The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-06

Strange Domestic Conditions That Exist Yquos.
of the Indie of

The husband" devotes his energies either
to the India rubber trade as contractor or
employee. or embarks In the business of
store, restaurant or cafe keeper
In either of these capacities he is liable
to strike 1t rich" even as mere employee,
for on his wanderings through the forests
he may come across region not yet spoken
for, and monopolize and exploit it like a
Rockefeller on small scale. AS soon as
he has made his pile he takes himself off
TO parts unknown with no more hestancy
about the proprieties than Texas steer
entering new pastures.
The wife may have been a most useful
and loving helpmate to HINT matters not;
she is left behind to shift for herself even
like the dragon who made her temporary
husbands life perfect hell.
AS to the children, they suffer the same
fate as the mother, but without anybody
ever raising the question of damages, ali
mony or charges of abandonment 1t is a
fact, though, that the majority of husbands
pro tenn. deposit sum covering at least
three months living expenses for their
ex-wives and families with the local bank
before they depart But doing so is mat
ter of taste, and In no sense compulsory.
1 made the acquaintance of a number of
Ypuites widows; they seemed perfectly re-
signed and contented, and had only good
words for their late departed" whether
he left them money or not. IT feel no anger
towards John for going away" said one
young woman. Like a good American he
struck a bargain and kept its terms.
only wish I could find another man like
him."
Among the hundreds of adventures land
ing here year in and year out there is, of
course, certain percentage of ne'er-do-
wells who willfully abandon the wives of
their choice. The women, however, usually
size them up correctly in advance, and
when a gentleman of the sort does not re-
turn in the stipulated time his grass-widow
considers herself at liberty to marry
again, If opportunity offers. Thus, it some
times happens that small house contains
two or three sewing machines and sets of
irons
But suppose the first husband returns
AFTER While and claims his wife?" 1 asked
Not IN Yquitos, replied the official. He
would be laughed at by the men and women
alike. Jealousy, of which we read SO much
in the foreign books, is unknown in these
parts"
The same official informed me that Of
zen. OF vice versa, are likewise almost un-
Known. In ten years no person charged
With wife or husband beating has been
brought before me- he said. Indeed the
lack .of the marriage tie seems to make
| for peace and Sdecency rather than for i'm
! morality. The Judge continued: "At any
rate we have no stabbing ARRAYS or muir
der mysteries here as In the big cities where
marriage is the rule, and Illicit love must
hide The men coming to this place seem
TO try hard to suppress their evil tendencies,
III nd he fixro
gentle. dignifed and forbearing by nature
help them to be good citizens, or at least
avoid giving offense.' -s-sss-i ~
sPANIsH-INDfAN RACES.
Perhaps 8 per cent. Of the wives pro
| tenn. are descendants of the spanish-Indian
| races and have the tiny foot of the born
aristocrat AS rule, they are excellent
| housekeepers, good mothers and very
cleanly. Their dress is most picturesque, a
white or red bodice. blue or green skirt
reaching to. the knee, and a mantle of some
| bright color secured across the breast by
| a large silver or copper pin. The legs, and
feet are usually bare, but in cold weather
| out feet and Unframed hide sandals
| On the street the women carry handsome
sun umbrellas of colored silk or cotton,
| highly embroidered with flower wreaths and
birds, and these bits of finery they take
with them into the garden. where they may
after sundown ower ahd fra gsr dea
| Is attached to almost every house, and
| passersby are welcome to help themselves
| to oranges and lemons or the fruit of the
passion flower that hangs over the trees
\ in rich profusion. ~ ~
! The women wear their blueish-black hair
down thier backs in mighty braids, yet
though much given to ornament. use arti-
| fetal flowers and ribbons on holidays only IS
| While the houses are poor in outward
appearance, everybody seems to be plenti-
full .Iad -
saw Indian women give their children hand
| fuls of gold and silver pieces to play with
and the very slaves walk along the street
tinkling coin in their pockets. No one thinks
OF anything but making money, the equiv
alent of which may be had for the asking
| in the India rubber forests or in the city
trade itself. The principal streets are lined
with stores of all sorts, and where they end
| come rows upon rows of eating houses and
| saloons. - - -
ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD.
How do you spend your evenings. seeing
| that you have theaters, no music halls,
| no clubs even?' asked of many well-to-do
| citizens of the big town.
| Folks here spend their evenings counting
profits AMI hunting new business was the
| inyariabie reply. And each keeps caIcuIat-
ing when will have money enough to re-
| turn home-to civilization for as Won
know, Yquitos Is but a transient abode,
4
Yquitos is connected with the rest of the
| country neither by railway, telegraph or
| wagon road. Communication is had by the
| Amazon river only, and often several weeks
| pass by before steamer comes into sight
Fully one-half of the male population is
/ Indian-that most of the women are of the
native race has already been mentioned
The Yquitos Indian is robust, capable, fond
of work and lives on good terms with the
| rest-men of ell chimes and races. / noted
down the various languages overheard on
| the street in single day, as follows: Aside
| from half dozen Indian idioms, English
Chinese, Arabic, Russian, German, Italian
| and French. There were in the throng
Anglo-Saxon and red men, Teutons and
negroes Japs and Chinese, swarthy Mus
| selmens and Spaniards.
In the barrooms Russians may be seen to
| clnk glasses with Yankees, French with
| Germans, Britains with natives of the
| Levant. The saloon keepers say they dis
pense as much whisky as wine and beer
| while absenthe and opium are daily called
| for in large quantities. There is no law
| against gambling, but few engage In hazard
| games Only the Chinese use their temple
| for that kind of dangerous enjoyment.
SLAVES ARE WELL TREATED.
| Yquitos imports great variety of goods.
| including liquor. silks and delicacies of all
sorts. and. besides, keeps up lively slave
| trade. This is against the written law, of
| course, but the authorities shut both eyes
TO the practice. The real "slavers' are
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