The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-05-01

for them that soon the supply ON
Hispaniola gave out. When this hap
pened the Spaniards began tok idnap
them from the other islands. There
was one class, however too valuable
to be made slaves of the plantations.
These were the gold seekers. For I'M
daunted by the awful fate of their pre-
deccessors at La Navidad, these sec
ond colonists were led on in the same
mad quest for gold.
From those who did not work in
the fields certain tribute was deman-
ded. This was to be paid quarterly,
and consisted of a small bellful of
gold from each person. On first
thought this will seem not so large a
tribute; but when we learn how great
and how many were the difficulties
under which these poor people labor
ed, having to work with just a bas-
ket or gourd, we do not wonder that
hundreds of them failed to pricure
the required amount and thus fell I'M
der the lash or by the sword of their
tormentors.
Where the natives had made a sue
cess of the cultivationo cotton the
Spaniards saw it was to their in
terest not to take them away from
their fields; for cotton was then a
very valuable commodity on the is
land. Tribute was also required from
these Indians. In their case it was
an arrQba twenty eight pounds) of
cotton each quarter for every person,
male or female, over fourteen years of
age. When the tribute in cotton or
gold was paid each person received a
receipt in the shapeof bit of metal
with an opening in the center and
a mark along the edge. These they
had to string about their necks. If
lost, they had the tribute 10 pay
again. If they could not pay it, they
were cruelty beaten or put in chains
and thrown into prison. While i'm
prisoned some died of pain and fright;
others of starvation. Those who ran
away were hunted with doge and
cruelty lacerated.
But the Spanish masters were too
shrewd to put TO death the slaves
who worked heir cane planta-
tions. Now and then one met
such a fate through a sudden
outburst of passion, but as
a general thing their lives were spared
because of their value. They were
given heavy tasks 10 perform. If
they failed they were beaten and tome
times mutilated with the sword, a
favorite Spanish weapon Of punishment
They were treated as the dogs and
horses were treated until their spirits
were broken, until their necks were
bent to receive the yoke of slavery.
AS a means of inducing other set
.lcrs to join the colony large tracts
Of land were given away. To these
slaves were allotted. When the sup
ply on the islands gave out, raids were
made upon the neighboring islands.
The fate of the colony at La Navidad
had taught them at least one thing,
This was to keep away from the fierce
Caribs. Shameful TO record these
raids were made principally against
the gentle people of the Bahamas,
against those who had so kindly and
Hospitality received Columbus and his
men on their landing in America. Some
were taken from this very island of
Qua an-a-ha-ni, as the native called
it. But these poor creatures, after
all the treachery practiced to ensnare
them and the pains and labor to which
the Speniards went to get them in
to Hispanola, soon sickened for
their homes and died. Some lived to
till the soil a short while but others,
unable to bear the cruel torture of
slavery ran away at the outset.
The dogs tore many to pieces; 9TH
ers were trampled to death under the
feet of the horses. A few lived 10
reach the northern shores of Hispani-
ola. Here they sank upon their knees
stretched out their hands imploringly
toward their homes and died of heart
broken with grief. Others committed
suicide; some hanged themselves;
some took poison; some were drowned
while others threw themselves from
high cliffs.
How terrible to read of these things!
And to some they may seem too ter
tible to be true. But they are all,
even more in the records of the old
chronicles. What is truly astonish-
ing is that some of them are SPANS
own historians.
Because of this plan adopted by
Spain of distributing to her early col
onists tracts of land to which sla-
yes were allotted, they were called
repartimientos from Spanish word
meaning partition, division. Later
these servants were called slaves of tn
mita because of their forced labor in
mines on plantations and elsewhere