| Show aar DE SOTO MATERIAL TAKEN FROM SPAIN new data Is I 1 discovered by woman searcher new york the contents content of a number of old spanish documents bearing on early american history have been saved even though the originals may have been destroyed in the spanish revolution M miss 19 9 irene A wright historian revealed here alter after arrival from lisbon portugal for twenty three y years e a r s miss wright has lived in spain and she has written several books on early voyages to the caribbean for the past several months she has been engaged in special research on the life of de soto for the united states de soto expedition commission which will celebrate celebia te between 1938 and 1942 the fourth centennial of de sotos solos expedition into florida and other parts of the south has copies of documents miss wright left spain a short time before the spanish hostilities began hence she does not know whether the original documents into which she delved for facts about de soto have been destroyed but she deems it highly probable that some have been lost of a number of these sixteenth century papers she brought back copies and photostats photo photos stats fats but of others of great interest she has no records miss wright expressed special fear that the collection of old documents in the attic of the municipal building in the village of jerez de los caballeros where de soto was born have been destroyed since severe fighting has been reported in this area the papers were all neatly stored in the attic of the building and the mayor who was the village blacksmith g gave a v e her every assistance in h her er researches the rest of her work miss wright did in the archino general de indies in seville which contains an extensive collection of documents relating to the discovery conquest and early government of spanish america there is a mine of information there about american history as yet untouched by research workers miss wright said and it if the structure should be destroyed st the loss to historians of early america would be incalculable establishes Estt bUshes birth date by her researches miss wrig wright lit established from original documents that de soto was born in 1500 she found much material about his early career in central america and peru and thinks that he played a much more important part in Pi expedition than historians have given him credit for the estimate of de sotos solos character also must be revised miss wright thinks he has been considered the gentleman conquistador hitherto but spanish documents indicate that he treated indians of central america and peru with considerable cruelty and that he was exceptionally mean about money he financed his expedition to florida with gold and silver taken i from efrom indians in central america and peru much of the metal having been adornments of the indians I 1 fewer documents exist in 1 spain about the florida expedition 1 which was considered a fiasco 1 about which the survivors were not I 1 eager to talk de soto also was proved to be an unusually success ifal atul ladies man miss wright said |
