The weekly Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1911-1922, 1911-12-21
THANKSGIVING VISIT
Question of Ventilation BY Modern
Methods Gets Jolt By Seeing
One Who Has Grown Old
Amid Adverse Conditions.

The following letter is written for
the Republican by Ms. ]. II. Wiley,
who is now living ir San Diego,
California. Mrs. Wiley gave us an
account of her personal observations
at the recent election where women
voted In California. We are pleased
to give this letter from her pen, and
hope she will again favor us with an
account of present conditions as COM
pared with the past. In and around
San Diego.
DIR. Holmes tells us that modern
ventilation is conducive to long life.
That Boston homes with furnaces
and other enlightened contrivances
have raised the average term of ex-
istence at the Hub. The outside
world has but to initiate.
Our complacent acceptance of these
autocratic theories received a jolt
the other day. Some one suggested
a visit to Gertrude Alto. We were
at cold Town." the landing places
of Cabrillo. In this little old town
everything is in the process of de-
cay. We were living over in imagi-
nation the stirring scenes of other
wears, when we were prompted to
visit one who had survived. to bear
testimony Of the past We walked
down a railway track some distance,
then over sandy vacant lot, pass
ed by a chicken pen, around high
fence, and found ourselves in the
midst of a group of Indian and
Mexican huts.
Dirty little brown muchachos and
muchachas stared at us with
the solemn gravity which Is their
Indian heritage To our queries they
answered never a word. Selecting
the smallest and most unpromising
hut In the group, we knocked for
admittance-
Presently a subdued chattering
of voices and some ado in the way
Of preparation, appraised us that our
knock had been heard, but no one
appeared. The whole company, about
twenty in all, gathered about the
door with almost a feeling of awe
with which we enter the chamber of
death. We knocked again timidly,
More scurrying within, and the
grating sound of something being
dragged across loose boards, and then
the door was slowly oened, and a
middle aged Indian woman bid us
enter.
We looked into a small room furn-
ished in a very primitive manner
An old couch in corner, hearing
evidence of recent occupation, greer
paper blinds closely drawn, excluded
the light and air from the two win
dows, a few old wooden chairs, and
some articles of clothing scattered
carelessly about, completed the furn
ishings.
The object Of our visit was before
US. In a richety old wooden rocker
sat an old Indian woman. When
first saw her she was bent forward
with closed eyes, scarcely awake
from the sleep which we had disturb
ed. From under a red bandanna {
thick fringe of coarse iron gray hail
dropped over a high forehead. Hel
claw like fingers were clasped In hel
lap. Her skin looked like leather
wrinkled and scanned as indeed i
was with the storms of more than {
century of human sorrows, for Of
these we are told she has had hen
share. One incident among other.
which she recounts, is that of beins
obliged to stand and witness the
burning of her own son at the
stake, tradition says within tn.
boundry of old Fort Stockton, only
stones throw from her present
home. Her sightless eyes seemed tt
have retraated into her head, re
minding usef the riddle of ths
Sphinx. What mysteries Of the pas
one hundred and twenty-five year!
were locked behind these closed
doors
We said "How do you do
Grandma. She reused sufficiently
to humble "How de dov and again
relapsed into silence. We gathered
some information of the Indiar
neighbor who acted as interpreter
When ready to leave, we said
sGood by, Gradma,'' and slipped .
coin into her aged hand. To ou1
great surprise she at once become
- ~uS ~nsrnofnd Nh lon0eP 4