The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-11
FINEST PEOPLE
ARE FOUND
In Remote Old Mexico by a
Curious Tourist.
TOOK THEIR PHOTOGRAPHS
And viii Endeavor to Bring
Them to St. Louis Fair.

from the southern republic with photo
graphs of strange family of pygnies
he found near Tuxpan.
He discovered them by chance while
enroute to Colima. in Jalasco. He had
gone as ia ras possible on the Mexican
Central and at Tuxpan was compelled to
resort to burros for transportation.
Not far out of the city he met two
Indians going to market with baskets
In conversation with them, he learned
o fthe queer little people.
In my fifteen years experience as
Snowman" said Mr.. McGarvie. who
halls from New York, II have learned TO
look for the unusual, not alone from
business standpoint of view, but for the
qualification of my own curiosity.
Having learned just where to find
these people, 1 went on my way, inquir
ing of the natives as L proceeded.
AT last L arrived in a little valley
where there were perhaps fifty Indian
adobe houses.
Here l learned that the pygmies lived
In the neighborhood, and after some
little trouble located the hut of a fam
ny of the smallest people, 1 have ever
seen
Il was told that there were several
others in the valley, but this family suit
ed my purpose, which was to photo
graph them for my scrapbook.
The family consisted of five MEM
bers. and as near as L could make out,
they were a mixture of various Indian
tribes of the coast.
whether they sprang from a race of
midgets OF were merely stunted in their
growth, could not accurately determine
but l incline to the former belief, on ac-
count of the great number of them said
to live in the surrounding country.
They spoke a patois of Spanish. so
that l could understand them with little
difficulty
Their houses were of the ordinary
type of adobe, and they, like the other
natives, supported themselves by raising
chickens and cultivating beans and other
vegetables.
las L approached the house ! heard
strains of harp emanating from it.
The notes were very clear and sweet.
An old man of about sixty years, 1
Judged, with gray hair and not more
than eighteen inches high WIS seated
on a tiny stool
"A harp of small size rested with its
base between his knees and the top
against a chair of ordinary size.
He was playing a Spanish air with
ease, all the while humming softly to
himself
He paid no attention to me until he
seemed to have finished the bar with
satisfaction to himself, and then he
arose and advanced towards me-
Il spoke with him, explaining that 1
was tourist and had stopped at his
house to purchase some chickens.
Going to the door he piped, in a very
shrill voice, evidently to a woman who
was at work in the garden plot in the
rear
This woman was little under the av-
erage size, and. upon her coming to the
house, l was surprised to learn that
she was the dwarfs wife.
AT this moment three other pygnies
darted in at the door, as if TO Sc ewhat
had caused the commotion.
They We're about the size of Pedro
Chat was the old mans name) and |
was told that they were the children
of the strangely mismated couple
Two Were young women of sixteen
and eighteen respectively. The other
was youth of twenty
They were very shy and kept pulling
nj their mothers mantle
distributed pennies among them
and soon won their confidence
Another surprise was in store for me.
for in walked a boy of fourteen. who
proved to be the youngest child of the
family
The remarkable thing about him was
that he was nearly as large as the av-
erage native youth of his age
Now / knew that the Indians of Ia
Hsco Were averse TO having their pic
lures taken as they consider il a hoo
doc.
Il began to cast about for some r1lse
to bring about the desired result
got them all 10 stand in line by A
liberal distribution of Mexican pennies.
and cautiously fixed the camera.
But they were too sharp for me. and
scampered away like frightened animals.
L stopped in the village two davs he
fore l finally convinced them that no
harm would come 10 them
Pedro at last consented 20 have tho
camera pointed at him and his family
and l had taken the focus for the first
shot when l discovered that III, small
son was missing
There was nothing to do but search
TOR him. and We all set about it, / shall
never forgot that pygmy hunt.
Pedro and his two diIninutive daugh-
hers ran int othe tall grass along a creek
below the hut. that completely hid them
from view.
The grass was hardly knee high to
me. and yet it was like forest TO
chem.
i could only locate them by the COM
motion they caused in the vegetation
By their shriIl cries.
Finally one of the girls uttered a
shrin cry. She had found her truant
brother az the creek washing his face.
20 he explained. that he nigh; better
appear better TO advantage in the pic
ture.
Il then took several poses. After that
they were more friendly and gave a
rnique concert in my honor before / left.
Pedro played the harp. which was of
home manufacture. and the others sang
b shrill. weird tones
Before pursuing my journey. Iasked