San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-18
TAKEN FOR A MESSIAH.
SINGULAR EXPERIENCE OF AN AMERl-
CAN IN BOLIVIA.


for Deliyerance fror. Heaven.
IL is no easy thing to move along ia your
regular every day manner and be hailed as
the long looked for Messiah. Such an eX.
perience has only been vouchsafed to 4 few
people in all this worlds history. and there
is perhans hut one of these alive to tell the
interesting story The distinguished indi,
vidual referred to is Mr.. Hinton Rowan
Helper, author of that gigantic scheme
known rs the Pan-American railway, and
his experience, never before published, was
certainly remarkable. The narrative. in
Mr.. Helpers own words, is as follows:
One of the never-to- be-forgotten and
truly bewildering adventures of my first
journey across the continent of South
America from Montevideo on the Atlantic
to Callao on the Pacific, in 1912, occurred
in central Bolivia, within few hours af-
ter my entrance among one of the many
sub-tribes of Quichua Indians in that An
dream republic. where a dearly cherished
but ridiculously absurd tradition is cur
rent that the ancient rule of the Incas is
soon to be re-estlblished in perpetuity
among all the autochthonous inhabitants
of Peru, Ecuador. Bolivia and Chilli.
This mighty change for the better, as
they say, is TO be brought about solely
through the irresistible wisdom and PROV
ess of a heavenly and most adorable being
in the form of an elderly white man with
snow white hair and blue eyes, though not
of Spanish blood.
Through the particular section of Bo-
Iivia, of which | am now speaking, only
two white mon, not Spanish or of Spanish
descent Zone a Frcnchman, the other u Ger
mani, had ever preceded me; but as both
of them were comparatively young and
short, with dark hair and hazel eyes, nei
ther was so fortunate, or rather unfortu,
nate, as to be mistaken for messiah. Not
so with reference to the mItCrialiStic and
unsuspectinG protector of the Pan Ameri.
can railway, whose stature, hair, eyes and
seeming age Though he was then in fact
only in his 4lst year, but because of his
cotton resembling hair easily mistaken for
seyaGenarian) answered well, in every
outward appearance at least, TO all the re,
Quircments of the copper colored and coun.
terfeit prophecy.
THE TNPULSIvE DIVINITY STUDENT.
One of the most hopeful and gushing
students OF divinity, who was evidently af.
flicted with lively and egotistical ambi-
ton 10 become the first behoder and pro.
clnimer of the promised savior, was
barefoOted and barglCcged fellow about %
years of age, who's ~acariotal vcatments
consisted of only three articles--a coarse
hat plnit2d Of barley straw, chinla shirt
checked in pink and white squares and
pair OF blue denim ovcralls that reached
less than three inches below the knees; all
nfyr ,T.l IN huN
eral months without having ever been sub
iCctrd to any process of washing or clean.
ing.
He it was, this Quichua candidate for
holy orders, who, also mounted on mule
back, but without a saddle and using only
"A rope bride, met me in the public path
for roads in that rough region are as yet
unknown.
Quickly and abruptly stopping right in
front of me, causing my own mule to halt,
The aforementioned sprig of Quichua saint.
illness stared me full in the face with dis
tended eyes and with profoundly amazed
and reverential mien. Then, hastily dis
mounting, he fell on his knees before me,
threw up both of his hands toward heaven,
uttered several brief and spasmodic cxcla.
nations in his own vernacular-w which
could not comprehend-nervOusly arose,
remounted his beast, and with the great
est possible speed, dashed back toward his
native village, six miles away.
He eXcitedly announced to his people
as ignorant and degraded and good for
nothing as himself-that their long prom,
ised Teleemer, whom he had but just met
two leagues distant, was coming and that
they should all join him at once in going
ont TO greet and adore the gracious god
who would so soon, in accordance with the
declarations of their inspired prophets, re-
move from them the Spanish yoke and re
store to all the Quichuas, us likewise to all
the inferior tribes affiliated with them, the
mild and benefcent government Of the
lncas
FOLLOWING THEIR LEADER
Never did flock Of silly sheep more I'm.
1esitatingly and unanimously follow the
cad of bell wether in overlapping fence
than that whole town-contGining many
hundreds Of habitants-followcl on foot
md in frenzy of religious rhapsody and