The Oregon scout., July 31, 1890, Image 7

(
IN TROPIC LANDS.
Trip to Cahuilla Valley in
Southern California.
'AMONG THE MISSION INDIANS.
A Popular Foast-A Chief's Idea of Justice
Helen Hunt Jaekson'3 Novel.
Editor Oitr.r.oN' Scout:
It was in Collon in the latter part
of August and it was hot. 1 may bo
mistaken about many other things but
upon that one point 1 am curtain it
was excessively hot. There can be no
doubt about it as the thermometer stood
at 120 degrees in the shade. Every
thing was burned up by the rays of a
tropical sun that stood directly over
head. One could almost see the heat
dancing in the air. The glare and
glitter of a burning sun reflected from
the hot sand and cement sidewalks
made it almost unbearable. The air
was hot, the streets were hot and even
the breezes that came from the moun
tain tops seemed to be laden with the
heat from a ilery furnace. With the
exception of a few squads of Indians
and Mexicans lounging here and there
on the street corners and making
merry over a watermelon for be it
known that among these people the
watermelon is the greatest panacea for
heat the streets were deserted. Even
the Hies, which are generally very
numerous, hail dissapearcd, worn out
and unable to contend with the exces
sive heat. Business was at a stand
still and the shop-keepers and clerks
were lounging half asleep in the back
part of their stores, where the rays of
the burning sun would be least likely
to strike them.
It was on such a day as this that
jny friend .Jamais, who was at that
timo superintendent of Indian schools,
jmd myself -vore seated in the hack
part of a small fntil store trying to
make life bearable, with the aid of a
watermelon and a large carving knife;
for we, too, had readily fallen in with
the manners and customs of tho peo
ple who dwell in that dolightful(?)
cHinate of the sun, Thero is an aid
rule that when you ftre in Romo you
must do as Romans do, cnio gentle
reader when you are in Coltou on a
hot day you must eat watermelons.
Wo were discussing the situation and
tho watermelon at the Binw; time and
had about made up our'fiinds to go to
the mountains for a lew weeks, until
the weather could moderate and give
the thermometer a chance to gain its
equilibrium, when tho shop-keeper
suddenly exclaimed "Hello, there conies
Captain Pablo."
And now, g.'ntle reader, appreciati ng
the fact that you like all readers (es
pecially those of the gentler sex) are of
an inquisitive disposition, I shall pro
ceed to till you who Captain Pablo
was before I go any fait her. lie was
tfce cupitan (or as we would say the
chief) of the Cahuilla Indians I sup
pose that alter what I have already
said it will nut be necessary to state
that ho wnn dark complexioned ; but
in order id ivo my La Grande read
ers a better idea of tho man, I will say
that his eyes and complexion were a
la J)ago. lie and his people lived in a
small v .lliy in the Han Jacinto moun
tains and it was of this valley that
Jamais and I weie talking of visiting
when tho thop-keeior interrupted
us.
Captain Pablo was the very man wo
wanted to see and upon going outside
wo found that the shop-keeper was not
mistaken fur there fciirc enough stood
tho captain surrounded by half a doz
en Indian- who wero shaking hands
with him and plying him with ques
tions. After the usual salutation of
Ischium d as, sinor; muncha cullora
esla dia (; -oil murning ; it is very warm
to-day) w repaired to the inside of tho
store and purchased an other wator
inelon, S i.idiax, in honor of tho cap
itin, who i-dil us that the Cahnillas
were goin,r to celebrate St. Lewis' day
th. 2.th of Aug.) with a grand feast
and exten o 1 m an invitation to bo
present. A id this is tho way that wo
sam" to v: it (ho Cahnilla valley to
wit ncs 4 ''' fi""tn del din Sun Loan."
That in-ir- wo provided ourselves
with a biu''ii inl and a team and
made all Uu necessary arraugomenta
to git an ii 'y sUirt the next morn
ingfypi A " ii'aku the journey up
t: .i in.l in !ni over the
JVICIlii a i .i.i -- j
mou i:a:;i id m ica.'h th" Sun .laouito j
plai -s on .i her - l- Mir the heat !
of t.n- ! i ' otu .! I- lint s s !
gen. rally I w.ih c irly fcUirts wo
didn't k
, uii-r
k lh
: 1 1 1 1 iii'Hiivvuy uiuii
n xt morning and
.i I I... i!
. ft
fill- t in v.:- re m h'- l the canyon it
Fine uns oi Watch :
it was beginning to bo somewhat trop
ical. There was hardly a breath of
air stirring and the heat was almost
suffocating, but we stood it like mar
tyrs as we jogged along up the canyon,
consoling ourselves with the thought
that when wo reached the plain on
the other side, wo would come in
contact with the refreshing breezes
blowing across tho valley from the
San Jacinto mountains. Wo reached
the plains about one o'clock in the
afternoon but instead of the refreshing
breezes we expected wo encountered
a veritable simoon of tho desert, for
the mountains on the north cast side
of of the valley were on lire and as the
wind blowing from these mountains
struck us directly in the face you can
imagine our situation. The sun which
stood almost directly over us seemed
like a molten mass suspended in tho
heavens, while the wind which struck
us in the face seemed like tho breath
from the iiery jaws of hell, But it was
too late to turn back, the only thing to
be done was to go ahead and reach the
valley proper beyond as soon as possi
ble. That was several years ago, but
every circumstance of that infernal
trip is so indelibly impressed upon
my memory that it seems but yester
day. Wo were not ab'o to make good
time as we had to proceed slowly on
account of the horses who wero pant
ing for dear life. In tho cour?o of two
or three hours we reached the valley
proper and passed out of the track
of tho hot winds and from there on to
the village of San Jacinto wo had a
very pleasant ride. Wo put up at th e
Hewitt's hotel for tho night and con
tinued our journey the next day. But
before I describe tho rest of our trip
I desire to say a few things about tho
Mission Indians of whom tho Cahuillas
are a part.
1 suppose, gentle reader, that you
have lead "Ramona" that picture of
Indian life in Southern California
written by Helen Hunt Jackson. If
not 1 advise you to do so, as the enjoy
ment you will derive from its perusal
will more than repay you for your tini-j,
and trouble, and yet, whcti y0u ilV0
finished it, if you ar an inhabitant of
Oregon, y6u will be inclined to measure
tho Mission Indians by tho standard of
those you have met with in your own
state and to think that Mrs. Jackson's
description is very much overdrawn
and highly ideal. But in that" you
will be wrong. For tho Mission In
dians as a class are a distinct type and
are altogether different from the rest
of the Indians on this coast. They are
to a certain extent civilized, having
been gathered together in the Missions
years ago by the Catholic Father's who
taught them the arts of husbandry and
agriculture. All of them can speak
Spanish and most of the younger ones
arc pretty well versed in English, be
ing able to read and writo fairly well.
In fact, as a class they are bettor edu
cated than tho majority of Mexicans
ono meets with in California and are
an industrious, hard working people.
Most of the men who have not farms
o'f their own work on vineyards in San
Bernardino and San Diego counties
while quite a number of the women
do household work in private families.
They are all Catholics and live up to
their religion as well if not better than
a great many white people who aro
members of tho same church. As a
rule they aro honest, always being ablo
to obtain a certain amount of credit
at tho stores whero thoy trade.
While we were sitting on tho veran
da that evening conversing with tho
landlady, Mrs. Jordan, something was
said about Mrs. Jackson. Thereupon
Mrs. Jordan related an incident that
took place in Saboha, an Indian vil
lage about threo miles distant from
San Jacinto; which was probably tho
foundation of a portion of "Ramona."
It seems that a few months before Mrs.
Jackson visited San Jacinto, as special
U. S. Commissioner of tho Mission In
dians, an Indian by tho name of Fer
nando, and his wife, Ramona were
living in Saboha. Fernando was sub
ject to temporary spells of insanity,
and during ono of these spells ho took
ii horso that belonged to a man living
in San Jacinto. When tho owner of
the horse heard about it ho became
very much enraged and swore ho would
kill tho Indian as soon as lie could
find him. Mrs. Jordan and others
reasoned with him and tried to prevail
upon him to desist from his design;
hut all to no purpose; he had mado up
his mind to kill tho Indian, and kill
him ho did. Tho man was arrested
and had hia preliminary examination
boforo Mr. Hewitt, Justice of tho
Peace, who was forced to discharge
him for want of evidence. Aftor tho
death of Fernando, his jvife, Romana
went to Cahuilla valley where she is
still living. Mrs. Jackson mado par
ticular enquiries about tho caso when
es, Clocks, Jewelry,
she was'in San Jacinto and afterwards
used this incident in her book, only
changing the man's name to Alessan
1 dio.
j Thanks to Mrs. Jordan, who had us
! called about 1 o'clock the next mom
! ing, whereby we obtained an early start,
j We had traveled about twelve miles
j when wc art i veil at the base of a tnoun-
tain that seemed almost insurmoun
! table. We followed the narrow road,
which wound round and around up
, the mountain, until at last we
j reached the summit only to find that
there was still another mountain of
greater magnitude before us to be as
! cended. Thus we traveled over this
grand series of mountains ono after
another, ascending higher and higher
until we reached the top of the highest
ridge, and there stretched out before
us was a series of rolling hills extend
ing for miles, and far beyond in the
distance was an immense chain of
mountains which seemed to bound the
horizon. After crossing innumerable
rolling hills, suddenly we made a tuin
around the base of a hill and over a
small ridge, and lol Cahuilla valley lay
before us. Tho valley was covered
with grass almost a foot high, over
which small herds of horses and cattle,
were grazing, and dotted here and
there with patches of wheat and bar
ley enclosed by brush fences, presented
a very beautiful appearance as it
wound in and out among the hills.
When I call it up to my memory I
think it was tho most beautiful sight I
ever witnessed in my life. After view
ing this valley I can readilv conceive
of the Indians' great love for it, and j
can realize why it is that whenever
you meet a Cahuilla he will sing you
the praises of this glorious valley. It
is their Mecca to which they make
their annual pilgrimage to celubrato
La festadeldia San Louis. No matter
how far away a Cahuilla lives, whether
he is working in the Los Angeles vine
yards or in tho fields of San Bernardi
no, every year when the month of
August- comes around you will find
hitn on his way to Cahuilla valley to
celebrate this feast. Thin valley has
been the home of tho Cahnillas over
since the death of their first great
chieftain, Juan Antonia. Before that
time they lived in another valloy,
farther up in the mountains, known to
this day as Juan Antonia's land.
Juan Antonia was the Napoleon of
tho tribe. Many stories are told by
the early white settlers of the way ho
ruled his people and administered jus
tice among them. It is said that ho
always traveled accompanied by from
ten to fifteen attendants or body
guards, and when he wanted to dis
mount, ono of theso attendants would
hold his horse while another would
kneel down on all fours so tho capitan
could step down onto this attendant's
back and from thero on down to the
ground. Years ago one of his tribe,
who. had killed another in a quarrel,
was arrested and put in jail by the
authorities at San Bernardino. On
tho day of tho trial Juan Antonia, ac
companied by his attendants, appeared
in front of tho court houso and deman
ded tho prisoner, saying that he was
ablo to disponso justico to his people
withoutany assistanco from tho whites.
Tho authorities, k nowing that it would
bo folly to refuso, turned the prisoner
over to him. Ho immediately formed
a court, tried him, found him guilty
and sentenced him to bo buried alive
in the same grave with his victim.
ThiB sentonco was executed by tho
sheriffs of the tribe tho same afternoon.
A few years after this occurrence a
great many of the tribo died of small
pox which was brought into tho valloy
by one of tho Indian women who had
been working at San Bernardino. Sho
was tried before Juan Antonia for
this offonso and condemned to bo
burned alive. He did this, as he be
hoved, to stop tho pestilonco, but all to
no purpose for it was only a fow'weeks
until the capitan himself took tho di
scaso and died.
Wo arrived at tho village a little bo
foro sunset. Tho villago is situated on
the slope of a small hill near tho conter
of tho valley and is composed partly of
adobe houses and partly of ramadas or
summer houses mado of willows. Near
tho center of tho villago is a sulphur
spring known as Aqua Calionto whence
tho village takes its name. A few hun
dred yards above tho spring, below a
body of massive rocks which scorn to
liavo been thrown up by tome wild con
vulsion of nature is tho graveyard. A
largo wooden cross surrounded by
many smaller ones admonishes the
passing travolor that this is consecrated
ground.
Wo wero driving up tho hill toward
tho spring, when we wero accosted by
Captain Pablo who had come across
the trail by horseback and had thus
arrived a day ahead of us. Ho cxten.
ded us an invitation to spend tho night
Silverware, Guns
at his house, which we cagoily aei-ep- j
ted. With that he led tho way to a
commodius looking ndohr house which
with the exception of the government i
schoolhouso, appealed to he tho large.-1 j
house in the village. After introdue- I
ing us to his wifj and stepdaughter he
told us that his lxv would take cure of
our hordes and tint n-i supper would j
not bo ready for at leat half an hour
we would have plenty of time to take
a bath in the spring. Wc nt once
availed ourselves of th's opportunity
to tost the waters of the spring which ,
is said to have great medicinal prop-
crties. chad just finished bathing
when Pablo came out to tell us that
supper was ready. We at once re
paired to the inside of the house,
wlrtire we found an excellent t-upper
awaiting us. As wo had eiUcu nothing
but a lunch since morning we did
ample justice to the meal, particularly
tho tortil as and fried quail ; anil I
must here give the rapitan's wifo tho
credit of being an excellent cook.
Aftor supper wo smoked a few Mexl
ican cigarettes in tho company of the
capitan and then retired to rest.
0 FORGE (JUI XSC HA U I).
TO UK CONTI.STKH.l
SANGER.
Mining News and Notes From a Busy an
Prosperous Camp.
A correspondent, of tho Hovoille,
writing of-Sanger, in Union cottnly,
says :
We found the mill running to its
fullest capacity, and learned that the
ore now being milled is very rich and
easily worked. About sixty men are
carried on the pay roll of this company,
and every man is kept busy at his par
ticular vocation ; not an idle m:in can
be found in camp. The genial super
intendent of the C. S. Bradley Mining
Co., in a long conversation gave us
some impoi taut information, and while
wc aro not at liberty to give our read
ers facts and figures, we are able to
say that this mine is developing up fat
beyond the most sanguine expecta
tions of its owners.
Now machinery is being constantly
added and the large saw mill which is
operated by Mr. Ham m, of this city,
furnishes the plank and timber which
is used in operating the mine. The
mill is kept running a large portion of
the time, and this immense lot of lum
ber is used in the mine proper. Mr.
Hamin also furnishes the wood. Bo-
sides the mills, tho camp contains two
stores, stage station, hotel, butchor
shop and about fifteen or twenty resi
dences. From Sanger oast to Cornooupia,
new prospects nro being discovered
and woiked. Near Big Eagle creek
Tom White of this city, and associates
aro erecting a quartz, mill, and their
hopes for largo returns reach as high
up as do thoso rugged peaks by which
they aro surrounded. Thoy will bo
ready to reduce oro sometime in Au
gust. EAGLE . VALLEY.
A Condensed Record ofRocont Interesting
Happenings.
Crops wero never better.
Tho health of tho people is good.
A big timo is expected on tho 1st of
August. All our citizons aro making
great preparations for tho picnic with
tho exception of a fow who aro always
pulling backward. You know thero
is goncrally ono balky horso in almost
every team. But wo pay no attention
and will pull tho load ourselves. I am
satisfied wo can do just as well without
them as with thorn. Mitw or Mr.
"GUcss" in tho articlo last week says
he was not consulted in the matter.
Wo posted up notices in all tho public
places of tho valloy and it was gonor
ally understood that a meeting would
bo hold to organize for tho picnic ; all
had a fair chance, and almost every
body was there. "Guess" says wo
met on Sunday to do some writing.
We did meet for that purpose, but 1
believe wo are just as good as some
people who pretend to bo so pious.
Mention is also mado of the petition
for liquor licenso to start a saloon.
Thoso opposed to it had a right to ro
monstrato if they had seen fit; but
what would four mon do with a re
monstrance when there wero eighty
on tho petition. So far as tho picnic
is concerned wo have no doubt it will
bo a grand success. K.
Booml Boomll Boomlll
Bo quick if you want a first class
bargain in city or country property
(We'll loan you money to buy with.)
Now is tho timo, Got thero "Eli."
You'll douhlo your moiivy tho ilrnt
month. Call on Wilson it llaukult,
managers Union Real Estate Associa
tion. and Amunition Just1
If
Fill
if
Summers
-I)kai,::i;s in-
uiuvuai i en "huhuotuiu
:r;:.r. 4
FOLK Al.KNTS KOlt
With Patent Gauze-wire Doors.
Is in Charge, of a Kirst-clusB
Call and Examine
SUMMERS A LAYNIi. Union, Oregon
-Tho Finest Lot of
Hans Xoaus Bays
Spring and Summer Hats,
Also the Greatest and Best Assortment of
DRESS GOODS!
In all tho Latest Styles and Qualities,
AT THE
- A -
Latest Styles.
DEALER IN
Just Received, Direct from the East, a Largo Invoice of LADIES' ami
MISSES' CALFSKIN SHOES, tho Best Ever, brought to this Market. .
Also a Fino Assortment of
GENT'S -:- FURNISHING -:- GOODS.
My Prices will suit the times. Drop in and see mo.
0. VINCENT. Main Streot, Union, Or.
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