Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-05-30
Special Correspondence,

Special Correspondence.
Guaduas, Colombia, April ls,-Holy
week has come and gone For fve
days I stayed In Honda trying TO get
a mule to ride out TO Mara Qulta, but
could not get one. while waiting az
tended several church services and
watched the professions, In which
thousands Joined, carrying the heavy
crosses and images Of the saints with
evident satisfaction. It is really pitt
full to see the blind superstition of
these ignorant people, most Of whom
are Indians. If any Joy or pleasure
ever comes into their lives It Is not
indicated by their countenances
Their condition is one of abject seryi-
tude. Their lot for 400 years has been
TO be dashed into submission and to
bear the burdens Of their masters until
the record OF their expressions and sor-
rows seem to be written IN every Inca
mont Of their Countcnanccs. one of the
old Nephte prophets said. owe are
lonely and sorrowful people, and
that Is certainly true Of these their
descendants. There Is no hope in their
lives except to do IN blind submission
the win Of their supcrlors, whose pur-
poses they never think to question. ac-
ceDt!ng as compensation the humble
pittance doled out 20 them / am told
that during the last war an officer ana
soldier or two would go into the
most populous Indian districts and
round them up like cattle. for the army.
They would hide, If they could with
out appearing TO do 50, but once seen
they would submit without a murmur
and bend their backs 10 the burdens
placed upon them, never dreaming to
resist or to desert ] am told they are
exceedingly brave and IN battel will
walk right up 10 the lannon's mouth
if told 10 do So In one battle a large
number Of them was taken prisoners
by the insurgents, who armed them and
incorporated them In their army, where
they fought with the same blind sub
mission as before. They know nothing
Of the causes Of the wars but they are
the sinews of the conflict The super
intendent of the railroad at Honda told
me that $4,000 of them had gone over
his line and down the river Not more
than 1000 Of them had ever returned
Carlos Rodrigus. revolutionary gem
eral. told me that more than 100000
men had persisted in the last war most
of whom were Indians. What would
happen in this country II they ever took
It into their heads to be something bet
ter than slaves?
OVER THE HILLS.
After many efforts to get out Of Hon
da | finally found mules to take me
to Guaduas one must not get in a
hurry here. My mules were to be on
hand 1T o'clock a. m. They arrived
at o'clock and | started at O. My
route took me through the narrow
winding street that goes from the Guatl
bridge up the river. ! crossed a little
creek that comes IN from the west and
then wound around the Hill to the Mag
dilena bridge Crossing which you fol-
low up the east bank two miles and
then plunge into the hills out along
this trail you win see a Rodgers loco
NATIVE that some one undertook to pull
over the trail TO Bogota. laying down
a temporary track as they proceeded.
Tho contractor was either a fool or had
never been over the trail. In a narrow
defle / met a train of pack oxen loaded
with coffee, They were descending very
leisurily and as | could not pass there
was nothing else TO do but just wait.