FAnsoNs] TALES OF PERSONAL EXPERIENXE 451 



Lucinda had a lot of jewelry stolen from her trunk, bracelets which 

 covered her whole forearm, and many necklaces. After Lucinda's 

 daughter had died she had put this jewelry away. A year later she 

 was going to begin to wear it, a little, again. "In my family we \vait 

 two or three years after somebody has died before wearing jewelry." 

 When Lucinda looked into her trunk, the jewelry was gone. They 

 went after the "old man" (the detective Father) who had gone to 

 Acoma. At Acoma they said he had gone to the Navaho country. 



From this story it is inferable that there is in Isleta only one detec- 

 tive leather. 



44. Marcellina and American Law 



Why did my sister Marcellina break into the house of Jose Padilla 

 with an ax and take out his blankets and burn them? Marcellina's 

 son was going to marry a girl. The girl had WTitten to him already 

 and my sister had alreadj^ spent $200 for the wedding. Then the girl 

 took her other suitor, the son of Jose Padilla. For three months that 

 boy kept driving the girl past my sister's house and whistling and 

 making a noise to get my sister's attention and then he would kiss the 

 girl. The boy did not have to pass that way. He went out of his 

 way to go past my sister's house. My sister sent word to his father 

 about it, but stiU the boy went on as before. Finally it was too much 

 for her. So she went and burned the blankets. 



The American judge fined her $32 which she refused to pay; but her 

 son paid it. Then she snatched the money from the hands of the 

 judge. He sentenced her to 90 days, and she was to report herself to 

 the jail. She did not report for 21 days and they did not come after 

 her. That was because she was domg what she knew how to do. 

 She has power. In jail she had a comfortable bed and room and good 

 food. Her children were allowed to visit her and eat with her. On 

 a fiesta they took her out in their car for the day. All this, because 

 she was using her power. No other prisoner was treated this way. 

 It was because of her power. If my sister gets into trouble and is 

 caught at once, she can't do anything; but if she has one night to 

 work in (performing ritual) she is safe. 



45. A Rejected Suit 



One day that woman came to my house. She knocked and came 

 in. She said, "I want to give your daughters lessons, so thej' can 

 have whatever they wish." Then she proposed that one of them 

 should marry" her son. I said my daughters were getting on all right. 

 I did not want them to get married. Later when Antonita died, I 

 remembered all that. Perhaps that woman did something to her. 

 But this is the first time I talk about that to anybody. 



