The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-10-06
DeSOto's Death.

Immediately beyond the Mississippi
DeSoto found the Indians friendly and
hospitable. A curious illustration of
the religious spirit which those false and
cruel Spaniards could manifest on occa.
sions, is found in their treatment of a
cacique whose territory was suffering
from drought, and besought DeSoto to
pray to his God for rain, seeing that the
Great Spirit had not answered the pray
ers of the Indians. The Spanish war.
rior promised to make the desired inter-
cession.
Accordingly with true papistical ritu.
alistic feeling, he caused cross fifty feet
high to be prepared. The tribe assem-
bled. The Spaniads and their Indian
slaves formed procession, headed by
their priest, which marched solemnly
chanting hymns and psalms to the front
of the cross. There they all kneeled
while the priests offered prayer. Rising
to their feet they advanced, two at a
time, and reyerently kissed the insensi-
BILE wood. After this, the 7c Dcum was
sung and the procession returned to the
camp. BY favorable coincidence, it
rained abundantly the following night.
The savages recognized this az an ans wer
to the prayer of the Spaniards, and the
latter rcjoiced over it rs an evidence
that they were the favorites of heaven.
Alas, for religion which sanctions such
crimes rs those adventures perpetrated
upon their simple minded but savage
adversaries!
AS DeSoto advanced toward the wes-
tern border of Arkansas, lie found the
Indians fierce and hostile. The climate
was cold as winter approached. Ofgold
he found none. His Interpreter died
during the winter Of 1912. His difficult
ties increased on every:side. He finally
became convinced thas his adventure
was failure, and that, Il BE lived to re-
turn to Spain, it wonld be as u. ruine.i
man, with reputatioE blasted ard fo1:ur5
Wrecked. His spirits sunk under the
weight of these convictions. and he re-
solved to retrace their steps 10 the Mis-
sissippi, fort:fy himself until he could
build vessels in which to descend the
river, send account of his discoveries to
Cuba, secure ,reinforcements and then
;try+to colonies the country over which
he had been wandering,
Guided by this purpose, when spring
arrived he. turned his face toward the
great river. After many long and fatigu.
ing marches he reached Guachrya,
aD0at sWSnr miles below the mouth OF
the Arkansas. Finding it necessary to
cross the river, he sent friendly messages
to the warlike chief on the east side of
the stream. ave are children of the
sum-" said he, knowing those Indians to
be sun worshipers, ''and desire visit
from thou as from brother"
"Tell him." replied the naughty,
chief, "if he be the child of the sun, to
dry UP the river and will come over
and do hon age to him."
Once the proud Spaniard would have
responded to this insulting message by
hurling his cavaliers upon his insulting
adversary. Now, alasl their numbers
were fearfully thinned, their splendor
gone, their spirit broken, their power
unequal to aught save defensive battle and
DeSoto himself was sick atheart. Mel.
ancholy seized his soul. Fever preyed
upon his body. He was confined to
sick bed. The shadows Of death began
to fall upon his great spirit. He, made
his will, appointed i'.is de Mosooso his
successor, bade affectiona.e aIieus, first
to his officers and then to lis soldiers,
gave all his dying blessing, and, about
the fifth of June, 1912, some four years
after his landing in Florida passed away
to the spirit land. His followers inclcs-
ed his remains in log of green oak and
sunk it in the dead of night, i'll mine
teen faGnoms of water. Thus" says Irv-
ing, "the first discoverer of the Mississippi
made his grave in the middle of its wa.
ters."
Months afterward, the forlorn remains
of the magnificent expedition which
landed in Florida some FIVE years before,
arrived at Spanish settlement IN Mex
leo. Worn out by almost incredible fa-
tigues and sufferings, nearly nude, jaded,
diseased, dispirited and penniless, these
ruined cavaliers were no longer objects
Of admiration, but of charity. They
had sought gold, glory, and conquest,
they had found rags, disease, and disap;,
pointment. That their adventures had
been romantically marvellous, their
courage chivalric in the highest degree,
their endurance equal to that of the an
cient Greeks under Zenophon. can not
be denied. In these respects they were
he-oes. But their motives were solid,
their aim5 low their treatment, of, the,
Indians barbarous and shameful. The
glory their heroism isEtarnished by the
blaGkhess Of their crimes against hu-
manity. Had their humane feelings
equale6 :neir courage, their enterprise
might Fave had o more prosperous ter
nlination. But looking with Christian
eyes on their uniform cruelty, one can
not help feeling that their sufierings and
failures were we'll merited strokes of f.
Justly avenging Nemesis nor can one
fail to have ones admiration of their
heroic qualities swallowed mn ny ones
diagust at their inhumanity.
.ti LA Selma, Alabama. man when 81
years of age married widow of 60.
A few days ago, when Go years of age,
, -------.-l A..a..,,o. indu Of 81 Ihia