The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-07-26
TERRORs OF THE RUBBER TRADE

SOHlE luFcSIISdlOES anu Dy
others, but were enough to rouse vio-
lent indignation in England. Now,
however. they seem mild compared
with the revelations made in the re-
port of Sir Roger Easement, just pub
lished, on the condition of things in
the rubber district OF the upper Am
azon. Sir Roger Easement Is British
consul-general at Rio de Janeiro and
was commissioned in 1910 to investi-
gate certain frightful stories that
were afioat concerning the manner in
which an English rubber company, en-
ploying British negroes from Barba-
dos. was compelling the natives to col
lect a certain amount OF rubber and
furnishing and torturing them in case
they failed to furnish the supply de-
manded Sir Roger was formerly con-
sui in the Kongo and investigated the
treatment OF the natives in that re-
gion. The remoteness of the rubber
district of Putumayo, on the Peruvian
branches of the Amazon, made 1t diff
hcult for any Intervening power to af-
ford protection to the natives; Peru
seemed Indifferent, altho the United
States made representations to the
government at Lima urging the au-
thorities to put a stop to the hideous
practices of the English concessionar-
les. The witnesses examined by Sir
Roger testified that these practices in
Guided the burning alive of men. wo-
men and children for purposes of in
timidation and to invite the rubber col
lectors to renewed exertions. We
quote the following passages from his
report:
Indians were frequently logged to
Cd To "a
where men or women had died actually
under the lash, but this seems to have
been infrequent. Deaths due to fog
ging generally ensued some days aft
erward. In many cases where men or
women had been so cruelty logged
that the wounds putrefied. the victims
were shot by one of the racionales
Supervisory acting under the orders
of the chief of the section, or even by
this individual himself.
"At one station l was informed by a
British subject who had himself often
logged the Indians that he had seen
mothers logged on account of shortage
OF rubber by their little sons. These
boys were held to be too small to chas-
tise and so, while the little boy stood
terrified and crying at the sight, the
mother would be beaten just a few
strokes to make him into a better
worker. Men and women would be
suspended by the arms, often twisted
behind their backs and tied together
at the wrists, and in this agoniZing
posture, their feet high above the
ground, they were scourged on their
neither limbs and lower back. The i'm
plement used for fiogging was invaria-
bly, q twisted strip, or several strips
plated together. of dried tapir hide,
sufficiently stout to cut human body
to pieces.
Deliberate starvation was again
and again resorted to. but this not
only where it was desired merely to
Brighten, but where the intention was
to kill. Men and women were kept
prisoners in the station stocks until
they died OF hunger. NO food was
given to the Indians and one man re-
lated how he had seen Indians thus
being starved to death in the stocks
scraping up dirt with their fingers and
eating 1t.
MEN, women and children were con-
fined to the stocks for days. weeks.
and often months. The overlapping
beam might press too tightly on the
confined ankle and the flesh would be
cut. but even without this added tor
ment the long confinement In this
cramped position must have become
well-nigh uncomfortable. AS an added
punishment, the legs OF a man or wo-
man would be distended and confined
several holes apart in the stocks. a
distance intolerable to be borne for any
length OF time. since ii was almost a
yard at the extremities. Fully ninety
per cent of the entire population bore
traces Of Jogging"
Sir Roger gives full credence to
similar stories OF diabolical and cold
blooded cruelty on the part of the
wretches whose only anxiety is imme-
date gain in the shape OF commits
sions. To quote further:
zone OF the witnesses declared that
he had seen Indians burned alive more
than once. 1t was alleged. and I am
convinced with truth, that during a
period OF close on six years one Span
ish half-caste had directly killed many
hundreds of Indians. men. women. and
children.
AT another station the man in
charge OF the section. in order to in
spire terror and yet leave no trace on
the bodies of his victims, had devised
new method OF punishment for those
who did not bring in enough rubber.
Their arms were tied behind their
backs and thus pinioned they were
taken down to- the river and forcibly
held under the water until they be-
came insenslble and half drowned.
Two chiefs declared that two of their
men had been drowned by this process
not long before.
"Flogging was varied with other
tortures to stop just short of killing
while inspiring acute mental fear and
INJECTING much of the physical agony
OF death. Thus men and lads were
suspended by a chain fastened round
the neck to one OF the beams OF the
house or store. Sometimes with the
feet scarcely touching the ground and
the chain held taut they were left in
this half-strangled position until life
was almost extinct More than one
eyewitness assured me that ire had
seen Indians actually suspended by
the neck until when cut down they fell
senseless mass upon the floor of the
house with their tongues protruding
several informants declared that
they had witnessed Indians chained
round the arms hauled up to the cell
ings of houses or to trees, and the
chain then suddenly loosened so that
the victim fell violently to the ground
Among other practices one of the
rubber collectors cut the ears off liv-
ing Indians, a pastime that to my
knowledge was also INDUCED in by an
other subordinate still employed by
the company at the date of my visit
Some men were simply beasts OF
prey who lived upon the Indians and