Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1900-02-05

TYPICAL Law IN THE RUBBER DISTRICT.
several nj miles through the very
heart of the Bolivian aud Amazonian for
ests. a journey attended by countless dan
gers and strange aud thrilling adven-
lures.
The views expressed by some travel
ers." said Mr.. Oisson to the New York
Herald. ito the effect that the savage In
diins of South America are declining in
numbers. are. in my Judgment. erroneous.
From all that | could learn, they are in
creasing in their dense and almost i'm
penrtrable Businesses. and their hatred
of the white man. or. rather. of the Span
ish- American. Is becoming tronger and
stronger.
..This is not strange when one consid
ers the treatment To which those lndi.
ans are subjected who are unable to de-
fent themselves. Thousands of the half
cir ilizsd Indians are either iured or car
ried away from their homes every year
and ensiaved in the rubber forests. where
they are kept hard at work until released
by .sisatht. - >-- s" "e aws u
Eoiivia aud of the adjoining republics do
not recognize slavery. but this prohibition
is of no effect in the remote regions where
rubber is gathered and where the unfor-
tunate Indians may be said To sweat
blood for every drop of rubber milk that
exudes from the tree.
How are the slaves obtained? In two
ways. 10y violence and by turing them
away from their homes. | have been told.
and | have no reason to doubt, that par
ties of slave hunters are formed who pen
citrate the forests and attack the wild
Indians in their villages or
huts. The fathers and mothers are killed
and the children carried off to toe slaves.
This is nothing new. | am sorry to say. in
the interior of South America. for from
what | can learn this cruel practice has
been going on for many years. OF this !
speak from report. As to the Turing
away or kidnapping of semiciviliZed lndi-
ans tempted On some pretenSe To leave
their homes | have personal knowledge
An offer was made To me of a high price
for any Indians whom | could induce 10
len We their homes in a section of the
country which il was known ! was about
10 visit 1t should h. unnecessary To say
that I spurned the proposition to becom.
a slave trader.
THE condition of these Indian slaves j.
too sad almost for description ! doubt II
one of them has ever returned home L.
tell the story of treachery and brutality
The slave masters Of the rubber camps
go on the principle that dead men tell no
tales. and the poor Indian once in their
hands is kept AT work ia the forest until
he dies nf hardship and privatinn, or he is
sent down the rivers with a rubber cargo
"a perrin probably in the deadly Madeira
fails. The boat right behind Inc when !
was passing through the falls upset. and
five Indians were drowned Their bodies
and pieces of rubber from their cargo
went floating hy below the falls. ! asked
rhe man III charge uf the boat TO rescue
the bodies Of The Indians SO as to give
them decent hslriai He seemed surprised
and answered disdain fully. Rubber is
worth money. but dead Indians are worth
nntiIing 80 The rubber was dragged on
board. and the isalies uf the Indians who
could b.. IT ~ further use IL their owners
were. allowed "a tlslai on. tu be deSouFed
by aihcaIur> aud birds III prey
THE ntsS. ps.werful ar enc of the most
powerful iadiau tribes. continued AIR,
Oisson. ARE the Iut,aS of the Gran Chaco.
who aaye always preserved their n
psn,irnce They are a. much attached 10
h.aIfirni~m today a~ when the Spaniards
handed in Ssuih America. AMI the inhu
ene,. af their 'hrujns. or priests. reminds
M. ~ what | have read aud heard about
f.fset,i~ra ~ Africa These 'hrujos' are