Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 146, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1910 — Indian Cremation Must Stop. [ARTICLE]

Indian Cremation Must Stop.

Some time ago the agent and other officers in charge of the Yuma reservation asked the braves to refrain from burning the houses of the dead. They showed how easy it would be for a fire to sweep over a part, of .the reservation and put government property in jeopardy. For a time the the request, the Los Angeles Times says, but a few days ago celebrated the tleparture of one of their number in the most approved redskin style. The personal effects of the deceased were burned and his house was set on fire. He was supposed to have arrived la the happy hunting ground, ready For an enthusiastic reception. But, inasmuch as the personal prop erty of a deceased person belongs to the heirs by the California law, there is no doubt that zealous friends overstepped the law when they cremated everything the dead Indian had ever owned. The practice of the Yuma Indians in burning their dead, together with the possessions left by the departed braves, has aroused the federal authorities to action. While there wouldn’t be interference with cremation—a religious rite —the officers declare that government property must not be endangered.