El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-04-10
SEMIN0LES NOT
PASSING AWAY

D
! Idly vanishing race OF men. which IS
the thing you most often hear about
/ them. is vigorously denied by z. P.
/ Simpson, who is editor OF the Trop-
! Ical sun, a local newspaper, and IS
I known as an authority on the SEMI
noles with whom he has lived and
hunted.
Sc saws that after the Seminole war
when the greater part OF the tribe
was moved 70 q reservation. there
were Just z96 Indians who escaped
! to the Everglades and refused 70 be
moved. This little group constitutes
/ the present free Seminole tribe. salu
/ 20 be the only indians in the United
/ States who we're never conquered by
the United States and have never
I acknowledged the sovereignty or It's
Government They constitute prac-
tically a little nomad nation nVlns
within. the confines OF our own
Picturesque both in appearances ana
IN their situation IN life, these In
dams are much exploited and vii
ten about They gave southern EloI-
ida a large part OF its place names.
They are a matter OF interest 70 tour
lists. The Seminole and the alligator
seem 10 be the two most characteris-
~ things in Florida-an indispensa-
BE part Of the local color scneme
Held Up FOR Years.
Almost always the Seminoles are
held up as a subject Tor tears ~
Is represented that they are rapialy
diving ont that the draining OF the
riades is robhing them OF their only
home and hunting ground that soon
they viii be but a memory CniL
recently an appropriation was askeu
IN congress 10 buy them some lanos'
and their pathetic story then AT
tracted much attention
Vow they probably need and should
be given the lands and II is probably
true that the draining OF the ~ er-
rlades viii be 2 hardship for them
unless they are we'll provided for IN
The trouble Is that they are not
sTndfnn rFardsD OF the govern
menf. They are n free people
We are not bound to do anything
for them -.
But tie idea that they are about
to disappear of the 1ace o. the - -
Is. according TO 1ir. Simpson. a my u
ne saws that the original $50 rene
FADES have now increased TO q tIlue
~ 500 Individuals. divided into IlNe
different bands-the Miami the L -.-l.-
derdale, the Big Cypress. the Nv
Creek and the Okeehoese oal amos, - -
Increase. he says would be still more
rapid except for the fact thar me
frfhe suffers from q shortage @.
-oroen The utter separateness OF
the Seminoles from the modern CIV
lfzed world IS certainly Illustrated ~
this. While the rest OF Us are 49,
dariuE what 70 do with all the women
Europe contemplating polEgaIay as
Z. means OF making the men go relIle5
and many men worried because
women are usurDing their JoeSs-llae
Samfnoles are actually 4ei-ls5
from an acute shortage OF the lar
Ana their religion fOrblds tkem
- ruurrr women OF any otner
Srfbe Or race. ne offen-heard
statement that they have inter
married with negroes is denied y
those who know them.
The fact seems to be that the Da.-
arcs OF the sexes among the SEMI
noies has been upset by the relatiss-y
safe rife they lead. Among most hlnA7
OF human beings. more maies -
born than females II q safaEs tllol 10
more males are killed IN war ana
hunting than females win me re-
ss1lt that there are usually more
women than men. and poiyganT Is
No Convenient Way 10 Die.
But the Seminole men have no con
venient OF reliable way OF ss.ll.=
kfned. They have no vars, the Ever
-T-f7as are safe and healthy. so re
-s- have been increasing faster tnan
tie women for several seneratl-olsss
and this promises 70 be a factor y nc y
more and more VIII Unit the rale o.
am Put eaPtive- 10 work
~ SFrruEou has some interesting
facts and ideas about the Se1nl5iolo
var. He says Il vas really ~ w ~. -
tilted attack upon the Indians y 90 90
government 4 great many runway
slaves went to the Everglaces IN mos
DAYS. and q large part OF these lei
f,-f,, fFe hands Of the Semlroles. the
Ssrninoles have always been farlnt-s
and they put the slares 70 2 Or -
tiratinE the rich hammock Janus
lie clades. Il Is said that some q
the Indians really mace taSl-ls5. -
cutie rich By this slave labor, WnieA
fi7er got without making an invest
u,ent The white planters In ne SUI
rounding territory, who we're l9sl -1.s
slaves in this way were n oi,-s y -
according to Mr. Simpson, ana cauSel !
Cen Jackson TO start on bis famous
.----,afr, a-aftst hem. The slaves Z
--ers recovered % a great extent. ana
then began the war OF eNtef lnl.---
zion in which the Indians were so sniy
led bv Oscecia- It was the haroesss
bIoodilest and most ununerciIul OF az
our later Indian wars Wnen. ne II
dams had been worn down and scat
tered. they were hunted with HOUNDS
like animals.
T'he war ended only whc1 The
greater Part Of them hal ueen
taken prisoners and plart'd on
reservation. leaving Only the Mt
fIr remnant from Nvhiek the pres
ruf tribe s. descended
For q while these Indians were
--e-s furjtlves who da.ed not STOW Z
the-rss1ves. put after time ines
, .sds a sort ~ infcr Al trssty Win
the whites b. which eaeh cary
agreed to let the other alone 70
fhis treaty the Seminoles rigicly ad-
hersd. They still regard the white
men as murderers and liars, but there
Is no case on record Of q Seminole
having injured a white man Buy
there are several cases OF white men
having Injured Seminoles. and this
has naturally done nothing 70 IN
prove the Indians opinion Of the -sl-
periur race"
= warned water two or three times
a day rather than permit them 70
drink water at the freezing point y
flock OF 70 hens in good laying con-