The leader., 1899-03-15
GUATEMALAN CLAY EATERS.
strange Habit That Possesses the
Children Of That Country and Free
auentIy Results Fatally.

"Ramundo died last night. patrone."
said the old Indian TO the administrator
Of the coffee plantation. or "fnca," as
they are called in Guatemala The In
dian was what is termed ''caporal," OF
in English. a foreman. He was making
hi morning report to the overseer. He
continued in Spanish:
We had been expecting il for several
| days. senior. You yourself have seen
| how the body was swollen. lie had not
touched food for a week. He could not
move. | was awakened some time in
the night by a scream which made mJ
blood run cold. Then there was q sound
as if something had exploded. lighted
the candle. 1t was Ramundo. patrone.
We could not make him stop eating the
clay. and now he is dead
Directions were given for interring
the body of the 14-year-old boy, who
had become one of the hundreds of an
| Gual victims of the deadly habit of eat
| ing a certain kind of clay which is found
in many sections of Guatemala and of
Central America.
The craving which affiicts the chill
dren of the Indians is almost an mex
plicable one. even to those who have
studied the subject. The only theory
which has been given is that the victims
are attracted by the sweetish taste
which the clay possesses.
In appearance it is gray. with flecks
of some mineral shining substance
through il which somewhat resembles
mica. When first discovered on the
hilsides, where the soil has been
washed away by the heavy rains of the
wet season. it is soft TO the touch,
about the consistency of putty. On be.
'"g exposed TO the sun for short while
ii harGenS and can I've crumhled to
pieces in the fingers. On tasting Tit is
found to have a decided saCcharine
flavor mixed with the earthly one. 1t
is hard to conceive how il can appeal to
the palate of a human being. but it is a
tact that from the time the baby is
cmancipated from the mantle which
binds it to its mothers back and can
toddle about unmatched. the little half
| breeds. with unerring instinct, find the
ting il in their mouths and sucking it
swallow il in toto. No amount of scold-
ing or even beating will prevent a child
who has once tasted the stuff from in
dul9ing his or her craving for il again
and again. The strictest watch must
be kept over the little ones continually
by an older person. and instances are
L ,F, he he, hnr Haa
succumbed 10 the disease. for such it
must be without doubt.
1t is not only the small children who
are numbered among the clay eaters,
for those within Il few years of attain
ing their ma iority likewise die from the
effects of filling their stomachs with
the clay.
The symptoms are so marked that in
Guatemala they are noted Immediately
The one indulging in he strange habit
presents a sickly. pallid. blush color
With no appetite, there is an apparent
plumpness about the body. The face
becomes pulled out. The abdomen is
greatly distended. and the limbs swell
IN terribly. The sufferer is loath to
The eyes sink in the head and become
glazed. The whole appearance is that
of Il person with the drOpsY. When eat
en- the clay has cumulative effect.
and the various organs fail to perform
their functions. The patient finally
| dies horrible death. the body not in
frequently swelling 50 that it bursts.
! ,,, q !,
| The only real cure known, or what is
| supposed to be one, is the use of strong
| tobacco. If child of not more than
three or four wears of age is seen
putting away at Il puro, big. black ma
tive cigar, il is Il certainty that the Kid
has been caught in the act of eating
clay. and that the smoking j. to take
away any further craving in mat line
which may exist. The smoking is not
Supposed to injure the child in the least.
as the Youngsters of the tropics take 10
this as naturally as a duck 10 water
The use of tobacco does not appear 20
have the slightest iI-efrtct upon them.
il may be that the little Guatemalte
COS. as the natives of that country are
called having no candy, as do those OF
other countries to satisfy an inherent
desire for sweets. select the clay as the
next best or next worst thing. as the
case may he. Many deaths are caused
by it, and so far. the only remedy APP
pears to be in watching the child so
closely that it is not allowed to satiate
its craving for something that will in
the end cause death as certainly as if
the most noNiOus poison were used.
TO satisfy their longing for "dulce.
or something sweet. the children also
make themselves iii by sucking the
CHERRY" of the coffee tree Two coffee
beans, with their fiat sides 10 one an
other. grow in a hull which is almost
identical in looks with the oX-heart
cherry. The inside of this has bitter
sweet taste. which. when there is no
clay to be had. is much sought after
While not so dangerous as he clay. il
still has IA bad effect on the child who
eats it.-Washington Star.
GnmbIed Away His sister.
At ore time when two Chcyennes got
10 gambling. one lost and lack seemed
to bc against him. After he had lost
every piece of property he had, in des-
perdtion he put up his sister and lost
her. This aroused great Indignation