The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-02
Furnishing the PatagonIans.

The dividing Inc between tne ArSeu-
tine Republic and what was known as
Patagonia was the River Negro, which
flows along the forty first parallel, about
nine hundred miles north Of the Straits
of Magellan. The greater portion OF
this country is we'll watered pampas or
prairie, extending in plainly marked ter
races, rising one after tho other, from
the Atlantic to the Andes; but toward
the south the land becomes more bleak
and barren, the soil being bed of shalc
with thorny shrubs and tufts of coarse
grasses, upon which nothing but the os-
trich can exist. The winters are very
severe, fierce winds sweeping from the
mountains to the sea, with nothing to
obstruct their course. These winds are
called pampcros, and are the dread OF
those who navigate the South Atlantic.
During the winter months the Indians
were in the habit OF driving their cattle
northward into the foothills of the
Andes for protection, and, leaving them
there, made raids upon the settlements
of the Argentine frontier, killing, burn
ing, and stealing cattle and horses. Ter
ror-stricken the ranchmen fled to the
cities for protection, and year by year
the frontier line receted toward Buenos
Ayres, instead of extending further upon
the plains.
President Roca was then general OF
cavalry, and had won renown in the
war against Lopez, the tyrant of Para
quay. He was sent with two or three
regiments to discipline the Indians, and
he did it in way that was rs effective
as it was novel. While the Indians
were in the mountains with their cattle
he set his soldiers to work, several
thousand of them, and dug a great ditch
twelve feet wide and fifteen feet deep
from the mountains to the Rio Negro,
scattering the earth from the excava-
tion over the ground with such care as
to leave nothing to excite the savages'
suspicious. Then when the ditch was
completed, he f1anked the Indians with
his cavalry and drove them southwark
on the run. Being ignorant of the trap
set for them, the Indians galloped care
lessly along until thousands of them
were piled in the ditch, one on top of
the other, q MANNED. struggling scream
ing mass of horses, men women and
children. Many were killed by the fall,
others were crushed by those who fell
upon them, while those who crawled
out were dispatched by the sabres of
the cayalrynen.
Those who were not driven into the
ditch fed to the eastward hunting for a
crossing, which the soldiers allowed
them no time to make, even if they had
had the tools. Shovels and picks and
spades are unknown among the Pata-
gonians, and as they are the wards of no
nation, muskets and ammunition had
never been furnished them to do their
fighting with. 1t was very much such a
chase as Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces
gave General Howard in the Northwest
few years ago. and finally ended in
General Roca driving the Indians into a
corner. with the impossible Rio Negro
behind them, where the slaughter was
continued until most Of the warriors fell.
The remainder were made prisoners and
distributed around among the several
regiments of the Argentine army, in
which they have proven excellent
soldiers. The women and children were
sent to the Argentine cities, where they
have since been held in a state of semi
slavery by families of officials and men
of influence. The dead were never
counted, but were buried in the ditch
which encompassed their destruction.-
New York San.