The Newtown bee., 1892-11-18
Four Hundred Years Ago Columbus
Landed on the Shores of the
New World.

| HISTORY GIVES but meager details of the
IL landing; therefore we have TAX en- pains to
gather IL few traditionary notes, thinking they
| may be OF interest just ut this time, when the
whole world is echoing salvos to his memory.
Tradition is the oral handing down, without
record, from father to son, from generation to
( .neratiOn. All traditions must, after lapse
I several hundred years, contain inaccura-
,,ios. Therefore, i'll a perusal OF the following,
due allowance should be made when the ira
ditional account differs from the historical.
W hen Columbus landed he found long CLANS,
Indians, and other large game in abundance.
Having foreign rags and an immense amount
he unable to present to ~the aboriginal
medicine men who boarded him a clean bill
OF health. He was therefore ordered to lie 20
days in quarantine outside the bar else
come ashore and be fumigated after the Gus
toms OF the country. lie chose the latter, and
was firmly lashed to stake driven in the
ground. Seven dollars worth of dry hickory
wood was piled about him, but before the
fumigator's torch was applied Columbus re-
considered and decided to go to quarantine.
The chief Immediately sent four oarsmen and
yawl to take him to his ship and at o'clock
that afternoon they went to quarantine three
miles OF the harbor. Colum bus passed Il rest
less night and at dayDreak the next morning
he Invested himself OF all his injected cloth.
ing and SWAN ashore, where he met
(Seemingly according to appOintment by the
chiefs daughter. great pow-wOw was raised
when his presence became known in the viii
lage, and but tor the earnest pleading OF his
tair escort the fumigating process would have
gone promptly forward. In the absence OF
carDolic acid and other chemical disintect-
ants, half IL dozen gas mains were turned loose
ana IL StalWart young bucks each dragged
pole-cat to death at the end OF long poles
through the principal avenues of the village.
in it 10 minutes within 60 feet of the earth's
surface, butColumbus feared it meant death
to human beings as w ell and he compromised
by drinking quart OF Jet black herb tea OF
special bacteria destroying qualities prepar-
ed by the head chiefs head wife and two 9th
er old hags. Columbus sasped frantica!ly tor
breath, and seeing a tall pole standing in the
f6 te 81 the mnttne he ibed ouic
" n he q he olt-
seat fastened there, his sole idea being to get
above the cloud of disentectants but in doing
il he had unconsciously performed great
feat, he climbed with the strength OF despair
and not with the hope OF reward, but as it hap
pened, this was Il CREASED pole that no young
buck OF the tribe had been able to climb during
games OF the previous days. This gave him
prestige over them ut once. He then Civ
en- the freedom of the town and halt yard of
red flannel and asked to sit down and make
himself at home. He WAS very weary from
his long swim and from the dearth of fresh
air about the village. But when he attempt
ed to sit down he had to stand up, tor the
ground at that early morning hour was damp
and cold to man dressed as he was. Not ii
single chair could be found between San Sal
vador and the backbone of the Rocky Noun
business at Hawleyville them. Columbus
stood around i'll the hot burning all the
forenoon and brushed flies, to the great
amusement OF the tougher skinned natives.
He proposed sending Off to the ship tor full
dress suit and one OF his servants. But one
clan of the tribe came from the Vicinity OF
Fire Island aud they swore thai if rag of
clothing or any OF his men were landed they
would mob them and cast them into the sea,
have an injunction served OH the whole crew,
and turn loose another dose OF disin fectants.
The black herb tea was permeating Column
bus's whole internal system with its nauseat
ing bacteria destroying qurlities. The heat of
the sun was intense; he was swollen and dis
figured with fly and insect bites and was one
solid blister from head to foot. When he
came down from the creased pole he OF course
took all the loose sliyers with him. These
commenced to tester in the burning sun, yet
bore all without muJm9r, fact he had
become so Injured to pain that when he mad
vertantly sat down on "a red hot stone just
rolled from the campfire tor cooking purpos-
es he did not know that anything Was wrong
until old hug rushed i'll from an adjoining
tepee-where she had been awakened by the
smell OF burning meat-and pulled him of.
Columbus was Compelled to fast and give the
herb tea tull sway in his system until the third
day at the eleventh hour, when he was served
with bountiful repast, the very best the
camp afforded. He was OF course very hungry
and he managed to get away with two young
muskrats ana Il leg OF opposum besides num-
erous smaller dishes, after which he utterly
collapsed and lay down to the first
refreshing sleep he had had in weeks. Amer
ica was then discovered and the victory won.
He could well drop care and anxiety and give
up to the demands of oVertaxed nature His
tory tells us how his men had mutined and
threatened time after time to cast him into
the Every hour for weeks had been
fraught with anxiety and peril. This had
been indeed an eyentful voyage, full OF hard
ships and hope long deferred All honor to
the name OF Columbus. Let the bands play
the professions form and the eagle scream;
the name is well worthy the SAlyoS and the
homage being paid in this and foreign lands.
We had intended to follow the stirring events
of his career tor 10 days longer, and also to
make few remarks concerning the furniture
business at Hawleyville, but space will not
admit, and even the tut niture business must
be dwarfed into insignificance and not men,
toned in the same column nor the same
week that we ponder upon the illustrious
deeds OF that great man, who blistered his
back and slivered his limbs while discover
ing this great and glorious country. For fur
ther particulars see Ancient History and No
yeyn1er issupS n THE NEwTOwN REE.# ID.