Evening star., 1901-06-01
Where Captives for Debt Spend Their
Days.
IN DEPTHS OF GUATEMALAN WILDS
Peon Slaves Cut Down and Set
the Trees Adrift.
A PROF FITABLE BUSINESS

pany with headquarters at Tacasco, MeXl-
co, has paid the Guatemala government
S125,600 in national currency for a five
years concession to cut mahogany ana
cedar timber the banks of four rivers In
that country calls attention to an unknown
little corner of the world. The concession
carries with it on it's face the privilege of
introducing the necessary labor. prohibit
ing the Importation of Chinese. This means
that the timber will be handled by slave
labor, for slavery, though not a recognized
Institution, still exists there, to all intents
and purposes.
The region of the four rivers is vast
and unexplored wilderness; the wilderness
through which Cortez struggled on his way
to Honduras after the conquest Of Mexico.
there to hang the Aztec king, Guatemotzin
last of the Montezumas. This tract is one
mass of tangled tropical forest. Twenty
years ago the school Biographies of Guate-
mala described it as country inhabited by
wild independent tribe of Indians, who
recognized no authority but that OF their
chiefs. In the early part of 1890 the writer
journeyed through this forest, travelling ten
days without seeing other human face than
that of his Mestizo servant. In the time of
Cortez the country is described by his SOL
dier historian, Birnal Diaz, as thickly pop
ulated What has become of this popula-
ton Is mystery, for the evidence of its
existence still remains in ruined edifices,
temples and idols scattered through the for
ests now grown over with great trees.
Far up into Mexico the forest extends,
and the pushing Mexican lumbermen, a far
different type from the worthless "greaser'
of the northern frontier penetrated the
woodland wherever they could find streams
to carry the lumber down, and established
their camps.
Presently they overran the frontier and
brought on war in 1884 and again in 1896
which in each he'd bac
the Guatemala frontier. The first timber
company that went into mahogany cutting
on an extensive scale there got conces-
sion from the Guatemalan government and
struck in through the dense forest until
they reached a large and placid stream,
the River de la Passion, about which the
valuable trees grew thick. To get the lum-
ber cut was the problem Fashioning
canoe, the explorers set out down The
stream, which presently became narrow
and swift, and rushed through a gorge to
dash over rock shelf in seething tor
rent. Only by throwing themselves from
the speeding canoe did the men escape
long time after the canoe was found on the
gulf beach near the mouth of the river If
boat could find It's way to sea water so
could mahogany tree trunks. Camps were
soon established there. Then came the
question Of labor.
Cunning Monteros.
1t was not to be hoped that the sun-lov-
ing. merry-hearted Mexican poems could be
tempted from the social life of the villages
and cities into the depths of the gloomy
forests at any wages. Some other method
must be found. The cunning Monteros as
the mahogany hunters are called devised
means of enslaving the poems. By the
Mexican system a man engaged for certain
labor and prepaid is compelled to work out
his wage In any Mexican town 1t is easv
TO PICK up poems, particularly at a fete
time, who will drink a little and then he
Of
Ior the sake of money for more drink
lth the amount advanced they buy a lit
tie clothing and a great deal of fnescal
liquor, and have a round of pleasure at
the end of which time they find their
money all gone, and d squad OF soldiers
waiting to escort them to their respective
camps.
By this means the mahogany cutters
round they We're able to extend their camps
IN the vast wilderness of both Chiapas and
Guatenala. and there virtually set up a
NIUE prlnclpallty of their own. 1t is pre-
clsely the same system Of slavery for debt
devised by the stockade owners of Ander-
son county, South Carolina Patches of
forest are now cleared and planted In corn
anu a. tne poems are fed on this corn. which
IS llrst boiled In a weak solution of pctash
water made from ashes and then r.cnnd
between two stones. An occasional wild
boar or other game from the forest is their
only change of food.
Few of the poems realize the fata beforo
them. because few return to tell of Il II ia
a long journey to the Monteros' camp a
Journey over q trail where every DIT Of food
consumed on the way must be carried and
sometimes water, too; and the Journey is
one or days in a forest aboundins in Wild
beasts By the Mexican law the Deon can
not De detained any longer than necessary
lor MIN to work out his Indebtedness bnt
what is the laws avail to the neon after
ne is once In the MonterOs camDp His mis-
erably insufficient food is credited 10 him
at prices so high that he can hardly avoid
Inf InIf
Montero practices a system Of trebla entry
bookkeeping, by which method the peon's
debt Is constantly increasing instead Of
diminishing.
Queer Bookkeeping.
AS an illustration Of this system a story
Is told of peon who, endeavoring to keen
track of his account, provided himself with
little memorandum book. in which he re-
quested the Montero to mark down his in
deptedness once having drawn s. from
the Montero, he discovered that no was
charged with S15. He at once took the hook
70 ms master and required an explanation
Inc Montero pretended to fly into a terrible
rage at the stupidity Of the peon, and after
swearing at him roundly, exclaimed:
, Don't you see, you - fool, there were
the 30 you asked me for, and So which I
gave you, and IS to be charged to your ac-
count; and don't three fves make fifteen?
Get out OF here and go to work.
And they say that between the ,ntary.,,
or swinging his ak that peon is still irving
to find out how three fives make ffteen
when he gets but one of them
Kidnapping Tales.
Women and even young girls are taken
into this slavery. and in the Mexican towns
there are ugly tales Of kidnapping told. The
discipline of the camps is bitter and cruel.
For any insubordination there is the lash
and the prison house. and any request for
payment or release is construed as insubor-
dination. In some camps the miserable
creatures are chained together to prevent
their attempting to escape, though their
hope of ever making their way through
that wild and trackless forest to any vii
lage without food or arms, would be Slight
indeed. Should they reach civilization 1t
would be only to be arrested as fuEitives,
under the peon law, and imprisoned. or
worse still. sent back Tales are told Of the
death rate In some Of the camps that are
almost incredible. Once, while lost in the
forest the writer ran across one of these
slave settlements. At a thatched cabin
near the bank of large river, which prov
ed to be the Osumacinta, he applied for
something to eat. A table was brought
out Of the cabin and a couple Of Indians
hustled around. whispering together by
turns. Finally girl came out with food
and said in Spanish: