New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-18
YFoEMArIoN TAINTED.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 1907.
Could you give me any respecting such
islands, ifaDy the going 10 purchase
1t is an uncle of mine that wants TO know. He IS an
industrious man, and well-disposcd, and wants 20
make living in an honest humble way but more
especially he wants to bc quiet. Ho wishes TO settle
down and be quiet and unosteutatiOus. He has
been TO the new island-St. Thomas-but
he says he thinks things are unsettled
there He went there, early, with an attachc of tho
State DEPARTMENT. who was sent down with money
TO pay for the island. My uncle had bis money in
the same box, and 50 when.hey went ashore, getting
receipt the sailors broke open the box and took all
the money. not making any distinction between Gov
eminent money, which was legitimate money 10 be
stolen, and my uncles, which was MS own private
property and should have been respected. But he
came home and got some more, and went back. And
then he took the fever There are seven Kinds Of
fever down there, You know, and as his blood was
out of order by Of loss OF sleep and general
wear and tear Of mind, be failed TO cure the hIst
fever and then somehow he got the other six lie is
not kind Of man that enjoys levers, Though he Is
wemeanng and always does what no thinks Is
right, and 50 he was good deal annoyed when 1t
appeared that he was going TO die.
But he worried through and got well, and started
farm. He fenced It IN, and the next day that great
storm came and washed the most Of 10 over 10 Glib
raltar around there somewhere. He only said, m
his patient way, that it gone and lac wouldn't
bother about trying TO find ont where il went to,
though it was his opinion il went to Gibraltar.
Then he invested IN mountain, and started q
farm up there so as 10 be out Of the way when the
sea came ashore again. II was q good mountain and
a good laun-but il wasn't any Use-an earthquake
came the next night and shook it all down. II was
all fragments, you Know and so mixed up with an
other mans property that he could not tell which
were his fragments without gong TO law, and he
would not do that because his main object in going
TO St. Thomas was to be quiet. All that he wanted
was TO settle down and be quiet
lie thought 1t al over and hnally he concluded 10
try the low ground again, especially rs he wanted 10
start a bTickyaTd this time. lie bought q flat and
put out 10000 bricks TO dry preparatory to baking
them. But luck appeared TO DC against him. A vol
canO showed itself through there that night, and
elevated his bTickyard about 1900 feet in the air IL
irltated him n good deal. He has been up there,
and he says the bricks are all baked night enough.
but he can't get them down. At first he thought
may be Government would get the bricks down for
him, because if Government bought the island it
ought to protect the property where man has in
vested in good faith but all he wants is quiet, and
he IS not going to apply for the subsidy he was
thinking about.
He went back there last week. in a couple Of ships
OF war, TO prospect around the coast for safe place
for a farm, where he could be quiet; but another
earthquake came and hOstcd bOt.i of the ships ont
into one OF the interior counties and he near
losing his life So he has given up prospecting in
ship, and is discouraged.
Well now be don't know what 70 do. lie has tried
Walrlssia but the bears kept after him so much,
and kept him so the jump, as il were, that be had
to leave the country lie could not be quiet there,
with those bears pIanclng alter him all the time.
That is how he came TO go to the new island we have
bOught-St. Thomas. But lie IS getting 10 think 81.
Thomas is not quiet enough for mGn Of his turn Of
mind, and that is why he wishes me TO find out if
Government is likely to buy some more islands
shortly. lie has heard that Government IS thinking
about buying Porto Rico. If that true be wishes 10
try Porto Rico, if it is quiet place. How IS Porto
Rico for ms style of a mani Do you think the Gov
crnmeDt viii buy itY MARX TWAIN.