The daily sentinel., 1905-09-26
CRAZY INDIANS
ENDURANCE.

Myton. Utah. Sept. 24.-On the
uintah reservation just opened to
settlement, is found tine most eXCep-
tional case of human endurance. An
Indian of the Uintah tribe of Utes
has here defied the elements in a
rigorous climate for twentv-fiYe
years, wearing no clothing and liv-
ing virtually without any shelter
He absolutely ignores the fashions
of this age preferring Adamic sim
plicity, though far removed from the
isothermal of Eden. This Indian is
insane. and lives in neither house
nor tent, and endures the tempera
ture often ten degrees below zero and
occasionally as much as twenty. His
miserable preteNt for a lodge is evil
IDENTIFY of his own design. and CON
sists of half dozen short poles set
up in wigwam style and partially Gov
cred with tent cloth. This reaches
but part of the way around. leaving a
wide opening to the east and ample
space above and below for free cir
culation. in this he lives night and
day. year in and out, lying on the
bare ground and without covering.
save a remnant OF a blanket too
small for protection. and leaving the
eNtremities constantly exposed. Ere
quently have the employees at the
agency seen his drawn up form de-
grimed with the dust and ashes OF his
worthless shack andhis long. matted
hair bound fast to the frozen ground.
He some times makes a smothering
fire in the opening of the tent.
Whether for warmth or for company
is a question but il often takes lib
critics with his blanket and dilapi-
dated tent cover. both already too
much abbreviated. Indian agents
and others have taken out suits OF
clothes and put them on him by
force. but when assured of being
alone he promptly burned the cloth
ing as being an incumbrance, and as
sumed his accustomed posture with
out apparel.
TO live in this nude manner in a
house or u comfortable tent for a
score of years might not be thought
impossible, but to lie on the naked
earth with body exposed to the SHOWS
and storms of winter, and this with
out perceptible hurtful physical el |
tests, is poser to anybody. Agency |
physicians have often visited him to
note the effect OF the elements in !
severe climate during so many years,
but they have found an organism
apparently tree from inirmites, |
though his age is fully sixty years. |
His family name is Provo. and he |
lives near his brothers, who dispense !
to him food issued at the agency |
Tomits is his Indian name. but he is |
known as Inepegunt. which in the |
Ute language means crazy.
An insane Ute Is 1are, indeed. and
il is idle to speculate about the
cause of this Indians insanity. It |
has been reported that he killed his
mother and was in this doing penance
for his awful crime. but his friends
deny this. He is simply lunatie-
not troublesome or dangerous, and
content TO stay constantly near the
settlement. When disturbed by
though tless young people he viii
sometimes rise in n passion and chase
but never beyond the brook near by, |
and his tormenters always feel safe
when they have crossed to the other
side. The source of this brook is a
crystal spring gushing from low
blum within a few Yards of his lodge. |
and down its ripping flow is lux
uriant growth OF watercress, reaching |
from bank to bank, and away in the |
distance is a stretch of perpetual |
green
Several years ago when at the
agency, and while sitting in front of |
the commissary building. some boys |
in the rear started on a race over
the rocks with an old unstrung spring |
wagon, making a racket so tremend- |
GUS and unusual that Tomits, not |
seeing them, and supposing someone |
on the inside was making very bad |
sprang up instantly and |
running. never stopped until he reach
the security of his humble home No |
more does he wander away, being con
tent now with the familiar sights
and sounds of his immediate limited |