[114] Robuchon was a French explorer, commissioned in 1904 by the Peruvian Government to make explorations, maps sketches, &c., and take photographs of the region of the Putumayo. He spent about two years there, traversing nearly the whole of the district occupied by the "civilising company," when in 1906 he suddenly disappeared in the vicinity of a point called El Retiro. As he is known to have taken several photographs of the horrible crimes committed there, it is thought by many that he was victimised by the employees of Arana. Considering the character of these miserable criminals and certain other peculiar circumstances that are said to have taken place, it would not be strange if such were really the case.--AUTHOR. [115] _Personal_, a gang of men. [116] _Cauchero_, rubber-collector. [117] An error of España's. _Aristides_, not _Juan_ Rodriguez. [118] We shall see later how the Iquitos authorities proceeded in this matter.--AUTHOR. [119] _Tambo_, small, empty hut of thatch. [120] Both of these copper-complexioned monsters were formerly barefooted _peons_ of Chachapoyas, Peru. Going to the Putumayo, they began their career of butchery, and by dint of continual crime have succeeded in amassing a small fortune. Arístides has since retired and now lives in Iquitos, a proud member of the _aristocracia_ of that place, but Aurelio still continues his sanguinary labours in Santa Catalina.--AUTHOR. [121] The chiefs of section call their criminal assistants _secretaries_.--AUTHOR. [122] It is impossible to print the whole of this description.--EDITOR. [123] Although full accounts appeared in _Truth_ in 1909, it was not until long afterwards, when the accounts had been confirmed, that the London daily Press took the matter up. [124] Mr. Casement received the honour of knighthood after his return. [125] This has been commented upon in the Introduction.--EDITOR. [126] Equal to about 105 lbs.--EDITOR. [127] See p. 32. [128] In outlying places in Peru and other Latin American countries it is extremely difficult to obtain the conviction of or even to sustain a process against wealthy or influential persons, as in small localities the "justices" are completely overawed or influenced by them. There is, moreover, a strong element of police-court methods in Latin America such as has been rendered familiar by occurrences in New York.--EDITOR. [129] Some further arrests have been made since.--EDITOR. * * * * * Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: Peruvian Governmant=> Peruvian Government {pg 41} Materon=> Materón {pg 105} Folis pardalis=> Felis pardalis {pg 114 n.} Loyaza=> Loayza {pg 165 & 166} Rubber from Matanza=> Rubber from Matanzas {pg 267} Jiminéz=> Jiménez {pg 324 & 326} Ghiorgo, Lieut., 190, 193=> Ghiorzo, Lieut., 190, 193 {pg 343} End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Putumayo, The Devil's Paradise, by Walter Hardenburg