The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-31
THE JUMPING OFF PLACE.
TIP END OF THE SOUTHERN
 CONTINENT.

2 Patagonia and TterrH Del Fuego-No Such countries Now-New Method of D.sciplining Indisns.
 Especial Correspondence of the Journal
 and Courier.)
 Punta Arenas, Patagonia, Feb. ?, 1904.
 When you and went to school, read CT mine. there was a Patagonia on the maps that we studied, and also a Tierra del Fuego; but now there are no such countries anywhere, although the old name still elings to the localities. A few years ago it happened by rare chance that the two most powerful re- publics of South America-Chili and Argentina-found themselves with no internal revolutions on hand, and so they combined in a sort of missionary enterprise against their weaker because i less civilized neighbors, the Patagoni- ans and the Tierra del F'uegoans, kill ing off most of them, enslaving the re- mainder and dividing their possessions between themselves. When it came to Ia division of spells, the United States was called upon to assist. through her ministers in Buenos Ayres and Santia- go, and so entirely to the satisfaction of the victors was the matter adjusted that they afterwards presented costly testi- monials of regard to the ministers aforesaid. It was agreed that the boun- diary line of Chili should be extended down the coast of that country and then run eastward just north of the Straight <! of Magellan, so that Argentina should have the vast plains of Patagonia, and Chili the Straits of Magellan and most of the island below it, thus making the Fnodern map of Chili look like the leg of D tall man, long and lean, with very high instep and several conspicuous l bunons. It is difficult to say which re- public got the best of the bargain whether the great international water way and the southern archipelago com prising thousands of unexplored is- ands believed to be rich in gold, silver, goal and copper, is most valuable, or the broad plains which fell to the share of Argentina, rising in regular terraces from the seaboard to the summit of the Tordilleras and as extensive as those hat stretch between the Mississippi river and the mountains of Colorado, aHd as useful for agricultural purposes as for cattle raising.
 Mr w. E. Curtis writes as follows about this high-handed dissecting of peaceful country: Tt is commonly the custom to divide property after the owners death, but in this instance the inheritance was first shared by the heirs md then the owner was mercilessly slaughtered. They called it a grand triumph of the genius of civilization ,ver the barbarians; but, as in many pther cases, the impeachment to civiliza- ion was swept away in cataract of plood" General Roca, a recent presi- lent of the Argentine Republic. was the Euthor and executer of the scheme of ivilizing Patagonia, and he accom- blished 1t in the same way that the ear Conauistadores introduced Christian y-withs the keen edge of a sword. This is a fair sample of his missionary york: The old dividing line between Patagonia and Argentina was the Rio Negro, mighty river which flows along he forty-first parallel, nearly a thou- and miles north of the Strait of Ma ellan The southern end of this great
  nostly shale beds covered with thorny hrubs and coarse grass, upon which othng but ostriehes can subsist; but hrther north the well-watered pampas fse in terraces up the Andean slopes, &During half the year the region of the traits is swept by these fierce winds Tailed pamperos, which are the dread of eth navigators and landsmen. Since me out of mind the Patagonians had cen in the habit of driving their cattle rom the cold and windy low-lands to inter in the foothills of the Andes; nd these gentle savages also had the abit of leaving their herds and women the mountains, while they made ex- Irsions into Argentina, stealing, burn- bg and killing. At every raid the ter br-stricken ranchmen fled toward the ties, so that year by year the frontier he of that republic receded toward the hpital instead of advancing.
 President Roca-then a general of hvalry who had won some renown in he war against Lopez, the tyrant of araguay--was sent out with three reg nents to discipline the Indians"
 And this is how he did it: While the adians were enjoying their customary inter picnic, he set three thousand sol- CTS to digging an enormous ditch, velve feet wide and fifteen feet deep,
 the way from the mountains to the 10 Negro and gave the diggers partic- lar orders to scatter abroad the earth om the excavation in such manner to leave no evidence of their work. Then the ditch was completed he Rnked the Indians with his cavalry nd drove them southward on the dou- e-quick. Ignorant of the trap that hd been set for them, the Patagenians h1loped pell-mell into the waiting ave, where presently thousands of en- women and children, cattle and brses were piled one above another-a rithing, screaming, struggling mass. ost of them were killed outright by e fall or were crushed by those who mbled on top, and the few who man. red to crawl out were dispatched by bers of the cavalrymen. Those who ere not driven into the ditch fled lstward along the river, hunting for a ossing, which the soldiers allowed em no time to make. The Patagoni- K. J,aI ,,n +noIc for hridca b11ildip O..