Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-08-28
THE HERALD.
fernando Cortez.

In the year i504,at the small coun.
try town Of Medellin, Spain, there
lived an idle, dissolute youth Of seven
teen, who was the torment of his pa.
rents and the leader of all the mis-
chief going on in that neighborhood.
His parents were of the highest re.
spectability, reduced in circum.
stances, and they had given their
son the best education within their
means. During his infancy and child
hood, he was so sickly that no one
expected he would live to mature
age /; but as he grew older he grew
stronger, ard at seventeen he was a
man OF stature, sufficiently robust.
lie was then at home having left the
college of Salamanca without permits
sion, and was passing his time in
dissipation, regardless of the remon-
strances of his father and the entrea.
ties OF his mother. When, therefore,
he declared his intentions of sailing
for America,th good people of Med
ellin were not sorry to hear it. His
father had intended him for the legal
profession, which the youth dis
dained. No career attracted him
except one of adventure 10 the New
World, which had been discovered a
few years before.
He was only nineteen when he
took passage in a merchant vessel,
and, after most tempestuous pas
sage, reached the island of Hispan-
dola, then the seat of Spanish power
in America. He was at that time a
very handsome young man, graceful,
selt-confdent, superior swordsman,
and highly accomplished in all war.
like exercises. On leaving the ship,
he went at once to the house OF the
governor, friend of his family. The
governor being absent upon an expe
dition, bis secretary received Cortez
with politeness, and, by way of en-
couraging new conner, assured him
that the governor, upon his return,
would doubtless allot to him liberal
tract of land.
Gland !" said Cortez. 81 came to
find gold, not to plow the ground
like peasant"
Nevertheless, when the governor
offered him a portion of land and a
number of Indians as slaves, there
being nothing better to take at the
time; Cortez accepted them, and be-
came a planter. The governor also
named him notary of the town an of.
hee of some little emolument. With
out entirely neglecting his business,
he now resumed his dlssolute habits.
After seven years of a life like this,
he Joined the force destined to the
conquest OF Cuba under Velasquez,
and displayed, 10 that affair, so much
dash, activity, courage and gaiety,
that he became a favorite with Vel
asquez, who named him secretary.
The friendship was soon changed
into fierce hostility. Cortez had given
o promise OF marriage to young
lady, which he was not inclined to
keep, Governor Velasquez insisted
on his fulfilling the promise. Cortez.
angry at this inference with his
pleasures, joined himself to the enc.
mics OF Velasquez, and prepared to
60 to Spain to intrigue for his recall.
The governor, discovering the plot,
arrested Cortez, and would have
hanged him, it is said, but for the
intercession OF friends. He threw
him into prison, and caused him to
be chained. Twice Cortez escaped,
and was twice recaptured, and at
length was glad enough to accept his
liberty on condition of marrying the
girl. The governor endowed the
young couple with an extensive tract
OF land in Cuba, and large number
OF Indians. Being now a married
man he carried on his plantation with
great vigor, imported cattle from
Spain, and raised better crops than
his neighbors. Gold having been
discovered upon his land, he kept
many of his Indians at work in min.
ing it, and so gradually became a
man OF wealth. He is said to have
been hard taskmaster. In such
labors his life passed until he was
thlrty-three years of age, and there
was no prospect, at that time, of his
ever emerging from obscurity. So
far as we know, he expected to live
and die planter and miner.
But in 1918 there returned to San.
tiago, CUBA after an absence of
several weeks a small fleet which
Velasquez had sent out to explore
the coasts of the adjacent continent
This fleet brought wonderful and
most thrilling intelligence. Mexico
had been discovered "a land in.
nabited not by poor and igAorant
savages, but by a people considerably
civilized, who possessed spacious and
costly e1itices, temples, rich gar
ments, ornaments OF gold a people,
too, who were ruled by powerful
monarch, with a disciplined army,
and yet were so debased by supersti-
ton as to appease the imaginary
wrath of their idols by sacrifices of
human beings. How all this APP.
pealed at once to the cupidity and
religious zeal of the Spaniards, can
be imagined by those who know any
thing of the character OF the Span
iards of that day. Governor Velas-
quez proceeded Immediately to or
ganize an expedition for the settle
ment and conversion of Mexico.
There were two things wanting
money, and man fit &c command
such an enterprise. On looking
around, the governor thought he saw
in Fernando Cortez man rich
enough to defray, in great part,
the expense of the expedition, and
endowed with the requisite energy
and talent to conduct it.
He sent for Cortez, revealed the
project to him, and offered him the
command. 0ortez accepted it and
agreed to embark his fortune in the
enterprise. Six large vessels were
speedily equipped, and three hun.
dred eagerly volunteered to follow
leader already known for his courage
and skill The orders given By We.
lasquez to the commander of the ex
,NaA,tiNr, ..