The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-12-11
MEXICAN INDIANS RACE.
Strange Contest Of Speed Among Men
Of the TaIamahagas

"The most wonderful race | ever saw,
IN which a. Indian ran i0s miles in
sixteen hours. took rlaee recently 10
the State u Chihuahua, Mexico" re-.
marked Theron G Crawford o. London
the man Who won this race con.
sluued Mr.. Crawford. "had the benefit
81 training Through bis aneostoFs) for
hundreds Of year,. lie Is one u a
tribe Of native Indians the TaFama.
PARASITIC members Of when carried
messages for the Montemmas. Pres,
eatt tells us that lhls mans ancestors
carried Och to the table Of the king sub.
dued By cofles from q lake a7O mlles
away, ana did il IN one day. II they
were developed - that rndurnncfs ~
runners Ia that day, how many cen
turtles did L take their fathers 10 acai'
eye such perfeciionsl
THESE faramAharae N the province
81 Chihuahua today are the direct de.
81 those. who ran with messages and
carried lish for the Alontefnmas. IN
recognition 81 their efficiency the Mrxl.
can Government made them the carriers
III IL iHeAsagra They are simple
people. live almost entirely nude and
II the open air. The chests 81 the men
are developed 70 wonderful power, and
their entire bodies give evidence Of the
physical training they have received.
They are monogamists. They live IN
rudo log huts, quite different from the
Mexican adobe.
"Thi. race was between twenty 81
a.. Il NsfIn iIfIa44U
vho participated wagercd almost every
thing they hed. Their fellow tribcsmcn
bet on their respective favorites. Fell
eio Cns, the winner, bet his wife
against thirty goats. This vas not
particularly strange, for the tribesmen
often exchange spoufes. The Indians
and the Mexieans for miles around were
wrought 20 a high pitch. Each Of the
runners was attended BY his wife and
friend or two. The course was laid
out In a circular track In a great divide
In the mountains.
"Mhen the Indians, their hronked
bodies shining III the sum- lined mp for
the start at II o'clock In the morning
there was 4 great crowd 20 see them.
AT the signal each kicked a bah about
the sire Of one ~ our haaeballn. made
Of feathers and lined with leather. This
each had to keep kicking all the way
along the course Of i0s miles, And
each vas accompanied by a mounted
guard % see that no trickery was re-.
sorted 10.
"All day they ran, the interest q
the crowds Of watchers along the course
never abatine. When II grew dark the
mounted guards accompanying the run
ners carried great torches 20 that each
contestant might see the hall ne wa
kicking I saw the horses. their
mounts aud the runners themselves
outlined against the twilight on n higa
hill at one time during the race. II
vas an inspiring and beautiful sight.
Though | was Keeping late hours, my
interest never ceased. stayed up until
the finish.
at last, AZ , o'clock In the morning,
accompanied by his guards and many
friends, Felicio Cruz finished the last
lap in the race. All the others had
dropped out. He rad won thirty goats
and about all the blankets IN the tribe
and kept his wife. The natives gave
him great ovation. ] was satic6ed
with the purchase Of the blanket ne
wore part 81 the time he ran.
what effect did the gruelling contest
have on FelicioY Apparently none
whatever. lie did not 90 10 bed. in
fact did not sleep for five days. During
all that time he sat on rude bench
outside the door Of his hut. lie ate but
h-..e. At the end Of the five days he
was as fresh as ever. lie j. a wonder
full man. n-Washington Post