The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 31, 1902, Page 13

THE SUNDAY CALL. 13 - Controversy Over the “Pious Funod. CThe Jirst (Meeting of the Elrbitrators. TOo-Morrow, at The Hague, Will Be Dis- cussed the Most Unigue, Longest- Qontinled and Least-Heard-of International Dispute That O-MORROW at The Hague will be held the first meeting of arbitrators who are to adjust the most unique, 1 st-continued and least-heard- international dispute that ever rose. It involves a vast sum of money . carries with it the touching story of of the most remarkable ica’s historic religious institutions he Western Coast, where s are crumbling to- ders of the glory of the The controversy is between the United States and Mexico over what is known as ous fund.” For six decades this overwhelmed in the vortex ican Treasury, but eight months ago the State Department took up the case and & final settlement seems essured. Bir Edward Fry of England end A. de M of Russia are the ar- trators for the United States and Mex- & represe ves are Pagana Guenas d Savornin Lehmann of this meeting they will select t September 15 the its difficult work s are expected to be ex- subject is fraught with Chili of It ven with the herolc Spanish missions is “plous fund of the more than two ries ag Jesuits in con- g the Indians on the Pacific Slope nsula, it survives and the greed of s of the Catholic church re than a quarter of iled to provoke responses of M na” until 157. xic d to the United amounting to It was asserted extin- intere another mil of principal be arbitrated. Archbishop co has gone to the Catholic AUMAN ELESH RS BAIT OR THE wow, as he has always que position in ! 1 There are nces in which he was BO and it was sup- er were to feed her 2 ! s soul would en- ter into the animal's body and the latter end to the family. y cared In the s rarel ° mes ™~ ered with raising dre s was a convenient and gh the waters surrounding the s nfested with sharks, it is rare & e fisherman exhibits fear 4 the fishermen ning the most des- ttacking. While the ider for a moment especial god, he ne about taking some @ivide the sharks frequent- waters into five specles, as enaka (man shark) of the ancient Ha- & large white shark, e largest and flercest of wo are rarely seen in Ha- The Niuhi is said to bs g way off at night by the bright of its eyeballs. It only is the natives. mes the catching of the x a royal sport, but there no regular Niuhi fishery for years. A large quantity of the e common shark would be ob- hese, with a little of the 114 be wrapped up in the leaves of the ti plant and baked underground. Mano- From fifty to & hundred of the largest double canoes would be loaded baked meat and large quantities nded roots of the awa, mixed water and put in large fleet would sall many miles the direction from which the wn to appear, and arriving ely shallow place anchor. aked liver and meat would rboard, a few bundies at a sharks. After a few ra scent of the cooked through the water for every direction. About the the Niuhi would ap- es of the baked meat rown out as fast as it could After a while the shark mparatively tame and would 1e other of the canoes to of the liver with the 1ld then be given to it, become not only satis- ipefied from the effects of t would be the end. A pped over the shark’s head, up anchor and sail for rk following a willing pris- with more of the meat time to time. It would be low water and there strand- illed. Every part of its bones nd skin was supposed to confer unflinch- " £ bravery on the possessor, while the Bver Arose. Regarding the actual amount of the plous fund no one can speak with cer- tainty. The mast reliable estimates place it at $3,000,000 and upon a sum approximat- ing this figure the interest is understood to be calculated. There are varying esti- mates, however, of the original value. Mere figures can convey no idea of the religious fervor, apostolic zeal and human suffering that is bound up in the history of this fund. Its origin is shroud- ed in the glamour of antiquity. Great men of the seventeenth century freely gave of their worldly store to hasten the evange- lization of the Span'sh possessions. Mighty conceptions of religlous conquest spurred these proud and haughty hidal- gos. Few endowments have left such last- ing imprints on civilization as that of the dons. Fortified by this fountain of SHARKS. actual captor, he who slipped the noose over the animal's head, would also ever after be always victorious. Human flesh was also formerly used as bait. The victim was cut up and left to decompose for two or three days in a bar. rel or tub. In olden times the use of this kind of balt was in great vogue with the kings and chiefs. It was used because it was much cheaper and more easily se- cured than pig or shark liver, was equally acceptable to the shark, and gave the king or chief an opportunity to get rid of any one who was in his way or to whom he had taken a dislike. Kamehameha L, the Napoleon of the group, was a great shark hunter and kept his victims penned up near the great heiau, or temple, of Mookini, near Kawaihae, Hawaii, until he was ready to use them. The hammer-headed and white-fin sharks are captured in gill nets, seines or bag nets with other fishes. The larger species are taken usually with hook and line, as ro net would be strong enough to hold them. Shark hooks are generally made of a plece of hardwood carved to the proper shape, with a piece of sharp pointed bone lashed to the end to form the tip. Few of the hooks have a barb. But frequently the fishermen take sharks with spears. Diving to a favora- ble spot in about five or six fathoms of water, the fisherman places himself in a half-crouching posture against a large coral rock and walts for the shark to ap- pear. When one comes he darts the spear into a vital spot, if possible. Should he fall to kill the fish with the spear he watches his opportunity and completes the operation with his knife, fearlessly engaging at close quarters. Should the shark appear while he is descending or ascending a battle royal is on at once, with the chances largely in favor of the rk, as the diver is unable to usé his spear and must trust to his knife at close quarters. As the native is apparently as much at home below the surface as above it his wonderful skill sometimes saves him. Frequently the native seeks the shark in coves and caves below the surface, af- ter the fish has gorged itself and sleeps with its head forced into the sides of its resting place. The diver gently slips a noose around the tail and the shark is then hzuled up and dispatched. The slightest false movement of the diver would startie and he would probably re- gret having attacked. Yet experts have been known to capture six or eight sharks in a day in this manner. Bhark’s teeth are highly prized by the natives, while the ofl extracted Is valuable and of good quality. The fins are fre- aquently dried and shipped to China, where they are copsidered a great delicacy. —_—————— Dr. Piller—Your husband’s stomach is in & very bad condition. Mrs. Newlywed—Oh, my! Do you think my cooking is responsible for it? Dr. Piller—Well, it's a severe case of gastritis, and— Mrs. Newlywed—Gastritis? Gracious! It's that gas range he made me use this summer!—Philadelphia Press. wealth, the Franciscan fathers pushed through the wilds of California, establish- ing in the unexplored country a complete chain of missions. They braved the sav- agery and superstition of the natives and sent expeditions from Mexico as far north as San Francisco. Many tribes of In- dians were gathered into the fold and transformed by thelir labors into neophyte children of the church. What great hopes, trials and sorrows were experienced by these intrepid men amid thelr almost superhuman labors! But for the pious fund these expeditions by land and sea would have been impossible. At a later period, for want of the golden strength of this fund, the missions—mon- uments to the sufferings and privations of the friars—were abandoned. They be- came but piles of adobe—historic ruina that still excite the curiosity of tens of thousands of tourists who yearly visit the Pacific Coast, During the administration of Don Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor of Cali- fornia, the missions passed into private hands. Some were sold, others rented. Father Narcisco Duran, the last of the Franciscans to brave the poverty of those dark days, died in want. The “gringo” had come. Imperious Santa Anna, greedy and will- ful in his sway as President of the Mex- ican republic, indirectly caused the con- trol of the missions to pass temporarily from the church. In 1842 he practically confiscated the plous fund. It then con- sisted of much real estate, urban and ru- ral, mortgages and collateral securities representing more than a century and a half of careful administration by the friars and the Spanish crown. By de- cree it was sold for $2,000,000, and the money converted into the depleted Mexi- can treasury. The fund had been pil- laged at intervals and credits amounting to $1,000,000 were held agalnst the treas- ury. In 1683 the crown had invited the Jesuits to undertake the task of gaining a foot- hold on California soil, which had proven too great for the soldiery, but it was fifty-four years later when the religlous order made the attempt. The Jesuits of- fered to effect the reduction of the coun- try without expense to Spain if allowed to select their civil and military officers in the new domain. The burden of the task fell upon Fathers Juan Maria Sai- vatierra and Francisco who were fired with amazing zeal to civ- flize the Indians. These men started the plous fund. Kino, Don Alonzo Davalas, Condi zeal as a missionary, and Father Fran- cisco Maria Piccolo shortly joined Fath- ers Salvatierra and Kino in the under- taking. Salvatierra finally sailed from the mouth of the Yaqui River and reached California with a corporal, five soldlers and three neophyte Indians. With this force he aimed at the conquest of the country as far north as Cape Mendocino. But this task was destined to be left to other hands. Father Ugarte remained in Mexico as procurator of the fund until the Jesuits were driven from the country in 1768 by royal decree. The trust then devolved on the erown, and the missions in Alta California were given to the Franciscan and those In Lower Califor- nia to the Dominican friars, The memorable march of Father Juni- pero Serra, one of the Franciscans, from San Diego to San Francisco was not be- ." gun until 1769. This holy man, after un. yight to -, d the money of the friars and To told hardships and privations, laid the reclaim California from the heathen was foundation for the missionary system, This was in February, 1342 Later in the and his labors were one of the most po- Bishop Diego had ambitious plans. A# Santa Barbara he laid the foundations for a monastery, cathedral, ecclesiastical palace and theological school to be bullt with the revenue from the fund. Before the work was well started dominant Santa Anna issued a decree annuling his placing the. fund In government control. same year the famoys decree was issued de Miravalles, Don Mateo Fernandez de la Cruz and the Marquis de Buena Vista each gave $1000. Other noble dons con- tributed until within a very short time the fund amounted to $15,000. Don Pedro de la Sierpe, then Treasurer of Acapulco, added a gallipot to transport the mission- aries. From 1697 to 1745 many large con- tributions were made. The Marquis de Villa Puente and his wife, the Marchion- ess de las Torres de Rado, were the most munificent patrons, giving over half a million dollars. Dona Josepha Paula de Arguelles of Guadalajara gave $240,000 and the Duchess of Granada $120,000. Don Juan Caballero y Ozlo gave $20,000 and the Congregation Nuestra de Dolores $10,000. The sainted Father Juan Ugarte, noted for his immense stature as well as for his tent factors in the early upbuilding of the Golden Gate. Each mission when estab- lished was given an endowment of $10,000 from the plous fund, and from the reve- nue thus derived the padres were able to carry on the work of civilizing the red men. On the declaration of Mexican inde- pendence Mexico succeeded the crown of Spain as trustee of the fund, and a junta was establighed to administer it. Finally, in 1838, the Mexican Congress provided an annuity of $8000 to a mitre if a bishopric was established In California and granted to the incumbent the care of the plous fund. An episcopal diocese was there- upon established by Pope Gregory XVI, and Francisco Garcia Diego was made Bishop of the see. by Santa Anna under! which the fund was sold to Don Saraio for $2,000,000. The work at Santa Barbara was stopped and the retrograde movement began. Santa Anna agreed to pay 6 per cent Interest for the support of the missions, but the promise was never kept. The doors of the treasury were sealed against the Franciscan friars. For years all trace of the fund was lost. Hon. John T. Doyle, now living near Menlo Park, and the late Eugene Cas- serly were retained to discover what had become of the fund. After ten years of careful research many of the deeds were traced through the discovery of an inven- tory of lands and credits made at the time of the seizure by Santa Anna by the venerable Don Pedro Ramirez. Sufficient » eviden.e was gathered to bring the mat- ter before the Mexican Claims Commis- sion that sat in Washington in 1870. Under the convention which determined the powers of the commission no claim 80 old as the pious fund could be con- sidered. Demand was made for the in- terest accruing since the treaty of Gaud- alupe Hidalgo in 184. The commission- ers were divided in opinion and the case was carried before Sir Edward Thornton, then British Embassador in Washington, where it was brilliantly argued for the petitioners by Messrs. Doyle and Casser- Iy and opposed with ability by Don Man- uel Azpiroz of Mexico. The decision gave the United States one-haif of the interest on the fund, amounting to $04,000. The money was distributed among Catholie churches from Salt Lake City, Utah, to San Diego, Cal. There are four rare books extant con- taining the evidence introduced at the former inquiry and the decision of the referece. Mr. Doyle has one, Archbish- op Riordan another, the third is in the J-ossession of the State Department, and the fourth is held by the Right Rew. George Montgomery, Bishop of Los An- geles and Monterey. JOHN L. VON BLON.