Norwich bulletin., 1921-03-05
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
DRAMATIC BURIAL OF DE SOTO.


 One of the most picturesque of the ear- ly adventurers in America was Ferdinand De Soto, whose exploits are inde,ibly as-. sociated with the middle west through his discovery of the Mississippi river. For more than two years his hungry and foot sore followers had been wandering in the wilds of the south when they accidentIy came upon the great river.
 De Soto.s mission had, as its first in- centive, the discovery of gold, and when he came upon the Mississippi he found no reason to traverse it in order to gam ter ritory for Spain, as that country already. claimed all the land as part of Florida He remained only sufficiently long on the east bank to build scows with which to cross it. The transit being completed, De Soto and his men set out on a march across the present state of Arkansas.
 All through the summer the little army marched through a country inhabited only by fierce and hostile Indians The brave company that had set out from Spain three years before 500 strong became re- duced to less than half that number. They suffered all kinds of hardshtps. and tbeir worn-out clothing was replaced with the furs and skins of beasts
 Winter came on once more and the par ty went into camp in the western part Of Arkansas, 'disheartened at not attaining the object of their search. Finally De Soto was compelled. to give up his search for the Eldorado. and fin tfe spring he de termined to :retrace. his steps to the great river. The backward march had the merit at least of cheering hls men. It was in the direction of Cuba, and therefore of Spain.
 i Arriving at the Mississippi in May, 1642, De Soto set about the task of build | ing two small vessels to send to Cuba with news of the expedition. He had de- cided to plant 8 settlement on the banks of the river. and to effect beginning he had taken over an Indian village situated | in position easily defended.
 Here the work on the vessels was in progress when De Soto, to whom distress of mind was now becoming more and more apparent to his officers, fell into an illness that baff1ed every one about him None of the remedies known to them and to be secured in the wilderness seemed tc be of avail Whatever his sickness was he saw that, the end of his life was near He called, his officers to his bedside and gave them farewell instructions. The sol diers were brought before him in squads of twenty and he said goodbye to. then all
 l lowed him through his long wanderfngs told him his hour approached, he said q submit without murInur to the vii of God" And so died Ferdinand De So
 to in the forty second year of his age. When he was gone his followers real 1 ized that a calamity had befallen. HI: was the only spirit among them tha
 could hold the hostile Indians in check Fearful that the news of his death would lprecipitate an attack. they kept 1t secre among themselves. and buried their lead CT privately within the stockade of th'
 camp. 1@-.t-
 The inuuiring Indians were told .tha l De Soto was better, but they did not be lieve 1t and looked suspiciously al tn lnew earth where he had been buried. I'm terrified the Spaniards and they decided Yin taking up the body and bury 1t .wher i the Indians could not find it If the!
 should try:
 F It was decided to make the river D
 Soto's sepuIchre, and In the darkness Q might his body was exhumed and rolled Il cloth with wet sand to weigh It. and thu 1t was taken in a rude boat out on tn
 broad bosom of the, great river and ssi fently sunk beneath its surface.
 The spot where this dramatic funera
 was held is not known, and 1t Is posstbl 7 that with the shifting of the river tn
 place in it's channel where the body :o De Soto settled in the ooze may todd,
 be dry land. ' L. As soon as their chief was buried tn followers of De Soto turned thei thoughts to escaping from the land i which they had suffered so much. The
 abandoned the idea of sending ships { Cuba and. started to travel overland t Mexico So great were the obstacles i
 such journey that they returned to n liver and summoned an their sinking eri ergies, built enough rough vessels tS e1z