The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-04

The annual distribution of Conan che Indian brides has just occurred at the Saddle Mountain mission, in south- ern Oklahoma, Fifty of the prettiest women Of the tribe were sold at pub lie auction q sthe wives of trlbesmeh who bid them in. This barbaric GUS tom was to have been discontinued py the Comanches last year, but it went on even bolder than ever this season, being conducted under the very eyes of the white settlers,
 The festival of the Comanche pony smoke as this ceremony is called ls of more than passing interest. seldom are so many young squaWs auctioiiea off as was done this year, but the sur plus was great and needed thlnnlng out, according to the head men or the tribe Their parents, refusing to keep them any longer, the girls natulahy needed homes somewhere, ana IL was deemed best by the medicine men to auction them off as wives, the hlShesI bidders to take their choice. Big BOW monstrous fat and ugly redskin, act ed as the auctioneer He was aSSlsted by number of medicine men, who per formed the marriage ceremonies alle' the sales had been made
 Five hundred Indians gathered al the Saddle Mountain mission last week. This mission is located thirt ymiles d. rectly south of Mountain View, and on the range of the Wichita mountains. The girls who were sold had been con l. r., weeks nrjDl to this meeting, and were well fed and extremely well groomed. They were all clad in gay colors, and their halr arranged in perfect Indian fashion. It was plain to see that their parents had prepared them to bring fancy prices. The girls were in various moods; some hysterical others calm, and not a few delighted with the experience.
 Among others was a daughter of the famous Quahnah Parker, the noted Co., manche Indian chief. This daughter, whose name is Amy had displeased him by attempting to run away ana marry a white man, and cowboy at that, so Parker decided that the best thing would be to sell her at auction. rms is the first time Parker, who is counted by his white neighbors highly culti- vated red man, has ever allowed any Of his relatives to be sacrificed at the auction block. But the wrath of an Indian parent knows no bounds
 Sad and silent, Amy Parker was led to the block for sale. The first bid was eleven ponies. Jack Wild Horse, a well known scout of the tribe, was the bid der He was immediately raised by 1at claimant bid fifteen Others then cut in, and Miss Parker was run up to fifty ponies. Her face grew pale when tshe saw that Wild Horse was deter mined to get her, as he is known as the most desperate savage on the res eration when drunk and angered. It is said that he has killed three wives when drunk. Wild Horse, however. won the young squaw for sixty three ponies. The stock was turned over to Parker, and medicine man married Wild Horse and the squaw according to the Comanche rites. The couple then went to Fl Reno. where a regular marriage license was issued them and the ceremony repeated by pale face minister, Although the marriage took place only three days ago, dis- patch from Lswton says that she att tempted to commit suicide after fail ing in an attempt to kill her new hus- band.
 Other young women objected quite as strongly as did Miss Parker to being auctioned off, but it did them no good whatever. Big Bow went ahead with the sale until every one of them was sold, The lowest bid made for any of them was twenty ponies. This was the price paid for half breed woman who had been married to a white man, but the latter having died, she reverted back again to her parents again.
 Tn all over 1500 ponies changed hands
 in the three days of the big bridal auction Not for many years have the squaws commanded such spirited bid
 ding and big prices as in this latest event of it's kind among the Comanches. Wichita, Kan, Letter to Chicago In- er-Ocean.