davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03
ny WILLIAM l.. ALrDoRFER.

Poor Lo has acquired one more habit
Of his white brother. The wheels of
the divorce mill are beginning to grind at
q prodigious rate among the Indians. In
fact so much SO that Uncle Sam was
compelled to take a hand in the game
and throw a monkey wrench in the
wheels TO keep them from running over
time. The red man of today is not
the old savage many believe he is. And
to prove this statement il is only neces-
sary to quote few figures from the
recent census of the Indians of America.
Contrary to general belief the Indian
is not dying off. Instead the Indian
population is growing. The increase is
20,c00 in the ten years-1900 to 19l0-and
is principally in half-breeds. More than
ine-tenths of these are Indian and
white, while only few have a mixture
of other blood. Half-breeds are taking
the place of fullbloods, who are slowly
disappearing" That tells the whole
story, also the reason why Poor Lo Is
so quick in acquiring the habits of the
white man. even unto the divorce court.
Follows White Brother.
Throughout the Northwest and Southsr
west where the red man is well known
people. as a rule, are more or less famil-
lar with the real facts about Poor Lo.
In other sections of the country. how
ever, there is little known about his
circumstances today. 1t is astonishing
TO many when they hear about his great
progress, in education and civilization.
On the other hand, however, one of the
Indians greatest drawbacks today is the
fact that he is following too closely in
the footsteps of his civilized white
brother. This fact is most noticeable in
the readiness with which he is adapting
himself to the divorce laws. Having put
aside his ancient barbaric custom OF TAX
ing squaws unto himself and putting
them away at pleasure, he is now SUBJ
stituting for It the new outlets OF So
called Christian society, and practicing
them with much freedom. When Poor
Lo quarrels with his wife nowadays he
Immediately repairs to the 'lew man."
Many lawyers In sections where the
reservations are located are well known
for their honesty and integrity. but these
are forced 10 suffer from the measures
employed by the "shysters'' who tell the
brave that II he does not care TO live
with his wife he may have her put aside
for s25 or so and then marry one Of the
young educated women just home from
college. This appeals to the passions and
ignorance OF the red man. and he forth
with instructs his advisor to institute
proceedings at once. All sorts Of schemes
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03
Red Man Rapidly Following IN Footsteps Of HE Civilized
Brother-Gded by Law Maj" !" Who Aims to Make
Separations Easy and Cheap.

are then employed 30 that the summons
served on the squaw to appear In court
NAV be misunderstood by her. with the
result that the poor woman comes strag-
Cling into court with bundle OF bread
in her arms and a papoose strung to her
back, two or three weeks after the case
has gone by default
Schemes Being Eliminated.
A great number Of these schemes are
fast being eliminated by Uncle Sam
through his Indian Bureau. Judges and
Indian superintendents are doing all in
their power to protect their wards. In
many instances they have actually
served and explained beyond a doubt the
subpoenas themselves. During the past
year the Indian Bureau sent out a circu-
lar letter to all superintendents of every
reservation IN the country calling for in
formation on points Of domestic relations
and customs among their charges. The
agents were instructed to call together
the old men of the tribes and learn from
them the earliest tribal customs within
their memory regarding marriage and
divorce, the adoption and naming OF chill
dren, and other similar information. The
idea was to get all the facts in the case
with a view to preparing legislation to
Offset these practices.
The returns of the letter were far more
than mere reports. The old men, al
most without exception. came eagerly to
the call and natural to such an associa-
ton OF "old cronies' 1t was difficulty TO
keep them to the exact point in ques-
tion. This, however, proved to be
blessing for their evidence formed q
well-woven legend revealing all the vir-
tues and passions, and loves and enmities
entering into the domestic life Of the
red man. and gave the Bureau one Of
its best insights into the nature OF Poor
Lo. They told Of love among the abort
gine and the marvellous deeds Keokantee
accomplished for the lustrous eyes Of the
dark haired Morning-Lily.
Between the lines the letters were filled
with tales of manhood, yet they told
of barbarous cruelty meted out at times
by husband to wife with the full appro-
baton Of his savage neighbors. Finally
they showed how the red man, under
the influence of education and Christian
ity. had become closer and stricter in
his morals and domestic relations until
following in the footsteps Of his white
brother in everything else he too had
learned to step up to the legal throne
and demand annulment Of his marriage
ties upon the most frivolous grounds
VII never he became displeased with his
better-half.
With the Indian 1t Is second nature to
make and break nuptial vows at pleas
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03

allowed the woman the right to leave her
husband. IL was made by the woman. At
these dances much mating and rematinG
was done. Consequently the society
scribe had to be on hand early to note
the marriage annullments held at the
beginning Of the entertainment for
the sake Of convenience to all parties
fully concealed by his present rapid ad-
vancement. still lie dormant In the red
mans blood. awaiting only the slightest
excuse or opportunity for reawakening.
In cases where the red man and his
souaw think Il to the advantage of
either to sever their relationship. IL 10 Q
hard matter 10 persuade them that they
have little cause for disagreements and
should live In peace with one another.
Among this class Of Indians the fnal
tribunal u what does me want" 30
that once the brave has determined that
he wants . new wife all the machinery
OF Uncle Gam could not dissuade him.
There are men and women among the
Indians who are now living with their
seventh and eighth mates. and the pecu-
liar part Of It II that many OF the dis
cArded ones are living close enough to
pay social calls once in while. Another
peculiar trait about this class Of red man
and very similar to that Of the white
man 10 that aside from His domestic re-
lations he seems to be quite peace
loving citizen. and his morals in other
matters arc ~ high a. any other mem
Der Of his race.
and Mrs. Lo II something like this: The
summons on the old woman and offers
IA ~ HE ca rrfa NJ
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03

his little daughter in France had given
him as a momento. At the maidens re-
quest he allowed her to fasten II around
her neck. While trying TO get them on.
the clasp caught in her long. black hair.
and the scout was helping her to disen-
tangle it when Topeka. coming through
the woodland, caught their outlines
against the camp fire. The Indian was
mad with jealousy. and, lifting the gun
at his side, murdered the white man.
Dropping Rose-1ear was too astonished
TO understand what II all meant. ana
stood looking down at the corpse at her
feet, while her lover moved silently into
the wigwam ana drew the flap at the
opening. Finally. coming to ner senses,
she called out her husbands name, and.
looking around. noticed the closed tepee.
Her instinct told her the rest. She was
scorned by her lover and cast adrtft
hopelessly in the forest. In the morning
he would move on and leave her to 20
back to her people. Throughout most
or the long night she stood ana soobed
before ner loved ones tent. then. reaiiz-
ing her plight, went on into the home OF
the beasts TO ole. IN the morning the
Sioux brave covered the face OF his VIC
time with leaves ana continued on MS
trail. Pare. a famous scout painter. has
drawn n wonderful picture OF this in
cident in crayon.
Advance Has Been Made.
Men whose moral principles have
drifted behind them into the vast un-
known, and who have lost every trace
Of American manhood. whose only God
is money. find a race Of this character
easy to prey upon. Sharpers Of this
class have employed every means on
the face of the earth TO swindle the
red man out Of his money and prop
erty. Today. however. his held 10 cut
in two, for the educated Indian. stu
dents from Carlisle. Sherman, Hamp-
ton, and other institutions. easily see
through the cunning of such men, and
have nothing to do with them.
Still. among the less intelligent of
the tribesmen he finds ample room for
his work. The real red man OF today
Is the same as his forefathers--a crea-
ture of impulse. He may be sitting
in his yard when the idea strikes him
that his squaw is an old woman and
he is tired Of her. He looks over At
his neighbor's house and sees Long
Black Horse sitting on the porch smok-
ing a pipe and talking with his third
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03
WHERE DOES THE MUCHMOOTED SEA SERPENT DWELL:

Fahrenheit. At the equator, Prof. Agas-
six found the temperature 3 degrees
above freezing at a depth Of three
miles. and the contents Of trawl when
brought to the surface actually froze
the hands.
Such, in fact, are the conditions under
which the sea serpent may be supposed
to exist. Its home is a region Of liquid
blackness and icy cold. The prey on
which 1t normally subsists Is represented
by species of animals of which for the
most part We have no knowledge. Once
in a while 1t comes to the surface OF
the sea. and mariners or other voyasers
get a glimpse Of it. Perhaps some day
q dead specimen may be found float
ing. II so, 1t will afford the most inter-
esting contribution to natural history up
to date, and will solve q much-vexed
problem.
Bones Of Sea Serpent.
We do know that ages ago there were
real sea serpents. and plenty OF them.
Their remains have been found fossil.
One Of them, a snake-like reptile. more
accurately to be described as a swim-
ming lizard. Is known to science az the
Tylosaur. 1t corresponded in all impor.
tant' respects, so far as appearance goes.
to the descriptions Of modern sea ser.
pents.
Along the coast Of our own Southern
States. especially in Alabama, are found
today immense quantities Of the bones
Of a creature known as the Zeuglodon.
which. although a mammal, must have
resembied a gigantic serpent as it swan
at the surface Of the sea With head
like an alligator's and a sharp snout-
it was seventy feet in length. and itS
tall was enormously long. The suppo-
sition is that it IL extinct, but there is
no certainty that 1t may not still suf-
vive In relatively small numbers. Fero-
cious and predatory. with huge teeth. it
must have ruled the waters in its day.
Quite possibly 1t had q name Of long
hair. which 10 a characteristic attribute
Of the modern sea serpent. and the ap-
pcarance Of an occasional specimen
might easily meet all the requirements
Of the case whore sea serpent stories
are eoncsrne4 bkN1 lAcHA :.
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03

devised for the purpose IL q huge net
set in an iron frame on runners. which
is dragged along the bottom, but this
catches only the slow and small-sized
animals.
Science tells US that the waters of the
oceans were once vapors encompassing
the globe-a condition Of affairs which
even row exists on the planet Saturn.
According to the reckoning of Prof.
Frank Clark. the Atlantic ocean is only
about 100000 years old-an estimate
reached by a study Of the saltness of
that great body of water. OF course. the
salt OF the seas was originally derived
from the rocks Of the land. Accordingly.
II we determine the amount Of salt car
ried annually by the rivers into the
ocean, and compare it with the quantity
Of salt in the sea. taking evaporation
into account. we shall find out how many
years must have been required to make
the ocean as salt as it is. The ocean
has been steadily getting more salty
through the ages. and eventually will be-
come a saturated solution-that In to
say, unable to take up any more salt.
20 that the surplus will be deposited On
its bottom.
Makeup Of the Ocean.
The ocean, roughly speaking. consists
3 L. per cent of mineral salts. Three
fourths Of these salts 10 chloride OF
sodium (comfhon table salD. and the nexs
largest constituent Is chloride Of mag
nesium. Aftef these, in terms Of relative
quantity, CONE sulphate Of magnesium.
sulphate Of lime. sulphate Of potash. br,-
mide Of magnesium, and carbonate OF
lime. Also there are In sea water minute
amounts of todine. phosphorus, arsenic,
end a numbar of metals. including gold.
silver, and copper.
/. Prof. Frank Clark (the highest living
authority, shys that the salt In all the
oceans would make 100000 cubes each
one mile on IN edge. II spread over the
whole United States. II would form
layer one anh six-tenths miles high.
In the nsi&hborhood Of the Poles the
cooled surface water. owing to its
greater weight. sinks to the bottom. and
spreads slowly over the hoor OF the
ocean into Equatorial latitudes Thus 1t
IL that even In summer the water Of
the depths never rises above v degrees
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03

as known. are black. They are mostly
very fierce and highly carnivorous, with
great Jaws and lance-like teeth. Some
Of them are almost all head. with jaws
six CT seven times as long as the skull
proper, and 50 arranged, like those Of
snake. as to enable them to swallow
other fishes several times as big as them.
selves. For example, the black swallow
err" as 1t has been appropriately named.
Is chiefly mouth. and spends its time
buried in the oose, waiting for . victim
to come along.
Curiously enough. the young of some
species Of abyssal animals live at or near
the surface Of the ocean. descending to
the bottom after they are grown. On the
other hand. certain OF the fishes and
cephalopods seem to have a habit Of COM
ing to the surface occasionally-as in tho
case of the giant squid.- of them,
however. are unable to do this, because.
when the tremendous pressure, amounting
to two or three tons TO the square inch.
10 removed. they perish. Many Of the
specimens obtained by exploring vessels
have evidently suffered from accidents cf
this kind-falling upward as II might be
said-and have been found floating with
eyes protrudins and otherwise in q much
disorganized state. In occasional In
stances they have actually burst
Some Fish Are Biind.
The notion used to be that there was no
life in the ocean beyond a depth Of 100
fathoms or so. But now It Is known that
there Is life at all depths. although there
is much less OF II in the intermediate
marine strata. SO to speak. than at the
surface and on or near the bottom. ThsIe
seems to be In the sea a series Of acque-
Gus life zones, each with Its own groups
Of animals.
Some of the fishes Of the depths are
blind, but others have enormous eyes.
The cephaloped known a. the giant squ:d
possesses eyes much larger than those
Of any other known animal. measuring o.
much a. foot in diameter. But. unfor-
tunately. the natural history OF the ma.
rine abysses Ii likely to remain very I'm
perfectly known, inAsmuch a it seems
impossible to construct appliances suit.
able for the capture of creatures miles
beneath the surface Of the water. mary
Of which. besides being Of great size, are
too swift and wary to be taken BY slow
moving nets. The best apparatus thus Tar
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03

poses Of attack. each Of them 100 feet
in length. Thus the total length Of the
creature is not less than l5O feet. SWIM
ming backward in its customary manner.
by expelling water from its siphon. with
its huge tail out OF water, and the long
tentacles undulating over the waves be-
hind, this formidable monster might easi-
ly be taken for a sea serpent. Though
it appears at the surface very rarely, II
may be a not uncommon species down
below.
Even on the brightest day no ray of
sunshine penetrates to a greater depth
than 800 feet in the ocean. This fact has
been positively ascertained by exposures
mad with specially constructed marine
cameras lowered into the sea. Conse-
quently, 1t is manifest that the depths of
the ocean must be absolutely dark. A
fluid blackness. a darkness which may
literally be felt. reigns everywhere.
illuminated only by the lanterns which
the fishes and certain other abyssal crea-
lures themselves carry. Some Of the
fishes have lamps, which are turned on
or off at will. being under control by the
nervous system Of the bearer.
In imagination. therefore. one may hg-
ure to oneself endless torchlisht process
sions Of fishes and lumious cephalopods
passing through the black depths Of the
sea. Even the crustaceans, or many Of
them. at all events. are luminous-for ex-
ample, certain shrimps have hind legs
modified for climbing up the sea pens and
sea lilies. their young making their way
out to the ends of the mothers enormous
ly long antennae and reaching for food.
Darkness Causes Black Fish.
The ocean floor is an interminabls desert
of grayish ooze. largely composed OF
minute shells. in which. II one were to
walk over 1t, the feet would fink deeply.
There is no plant life whatever. even the
sea lilies being merely animals rescm-
bling flowers in appearance. 1t is be-
lieved that most of the deep sea animals
mot the fishes, but lower forms-live by
eating the oose Of mud Of the bottom. d.
gesting the organic matter II contains.
The indicators, many Of which are of
gig intie size. are the common prey Of
sharks and other rapacious fishes.
The total absence Of light In the depths
accounts for the fact that al
Of the fishes without exception. % tar
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03
\ \ \ |

when the tale is told whether or not
the man has any real grievance. II.
as Is generally the case, he has none,
the honest lawyer will try to pacify
him and send him back to his home.
But this Is Just the sort Of man that
the shyster is looking for. II the man
has no case he will make him one. He
will get the poor fellow to dwell on
his troubles and complaints until 1t is
an easy matter for the semi-savage to
ina gine that the squaw who really
loves him has done him great wrong
and is waiting for an opportunity to
kill him. The trusting fellow puts
great confidence in his law man." be-
cause he Is so congenial. and by very
little manipulation the shark places his
client In such a position that he II
ready to perjure himself on the wit.
ness stand. The point in these pro-
ceedings. where the greatest diplomacy
and tact Is exerted, however, IL Just
after the client 10 persuaded to prose-
cute and before any prosecution 10
done. In this interim the law man.
suggests that his efforts are worth 30
much per. and with some reluctance
the money 10 doled out.
The Indian. IL no allowance n made
for his limited intelligence. il somewhat
to blame, but 1t sometimes happens that
the law man 10 forced to go ahead with
the case irrespective Of his own wishes
In the matter. Such instances arise when
a red man of vicious inclinations makes
up his mind. following the example Of his
forefathers, to get q new sQuaw solely
to satisfy his desires. Again husband
and wife among Indians will agree to
disagree and trot of to . Judge IN the.
hopes Of having their bonds dissolved.
This was not unusual among their an
cestors.
BiRnmy Was Ignored.
Bigamy and even polyeamy were ger
orally smiled at. and even honored BY
the old-time red man. In those tribes
where these practices were not permitted
the frequent exchange and casting away
Of wives answered the purpose a. well or
even better. The neglect or putting OF
OF the wife, together with . public an.
nouncement Of the fact constituted in
the eye OF the aborisine a formal divorce.
after which either or both parties were
free TO remarry. These announcements
Of a divorce usually took place at great
dances held at stated periods during the
year. and was made by the man himself,
or even in those tribes where custom
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03

lover until she found herself trapped on
her way from the spring encircled by
his arms. In the majority OF cases, how
ever. the wooing OF a maiden was brought
down to the actual game OF winning
. bride. The young man went of into
the forest, empty handed and alone. to
grove his skill as a huhtsman and his
competence as q provider. Here, while
winging birds with his singing arrows
and employing the arts OF self-dependence
taught him by his fathers, he suffered
terrible pangs Of hunger and cold and
endured whatever torments fortune
might send him for the sake Of the one
he loved, yet on his return, at the slight
est provocation, he would send her back
to her people or offer her Internationally
for sale to any one suspected of having
designs upon her. 1t Is hard to under
stand how any one who had suffered
ickle as to put her on for any slight
offense-yet II ID true that for the most
foolish offenses, such a. her attitude Of
addressing him, or II she gave him any
cause for Jealousy. or simply as q mat
ter Of taste he would divorce her. and
II under stress Of passion might 60 to
any limit Of cruelty. So long rs he re-
spected the tribal blood flowing through
her veins nothing was said against his
act.
At this last council OF the great chiefs
called by the Indian Bureau the legend
of Dropping -Rose-Tear was revived and
told by one Of the time-scarred braves
This story is Q living drama, and has
been enacted since the advent OF the
white man on this beautiful Isle OF the
West" 1t was handed down originally
a. q warning to the young Indian chill
dren Of the virtue . brave expects OF his
spouse, and brings out with striking
force the cruelty and vengeance TO which
the redskin can stoop when all his boil
ing jealousy IL aroused within him.
Often Cast Adrift.
'Drcoping- -Rose-Tear," a Huron maid,
was the bride OF Topeka, a Sioux brave.
who had travelled many a weary mile
from his land OF the Dakotas to bring
back to his people the girl whose eyes
rivaled the night, whom he had seen
once at q Canadian post. Through the
deep forests and over the long prairies
they tramped joyously on to his fathers
wigwam. One evening at dusk while
preparing shelter for the night a French
scout happened along ana asked tnat
he might take his supper and spend the
The Washington herald., 1913-08-03

serpents are the great maIsle abysses,
in regard to which knowledge has been
gained only within the last few years.
One of these abysses is the so-called
Mares Deep. between the West Indies and
Bermuda. 1t has known depth of five
and a quarter miles, or more than twice
the normal depth of the ocean. Another
is a great hole in the sea floor, forming
an elongated valley. which runs close
along the south shore of the Island Of
Cuba.
During the last few years the oceans
have been sounded with modern appli-
ances in nearly all parts of the world.
and by this means II has been ascertain-d
that their floors form a vast unduls ting
plain lying at an average depth of about
two and a half miles below the surfa e
of the waves. In some places huge
ridges Submerged mountain ranges) ami
volcanic cones rise from the plain to WITH
In a few fathoms of the surface. or may
even emerge above the waves as islands
Bermuda is a small group of such wi.
canic peaks. lofty enough to appear above
the surface.
known "Deeps" of Sea.
On the other hand. there are In some
places great depressions in the sea floor
The most remarkable of these In the At
lantic bottom is Mares Deep, already
mentioned. The greatest one In the In
dian Ocean is Wharton Deep. between
Christmas Island and the coast OF Java.
where soundings have recorded four and
one-third miles. But the most tremen-
dous hole to be found anywhere Is In the
Pacific, not far to the southeast of the
little island of Guam. There, at point
where the thirteenth parallel of north
latitude meets Meridian lag east, Lieut.
H. NJ. Hodges. on November 1S, 1859. cast
a lead from the u. s. S. Nero. and found
bottom at a depth Of only sixty-six feet
short Of six miles.
Marine topography have located in all
fifty-six "deeps" In which the depth Of
water exceeds three miles. ten in which
1t exceeds four miles, and four In which
1t exceeds five miles. But in Nero Deep.
as it is called. Mount Everest (of the
Himalayas). which is the highest noun
tain in the world. might be set down. and
half . mile Of water would roll over It's
topmost peak
Naturalists today are obliged to confess