St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-03
The Deadliest Peril Which
MenaceS Travellers in
the Andes. is
A Terrible Vapor Charged
With Gases That Freeze
the Hearts Blood.
Only When It Is Disturbed
Does the Papamo
Strike.
And When It Strikes Its
Blow Is Certain
Death.

A curious story has come down from
the Cordilleran sleeps of Los Andes,
says Caracas correspondent of the
New York Recorder. Four scouts from
detachment of government troops met
three scouts belonging to a party of
revOiutionists in the center Of paramo
i'll the mountains some distance from
Carache. Without stopping to think Of
the consequences, one of the soldiers
raised his gun and fired upon the revo-
lntionists. Instantly the paramo dis
solved, and the seven men fell dead.
This is superstition only, since no
man lived to tell how it happened. All
that is known is that the men were
found dead in the paramo, without So
much as scratch upon them, but the
rifle of one of the soldiers contained an
empty cartridge. Beyond all doubt the
men had been killed by the strange ter
ror of the mountains. Thereby hangs
a remarkable story Of this most remark
able country.
What is paramo? Frankly, do not
know. There are many, many strange
things in this tropical region that do
not pretend to explain. From all that
can learn paramo seems to be Wis
ible breath of death. 1t is a sort of
heavy mist, or fog. 1t turks on remote
mountain heights like monster lying
III wait for human prey; it covers its
place of execution with white Shroud,
and hides from the eyes of the world its
deed Of wantOn murder.
The paramo is deadly only when dis
turbed. Fire a gun, blow a horn, or
even shout aloud and the vengeful
agent will instantly take your life and
leave you there to let your friends
wonder how you died. The only safety
is silence. Even then a word spoken
above whisper, or the rattling of a
loose rock may arouse the murderous
wrath of the monster of the Andes.
Perpetual broOding silence-a silence
unbroken by song of bird or chirp of in
Sect-iS the awful law of the paramo.
The penalty of disobedience is instant
death. A mysterious, awesome thing is
thisl
What is its origin? How does it act?
No man knows. Any one may con-
lecture quite as we'll as the learned per-
sons known as scientists, and come as
near the true solution. The theory is
that the paramo is heavily charged with
some sort of gas or yapor so unstablein
conclusion into other gases, one. at least,
of them being so terribly potent as 20
instantly freeze the hearts blood of the
victim within its grasp.
ParamoS are of different sizes, from
the small one that may be passed in ten
minutes cautious walking to the fright
ful monster that keeps the apprehensive
traveller walking fol- the best part of
two days. There is one paramo in the
region of Merida, in the state of Los
Andes, that is so large that the traveller
is compelled to camp in it one night.
At that camp no fire may be lighted and
no word spoken aloud. A gruesome
camp, this.
Usually the paramos are not so large
but that the traveller may avoid them
by making q detour of few miles.
The monster near Merida, however, is
too large for that manner of escape. If
the traveller goes through that part of
the country he must face the deadly
peril.
Slain in AN Instant
There are many stories of the sudden
wrath OF the paramO. Some of the most
interesting go back to the time of the
Spanish occupation. Two will serve
my present purpose. During the pre-
paratory outbreaks of the war for South
American independence. which began
Ill Caracas, a detachment of Spanish
troops, IN command OF proud and hot
headed CaStilian officer, had occasion
to pass through paramO Oil the upper
heights of the Cordilleras, near Merida.
In what is now the Venezuelan state of
Los Andes. Natives warned the Spanish
officer not to go through the paramo, but
the proud commander scOIfed at the
warning, and made ready to march.
Again the natives warned him to avoid
above all things the firing of guns, the
blowing of horns, or the making of any
noise. The officer laughed in his pride,
mounted his horse, and marched gayly
away, with drums tapping and banners
haunting in the tropical sun.
In the very center of the paramo the
disdainful Castilian ordered his military
band to play and his soldiers to fire
their guns. He probably meant to teach
those ignorant, Superstitious natives a
lesson. The music Swelled and re
echoed from the mountain sides, and
the guns roared out an angry challenge
linen the paramo awoke. 1T trembled
moment. as though in rage, and then
snlote the cayalcade dead in an instant.
Natives on neighboring mountain
ridge heard the tumuit burst forth. and
when it ceased q moment afterward
they went down to the paramo and
walked along the trail. 1t was a strange,
CHASTITY sight that they came upon.
Rider, horse, soldiers, musicians lay
dead in the dust. Since that fateful day
this paramo has been called the Parame
de Battalion. in honor of the brave bat
talon that met death there.
On another occasion during the same
period of time body of Spanish troops
marched to attack small garrison of
natives i'll the mountains. On the way
was paramo. which the Spaniards
knew nothing about. While they were
approaching it, native fastened an old
bell-mouthPd musket to tree near the
trail, and attached to the trigger long
string, which he carefully carried down
the mountain side to point below the
danger line Of the paramo. When the
Spaniards reached the center of the
paramo the native pulled the string and
thereby fired the gun. The paramo dis
solved and the Spanlards dropped dead
in the trail.