The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1916-08-11

winter nor summer in Guatemala.
The train passed through miles and
miles of tender, green, young sugar
cane, as well as cane in full growth
being cut by the Indian laborers, or oc-
casionally by jamaican negroes, whose
villages Of matched cottages lined the
tracks and were visible in the valleys
down which the train sped. Some cot
tages were matched with banana
leaves, some rooted with red, native
tiles of beautiful tints.
Indian Fruit Sellers.
Indians came to the train with pine
apples in size and flavor far superior
to anything one obtains in the United
States, and with coconuts, grapes, al
ligator pears, rich, juicy, fruity man
goes of fresh pink and red and pale
green tints, as different from the dark.
picked mango Of United States CON
sumption as can we'll be imagined.
Everywhere, from Guatemala City
to San Jose, on the Pacific, there was,
In truth, q very garden of Eden"
with immense tracts Of land not yet
taken up, ready for the enterprisins
citizen of the United States, whom the
government of Guatemala is ready at
every turn to encourage and to assist.
At Esquintia, a modern city of brick
and stone and cement, there are me-
MORALS of the Spanish domination, and
Of the times when the aristOcracy OF
Guatemala went there each January
and February for diversion. 1t is a
city filled with palms, and there are
many beautiful baths.
There are other memorials, too, and
some Of these attracted immediate at
tention upon arrival at Pantheon.
These are of the Indians who are max
ing that great estate, the greatest in
Central America, still greater. In the
patio behind the manor house, was a
great group of stone idols, visible
through the open doors of the resi-
dence, with a fountain for foreground
which was surrounded by four i'm.
mense cOcOnut palms. studded Il few
feet up with that parasite Of the trop-
ics-orchids. No one knew when or
how the idols had come there.
1t is said that all along the west
coast once extended the tribes Of Cho-
lula, who founded many ''lordships."
Sculptured stone idols We're first found
in this neighborhood in 1860. Excava-
tons brought to light pillars, statues.
stone obelisks. etc. Bas-reliefs were
found which contained the representa-
tons of the horns Of cows. Oxen were
not known In the new world before the
arrival OF the Spaniards.
Some Psychologists and historians,
therefore, believe that these bas-reliefs
represent the goddess Isis Of the Egyp-
tians. But this has to do with ancient
history and the mystery Of the civil
cation and settlement of Central Amer.
lea, q theme for the scientists. AS we
turned away from the sculptured stone
idols and monuments at Pantaleon
plantation we found, ready waiting, a
most up-tO-date steam locomotive and
private car, to transport US through the
miles and miles of sugar cane to San
Vincente, a coffee benefici0 Cleaning
factory, and another beneficio, named
San Gregario, also belonging to Her
rarra Brothers, the owners of Panta.
leon sugar plantation and mill.
Coffee and sweetening.
The coffee trees had just come into
flower and their fruit was not yet
ready to wash and put through the
various processes, but We were in luck
on the sugar plantations, for 1t was
cutting and grinding season, and after
we had watched the 5000 cattle grazing
knee deep in the great pastures and
the Indians cutting the cane we came
back to the mill and the manor house.
In the mill we saw 1000 bags of 100
pounds each of refined white sugar
being turned cut each day. Sugar cane
was fed in and refined sugar in sacks,
1000 of them day, taken out. The
mill worked night and day, "A hours on
a stretch. Grinding season began at
Christmas and continued until the mid
die Of May. There are 10000 tons OF
cane In a crop.
The white graduated sugar goes to
the United States and white Demarra
crystal sugar is made for export to
London. Every Indian on the place has
been taught there. There is splendid
laboratory equipment, with perfect
chemical and scientific control OF the
Il