The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-05-05
The Aztec Children.

origin oi these children, we confess our
selves TO be in an ineSplicable quandaty.
As Daniel Webster said OF Massachu
sets. :" there they stand, and there is
their history" II can no, be said that
they speak for themselves, for they ar
ticula,e only few sylIables; but IN their
case il may be said, with truth, that ac-
lions and appearance speak louder than
words. No one can look upon them
without acknowledging that he has al
last found genuine aonder--,hat he
sees what can not be accounted for on
any known principles Of science or phys
iology, The speculative beholder soon
exhausts every theory and hypothesis as
to their origin that he can start, loses
himself in labyrinth Of conjectuTal
philosophy, breaks down in his attempts
TO ridicule the idea that they are really
Aztecs, becomes weared with his en-
deavors TO settle the question by the aid
Of "pure reason" and gladly seeks ref
uge from all his doubts and troubles by
yielding implicit faith to the account Of
lximayan wonders embraced ia the pam>
phle,s distributed by the exhibitor.
Where did they come from The PAM
phlet referred TOO furnishes the only
plausible answer aud until we can get
a better response, we must adopt the
narrative it contains as the true history
Of the Aztec Children.
The National MtelHgeneer recently
published an excellent condensation Of
this history. from which we make the
following extracts.
1t appears from the psmphle, that Mr..
Stevens, in his Travels in Central Amer.
ica, speaks Of an old padre or Catholic
priest OF Santa Cruz del Quiche, who
told HIM some wonderful stories Of ruins
of ancient cities in the interior Of the
country, and particularly Of nne living
city tar beyond the mountains. The
padre declared that in his younger days
he had climbed 10 the top Of the Sierra
Madre. a height of ten or twelve thous.
and feet. and looking from the summit,
lover an immense plain extending to
Yucatan and the Gulfol Mexico, he had
seen with his own eyes, in the remote
distance, "a lerge city, spread over =
great space, with turrcls white and gilt
tering in the sun" Mr.. Stevens. .thougl
very desrous to explore tha, region o.
country and test the truth Of the padre,
statements, had no time 10 do so j,
would he long and perlous undertak-
ing. But he adds, 1.-TWO young men Of
good constitution, and who could arore
to spend FIVE years, might succeed. u
That hint, i, seems, gave birth to the
" Aztec children -" for, says the au,
thor Of this pamphlet, it is now known
that TWO intrepid young men, inci,ed
probably by this identical passage in
Mr.. Stevens popular work agreed TO un.
dertake the perilous and romantic enter
prise. They were a Mr.. Huertis, o
Baltimore, an American Of Spanish
parents from Cuba and Mr.. Hammond
a civil engineer from Canada. ProvId-
ing themselves with mathematical in.
stIuments. daguerreotype apparatus, and
fifty repeating rifles, they sailed from
New Orleans and arrived at Balize in
the fall of 1913. Here procuring mule,
and Indian guides, they started through
a wild broken country for one hundred
and fifty miles on the Gulf Of Amatique
aud then struck OF 10 the south-wes fol
Coban. where they arrived on the morn
ing Of Christmas day. At Coban the,
fell in with Pedro Velasquez, who wa.
there on a trading expedition from Sau
Salvador, aud finding him 10 be a con
genial spirit, and bound TO Santa Cruz
del Quche as well as themselves, they
pursued the wild journey together. hav'
ing procured new guides and mules.
During this journey Huerlis anc
Hammond gradually broke TO Velasquea
the progr anime Of ,hsr enterprise ; lhel
told him the story of,he old padre of de
Quiche, and showed him the engraving
IN Stevens book. Velasquez readll,
believed the whole. for he had himsel
seen the padre, and he had seen some o
the ruins, which he at once recognizes
in the engraviugs. His imagination wa
fired and his spirl, of enterprise burst IA
TO fame and although he was mar
OF ismily and wealth and an indigo trad
er, he at once resolved to leave all an,
follow them,
After numerous hafbteadlh escapes
aud perilous adventures, our travellers
found the living slly" of Iximaya
J They were not received in the mos
friendly manner. at first; bu. they soon
riRcd and bovie. knitted them.elve into
the affections of The natives, and were
lodged in superb quarIers-accordini
to the pamphlet.