The Washington herald., 1911-12-31
Mysterious Country that Lies South of Canal
Zone Is Said to Be Filled with Gold.

Panama, Dec 23-"Looking for the
smoking room, hombre?' asked the
comfortable looking old gentleman in
the white linen Tuxedo. The uncom-
Portable looking young man in white
f1annels shook his head.
I'm looking for the way out" he
replied. This isn't Panama; it's Du-
pont circle, Washington, D. c."
Below where they stood on the We
randa of the Hotel Tivoli, whose land
lord Is the United States War Depart
ment, the little spickety cabs came
tinkling and pattering up from Panama
city and around the circular drive to
the steps at the foot of which a tall.
helmeted negro, secOnd-Class trooper.
Zone police. saluted every pair Of
shoulder straps and every minister,
attache consul. department head, and
member of the /. C. c. with an imi
pressive sweep of his nightstck.
Within, the Tenth Infantry Band
pounded out Our Director."s while
bronzed engineers. soldiers of fortune,
and once proud naval lieutenants
begged pupils of the Zone high school
for half an extra. Estimate the dis
tance between the awkwardest four
teen-year-old and the local Mrs.
Hawksbee and you can figure out how
far the young North American in white
fannels found himself from the center
of the stage he holds so firmly IN
musical comedy.
Dress Suit Next Time.
Next time l come down here I'll bring,
a dress suit he said.
They always do, the second time"
said the old gentleman sOOthingly.
sit down and cool off. Ten years ago
we danced in pajamas and watched
the government revolve every twenty
four hours, but now were nice and
civilized"
The young tourist sighed enviously.
Gee, I wish l could have been here
then. 1t makes me sore to thiRk how
I've missed seeing it; the real Panama,
the last frontier
My son." interrupted the grayhaired
Isthmian, I've heard that farewell rO-
nance and last frontier wish since be-
fore you were weaned. But there are
plenty of last frontiers in this world
that will last a good while, and you're
sitting on one of them right now"
This antseptiC winter resort? What's
1t frontier to-"
The country where the white man
cannot CO.
You don't mean the republic of Pan
ama?"
The country 1 mean lies partly in the
republic of Panama, partly in the repub-
lie of Colombia and doesn't give damn
for either of them. 1t begins within
thirty miles of where we are sitting and
runs for four hundred miles or so down
into South America. Just how far l
cant tell you, for no white man has
ever made the trip"
Region too Unhealthful?'
For our kind, yes. Full of little hot
drafts from behind trees. And then
word is passed out to your friends that
the senior died of Chagres fever, with no
witnesses to the contrary"
But who does all this murdering?"
They call them the San Bias Indians.
And 1 shouldn't call them murderers If
/ were you until I'd heard the whole
story.
when the Spaniards hit these parts
in the old days it was hell for the ma
tives. You needn't look any further than
the woodcuts in any edition of Las
Casas to learn that.
"Satan's Pet Hothouse."
%The first governor of Panama, Ped
rarias the Cruel-there goes his direct
too, stepping past the win
dow with that pretty trained nurse from
Ancon Hospital-has a million murders
to his discredit, and he and the other
wiped out every native
tribe but one. This. outfit, living In a
country that is Satan's pet hothouse, and
soon getting hold Of smuggled firearms,
managed TO keep their Independence.
They are as free to-day as before CO.
lumbus came over, and as exclusive as
Tibet before Younghusband's expedition.
NO outsider knows a word of their
language CT even the real name of the
tribe. We call them the San Bias, but
that's Spanish. When any of the tribe
come TO Colon or Panama city they
speak Spanish and wear cotton trousers
and camisas, Ike any peon. But a San
Bias buck has no use for straw SOM
brero; what he wants Is an American
derby. and It must be black one. I'm
told that the Seminoles up north in
Florida are Just as keen on derbies, color
and all. and I wish some anthropologist
would tell us why.
When one of our Indians has sold his
FISH, carved cocoanuts, and palm fiber
cloln. he buys what he wants and goes
straight home without any blowout His