Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-06

Pizarro and the others were habited. Tho
Weapons were as rear the originals as int
irtions could attain. 1t made a great con-
rast, these lie men in the dead armor of
al older period,
So with great pomp and parade the
casket of the long dead Ponce was taken
from the church to the cathedral. In the
latter IT was placed for the time being or
a prepared platform, while the services
were being held. Then It was arranged that
it should be put in another resting place,
where it is designed that it shall remain
until the end of time.
Ponce's remains are not likely to he claimed
by the spaniards as were the bones of
Columbus, or perhaps the supposed bones,
which were taken in 1899 from Havana
and sent across to Spain, there to lie in
magnificence in the Cathedral of Seville.
OF course Il is a matter OF considerable
doubt whether the bones in Seville are
those of the great explorer. There is doubt
whether the bones in Santo Domingo are
those Of Columbus either. But no one
seems TO question that the remains called
those of Ponce de Leon are those Of the
man who died in Havana in 1921.
In ono way It is rather curious to note
the enthusiasm in Porto Rico for the man
who was responsible for the bad thing that
the Spaniards in general brought to the
West Indies. When Ponce de Leon came
over to Porto Rico in 1903 he was brought
partly because he believed that there was
gold to be found in the nav country. In
that he was right, because there was some
to be gained through placer mining.
Ponce after a time got the appointment
to be governor Of the island. He returned
to Spain a very wealthy man and with his
influences was able to obtain permission
TO introduce into the country slaves from
the African coast. Before that time there
had been only a few slaves who had come
10 Porto Rico, and these as body servants
OF the Spaniards who brought them In.
Under the conditions OF the Spanish con-
quest this was only natural. TIL Spaniards
were busy with warning on the natives and
until they accomplished the conquest
which meant killing off the uatives-thers
was time for little else. Therefore the
slaves had nothing to do but personal
services.
But once the pursuits of war were put
aside the lust for gold impelled the Span
iards 20 seek for persons who would 40
for them what they were unwilling TO ID
for themselves-menial, manual labor. II
was with this idea in view that Ponce OBJ
tained permission to bring into the island
the first importation of slaves for other
than personal services.
These were brought there 10 work for
gold, to mine for It. They could not all
stand the climate and at any event It was
not long before the gold supply gave cut,
Also the news of discoveries in NJ xico
and other counties took away the greater
part Of the adVenturerers 10 the new terri
tory,
With the gold gone the Invaders turned
their attention 10 the earth itself and be-
gan the agricultural occupation. There
the slaves were, indeed, doubly useful, be-
cause in the trying climate the spaniard
wanted to incur no more exertion than
pertained to the duties Of an overseer. The
brutalities Of those times were beyond de-
scription. 1t might, therefore, be thought
that SOME Porto Ricans might object to
honors paid 70 the memory Of the man who
was the prime cause OF all the hardships
and cruelties.
1t is recorded that the negro population
OF Porto Rico IL slightly under that OF the
whites. but that Of the negro population,
only about Is per cent. Is true negro. The
rest is OF mixed blood. This IS a condition
very like that in other West Indian islands.