The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-27
TOWN OF YQUITOS IS
WIRELESS BUT THRIVING
Indian Women Marry Con Time"
and Expect to Lose Their Tenn
porary Husbands.
POLICE COURTS ARE IDLE

Yquitos Peru) Correspondence Louisville
Courier-Journal.
This is the city where women marry on
time only. They do so in other towns, but
here it is the universal practice. Among
the 1900 people of Yquitos is only one reg
ularly married couple the German vice
consul and his wife. Yet folks live in peace
and happiness, year in, year out, the city's
newspapers contain not a line of scandal,
lawyers are busy with property only and
the police blotters record few crimes, or
offenses of violence There are no shoot
ings, poison mysteries, stabbing ARRAYS,
no parents crying for runaway daughters,
no young men with love escapades to their
credit, discredit.
Sunny-faced children are everywhere
about the houses, streets and public
squares. They attend school regularly and
enjoy the benefit OF religious instruction.
OF their mother and father they speak with
love and respect and though never pun
ished, the youngsters seem TO compare
favoraby with the youth of our great
American cities.
The Rockefellers, Morgans and Goulds of
Yquitos are slave holders, law or no law.
They buy Indians at a stated rate and use
them principally as domestic servants. But
these bondsmen and bondsWomen are es
teemed no less than free people and the
educational institutions of the town
open TO them while their children grow up
with those of the masters on the basis of
perfect equality.
Some three hundred PAGES from the en-
trance to the town stands the only church,
small, dilapidated building, thanked by
two brick towers, rent from steeple to base
by innumerable cracks and clefts. Such
building would be condemned danger
Gus in any halfway regulated community;
! In Peru manyana" is trump: we will at
tend to 1t tomorrow.
The church stands In a wide square
| Skirted by lawns and flower beds, and serv-
ices closed just as your correspondent was
passing by. Crowds of women and children
issued from the several portals, followed by
/ the gray-haired priest and some choir boys
| These were the only males in the throng.
House, sewing machine, irons, furniture,
| If there are any, and the clothes and jew
! elry she may acquire are the pro tenn.
| wife'S perquisites; they are in her name,
and no one, not even Chinaman. would
be mean enough to attach string to these
morning gifts
The ''hus band" devotes his energies either
to the India rubber trade contractor or
employee, or embarks in the business of
| store, restaurant or cafe keeper.
In either of these capacities he is liable
! to strike ii 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 a small scale. AS soon he
has made his pile" he takes himself off 10
parts unknown with no more hesitancy
! about the prOprieties than Texas steer en-
tering 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 hus-
bands pro tenn, deposit a sum covering al
least three months living expenses fol-
their ex-wife and family with the loca
bank before they depart. But doing so is a
matter of taste, and in no sense com
| pulSOry.
Your correspondent made the acquaint-
ance of a number of Yquitos widows. They
seemed perfectly resigned and contented
and had only good words for their '1ate
departed" whether he left them money oil
not. Il bear no malice to John for going
away, said one young woman TO your cor.
respondent like a good American he
struck bargain and kept it's terms. l only
wish l would 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 neer-do
wells, who willfully abandon the wife OF
their choice. The women. however. usual
ly size them UP correctly in advance, anC
when gentleman of the sort does not re-
turn in the stipulated time his grass-widov
considers herself at liberty TO marry
again" If opportunity offers
L remarked to the captain of our shiI
that the men of YquitOs must be a goddess
lot, seeing that they allow their womeT
and girls to go to church unattended which
is considered highly improper in Peru
where no woman, married or single, is al
lowed TO walk the streets alone husband
brother or female servant always march
ing in their wake.
why" laughed the captain, "thes,
ladies have no husbands, in our sense o
the word. They are married, yes but Or,
tenn. only. No one marries here in the reg
ulation style. The only couple who re
ceived the blessings of the church or stat
is the gentleman and lady presiding at tn
German consulate"
The Kaiser's official representative cor
roborated the above and the pastor of tn
big Catholic congregation showed your cor
respondent the registers, proving that no
a single marriage was celebrated in churcl
at 1quitos during the past fourteen or fif
teen years.
The reasons for this state of affairs ar
purely economical morality or the reverse
do not enter into it at all; this is the con
sensuS of opinions expressed by the author
tiles and the people themselves.
Men go to YquitOs for the sole purpose O
making money. No one even pretends t
enter this wilderness to make a home !
town of 1900 inhabitants and not a singI
house built TO outlaSt few years of usa ge
no places of amusement or resorts of an
kind, no government house, no public in
situations, only abodeS to dress and SleeL
eating houses and Saloons such is the bi
city of Yquitos, enjoying a healthy situa
ton and every natural advantage save tina
of being close to the South American cen
, tiers of commerce.
To secure a wife pro tenn. the newcome
need but have means enough to buy a sna
? house or bamboo hut, sewing machin
, and irons. Other furniture are welcome
but not essential. If the bride-elect like
2 the man, she is usually quite content
take chances at securing tables and chair:
a sofa and bed
Sexes in Competition.