Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-16
BY HERBERT SPENCER DICKEY,
MD, AND HAWTHORNE DANIEL.

-QUTTOS, in those days, was like the
Wild West Of the old movies trans
planted to South America. Bars were
on every corner. Roulette balls clicked
merrily through the night in several
wide-Open gambling establishments. In truly
continental fashion, tables were placed on the
sidewalks in front of restaurants and invited
one 10 ices and ice creams translated into
'sorbetes," ''refrescos" and "heladas."
Tales drifted constantly into Iquitos about
the wealth Of the River Javary. This stream,
which forms q part Of the boundary between
Brazil and Peru. empties into the Amazon
about three days steaming below Iquitos.
It was famous for the quantity Of fine rubber
that was grown on its banks, and was famous
as well because 1t was q hotbed Of disease.
Moreover, there was no doctor there Brazilian
and Peruvian doctors were afraid, SO they told
me, to take the chance and foreigners had not
yet heard of it. So it was to the Javary that
was headed, in order to treat the sick of that
rubber-rich land, and to make my fortune as
expeditiOusly as possible in order to be able to
leave the jungles of that overheated valley for
ever.
Brazilian side of the Javary-that I made my
way. and there. just where the Rio Itecoahy
joins the Javary, that disembarked.
This new town to which had come blazoned
its character to the world in the very name 1t
bore. Remate de Males, translated, means
Contamination of Evils" and no town was ever
better named. No treaty Of extradition ex-
listed between Brazil and Peru In those days,
and Remate de Males was filled with just such
individuals as one might expect TO find In such
40 place.
A CROSS the river most Of them dared not
60. for Peruvian law would have seized
them. But as all their crimes had been COM
mitted beyond the border, they were In good
Cf0 Sva 10 AHoIa E1a,k
river, in a Peruvian town as like Remate de
Males as could be, there was another group
who, though In good standing In Peru, dared
not cross the river that flowed past their very
doors, lest the Brazilian authorities seize them
and incarcerate them for crimes that ran from
one end Of the criminal scale to the other.
whoever had had the naming of the Peruvian
town, however had had no such sense Of the
fitness Of things as had the person who had
christened Remate de Males. Instead OF o
name appropriate, the Peruvian town was
called Nazareth and then did its very success
ful best to open its doors to every sort Of
wickedness that was anomalous In place that
bore that name. Both these towns were filled
with murderers, thieves, malefactors OF all
= kinds.
It must be remembered that all the time I
spent at Remate de Males attending to the ills
Of the people of the vicinity was during the
shOrt-lived period of the rubber boom. Rubber
in those days, was only just coming into its
own AuComoDueS were making huge demands
for rubber to be used in manufacturing their
tires. and the Amazon Valley was the worlds
major source Of supply. Many years before,
cuttings had been taken from these Amazonian
rubber trees and thus founded the enormous
rubber plantations Of the British and Dutch
East Indies, but that supply did not seriously
compete with the Amazon until several years
later when, of course, more efacient methods
developed by the British and the Dutch elm
mated Amazonian rubber almost completely.
Before that calamity befen the Amazon VAL
ley. however, the very humblest rubber gatherer
save those who were exploited by others. Of
course-could earn the equivalent Of q pound
sterling day. Rubber was worth 10 shiIIings
-$250-a pound and a man with his wife and
several children could, with comparatively little
effort. earn $25 a day
Such an income, of course, was tremendous
fTWealth TO these people. Formerly many OF