New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-25
EXHIBIT Y

~ C cnt within his dimnutive hut of branches
- and dried grass Across his knees lay a stringed
instrument fashioned from an armadllo shell. akcn
IN conjunction with his primitive rooitree ana the
d, he dro,y from the rihcd armadillo, Diego con-
st;t,,tcd Exhibit Y in Dads Park OF Educational
Amusement. 49,, ,,:, .,,,
whit, cotton blouse and baggy trousers, scarlet SASH
nsake1 sombrcro and leather sandals. Even with MS
scarred cycbals concealed by black google his strong
brown features were impressive lie had the aul!tuc
leanncss and the magnificent chest development G ms
race. 1t is no marvel that people WIFI 9u0" o'''''
should be almost unconqucrabc. ~
The American bcdquilt that served as inaitrG'S on
Dcgos cot was dotted along the edge by niue hoSHS
each rising over a weeks pay in silver dollars me
Yaqus hoard was thus his calendar OF exile ooae
piles were natcncd: but ne distributed his lc" e%
pcndturcs as not 10 invalidae the record
Diego heard the gates creakng their sunday aLicI
noon opening and took his place on the bench before
his hut The day fine, and he soon knew by inc
volume Of shuifng and talk that the attendance was
above the average. He waited until the slufinG was
threaded bv Dads familiar step. Next follower inc
thunp Of Dads placing his movable soapb)Y platform
and lis weary crcak under Dads substantial weight.
Then the confused babblc Of idle talk VA checked by
the voice OF the parks appc-cheeked 'i guardian .
The Indian recognized the proper name laqui
and Yucatan" in spite Of Dads flatteI vowcs; and
the words were like smoke in the for ne UNDERSTOOD
that Dad was cXpounding the defeat and deportation
Of his people; but there quivcr OF his bronze
mask He heard his own name, and Judged correctly
that II wa, being told how his eyes had been shot out
bva Mexican soldier and himself left for lead in bunch
OF undcrbrSh where he lay for two days before ms OWN
people found him.
Even at "Rosita" and "Pcpita' his lean brown
fingers made no faintcSt vibration Of the strings on
which they rested though the words were like cactus
thorns in the flesh Rosita his wife shipped of
10 Yucatan with five Of their children when he lay
in the brush: Pcpita. the Youngest child. had been
torn from the mother and left behind as too small
and cumbersome for the Journey.
Here the Indians mind branchcd of trail 1t was
continually following these last weeks, although II led
nowhere. Seven money -hcapS ago, after one of Dads
speeches. an American had pressed forward and
told Diego in broken Spanish that She the wife OF
an American mine owner in Sonora; that she was leav
ing soon to on her husband there that she would try
10 find Pepita and send her to Diego at the park Very
kind Of the American sonora; but Pcpita had been lost
over year. he himself had searched and searched for
some certainty regarding her. many OF the Yaqui chill
drcn thus abandoned had dicd-no, the matter was
hopeless
Diego was aware that Dad had ceased and he
expected to do his turn. Usually his performance,
though conscientious TO quantity was iScSS and me-
ChaniCal The visitors to the park nothing but
tumble of uninteligblc noises to him. His darkened
ewes looked always into what had been when he a
man and aivc.-So alive that he made songs for his
people because, whatever they felt he felt more
than they felt il in his throat and his fingers till 1t had
burst forth into song
TODAY for the first time since his home nest had
been robbed the spirit Of improvisation was upon