The Washington herald., 1912-10-20
DESPOILING BURIAL
PLACES OF: INDIANS
Hundreds of Graves of Kopi Pueblos Are Being
Ransacked by Agent of Field Museum in Chi
caso-May Yet Pickle Some of Race
to Preserve for Posterity.

largest number ever collected In tbs
Southwest country"
Mr.. McCon is indignant over Mr..
Owens acts. He says:
Such a cold blooded and callous re-
cital Of an outrage on a kindly and In
offensive people. the wards Of this more
or less beneficient government and sup
posed to be under its protection. Is sim
ply staggering and almost unbelievable.
1T was apparently nothing to this
emissHy of the rield Museum that
these Indians objected to his ghoulish
work. He explains with astonishing
frankpess that owing to their opposition
he was able to accomplish his jackal
operations only by the employment OF
band Of Navahos. whom the Hopi
feared.
who. II may well be asked. gave this
agent Of the Field Museum. of Chicago.
anya right or authority to commit such
a dastardly outrage upon these defense
less Indians? The In0ian Bureau at
Washington and its agent in Arizona
having Jurisdiction over these Hopi In
dians probably Is to blame. but anyway
Curator Owen proudly states that he
graves, omitting. however. to mention
how many more he may have worked
that did not pan out very we'll
-
who cares much about the American
Indian nowadays? The answer to that
seems to be. very few indeed. He has
been corralled and isolated on about 40
reservations. many of them remote from
tracks Of travel. and the wrongs and
injustices he still endures with charac-
teristic stolidity are seldom heard Of be-
yond the official barriers that surround
and confine him to his tribal domain.
He has dwindled from a powerful
race Of probably 100000 at the time
OF Columbus to a weak and vanishing
remnant now Of about 10000, a most
notable and picturesque victim of civili-
zation. 1t is to be hoped that antici-
pating the ultimate extinction OF the
American Indian the enterprising ethnol-
ogists Of the Field Museum Of Chicago
will not attempt to go SO far as to
secure. while 1t Is still possible. some
living specimens Of the red man. or
chloroform. mummify and label for ex-
hibit at their institution in jackson Park
They seem already to have gone about
the limit
Mr.. MacColl also draws attention to
the condition that existed among the
Ute Indians Of the former Uintah reser-
walton during the past season. While
they had plenty Of money in the bank
they were actually hungry. They know
practically nothing of work. and their
credit was cut of by the acting Indian
agent and supervising farmer. While
the local government farmers made every
effort to teach the red man to cultivate
the soil the philosophic red man de-
clard that he no likum work on heap
empty stomach"
Rabbit Perank was one Of twelve to
receive q hundred pounds Of potatoes to
plant. He promised faithfully to plant
them and did SO. but he was compelled
to dig them right up again for food.
At the same time Rabbit and his squaw
had s. 400 In the bank. which on ac-
count Of governmental red tape they
could not draw on. They also have q
team Of sleek black horses which cost
$780, shiny new harness, wagons.
ploughs and other farming implements.
The horses have plenty Of hay and oats
to eat and a warm stable to sleep in.
Rabbit and his squaw live in a tepee
and eat and sleep on the ground.
Often Go Hungry.
Pekepovits and his squaw have more
than $1,000 in the bank and Accaw,nna
I. .00e. yet all went hungry every day.
Ten thousand acres Of what is known
n dead" Indian land has been sold in |
he last two or three years and the In |
iians would be richer by at least $2r0.-
700 II they could get the money. but |
most of these sales were not confirmed !
Until within the last few months. While
he money was in bank the Indians
vent hungry.
One day q valuable team was seen !
in a ploughed field. The driver, |
IN Indian. was some distance away /
With a ride shooting at a prairie dog. |
{ was learned that he had had no !
'reakfast and that before he could do ;