Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-09-13

America, never saw horses before the Spsn-
iArds cana but Ia PstAgoniA both horned
cattle and horses seem to have antsdated
the earliest discoveries They kiA and eat
mares. which are never used except tor food
o. breeding purposes, and rids stations ex-
elusivelJ. In their customs and religion
they resemble the North American Indians
very closely, having similar marriage rites
and burial ceremonies. They believe in q
good and bad spirit, and have wizards or
medicine men, exercising religious author
ity combined with the art Of healing dis
ease.
Regarding their moral character, Lieut..
MusteEs says they are not such heartless
saysges as has been represented. They
have kind dispositions and are hospitable
toward those who treat them Justly, but are
relentless enemies of those from whom they
have suffered injury. Not naturally tresch
erous, they keep faith with their friends,
but regard the SpaniArds with bitter resent
ment, and never lose an opportunity, fairly
or unfairly, to pay of old scores The from
tier Of he Argentine Republic until a few
years since was constantly harsssed by
,h.@, murder, arson, AMI pillsge were the
seriously checked until General Roca YVES
serc cut with al army to extermiaste
them
The dividing line between the Argentine
Republic ard what was known as Patagonia
was he river Negro, which flows along the
As; parallel, about 900 miles north Of the
Straits of Magellan. The greater portion
c: iris country Is we'll Watered psmpas or
PEa!.ies, extending in plainly marked ter
races, risipg one after the o:her, from the
Atlantic 10 the Andes; but toward the south
tie land becomes more bleak and barren,
he soil being bed Of shale, with thorny
shrubs and tutIs of coarse grass, upon which
ro.hiug but the ostrich can exist. The WIN.
tsrs are very severe, fierce winds sweeping
from the mountains to the sea, with
ro;hicg to obstruct their course. These
SiGds are called psnperos, and are the
dread Of those who navigate the South At
lsErC. During the winter months the In
dams were IN the habit OF driving their cat
re Gorthwssd iGto toe foothills OF the Andes
fer protection, and. leaving them there. made
raids upon he settle nsDts on the Argentine
frontier. killing, burning, ard stealing cat
lie AMI horses Ter.oz stricken, The ranch
ueI I'D 10 the Cit as FOR protection and
year o. year tie f.out;er hre receded toward
Buencs AYrss, instead Of extending further
upon ne plains.
President ROCa was thea q General OF
cavalry aud had WOO rsnoTn II the war
against Lopez, the tYCaut OF Paraguay. BE
was sent With two or three regiments 10 dis,
ciphrs he indians and he did it in way
that Vas IS effective as Il was novel. While
the Indians we're IN the mountains with
their cat,le, he set bis soldiers at work, sew
srsl thousand Of them, and dug great
di.ct, tRe.ye feet wide and fifteen teet deep,
from the mountains to the Rio Negro Scat.
teripE the earth from he excavation over the
around with such care as TO leave nothing
20 excite the savs-es suspicious. Tnen,
when he ditch was completed he fanked
tie Indians with his cavalry aud drove
them southwark on the run. Being iguor.
sn' Of the rap set for them, the sayages
gallCyei csrelessly along until thousands Of
thsm were piled into the ditch. one on top
Of he ether a manned, struggling scream
ing mass of horses men. women and chill.
Gr-n Many we're killed by the fsu, others
we're crushed by those who fell upon them,
While those who crswled out W6r dispatched
oy he sabres Of the csvslrymel.
Those who were not driven into the ditch
asd 10 the eartwsrd hunting for crossing,
Ebich he soldiers allowed them no time TO
make even itthey had had thetools. ShoTels
and picks and spades are unknown among
he Paragonians and as they are the wards
Of 10 nation, muskets and ammunition had
never been furnished them D DO their fight
igg With II was very much such chase
as Chief Joseph OF the Nez Perces gave Gen.
Howard in the Northwest 8 few years ago,
and hua IL ended in Gen. Rocs driving the
Indians into q corner, with the impossible
Ric Negro oshind then. whore the slsugh-
ter cou'iuued until most of the warriors
fell The remainder we're made prisoners,
and distributed around among the several
regiments of the Argentine army in which
they have proven excellent soldiers. The
women aud children were sent to the Ar
yen.ire cities, where they have since been
held in a state Of seml-slsvery BY families Of
c ciais and men Of influence. The dead
we're never counted, but were buried in the
ditch which encompassed their destruction.
Northern Patagouia was thus cleared Of
-
arms 10 embrace the psmpas, which are
now being rapidly populated with ranch
men. The grass ID very sinils- to that OF
our own greet plains Dat water 10 more
plentiful and regular thsn 10 the South
western Territories Of the nited States.
Toward the Andes there il some timber, aud
the foot hilk are well wooded. Grazing
and in this country is sold at a nominal
price By the Argentine Government, or is
leased 10 tenants for term Of eight years,
10 lots Of !, 900 acres, at a rental Of ~ 10 per
year. Locations nearer the cities of course,
cost more money, and sre hard 10 get, as
they are already occupied by people who Sc
cured titles to the lands Years sgo o. con
cessions from Congress OF OIher means.
No. loug ago the [ nited States Consul at
Buenos Ayrss received a letter from New
York capitalist, in which the latter pro-
posed that they should pool their issues aud
secure a concession from the Argentine
Government 10 gather up the wild ca,'is on
the pampas. The capitalist, VINO had been
ove-hauIing kis geography, discovered that
immense herds of wild horses and cattle
are roaming ownerless upon the pampas OF
the Argentine Confederation aud Hatsgo'
MIA, AID tAoa ght It would bea god scheme
% ts,s 8 lot oS Texas cowboys down and
herd them, il the permission OF the Gov
eminent coUf5 be obtained He proposed
that ne Cousal should receive such permls-
sion. While he would furnish tie cowboys
ard the Necessary capital and the two
would become partners in the patagonia
cattle trade or an extensive scale.
The as,orisSed Consul did not auswerthe
letter. Il was tempting scheme, out there
were several obstacles in the way otlts sue
cess. the irs. being the fact thss there are
no wild cattle on the panpas, sad never
have been. The indians had .aZge herds
which were absorbed oy prominent, OH
Gals when Sen. Rocs concluded his scheme
Of sx,eymi2ation. but it would be qnite as
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