The Republican journal., 1896-06-18

that its dark skinned citizens practice the
arts of their ancestors and retain the alb
original customs, together with some bor-
rowed from their civilized neighbors. At
any rate, they buy from British Honduras
such tools as our masons and carpenters
use, agricultural implements and house
hold utensils of the simpler sort; even
musical instruments, perfumes, (Which
they indulge in to an absurd extent), and
such small luxuries as canned salmon,
potted meats, condensed milk, crackers,
ginger snaps and candy That they are
good agriculturalists is proved by the
fact that they have always quantities of
corn in store, enough to last years ahead;
and in times of drought, when Yucatan
has been threatened with famine, they
have been induced to sell some of it to
the whites at eXorbtant prices. Though
holding themselves unamenable to the
laws of the country, it is said that they
have strict laws of their own and any
shortcoming is promptly and severely
punished-a murderer, for example, (that
is, the murderer of another Chan Santa
CruZan), being executed in exactly the
same manner as he inflicted death upon
his victim. AS a rule they are monogam-
lists, and their besettlng sin is drunkenness,
for they have distilleIies of their own and
consume incredible quantities OF rum.
From time to time efforts have been made
to conquer them, but all in vain; year by
year their territory increases, and that
of the whites and peaceful Indians cor
respondingly diminishes, as towns and
villages, ranches and hacendas are de-
stroyed by the raids of the Chan Santa
Cruzans, or are added to their posses
sions. Now and then they make incur
sions in the direction of Merida. causing
! the stoutest hearts to quake with terror
Not many years ago it was rumored that
all the Indians of Yucatan and Central
| America were about to unite in general
uprising, and the terrorized whites pre-
pared to leave the country Every year
the people of Chan Santa Cruz issue invi-
tations to the neighboring tribes for
grand war council, and send threatening
messages to the capital, promising to
turn its streets into rivers of blood and to
massacre the last inhabitant; and every
year the Merdans quake in their boots
but nothing is ever done about it. Why
does not the government clean them out,
| nd hranabo ba
perhaps, which permitted the Sioux and
Apaches and other savages of our own
western wids to go long unpublished,
after having committed all manner of
atrocities.
once in a while the few federal troops
with which lucatan is garrisoned march
out into the country in search of Indians.
The latter lead them a lively chase, pick
ing off a few soldiers here and there.
when they do not ambush the whole
party, and then retire to their Businesses
miles south of Merida: and the remnant of
troops return with flying colors, but with
no Indians. 1t seems almost incredible
that next door to the United States. so to
say, within less than weeks journey
from New ork or Chicago, is section
of country almost unknown to Europeans.
whose unconquered people still live in the
same wild way as did their progenitors be
fore the Christian era; and even more in
credible does il appear that the powerful
Mexican nation. which claims to possess
that bit of territory, know as little about
it as we OF the Northern Republic! The
greater portion of the peninsula is a terra
incognita, of which white men know alb
solutely nothing beyond what may be
seen along the coast and gathered from
Indian traditions, and of the latter, no.
body knows where to draw the line be-
tween history and tradition, fact and
fable. For many years Yucatan has been
the Siberia of Mexico, to which are sent
offenders whom the government does not
know what else to do with, since the
Amended Constitution of the Liberal
Party practically does away with capital
| IL is Ildutly I'LL Case OF pOl1Il-
cal criminals and other troublesome peo-
pie, who might turn up again if banished
elsewhere, for from this bourne none re-
turn. 1t has been the fashion to conduct
such obnoxious persons, under military
guard, to the frontier of Yucatan civil
cation, or to some of the way landing
places along the coast, and simply let them
go. What becomes of them, none can
say with certainty, except that they are
never heard Of again. Probably the mys-
terry of it adds to the punishment its
greatest terrors. Whether the Indians
ensave these new corners, or naturalze
and make citizens of them, or put them
to death, is food for conjecture. 1t is
known, however, that the queer city of
Chan Santa Cruz includes among it's
heterogeneous population many people not
of Indian blood negro slaves, escaped
convicts and lot of Chinese who desert
ed en- masse from Belize, where they had
been brought as servants, and caStaWays