The sun., 1912-07-07
ell. So much for the geographical

bellicOSe or trcaCh"rOils toward the whlte 1
man. On the contrary. they were docile. 1
tr,istful. responsive 10 good treatment |
and interrupted Under these rircum- '
stances. 1t is perhaps marvel that they I,
have remained so long uncontaminatedb by i
the worst aspects Of western civiliyaiiO |
which surrounded them But so IL was
until 1895. when the attention Of the out F,
s,c.or first became directed toward the :
rubber possibilities Of the country. In
that year appeared on the scene the firm !
" Arana Rros. who on an arrangement
with the Peruvian Government secured
the monopoly Of exploitation and COM
menced The work of rubber collection, f,
tapping the trees On the lines of aiming
Il, III" most immediate profit without
much reference 10 the fliurc either OF
the country or the industry.
SLAVE TRADE INIRoDrCED.
Tho only labor on ~" spot was that Of
the natives. and accordingly there is
no mincing the matter TN" slave trade
was introduced in possibly its worst glise.
Indeed. there il hardly any parallel in
the whole history Of this nefarious traffic
to the unreiievcd horrors which speedily
we're introduced under the pretended
system Of paying the natives Tor the
unremitting toll they were compelled TO
perform in turning TO profitable account
for others their own property. which had
without the slightest consideration been
wrssted from them
The Congo crimes were as child's plav
to the atrocities on the Putumayo. Fear
ing neither God nor man for the few
Catholic missionaries protested in earnest.
outspoken fashion hut in vain, while the
Peruvian authorities either could not
or would not intervene the rubber cru
saders employed the means of torture
with all the refincments of modern in
genuity. At first it was fortunate that
neither the British Government nor the
public had any part. lot or responsibility
in the campaign of greed. lis, and blood.
But this was all changed in 1895. when
some thrity-six Barbadan negroes
British subjects were engaged to act
a. deputies to the Latin American fill
busters.
They were not worse than the men
who employed them but from that time
artgime set in which was characterized 10y
dreadful acts Of cruelty and 10y crimes
which were revolving in the extreme.
These acts were not even denied. but
the excuse was put forward that the
Indians had massacred some white settlers
and had appropriated their arms. Ii
would have been surprising had they
not done so. for the invaders armed
the youth Of the tribes. Just as was done
on the Congo. and loosed them ON the
defenceless community def-nceess.
since their simple weapons, such as the
hlowpipe and the ancient musket. had
been purposely taken from them.
BRITISH COMPANY STEPS IN
At this stage the concession for coli
lecting the rubber was sold TO the Peru
Wan Amazon Company. British trading
concern Of admitted standing and high
morals but, as it was afterward found.
Of astounding ignorance as To what was
certainly. and would most unuiesti icnablv
continue to be. the result ot employing
scmi-white sivages and fun blooded
negroes in tho prosecution Of trading
methods in which they We're paid on com
mission and bv results.
Rubber had tp he secured. and the
natives were compelled to secure il :.
There was no pretencc o. iustic. or fair
treatment. Flogging by Iapir hide whiI :
was introduced on such "a scale and with
such terrible results tha, the vast ma iority
Of the entire male population and much
Of the female were scared with terrible
wounds which often caused death. Adults
we're hogged becaIIse of their own short -
oomings in rubber collection aud parent =
for those of their little children. VINO were
forced to stand hv while the mothers
were practically beaten To death. Men
and women for defaulting IN quantity
or attempting to escape We're suspended
by the arms twisted behind their backs
and tied together al the wrists. and they
were then in this agonizing position
and with their feet we'll above the ground
scourged on their neither limbs and lower
hack.
On other occasions they were dra wn
up by chain fastened round their n-cxs
and attached to one Of the beams Of the
house; the chain would then he hauled ur
90 that they would be half strangled. when
they would he allo wed to fall abruptly
to the ground. after biting through their
tongues.
BURN MEN AT sTAKF'
But these were trhes. The commits ee
teok evidence which revealed an appa llinl
category OF crime. II was no unoom.
mon practice to pour kerosene oil on men
and women and then set fire To them. tc
burn men AT the stake. to dash out the
brains OF children, to hack of both arms
and both legs of Indians. leaving them
to . slow death on the pathways. One
chief who refused to betray the refuge
Of his followers was 30 treated. II Wa,
q favorite practice to cut of the ears o
living persons; in one case a mans eari
we're cut OF and his wife was burned
before his eyes SO fendish was the
temper Of the iaiors that once wher
four Indians were hung up with their
arms twisted behind their backs a boy
went around and bit pieces ont of all OF
them and then amused himself by swing
ing them backward and 70 rward
The slave gangs often wer. starved
They died in their long marches under
burdens as heavy as themselves. The
chain gang officials took life merely fol
the amusement Of the thing and on6 day
me man alone killed twenty-five persons
shooting some. cutting oh the heads of
others and h1ngng up the rest until
i,..I .,.,L A.