes Wrath Fell on Him-He Dis appeared Suddenly, and It is Said the Tortures of Tantalus were
 His Lot, Then Death.

Phoenix tArix.) Special Correspondence
 of Baltimore Sun.
 There is one Indian medicine man less in the Yuma tribe. but, so far as recoros been stayed, although that was the ob- feet of putting out the light Of the meoi- cine man.
 Padre" he was called, the Indians having adopted the Spanish term or Ia ther. During long winters and hot sum. msrs Padre ministered to his always dirty and sometimes ailing children: Snake charms and incantations workeo admirably so long as there was notnlng serious the matter. and all went wei in the settlement of the aborigines, near Yuma.
 However, few weeks ago there was consternation in the Indian nuts wnen one after another of the tribe succumbed to the dread disease smallpox. Old and young were alike attacked and inroaus were being made on the population m 2 startling manner. Those who recoverea were so deeply pitted by s,osa,r the sears ,0l 0l terfcred with the continuity of the indeI- bie tribal and family marks with which the Indians line their faces at mouth and eye corners and on cheek ana lore head. y.
 All this time Parde kept up his nut tering incantations distributed his charms and fed the sacred fires. but to no avail. Then began muttering among the m,
  revolt against the, authority and teach ings of the medicine man..
 Padre knew enough of his tribe to ap- preciate the danger of its wrath. so ne yation started him In the face. Game was scarce and he was without the means of killing 1t for food. Cold nights in the mountains chilled his desire to re- tain authority and lead an easy life.
 Shivering and hungry he made his way back to the reservation with visions or at least enjoying the warmth or his smoke stained hut. and perhaps assaug- ing. the gnawing bangs that m made ,,i nm
 When the smallpox began to spread Padre had been consulted freely, and ne had as freely predicted that by ms magic and the following of his directions he could free the village of the pest Now. he was willing to admit his error. In order to regain admission to the tribe he offered to humble himself and be- come a lowly member.
 But the tribe members would have none of this. Padres past record was recalled, andsit was set down against him that he i ad made nine false predictions. rms alone was enough to accomplish bis 9f1- cial downfall, without the added Failure 10 stop the smallpox scourge.
 council was held and the Indians de- cided that the scourge of sickness vas due to the sins of the tribe. Nothing bu, blood could expiate these sins. and. l, was decided that the blood must be thai of a tribe member. Padre pleaded foi mercy but in vain. as he was decided to. bc the most available sacrifice.
 So he was seized and bound. hand and foot Then delegation of Indians se' of with him across the Mexican border. They. came back without the medicine man. but what was his fate Is left largely to scon5ecture.
 From hints let fall by some of. the younger members of the sacrificial party 1t Is supposed that he was bound to a . convenient tree. and tortured to death The death dealing necessarily meant blood-l6tting,' and it was here that ID. ffendish ingenuity of the Indians was given full sway. First, 1t is said, the haif-starved medicine man was. Tanta. ius-like. given a a'yision of a beautitu meal just without his grasp until he was wrought up into frenzy. Then the sharI knives of the Indians began the blood letting of the human sacrifice.
 Whether they carried their cutting as far as deliberate murder is not definitely known. but It Is supposed that the tor tured medicine man was left in his weak ened condition to be finished by expos ure and starvation. Anyway the delega- lion returned satisfied with it's work and content that the smallpox epidemic had been checked.
 It is probable that would-be medicine men will be slow in offering themselves ip that capacity, and for time at least these Yumas will have to depend upon natural means for recovery from sick