davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

of the managers of the rubber company
handed me Winchester and 100 bullets.
Take it and shut up. he replied In
Spanish. / was scared and obeyed.
I'VE hung around for three days, and
then orders were given me and the others
who had come from Barbados to get
ready to march into the rubber forests of
the interior. We started from Chorrera,
eighty a hundred OF u.s., and marched
three days to Abesena. where We We're
turned over to a sort of manager-captain
called Aguero.
ION the third morning after our ar
rival notices were put up, written in
Spanish, informing US that we were to
go out and find Indians 1t takes an
Indian. you know, to locate rubber trees.
The white men try it, but they're not
good at ii. So, the rubber men of the
Putumayc have to keep getting fresh
Indians to do their work for them.
I'VE newcomers. the other Barba-
dams and l. didn't know what the no.
tees meant. We soon found out.
After marching for five days. from 6
o'clock in the morning till 5 in the
afternoon. with a half hours stop each
day for luncheon, we fOrded very diff
ficult river by means OF a rope bridge.
and then suddenly got a signal to stop
from our Indian pilots These In
dians-muchachos, they're called-are
caught young and forced to act as
guides to the rubber hunters on their
expeditions after Indians. If they don't
they're killed. The rubber hunters
themselves can't catch Indians without
their help; they're not smart enough
I'VE stopped. and then. at another
signal. crept along slowly and eau
tiously In about twenty minutes we
saw. long distance away, an Indian
lot of palmleaf huts hud-
died together.
"Jimenez, the submanager, who was
our leader. gave orders that we divide
into sections and surround the village.
Then with our Indian pilots going on
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

So the business OF producing and fun
nishing electricity is one of the honest
callings. The bureau of standards in its
intimate relation with it reports no oppor-
tunity for nor shown inclination toward
unfair business. The BUSINESS is, of
course. comparatively new and with its
refinement there may come about a diff
ferent condition of affairs.
In connection with this standardizing
OF the measures of electricity there Is a
monstrous business transacted by the
United States, for which the bureau OF
standards sets the pace. The Navy De-
partment. for instance, uses almost IN
Vulnerable electric lights. On single
battleship there are lights that range all
the way from their monster searchlights
to the little two candiepowers in the
remote passageways. All these are
bought after examination by the bureau
OF standards. There is a special division
of the bureau given over to the testing
of lights All the manufacturers OF the
nation come here for their standards.
In battleships the guns are electrically
operated. The range finder itself de-
ponds upon electricity for its effective
ness. The great mass Of the machinery
that goes to make up that clocklike
precision of the battleship depends upon
electricity All this forms a part OF
that electrical work OF the American bu-
reau of standards that has made II one
OF the greatest scientific organizations in
the world. and the leader of them all
when II comes to things electrical.
There is another standard Of electricity
which is sort of peck measure OF tse
trade. This is the ampere, which is the
measur OF amount Of current The am
pere is an International standard. An
ampere is such a current as. when passed
through a solution OF nitrate of silver.
will result in the Geposting of a certain
amount of silver per second. This pass
ing OF a current OF electricity through
nitrate Of silver is used by jewellers in
certain silver plating and oxidation
work. But IL is also used by the Scien-
fist when he wants to measure the
amount Of his electric current I'm a basic
way.
The householder who inquiries into the
detail OF the charges for electricity is
likely to hear a great deal about kilo-
watt and kilowatt hours. Reduced to the
vernacular q kilowatt is a horsepower
and third at work. OF course, some
horses can do a lot more work than
others. but in the general Interpretation
of a horsepower the kilowatt has got
one and a third of those patient animals
dashed to the mast
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

JHhING GAHbs
honestly believe it was hard for him to
tell where those who escaped had gone
to. but our captain kept on insisting.
cessity of getting the rest of his people
to come in that at last he agreed to
give the signal
This is done by hitting a hollow tree
trunk, which gives out sound like a
drum. We called the things jar pumps.
The Indian chief hit his jar pump in
certain way, but I'm not at all sure that
he gave the signal for the escaped In
dams to come in. These jar pumps, you
see, are a sort of jungle wireless. by
which the Indians. can have regular
talks with each other. and the chief may
have told the others to keep out OF our
way. They're a pretty smart people,
those Indians.
..Anyhow. none of them came back
though we waited around that village for
three hours Then we sent some OF our
pilots in search Of them. They saw
three running away; shot them ana
dumped in front of Jimenez. When pi-
lots are sent out after other Indians they
have to bring back their heads. otherwise
they stand good chance OF being killed
themselves.
.'Then the Indian chief was bound with
ropes and marched back to Agueros
camp at Chorrera. We also tied and
took along all the other Indian men and
ordered the women to follow with bas-
kets of provisions.
when we got back. the chief was put
in a sort of trap, which held his feet and
arms fast.
eff you don't make your men come
here in three days. you'll be killed. he
was told.
'.They didn't come. He was given three
days more. Still they didn't come. Then
our manager grabbed the chief by his
long hair and pulled him into the yard,
where he yelled to one of his men.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

other manager thought 1 knew my way
back to the Amazon and decided to pre-
vent my escape.
Anyhow. l was set TO work guarding
the new camp night and day. and didn't
dare try to escape. Then once more 1
was ordered to march into the forest
after Indians.
The new expedition consisted of DO
men-captains. Peruvians. Barbados ne
groes and Indian pilots-about one hun
dred of the latter We marched for seven
days to the Caqueta river. where we
camped quietly, for one OF our pilots had
told us there were bad Indians on the
other side. Bad Indians are Indians
who are not working yet for the rubber
men.
1--WE waited while our manager had
more ammunition brought up from Santa
Catalina. and then we were ordered to
surround and attack an Indian village
which our pilots had located.
I'VE marched silently through the for
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

and the Pcruyians went at them with
bare machetes and slaughtered every
one.
Then we marched back Ia camp. Our
leader reported. Did you XIII all?' asked
the Santa Catalina managers Every one
was the answer.
Good said the mana ger. And he
went back TO his work weighing and
shipping rubber.
And all the time the Indian prisoners
in the camp We're working away. and
others were bringing rubber from outside.
sometimes five or six days with huge
loads OF il on their backs, so that their
chiefs might not be murdered, and all
the time the only food che prisoners were
getting was what their wives brought
into camp. Sometimes the women would
be late, and then their men would get
nothing. I've seen them scramble on the
ground for anything that We let drop:
I've heard them beg for scraps OF food.
but if we fellows gave them any OF our
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04
Our Feathered Friends.

DOSE PASTOR PHELPS-STOKES.
~ during a recent visit TO Philadelphia.
told at charity society a country.
week" story.
Under an old apple tree" she said. Il
gathered a half-dozen little country
weekers about me one August afternoon
and. holding up a book. said:
Now. children. I'm going TO read to
you. This is the book. 1t Is called Our
Feathered Friends" Who are our feath-
cred friends. does any one know?
THE urchins on the grass regarded
one another doubtfully: then q little chap
riped In q ehrill key:
"'Angelsr"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

THOUGH Now Running
! an Elevator in a New
York Apartment, Barbados
Negro Formerly Took Part
in Cruel Raids on Helpless
Indians-Slaughter of Wom-
en- and Children and Enslav-
ing of the Men-Heartless
Managers of the Company
Veritable Butchers-His Es-
cape From the Snambles.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

coal is weighed into platinum
tray and placed on a support in In
side Of a bomb calortmeter. ms
quantity Of. combustible may be COM
pletely burned and the resultant heat
transmitted to weighed quantity OF
water in such manner that the enec.
of the heat can be accurately measured
ing the coal inside the bomb the cap is
screwed on tight and oxygen is forced
in at pressure Of about go pounds per
square inch. The bomb SO charged IS
then placed in the can containing the
weighed amount Of water and the whole
is put into place in a large double-Walied
brass can, covered with felt and contain
ing a relatively large quantity of water,
known as jacket.
The thermometer and stirrer are in
serted and the jacket is covered. The
temperature of the calorimeter is Observ-
ed at minute intervals for hve consecu-
tive minutes and at the end of the fifth
minute the electric current is closed. thus
firing the coal. The thermometer Is now
observed carefully, as 1t registers the
Temperature increase Of the water, and
the temperature noted at given inter-
walls is entered on the record sheet. The
net heating value is then obtained by
multiplying the rise of temperature caused
by the combustion Of the coal by the
water value of the calorimeter. This
process Of calculating the number OF
heat units IS q CcCnIllCdl OAC d1Iu 10
carefully carried out by the chemists
at the laboratories.
This work of testing coal and thus de-
termining it's market value was first
taken up by the technologic branch of the
geological survey. Ex-President Roose-
Welt, at that time holding office. wrote to
a body of leading engineers known as the
national advisory board on fuels and
structural materials. as follows:
THE recent Investigations have shown
SO wide variation in the cost OF general
ing heat and power for the various pub
lie buildings and other government pur-
poses that / would be glad to have the
national advisory board on fuels and
structural materials consider this matter
and recommend to me more uniformly
efficient basis for the purchase of fuel
supplies by the several departments Of
the government. and for securing the
highest attainable efficiency in the use of
these fuels.
This request was referred to govern
ment engineers familiar with power plant
requirements. and specifications for the
purchase Of coal on its actual heating val
ue were drawn up and later revised and
recommended by the advisory board. Con-
tracts were let in number of depart
ments on this basis and the chronological
branch set it's chemists to work making
analysis of the coal as it was received
from the dealers. The work was then
put into the hands of the present bureau
of mines, and carried on in much the
same fashion.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

est, while the jar pump at the Indian
village could be distinctly heard. Well
be on them in six hours, said our guides.
They told the truth. In about that time
we swooped down on fifty or sixty In
dams, all dancing and licking tobacco.
and took them completely by surprise.
They were having such good time that
they never saw us while we were sur
rounding their village and preparing to
rush them.
We all tore into the futs. yelling like
mad. and there was a terrible confusion.
Some few Indians tried to run and were
shot down as they fed. while the women
and children kept hollerfng on all sides
of us.
Zone Of our leaders shouted to us to
kill all the children, and our men went
after them. smashing their heads in with
machetes-they don't want to waste bull
let's on children, you know, because bull
let's are expensive-brought all the way to
the Pulamayo from the United tates.
while the pilots and the Peruvians
we're busy killing. one little child,
about four years old, went drifting
around, screaming. and Vasquez. one of
our captains. yelled to me: Smack it
with the butt of your gun, you! I pre-
tended not to hear Don't you hear what
/ say?' he shouted to me. Smash in that
chi1d's head. I tell you
II did nothing. and he came up to me
and gave me the eye. but he said no
more. And while we two stood there an
Indian pilot came running up and chop
ped the child almost clean in two with
his machete. 1t fell to the ground. and
it wasn't quite dead, SO Vasquez finished
it with his machete. Then they threw it
into the river.
".Vasquez turned again to me.
when your captain tells You to Kill
an Indian. why don't you do it?' he
snarled Again I said nothing. and he
turned on his heel and left me. 1 thought
he would punish me right away. but ne
didn't There were several of us Bar
bados boys there, anad we were all arm
ed, SO perhaps he didn't want trouble
way out in the forest.
AFTER the Indians We hadn't killed
were tied we started back to Santa Cata-
lima with them. All the way We feared
attacks from other Indians, but we
reached camp safely. There the man.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

Then the Indian chief. all cut up and
bloody. was put in the trap. After while
his Indians who had escaped came into
camp and gave themselves up: he mad
sent a message to them by one OF his
wives whom we had captured If Indians
love their chief they'll come into camp
and bring rubber when he orders them,
but il they don't love him they'll stay
away. and then he just starves or is shot
by the managers. In this case he sent
message that he would be killed unless
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

laborers We're wanted for work on the
Putumayo." he said. Some of my friends
there had the idea that Peru was too dis
NAL a place to go to, but others, including
myself. talked with the agents of the rub
Der company. and decided to sign a con-
tract for two years work.
I'VE sailed on a steamer which took
us up the Amazon to Manaos and then
changed to a smaller boat, which went up
the Javary and the Putumayo to place
called Chorrera. where / landed.
4 hadn't been on land long before one
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

ahead. we rushed the place Many In
were killed by the pilots, but many
succeeded in escaping.
All those who didn't were rounded
up in the village.
(Which is your captain?' asked
Jimenez, through one of his interpreters
1.-The prisoners pointed out their chief.
where are the rest of your men,
asked Jimenez.
The chief said he didn't know, and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

Shoot this fellow, And the chief was
killed then and there.
After that the women who had been
captured at the Indian village were dis
tributed among the managers men and
the Indian men We're put to work.
1--WE stayed in camp two weeks, after
which another expedition was organized
to go to the other side of the same river
on which we had found the first village.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

good their claims. terrible stories OF
murder and torture meted out to the
natives by rubber hunters have been
steadily trickling to civilized countries.
In that dark No-Man' STAND. where one
pound of rubber is worth far more than
a mans life. Putumayo Indians, we are
told, have been either massacred or
logged into submission by stern masters.
some Peruvian. some English, in the
of their wealth.
The tales have reached the ears of
one who knows the Putumayo we'll; who.
over and over again, has cut into its
almost impenetrable jungle lands, with
his Winchester on his shoulder and his
machete in his hand. on the search for
Indians. who. at the command of cruel
captains has burst into peaceful Indian
villages helped round up the inhabitants.
helped drive them back along the trail
to slavery: who perhaps. under the eye
Of these same grim captains. has fired
his bullets or swung his machete to
good effect-who knows? On that part
of his career he is reticent-
He is Barbados negro, Robert Isaac
by name, and he is now running an ele-
vator in a New York apartment house.
Enticed away from his West Indian home
by the offer Of big money to be made in
the jungles behind the Amazon, working
for a understanding concern which now
faces investigation at the hands of Eng
land and Peru-he suddenly found him.
self not a rubber hunter. but an Indian
hunter; not a laborer but WARRIOR
armed TO the teeth. fanked by murder
ois companions. doomed to live in a hell
or bloodshed and torture. Revolving at
last, he feigned sickness. and. floating
down the long stretches of the Putumayo
and the Amazon, saw mercy and decency
assume recognizable shapes again as he
drew near the outposts of civilization
Isaac came to the writer's office a few
nights ago and told the story of his two
years stay in the Putumayo rubber dis
frict For two hours he sat beside
desk with Broadway flashing and laugh
ing far below, and reconstructed the
scenes of his terrible nightmare. No
emotion. no attempts at effect, no stag
ing.
With a terrible simplicity in his choice
Of words that betrayed better than
could burning metaphor or sweeping
rhetoric the appalling commonpiaceness OF
such happenings along the Putumayo. he
told of Indian children hacked to pieces
by machetes, Indian chiefs starved to
death because they would not order their
followers into slavery, Indian women dis
tributed among the rubber hunters as
prizes of war.
And what did your captain say then?
Hell. Kill 'em all. That's the way
conversation with Isaac runs.
II was in Barbados when I heard that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

- rNCLE SAM. like other good
housekeepers must needs prac-
tice the art of economy and be
certain that he has his money 5
worth when purchasing the ne
cessities for his many homes. Not the
least of his problems is the proper pro-
vision for coal, and the public buildings
of Washington alone require the purchase
of thousands of tons each year. The act
ual buying OF this fuel Uncle Sam leaves
TO the general supply committee. but to
make sure that he is getting full value
he appeals 10 the bureau of mines. This
department proceeds to test the coal for
its percentage of ash and volatile matter
and for the number of heat units per ton.
and Uncle Sam pays the dealers accord
ingly.
For a large number OF its public build
ings. power plants and naval stations the
government purchases coal under con-
tracts that specify certain of its proper
ties and its heating value. The price paid
for this fuel Is the result OF the analys
of its samples. and. by agreement. should
the coal prove inferior. its price is low
cred. On the other hand. should the num-
Der of heat units be greater than was
guaranteed, a premium is paid the coal
dealer In this way. the actual heat value
OF thS coal becomes the principal consid-
Grafton. and 1t is not purchased. as was
often the case formerly. on the reputa-
lion of the dealer.
The 4th of June past found the office
Of the general supply committee filled
with sealed proposals specifying the quail
ity and price OF the coal offered for sale
by various dealers. These bids are made
out in duplicate on the form furnished
by the general supply committee, and
must be signed by the party or corpora
ton submitting them. Each proposal
must be accompanied by cash or a certi-
fled check drawn payable to the order OF
the Secretary of the Treasury. amountins
TO per cent of the estimated cost OF
the items for which they are submitted
and in no case to be. less than so. Thi:
is TO guarantee that. should an award b,
made on a proposal. the bidder will en-
ter into contract in accordance with
the terms of the proposal within ten day!
after the notification of the acceptance o
his bid Should he fail to do this, tn,
guarantee is forfeited.
Uncle Sam. however. reserves the RICH
20 reject any and all bids, to waive tech
meal defects and to accept any part o
any bid and reject the other part If thu
interest of the government should re
Guire it. Should there be a. any time
failure on the part of the dealer to carr,
out his part Of the contract, or il a will
dui attempt TO impose inferior coal upoI
the government is made. the latter ma.
declare the contract annuled. Though al
estimate. based upon the previous annua
consumption of the quantity needed ii
the various departments is made by tn
government, il reserves the right to orde
a greater or less quantity. according t
requirements.
Between am and p.m.-that is dur
ing the usual leaning" hours of a bust
ness day-the contractor il allowed to de
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

ROM the mySteri-
Gus rubber for
ests of the Putu-
mayo. thousands
of miles square,
thousands of miles
away. so remote
that Peru. Ecuador
and Colombia all
claim to own them
without ever get
ting up interest
enough TO make
.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

ayers gave orders that our Indian pris.
oners should be taken into the yard ana
flogged till they told where certain run
away Indians of their tribe had gone.
80 they were pegged out in the YARD.
and the cat-o'-nine-tails was put to them
by the big Colombian negro called simon
He whipped them nearly to deatn. put All
they would say was. L know nothing,
know nothing about it.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

The managers figured on finding other
Indian villages near, and they also
thought they might find the Indians who
had escaped from us.
so we started into the forest again.
After a long march we came across a
hut, where we captured seven men and
women. On inquiry it turned out that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-04

they gave thmselves up. and that was all
they wanted-they came in.
They all brought in rubber, too. 1t
was Immediately weighed. and then the
Indians were sent back for more and told
to be back In four days or their chief
would be killed. Our manager also told
them to let him know IL they saw any
other Indians who were not working: II
they did this, he said, he would release
their chief
They went away about twenty-five or
them. and returned in three or four days
with more rubber, but they declared that
they had seen no bad Indians. Again
they were sent out, and again they
brought back rubber. and said this time
that there were a lot of Indians on the
other side of the river. The manager
Immediately ordered an expedition out in
search of them.
'All this time things had been going
hard with me- Because l hadn't killed
the Indian child when / was ordered to
do SO on the last expedition, the man
ager had kept an eye on me. At last
one night. he said he had caught me
asleep while on guard and he promptly
ordered me to be put 'en carabinas,'
as it is called in Spanish. This consists
Of running rifle back Of your shoulders
and tying your arms against 1t. Inc
manager stood by feeling my pulse while
l was undergoing this torture-at the
end of fifteen minutes he ordered 1T
stopped-that was as much as l could
stand.
Then 1 was ordered to join the new
expedition. l told him I had a lame
leg. Get ready to march, was all he
said: we're short of men, So obeyed.
when We started off. I wished that
I had followed the example of some other
Barbadians, who had slipped away from
the camp and started down the Putu-
mayo. Some of them. heard later, had
finally reached the Amazon after ter
rible hardships- They were in the jungle
for months and were almost dead when
they were picked up. But they got away.
LAS for me, l shouldered my gun and
marched out with the rest. Soon we
caught twenty-five more Indians. and the
report was given out that they were a
band who had killed Peruvian a short
time before.
"'Kill them ALL ordered our leaders.