The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-16
THOUSANDS POISONED.
Attempted Annihilation of an
Indian Tribe in Brazil.
Over Three Thousand Natives
Killed by Poisoned Water.

An account of an alleged poisoning OF
large number Of Brazilian Indians by one
Senior Joaquin Bueno, has been received
The story shows that Bueno has already pois-
soned $500 Indians and was meditating the
murder of 5000 more
The Sac Paulo weekly, the Paulistd, OF
Taubate, Brazilian newspaper says:
The worthy Bishop of Goyaz has engaged
several missionaries and acquired DOCKS Ior
the purpose of teaching and converting tho
Indians of our backwoods. Little did we
think that at Paranapanema q GER
tain Senior Joaquin Bueno was also
carrying out conversion OF different
kind among the Guaymus Indians, sur
rounded with the greatest horrors. A
person recently arrived from the west who
deserves our entire confidence, heard SENIOR
]. Bueno himself relate in the presence OF the
Municipal Judge of Lencoes and of other
persons the following exploits achieved by
him against the poor Indians:
Bueno, who resides at Sac Jose dos Campos
Novos, stated that he had under his orders
about seventy people employed in the perse-
cution and determination OF the Indians.
Some DAYS ago they attacked village and put
TO fight all theIndians, who abandoned to their
prosecutors their huts, which were inhabited
BY bodies Of from ten to twenty Indians, VINO
sleep on raised platforms made OF logs
fastened together, SO that from the Deas,
when all are counted, the number OF the in
habitants contained in each village can be
ascertained when they are absent.
Around each Of these villages there are
three wells or holes; one, the deepest, is the
we'll which supplies them with water, in
another they keep drink made of fermented
maize, which they call ''piksi," and which
composes their wine or rum, and in the last
they preserve game, birds, and salt fish for
their subsistence.
As soon as the assailants found themselves
in possession of the village, being furnished
with considerable amount Of strychnine,
they set about poisoning all the wells con-
tanning water, wine and provisions and after
putting into execution this treacherous deed
withdrew without touching anything else
Some days afterward Bueno and his fol-
lowers returned to the village, and even from
distance comprehended the horror OF the
sight from clouds Of crows lowering over the
site of the crime, where they found stark and
scattered 5000 corpses.
The crimes do not end hera Days after
ward they attacked and exterminated an
other village Of eight hundred Indians on
which occasion, having no strychnine, they
made use of sublimated mercury in the same
manner, poisoning the deposits Of water,
wine and provisions, and at the time Of speak
ing they were preparing to attack another
village Of five thousand Indians.
This Senior j. Bueno states that he is sup
ported by influential people and by five Pro-
vincial Deputies
If still in time it is the duty of the provin-
cial government to prevent the horrors
planned for the next attack, the description
of which we have here recorded, in favor Of
these unfortunate nomads and for the shame
of the human species.