The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-11-23

won the hand of his chieftain's daugh-
ter, De Soto sought and obtained the
governorship of cuba. He proposed to
his sovereign, Charles V, to conquer
Florida at his own expense. The rest
less. the ambitious. the avaricious and
even the settled owners of vineyards
and olive groves. sold all to follow the
Peruvian hero The nobility and aris-
tocracy OF Spain made mad rush for
gold and became the discoverers OF the
Mississippi. Having left his wife, the
daughter of Pizarro. to govern Cuba,
De Soto sailed away to his own de-
struction and that of five hundred of
his followers as If he We're gaily
manoeuvering in Il holiday naval pa
rade. Chains for captives, and blood
hounds for fleeing aborigines, were
parts of an unwise and imperfect equip
inent of the third Spanish expedition
into the interior of Florida Landing
on the west coast, these high born ad-
ventures turned towards Appalachee
bay: thence westward to Pensacola
bay. After wandering over what are
now Georgia and Alabama. De Soto re-
turned to the present site of Mobile.
where he destroyed n large Indian
town. Slaughtering more than 2OOO or
it's inhabitants Pursuing the foolish
policy of treating all Indian tribes as
enemies. the new governor was in an
unending conflict with his new subjects.
one he ordered burned alive for bluntly
declaring that he knew of no country
where gold abounded. ThencefOrward
compulsory guides manufactured the
information demanded. Then they were
thrown to the bloodhounds for mislead-
ing the gold hunters. Receiving sup
plies from Cuba. the naughty De Soto,
regardless of failure. marched north
west to and across the Yazoo river.
Near this river of death" their winter
quarters were burned. their food shell
ter and clothing being wholly de-
stroyed 1t was while moving west
ward, clothed in skins and in mats
made of rushes and wild ivy. that these
starving DOns first beheld the majestic
Mississippi. Powell's painting of this
beggarly scene does great credit to that
artists wealth of invention. The poiR.
of discovery was near the thirty-fifth
parallel. now known as the lowest
Chickasaw Bluff. III May, 154l. the eX-
ploring party crossed the River of the
Holy Ghost. as the Spaniards first
called it. and ascending the west bank
and branching off northwest. reached
the upper waters of the White river.
about two hundred miles from the
Great river. From the state line of
Missouri. the extreme northern limit of
De Soto's explorations. the party
crossed the Arkansas to the salt waters
of the Washita. and descending along
that stream returned to the Mississippi
at the junction of Red river. Broken
down by maarial fevers and disheart-
ened by his inability to penetrate the
forests and marshes of the lower Miss
issippi. De Soto prepared for his de-
parture to another and still stranger
world. He called his chiefs around him
at the last hour and selected Moscoso
as his successor. He was first buried
within the enclosure of the encamp-
ment, but later his followers, fearing
that i'll consequences might flow from
the knowledge of his mortality and
death. his body was heavily weighed
and sunk at midnight in the deep water
channel of what seemed to be Il great
flowing sea. A fitting burial place truly
for a relentless chieftain whose cruelties
We're revolving. who was as pitiless and
mercilesS as the devastating torrents OF
IL river that destroys babes in their
cradles and drags children from their
mothers arms. De Soto died May 81,
1342. and MOscoso returned by the way
of Texas and Mexico to Spain with less
than One-third of the gay naval en-
pedition that set out from Havana