Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-12-03
JIM PETERS CHOSEN NEW CHIEF 0F
 P|MAS
ELECTED HEAD OF THE INDIAN VILLAGE AT THE CHA
 CROSSING

PHOENlA, Dec. l.-James feters is now chief of the Pima village at Gila Crossing, succeeding the aged John Hoover, who resigned because of feeble ness and deafness.
 When Hoover resigned his position as head man of the village nominating convention was held. The convention was held week ago last Tuesday and two young men named Victor Downs and James K. Ross were put in nomina- tAon to succeed Hoover. Friday was se- ,lected as the day of election.
 But for some reason which is not quit clear, both men decided to resign from the race. Perhaps both were afraid of being badly beaten or neither really desired to be chief. At any rate they resigned and another nominating convention was held. At this conven- ton three men were named, and Mon day was selected as election day.
 The election was held on the grounds of the Presbyterian mission and was under the direction of F. B.. Hughes, a government official in the Indian ser vice. One of the leading men of the village was chosen to act as judge. The rules laid down by the Great Whit Father for such elections provide that they shall be by ballot. But as the majority of the eighty electors in the village can neither read nor write and, aside from this objection, there were no printed ballots, some other scheme had to be figured out. It was arranged that each man should advance and drop eith- CT pink bean, a white bean, or small piece of paper into a box. A piece of paper meant a vote for James Peters land bean a vote for one of his oppon ents, according to color. Peters seemed to be an overwhelming favorite, for when the box was opened the beans dropped in were entirely covered by paper. Peters received more than two thirds of the total number of votes cast and was declared elected The new chief is in reality a sub chief, such as is at the head of every Pima village. The Pimas have a hered- itary chief who lives at Sacaton. Pet l CTS presides over the councils of the will lage and acts as spokesman whenever the Indians wish to ask any favor of | the government authorities or desire to do something for which they need of | fcial permission. Matters of more in timate tribal nature he reports to Azul Anton, the white-haired patriarch who | now presides over the destinies of the | tribe as its hereditary chief.
 Azul is reported to be over 100 years of age and is the only Indian in Amer ica who wears false teeth. As the years advanced Azul's teeth dropped out and | finally there were none left. He en- ployed Phoenix dentist to make him a false set, of which he and his tribesmeI are very proud. Owing to their cost, false teeth have not become the fashion among the Pimas and Azul reigns su- preme as the only Indian who uses arti- | ficial masticators.
 I Many a story is centered around Azul, most of them being to his credit and none to his discredit. It is related that at one time nearly quarter of cen tury ago, he prevented widespread In dian uprising and massacre of the whites in Arizona.
 Azul was taken to Washington to talk with the Great White Father on mat. ters of interest to his tribe. As he jour fneyed eastward he was amazed to learn how the palefaces had overrun the land He saw vast cities teeming with people and knew that his men were outnum. bered not two to one nor ten to one but thousands to one.
 Shortly after his return he was wis. ited by emmissaries from the Wallapais and Apaehes. They proposed to him that the Pimas join those tribes in ex- terminating the whites. A careful plan uprising and the ruthless massacre of every paleface man, woman and child | Azul Anton, after hearing their words
 heaped up three little piles of sand. One he said, was to represent the Wallapais one the Apaches and the third the Pi
 mas. Then he scooped up big handfuls of sand and made an immense pile. He worked for some minutes, his visitors looking on in amazement. Then he said:
 ''l might work here for many moons and still not make a pile of sand that
 would show you how badly the pale faces outnumber us. We can never kill them all Before we have killed frac tion of them they will have wiped us out
 His refusal to join broke up plot for an Indian uprising that would prob
 ably have been the bloodiest in Ari
 zona history.