Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 May 1877 — A Primitive Piute Funeral. [ARTICLE]

A Primitive Piute Funeral.

Ax old Piute Indian departed for the happy hunting-ground, by way of old age and general debility, from the camp on the hill back of the City Hall, last night. It is not the custom with the Piutes to bury their dead, and in this instance they merely carried the corpse a few rods from the camp and deposited it on the ground. City Marshal Brennan, learring this morning that the corpse was lying exposed on the hillside, commanded Capt. Bam to have it properly buried. Bam is an intelligent native, and made no objections to complying with the Marshal's order; but five other Indians standing by, whom he asked to assist in the burial, positively refused to have anything to do with it. Upon this,The officer threatened that unless they proceeded to bury the dead Indian forthwith, he would arrest them and have them fined $4,000,000 each. This threat had the desired effect on the Indians, and the funeral commenced. They wrapped the corpse in a robe of rabbit skins and tied it up with ropes, making a bundle in the shape of a ball. This they dragged over the hill to an old shaft, into which they dumped it without ceremony. In reply to a question as to the cause of the Indian’s death, a dusky maiden, who was an interested spectator of the funeral, r< plied: “Heap too old.”— Austin Reveille.