The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-12-22

pull back in going down The yoke
is so tightly fastened to the heads that
the animals cannot move il. and the
flies eat away unmolested-
And then there are donkeys with
packs on their backs. and this never
ending procession Of Indians loaded
with freight There are groups of wo-
men with bags and trays on their
heads. all thotting along through the
dust Now and then you see party
resting By the wayside. and at night
fall YOU may sec their little fires
where they have struck camp till day
break.
Indian PIIprimages.
These Indians are religious. find
them in every church and see them
kneeling at every shrine. They give
more of their earnings to the Lord
than do the whites. and they are the
chief support of the churches. Every
one Of their towns has its church. an
il is ofen bigger than all the other
houses combined. They are supersr-
tiOus They carry waNen images
around upon saint days. the whole
population kneeling as the procession
goes by.
They believe 70 certain extent in
witch doctors. and when they get any
disease they do not understand. they
straightway think themselves be
witched and get a medicine man to
cure them. The latter mutters some
mysterious words over the patient and
usually searches the bed upon which
he lies. finding an image he has put
there He shows this TO the patient
and tells him it is the cause OF his
sickness. demanding his fee, which he
gets.
The Roses Of Hell.
Another queer superstition is as to
the roses OF HE'LL or certain flowers
which grow on a tree on the slopes
Of the Volcano de Aqua These flow
ers look not unlike roses. but they are
of wood and bark in the outlines of
flower The petals are similar to
those of half blown rose and their
insides are curved with lines which
appear to be carved. Some Of the
blossoms are twelve inches wide /
have bought some Of these flowers
and am taking them home as curio-
They have no sap and no OdOr and
the bloom seems to be bark or wood
The Indians call these flowers the
roses OF hell" and they say that IL
they are soaked in tea they will yield
a poison which is sure TO bring death
They hold the flower In terror and
have a tradition that when the vol
cano once overfiowed and buried a
city under il nothing was left except
these trees.
The Toitec Bible.
Mixed with the belief OF these In
dams are many superstltionS which
have come down from their ancestors
The Toitecs had 2 religion Of their
own and there Is in the public library
al Chichi CastenanCO what Is said to
be the only copy eXtsnt OF the TOitec
Bible. This deals with the origin OF
man and the creation. II speaks OF
three gods. one Of whom was an In
dian whose name was The Roaring
Wind a second The Powerful crca-
tor and 2 third The Fiumed serpent
These three gods made everything. IN
Guiding man. They created the heav-
ems and tn. earth and the waters IN
der the earth AMI all that = Ia them
7 am told that this book descr bcs the
delugc and that q has story much
like the confusion OF tongues At the
Tower or Babel
IL relates that after - tire man
BEGAN 10 travel and that the best OF
mankind came TO Mexico and built
cities have not seen The manu-
script. but the rc7ort comes from
missionary and - doubtless correct
The Indians are pcaceablc and no;
Il All dangerous @ travellers They
are very ignorant and their chief wee
Is drunkenness. have seen men reel
Ing aiong the roadway ana lying
drunk ~ the sides % the road almost
evervwhere during my travels through
.hc interior Al ev.ry mile mere ~
p rude drinking place and near the
cities such saloons msy b. found az
every feu hundred ards. The IN
diaus On TIE roadway almost invari-
sblv have bottles % brandy With them.
This - the sort known az White
I've Il Is made Of sugar and 10
deadly.
Practically slaves.
The labor ~ Guatemala a. have
s,id T. almost altogether Indian. ana
III many cases e - = little better than
SLAYER Peorage - noninaiiy abol-
iseed n that q MAJ c7nnot inherit q
deb. ffo- his parents ncr ern Ne se
forced q work oat debts co1trsct-e
before he comes q age. on the other
hand. ~ can so into debt himself. and
10 b. docs - hc is forced 70 stay on