New-York tribune., 1899-12-24


CANAL RoUTE-INvADERs SCARED
OFF BY THE AMERICAN FLAG.
,,.,,tch from Colon. Isthmus Of Panama,
= that a delegation OF Indians had arrived
- Drotest against the presence at Caledonia
marty Of American Army engineers. en-
Do" .S ,n looking for a new route for an inter
t.,. canal was shown the other day to Will
willard Howard. general marager Of the
'o- ,., Industrial Relief Fund, who visited the
-, coss; OF the Isthmus Of Panama in his
s.h, Exile during the summer of 1895.
~rsose are undoubtedly some Of my old friends
=, San Bias Indians" said Mr. Howard. "I
La very interesting time among those gentle
ages during the summer Of 1895 They are A
80 lot, but perfectly friendly and amiable II
.,only observe their peculiar customs. I have
..,vn good many savage and semi-civilized
5.,n,ss IN one corner or another Of the world.
.,s must say that the San Bias Indians are
w no means the least interesting.
There are two distinct bodies Of these Indians
,boss who live on the San Bias coast and those
,bo 1--we IN the mountains some distance hack
,-,,, The sea. The coast Indians can mako soma
olsir, 70 civilization, through more or less con-
,nvous intercourse with the crews Of American
.,d Canadian sailing vessels which 70 10 the
San Bias coast for cocoanuts The Indians OF
,be mountains are shy. afraid Of strangers. and
=, no way desirous Of learning the ways OF civ
gzstion Any party Of engineers going into the
,,,erior Of their country TO survey a canal route
will get into trouble
The chief characteristic Of the San Bias and
mountain Indians is the tenacity with which
they resist the encroachments OF civilized races
No man lives who can truthfully say that he
has explored the interior Of their country There
sa tradition that the interior OF the country Is
.sbulously rich in gold silver and other metals,
but that Is mere conjecture. No man knows Of
his own knowledge. and the Indians will not
say anything about It.
Men have tried TO get into the country 10
hunt for gold and rubber. but they have never
returned TO tell what they found. Their bones
are there yet, covered from sight by rank trop-
tsl vegetation. Years ago party OF forty men
,rom the island Of Jamaica went into the in
terror to hunt for rubber The coast Indians let
them 60 IN. after making a protest against the
Intrusion. No one ever knew what became Of
them. ror they never came back. II is supposed
that they were killed by the Indians, and that
The instrument OF death was the poisoned ar
ous chiefs with whom I established friendly re-
h,!ons on the coast was that the Jamaicans
vent up into the eternal mists and clouds and
fogs and rains Of the mountains. and were never
seen again.
Years ago the Colombian Government, grown
tired OF the assumption Of Independence which
these Indians had always maintained, sent a
surveying party OF sixty men into the interior
70 survey the land and get It ready for settle
ment 1t is known that the entire party came
% a speedy death at the hands OF the Indians.
and that is about all. 1t is supposed. from the
little information that the Indians die give out,
that the members Of the surveying party were
followed by Indian archers armed with poisoned
Er-oWs. and that each member OF the party
dropped dead without so much catching sight
of his foe.
OF THE STARS AND STRIPES
Well the Colombian Government took mat
ers in hand in earnest. 1t fitted out expedi-
ion OF several hundred men, loaded the whole
1arty into a Government vessel will not call
{ a man-Of-war-and sent 1t over TO the San
Bias coast TO chastise the Indians. When the
expedition arrived at Sassardi. the home Of the
head chief OF all the tribes there a lofty
iagstaff in front Of the chiefs house. and from
the top Of that stan waved the Stars and