Evening star., 1925-01-18

the number of women that
are employed in strange and curious
professions. and the most extraor-
dinary is the occupation of Mrs. L. ].
Acker, who spends her Winters down
in the latitude of beautiful Miami,
Fla, where she is manager of the
largest exhibition Seminole Indian
village in the land Of our last from
tier.
This Washingtonian, who really
works only six months in the year, as
the financial returns from her un-
usual enterprise are surprisingly
large, spends her Summers in the Ma
tional Capital, where she and her
husband, who is a prominent patent
attorney, own and occupy a large and
beautifully furnished home.
Every year, when the migratory
birds pack their handbags and pre-
pare for their flight. which will carry
them a thousand miles or more closer
to the equator, Mrs. Acker makes
ready for a similar and temporary
trip to the sunny South. She doesn't
fly to Florida. as, although she is in
tercSted In aviation, she has not yet
purchased a private plane, but she
does drive her closed car over the
ss-country route.
If you are familiar with the At
lantic Seaboard, you will know that
Wintertime capitals of American
society.
These thousands of Winter tourists
who makes headquarters In Miami
have TO be entertained. They delight
in educational entertainment.
Fifteen minutes motor ride from
Miami is Hialeah, the great land
project which James Bright, a sue
cessful ranchman, and Glenn Curtiss.
nj % a 70 lie
nautical experimentation. have re-
claimed at the headlands of the
mystical Everglades.
Mr.. Bright came from the North
many years ago, and inaugurated a
wonderfully successful stock ranch
at Hialeah-a section which had long
been npted as the health and homing
grounds of the Seminoles.
Local residents said that 1t was
impossible to grow any strains of
grass except Bermuda in southern
Florida. Mr.. Bright thought other
wise. He demonstrated that he was
right by introducing productive trop-
ical grasses from equatorial regions,
and growing them in great luxuri-
ance on his remarkable ranch.
Several years ago Glenn Curtiss,
lured by the attractions Of Hialeahs
admirable Winter climate, migrated
to the region where Osceola and his
tribesmen, many years ago, resisted
the attacks of the United States Army
for seven years before they finally
were subdued. In brief, Glenn Cur
tiss purchased part of the Bright
ranch, and in the course of time
joined resources with James Bright
in developing Hialeah as the leading
sports center of Florida.
x x
TODAY the former hunting grounds
and battIefelds of the silent
| hound races. huge auditorium has
been built, where match games of
| jai-lai, the Spanish ball game. are
played every night as great crowds
| look on. A new million dollar racing
| plant has latterly been completed, as
| the Florida Legislature has legalized
horse racing in the land of Winter
sunshine. A great experimental avi-
alton field and hangar facilitate Mr..
| Curtiss aeronautical research. A
| splendid golf course, with some of the
| best grass greens in Dixie, is an
other sports attraction. And then
there is Willie's Seminole Indian viii
| lage. which carries the visitors back
a century or so to the days when the
present sites of Floridian cities were
the camp grounds of the swarthy
Seminoles.
Mrs Acker has for many years been
identified with professional entertain
ments. She comes from family of
show" people. one of the most nota-
BILE of whom was her brother, Nicho-
las Howard, who was the first pro-
fessional performer in the world to
loop the-loop" successfully in an
automobile.
Previous to her acceptance of the
managership of the Seminole village
Mrs. Acker toured the United States
in charge of several bands OF native
| musicians from Guatemala
If you think it is a simple matter
to handle between one and two hun
dred Seminoles. who still do and al
ways will feel antagonism toward
white men, you should keep tab on
one of Mrs. Acker's busy days and
study the multiplicity of riddles
which constantly arise and which she
| has to solve.
To begin with she is trying to mas
| ter the Seminole language, which is
about as difficult as attempting to
learn the Chinese tongue. She has to
gain and hold the trust and conf
| dence of the Indians. She has to pro-
| tect the redskins against bootleggers.
| Like most other American savages,
| the Seminoles crave strong drink.
| The eastern coast of Florida teens
with bootleggers, ready and anxious
! to exchange white mule" for Indian
| cash.
| The Indian village is next to the
| greyhound race track. the jai-lai
! courts and the Miami Jockey Club.
During the Winter season of 1923-24
more than 100000 visitors paid 25
/ cents apiece to see the last of the
| Seminoles and how they live. If you
| take the trouble to figure this up
| you will note that the entertainment
enterprise turned over gross receipts
that aggregated more than $52,500.
Of course, the village expenses and
the salaries of the Indians had to be
deducted. Notwithstanding, when
| Mrs Acker deposited her share of
the profit in the bank the figure
| which the cashier entered In her
bank book was larger than any of
the salaries or business incomes of
the great majority of the women
who work in Washington.
The Seminole Indians are offshoots
| of the Creek Tribe of Georgia.
Scores and scores of years ago some
of these nomadic Creeks departed
| from their home villages and mi
grated to Florida, where they estab-
lished new headquarters. They were
called SeminoleS by the other Indian
tribes. This word really means out
casts"
The Seminoles increased and multi
piled. Florida was a happy hunting
ground in those days. The variety
of wild game was large Both the
fresh-water and saltwater streams
teemed with fish. 1t was an Eden
of plenty and independence for the
Indians.
* x x
THEN came the white settlers.