PERUVIAN ATROCITIES.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13418, 16 May 1912, Page 2

PERUVIAN ATROCITIES.

> HOW RUBBER IS COLLECTED

HOfIRIBLK TREATMENT OP

INDIANS

Mr. Seymour 8011, who was appointed by the Peruvian Amazon Rubber "Company in 1910 to visit Putumayo and report upon its commercial possibilities and investigate the stats of the Indians, lias just come back to London. He tells (says the "Press") a horriblo story of the cruelties practised upon tlio Indians in the collection of rubber in tho Putumayo district of Peru.

After visiting the whole of tho forest region Mr Bell says:—"l was forced to tho reluctant conclusion that the whole local system of rubber collection was based on systematic cruelty. Tho sys- ! tern is as follows: —The Indians are a primitive, gentle race of forest dwellers. Each rubber station is in charge of a, Peruvian, who koops an armed band, mostly half-breeds, and a small force of armed Indians. Through these tho natives aro terrorised. They were first of all caught and tamed by flogging and starvation. Then they were released and are iioav allowed to live in the (orost under supervision on condition tiiat they bring in. every ten or fift-ucn days a certain weight of rubber. Once a. quarter or so they aro made to carry the rubber down to the river sta-

lions, a. distance in some eases of as much as 60 miles. Tke whole of this j .work is enforced by Hogging, and often by torture and death. I know that from what I saw and from what I heard from tho evidence of men who took part in the acts described. In my judgment the Indians aro living in a mnst abject state of slavery of tho worst kind, and somo of tho cases of cruelty, moct terrible in the extreme, that were, brought to light, would, bo considered incredible. Floggings on the bare body with the most cruel kind-of whips was the principal form of punishment for not producing the required amount of rub-! bcr. We saw tho marks in the bodies \ of the Indians. I should say that 50 per cent, of them had marks of flogging on their bodies, Even the youngest, boys wore so marked." i

Mr. Bell then detailed certain specific arts of cruelty which had come -under lita own observation:—"A case of ill-1 treatment was brought to our notice at the? first place we landed on tlio company's property. About lialf way up tlie Cara I'a.runa, an affluent of the Putumayo, i\'o stoppod at a small substation to take firewood for our boiler^. Wo all went on shore for s stroll, and one of the iir.st parsons we saw was an Indian undergoing punishment because he Mas not disposed to work. He had :i big chain fastened to his ankle with ;;, padlock and was carrying somo twelve or more fec-t of chain o,n. his shoulders, the object being to prevent his running n'.vay to join his tribe. I was staying at a whito man's tioiiso in a clearing \ a t'ne forest. I saw gomo luitivos coming in, perhaps 20 or 30 of tli?fn, from the outlying districts. I noticed that one mar. mid a rut on his side-f roshlv made.

I .".v!<'*•'! t:ie l"Jian what was .the origiu of the cut. li:> replied: 'Tho white

inuii did it v. ith his machete- because I was not coming along quickly enough.' I i'.^V.t-d hi;i! to point out tho whits man who had cut him. R<\ pointed to one of th- Peruvian Company's employees. While we were talking an Indian cruno up. I-]o pointed to his long hair, and I noticed that his-onr had gono. I asked who l\r.d done it; lie replied 'the same man.' I learned that he had not brought in sufficient rubber. ■Immediately afterwards, I came- across another Indian who had been treated in precisely the same way. I. have seen Indians lying at the side of the. track exhausted or ill. When one of the masters came along they were kicked or beaten till they struggled on with their burdens. One tribe- that wo saw at Atenas wero roally walking skeletons."

Yn\ Bell dealt with tho question of tho Indian women. "In several trading stations," lie said, "I saw houses specially built for unattached Indian women. Recruits for these houses arc taken by force, and no regard is paid to the prior claim of the Indian husband."- Mr. 801 l next narrated several cases which did not come under his personal observation, but of which ho had reliable evidence, "f am satisfied," he said, "that Indians were often held under the water of the river until nearly drowned, 'in pon:e cases dvcxth did ■ensue. We heard of .some of these cases from the Indian chiefs, and in some instances the details came from, tho Peruvians themselves. This punishment was inflicted because tho Indians had not completed their take of rubber. I heard evidence of a case of two people being burned alive, an old woman and a young man. and this occurred on one day's march. Another case was that in which a small boy was taken away from his mother and beheaded before her eyes because she was unable to say where certain fugitive- Indians, nf whom the Peruvians were- in search, were hidden. ,