The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-03

the Klondike of the future in gold as
well as in other things, and predicts
that the eyes of the world will soon
be turned southwark. In Colombia the
most of the people live back from the
coasts, where there are plains and
valleys Of vast extent, from 5000 to
5000 and more feet above the sea. Co
lombia is a land Of gold
1t is like Alaska in that you cannot
wash the soil anywhere along the riv-
ers without finding what the miners
call color. saw men washing the
sands of the sea in the Bay of Pan
anna, and though they said they did
not get much, l am told that they
have been doing the same work for
years. 1t was here that the Spaniards
got some of their first gold, and since
the conquest an aggregate Of $500, 000,-
900 worth of precious metals has been
taken out of Colombia. A great deal
OF mining is now going on in the de-
partment or state of Antigua, which
is reached by going several hundreds
of miles up the Magdalena river. Here
small diamonds are often found with
the gold. English parties own a num-
Der of the best mines in this region,
and much capital is invested. There
are now between 800 and 400 gold mines
being worked in Colombia.
Golden Cure for All Diseases.
Nearly all of the Indian tribes have
more or less gold. have been told of
curious method which the church has
of getting the Indians to give up their
gold. They are prone to hoard it, but
as they are very superstitious the
priests have in some Of the churches
the images Of certain saints who are
supposed to cure diseases, but to whom
must first be offered in gold a miniature
image of the part which Is diseased
If man has sore leg he molds a little
leg of gold-it may be the size Of his
little finger, it may be larger-and Of
fers it to the saint.
1t is hung up before his blessedness
on string with other similar offerings
OF golden eyes, teeth, heads and legs
for time and if the sore part gets we'll
the Indian is convinced the saint and
the gold did the work. Mr. Mansfield.
an American electrical engineer, who
is in charge of the electric lights and
the street railway of Panama, is my
authority for this statement He says
he has often tried to buy such relics
from the priests in the Interior but that
though they acknowledge that they
melt up and use the relics after a time
they will not sell them.
Paradise for Patent Medicine.
Mr. Mansfield is generally considered
one of the best of the foreign authori-
ties on the wonderful wealth Of vege-
table life of the Isthmus of Panama
Before I left Washington, I was asked
by the secretary Of agriculture to look
up certain plants and trees which it is
thought might proftabiy be introduced
into the United States. Among those
asked for from the isthmus was the
Platonic bamboo, which is said to
have a leaf foot wide and fifteen feet
long. 1t was this inquiry that brought
me into contact with Mr.. Mansfield and
gave me much curious information.
said he: There is wonderful variety
of plant life here, and many specimens
[ believe which are not generally
known.
There are more than twenty varieties
of bamboos on the isthmus. There are
woods superior in their lasting quail
ties to the teak wood of Siam, and
great amount of mahogany and dye
woods. There are plants and woods
which the Indians use for medicinal
purposes, which I am surprised are
not taken up by our doctors. Take the
cacique wood. This will stop the flow
ing of blood almost instantly. If you
scrape off little dust from a cacique
stick and put it on cut, the blood
will Immediately stop running. The
Indians use it for all kinds Of cuts,
and they say that if a person who has
a hemorrhage of any kind takes hold
of a catique stick it will stop it. You
find such a stick in many an Indian
hut ready for use in case of accident
This wood is expensive, piece the size
of walking cane costing in Panama
$40 and upward. The necha fruit is
good for cancers and tumorS'
Another tree is a snake-poiSon anti
dote, and Mr. Mansfield says that he
learns of some new medicinal plant or
tree nearly every time he visits his
little plantation away off in the in
terror, where he buys of the Indians
and has a factory for the making of
alcohol, rum and other such things.
During his last trip he was shown
plant which was said to be a wonder
full emetic. He asked an Indian girl to
make some tea of it for himself and
partner, and they agreed together that
by drinking a cup. They did SO. The
liquor tasted sweet and seemed not at
all bad as it went down.
A moment later both men made
rush for the door. Their Stomachs were
turned inside out, and, as Mr.. Mans
field expressed it, they thought that
even their heels were coming UP
through their throats. There is fruit
something like a melon sold in the
markets of Panama, which is a strong
digestant, and which, I am told, has
almost as much pepsin in it as pigs
stomach, and farther down in Colon
bia grows the lechenliel tree, the sap
of which is like cows milk and has