The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-04-17

ton rode with its royal blue body and it's
rich cloth of gold, court train and
finishings.
The Jewels in crown and girdle were
flashing, and her striking beauty and
majestic barring made most alluring
central figure to the picture which was
completed by the white-robed court aud
the dainty little flower girls who had
seated themselves on the steps leading to
the throne.
Before the waiting crowds had fairly
done feasting their eyes on the actual
presence of royalty in their midst. around
the Fifth street corner between the
tribunes, came the platoon OF mounted
police: the horses seemed to realize the
Importance of the occasion and carvorted
anu pranced with becoming grace. I'm
med ately back of them was the Los An
geles military band playing an inspirit-
ing march, and Immediately following
the band were Director General Meyberg,
Mr.. r. Owens and the rest of the gentle
mems riding club. As they passed the
/ queens throne each riding stick, bound
gaudily in the tfi color, was raised to
each respective hat in respectful homage
to her highness. Then came Old Glory
borne aloft triumphantly until the thu one
was reached when it was calamity
dipped, only to be again thrown triumph
antly to the breeze afterwards. Another
band, alsp gaily playing, preceded by the
and aides, was followed by the first float
the gilded man, the beginning of the
pageant Of the Pacific.
The myth ON which the gilded man
float was constructed is interesting and
is as follows:
The Gilded Man." or Ell Hombre Dor
ado, was the American Golden Fleece. 1t
was the will o. the wsp that ever beck
oned the Spanish conquistadores a little
further. Founded on fact it had become
1 \, boyf yr,r NJ ft,a
sixteenth century in search OF which
thousands of mail-clad sons of Spain
were lured to death ftrom Mexico to Cal
ifornia, from Peru to Brazil. The basis
for the myth was a curious custom prac.
ticed by the Indians of the village of
Guatavita in New Granada before the be-
ginning of the sixteenth century: Once
year on certain day a chief would
anoint himself with. kind OF gum and
then powder himself from heal to foot
to the middle of the lake by the medicine
men, he would jump from it. his pre-
cious covering washing off and sinking,
an Offering to the prosperity of his peo-
pie. When it lost its character OF fact,
the myth of the gilded man became en-.
the Spanish were lured by tales of fabu-
lously rich nations, golden tribes and
golden cities to many OF those matchless
explorations achievements and sufferings
which are the wonder of the world. The
wonderful myth of the gilded man was
responsible for large percentage of the
exploration and civilization of the new
world.
A piece of artillery next rumbled by
and then the second float, the Birth of
the Inca. Next came Doc Kennedy. the
New Woman, on her wheel, as she APP
peared at the pavilion Monday night and
back of her the third float the Capture Of
Alahualpa The fourth float, the Golden
Ransom, was accompanied by number
of Indian braves on foot, and as the de-
sign was somewhat complicated the
meaning is here given:
The Spanish pioneers in the New World
carried with them in their marvellous ex-
plorations and colonizatlons dreams OF
golden cities and untold riches. They
were often doomed to bitter disappoint-
ments and indescrbable sufferings. but in
the conquest of Peru in the early part Of
the sixteenth century. there came par
tial realization of their golden visions.
When Pizzarro had captured Atahualpa,
head Inca of the Pernvians, he was
startled by the offer of his illustrious cap
tive TO obtain his freedom by filling the
room in which he was confined, 1t being
twenty-five feet long. seventeen feet wide
and nine feet high with gold, and a
smaller room with silver. Day by day
the golden ransom slowly grew, over 700
golden plates coming from the famous
Cuzco Temple of the Sun alone, until the
last treasure of golden vessels plates.
images and trnkets and Atahualpa gol-
den chair. amounted to the enormous sum
of over So. 500, 900 in gold and over 81 ,O0O,-
600 in silver which it took the Indian
| smiths NORTH to melt into ingots. The
accumulation of the ransom took several
months, being brought in painful journey
over stupendous mountains by the de-
voted followers of the Children of the Sun.
until the doughty pioneers gazed in won
1 al IL, tta rt,,, r,f1 ii
the willy war chief planned to overwhelm
his captors, wrest their prize away and
rid his land of their terrible horses and
mysterious cannon, but his well,laid
plans ended in his death, and the golden
ransom remained with Spain and her
pioneers.
The fifth court OF Montezuma. was
adorned in the rear by small gamn,
who was stealing a ride in the most
natural and agreeable Ito him) manner,
but who was not any ornament to the
parade and was an anachronism as to
dress.
The sixth float was most realistic in
conception and execution. The live sub
ject lay on his back ready for execution.
and everybody wondered why. This is
the explanation:
Nothing could be more dreadful than
the extent to which human sacrifice
entered into the religious observances OF
the Aztecs before their conquest by the
Spanish pioneers. The chronicles OF Ine
conqu stadores abound in CHASTITY de-
scriptions of the hugeteo Calls or sacrifi-
cial pyramids on which human lives were
offered up by the thousands to appease
the cruel gods-ferocious looking idols in
vented by the crafty priests. In some OF
them they found vast piles of bones and
skulls, mute evidences of the bloody trag-
edies which had been enacted no one
. knows how many desolate centcries be-
fore the light of civilization dayned. In
the narrative of Bernal Diaz t/l Castillo,
, one of Cortes' soldiers. he speaks of see
ing such things in the teocallis in the
City of Mexico as were simply appalling.
On the sacrticial stones he saw human
hearts and piles of bones, and dotted
! blood was everywhere. AS many as 500
: victims in u day are said to have fallen
beneath the knives of the priests with
, Understandable atrocities of mutiation.
In the illustration the priest is seen in
: his official robes, on the summit of the
teocali. with the unhappy victim OF saw
! age superstition before him outstreached
, for the grim flint knife.
The seventh float represented the siege
of Mexico and on the banners the orthug-
: raphy of the middle word siege pleased
: the crowd. 1t was followed in order by
= a band of braves who represe tied Pizar-
y ro's men. six of whom carried the MS
. toric boat on their shoulders. go.