Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-04-08
POOR PARAGUAY.
HER SIX YEARS FIGHT AGAINST
THREE COMBINED NATIONS
The Entire Country Practically Destroyed
and Present Prosperity
and Hopeful Outlook for the Flu.
ture People and Customs
IAmerican Cor. Inter Ocean

IAmerican Cor. Inter Ocean.l
The only outlet for the interior provinces
Of South Brazil Is through Paraguay, and
the people OF that empire resented the OBJ
struction Of their SDmmerce. Argentine and
Uruguay had grievances also, and In 1858
the three great nations, representing about
half the population Of South America, called
the tyrant Lopez to account He only
scoffed at them, and deied their interfer-
ence. Then began war which has no par.
allel in history. For Fix long years the little
state Of Paraguay held at bay the three com.
bined nations whose territory surrounded it.
Sixty thousand infantry, 10000 cavalry,
5000 artillery, and naval feet, furnished
with all the modern implements of war. pos
sessing Krupp guns and repeating rifles, and
sustained by the wealth OF the alliei powers,
were defied and resisted by the unorganizsd,
unarmed, and ignorant par-Aguayans,
whose only motive was the defence Of q
ruler that enslavsi and tortured them.
HOW THEY FOUGHT.
They fought with clubs and axes, when
their ammunition gave out, and when the
ranks OF men were mown down tie women
took their places. and fought like wild
beasts defending their young. And the war
did not end until tbs population Of Paraguay
was we'll nigh exterminsted, the country
laid waste, AMI the tyrant Lopez driven like
q wolf TO the mountains, where he was
finally killei in cave in which he sought
refuge Never did q leader receive such
loyal support. and never did one deserve it
less.
The war cost Brazil, Argentine and Uru-
quay $50 O0O,0JO and 10000 lives while
it cost Paraguay everything. There were
scarcely enough survivors to bury the dead.
The entire country was practically de-
stroyei aul depopulated. An enumera-
ton made OF her subjects in 1867,
by Lopez II, showed the popula.
ton of Paraguay to be 1881, 49,
In 1874, after the close Of the war, a census
was taken, which demonstrated that the
number had been reduced to 22i, 900 souls.
of whom only 5000 were men, AMI LOG 900
women over Is years OF age, and SO, 00)
children, the women's disproportion o; the
sexes, as well as the vast decrease OF popula-
ton, showing the disastrous result, OF the
war.
THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT.
A liberal government was established in
Paraguay, and during the last ten years
the country has had a "boom' similar to
that OF our western territories. the popula.
ton in 1879 having been shown 10 be 34S.-
000 an increase Of l27, 900 in five years A
great portion Of tho immigration has come
from Argentine and Brazil, but the last
census shovel the presence Of 1000 Italians.
400 Per,ians, and 4) English families
There are said to he but three citizens OF
the United States in Paraguay, one white
man, who kepps drug store store and
practices medicine, and two negroes, both
of whom are sail to be fusitivss from ju'-
tice
The people are q quiet submissive, and
industrious race, being q mixture OF Span
ish blood an 4 that of the Guarani Indians
who were the aboriginal settlers Of the
country. Their kinsmsn across the Para
quay river in the Argentine Republic are
q nomadic, saving tribe, but the tyranny Of
Lopez father aud son, took the spirit out OF
the Paraguay Indians AMI they are now
domssticatei, living in bamboo huts. Guilt
waiting the soil and raising cattle. There Is
said to be less crime in Paraguay than in
any other OF the South American countries,
and in 1888 there vera but l25 criminal
trials in the entire republic, twenty-ons of
the defend ants being foreigners.
LEARNING RAPIDLY.
But for the tyranny OF its rulers In past
years Paraguay might have been an
arcadia. for the simple habits. the few
wants, and the peaceable disposition OF the
people made them contentei and well dis
posed toward each other. As nature has
provided for all their wants they have no
great incentive TO labor. and the enter
prise and thrift Of the country Is generally
found among the foreigners. from whom
the peopl, are. however, learning rapidly
the ways OF the world AMI the value OF
money.
The men and women are Of small stature
and the latter are usually very pretty when
young, but loss their beauty of feature and
figure after maternity. They are innocent
and childish in their amusements, are ford
Of dancing and singing. and have native
dances that are graceful and native songs
that are a. melodious as the music Of the
blacks in the south of the United States
Travellers find marked similarity between
the Paraguayans relieved from the des-
potism of Lopez and the emancipated
negroes of North America, except that the
race here is mixture Of Indian and
Caucasian.
CUSTOMS AND COSTUMES.
Some of their native ceremonies are pc
culiar and beautiful When a couple are
married in Paraguay the bridal bed Is al.
ways covered with flowers, and each neigh
Dor contributes something toward giving
them an outfit, even IL 1t Is nothing but a
wooden spoon or gourl cup. Their funerals