Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-06-05
CRIMEIN CUBA.
Havana the Paradise of the .FootPad
and the SwindIer.
Havana Cor. Inter-ocean.

Havana the Paradise of the IFootpad
and the SwindIer.
Havana Cor. Inter-ocean.
Tn demonstrating the globe did
not find a single place where 1t was
necessary to exercise such strict care
fitness in order to keep myself and
personal effects intact as it is in
Cuba.
There seems TO be no limit to the
number of thugs and footpads that
walk the streets of Havana, and GER
tainly no limit to the audacity which
thew display in plying their nefarious
business. We have uncanny csar-
acters Ia the states, but they follow
sly, cunning methods and work IN
the dark..or in a crowd. Here no hour
in the day is too dangerous, no place
in the city too public, and no project
too daring for the lawless element.
In the brief five weeks that l have
spent here have been brought to witt
ness personally more than one at
tempt to rob in broad daylight.
According to agreement l was to
meet gentleman with his wife and
sister at the Cafe Central one day last
week in order that we might proceed
together from that point to sugar
plantation, which we had a permit to
visit. The Cafe Central is approprla>
tely named, being on one OF the
conspicuous corners of the Parque
Central,
IN THE VERY HEART OF THE CITY.
When 7 arrived at the cafe the ladies
were sitting in one of the carriages
which we had ordered and the gentle
man stood beside it, wiping the per-
spiration from his forehead.
"Isn't this rather earl : IN the day
for such free perspira.ion2" 1 enauir-
ed.
st may be" was the response, "but
have just returned from chasing
negro four or five blocks away. Ny
wife was getting into the carriage
when he passed along and made a
grab at her watch. She looked down,
and seing the broken, dangling chain
called out to me that he had her
watch. / chased him several squares,
but he finally elude d me. and return
ed to lind that after all he had not
obtained the watch, as it had caught
in nay wife's pocket. No one offered
to stop the fleeing wretch, although /
yelled all the time.
This occurred at the hour of eleven
o'clock In the morning.
1t is a characteristic of the Havana
public not to lend any assistance In
stopping a fugitive thief. suppose
the people think such a service too
mental for any one except police>
man to perform.
THE LANDLADY OF THE HOTEL
where I am stopping was robbed of
500 three or four years ago in broad
daylight on one of the principal bou-
levards here known as the Parque de
la india, where any one of score of
men might have apprehended the cul-
prit. She had her pocket book con-
tanning the money done up in her
pocket handkerchief, and was holding
the valuable package tightly, between
her two hands rather than trust it to
her clothes. A vagabond boy came
along, struck her q smart blow in the
chest, which caused her to relax her
hold upon the pocket book by reason
of the pain, and then, Selling the
package, began to effect his escape.
In bis haste he stumbled in the
gutter and might easily have been
seized by passing gentleman, as the
lady proclaimed mis- act in a loud
voice. Recovering himself, he climb
ed the scaffolding In front of a new
building on the opposite side of the
ctuon4 o,I acnanoI hn rnnf
| stepped in one of the innumerable
money exchanges the other day just
as a man was reaching to his hip
pocket for gold which he desired to
deposit. He pulled out the bag of gold
and then said:
at feels as if my pants were cut
close to that pocket, for the bag al
most escaped me as was pulling il
out"
a couple of men made an examina
ton, and sure enough, there was slit
about eight inches long, manifestly
made with knife, through which the
bag of doubloons and centenes had
almost been filched.
The police are numerous enough,
but too often in league with the
thieves. The trouble is that their pay
is so small, and what is worse. so un-
certain, that in sheer desperation they
form an alliance with the law break
erS whereby they receive a certain
SUM for not interfering. Less thar
one year ago two policemen became
so desperate and so bold that they at
tackled and severely wounded citi
zen in the attempt to rob him. The
government gave the unfaithful
guardians of the peace a hasty trial
and shot them both as an example
Recently there was a strike among
the police on account of the withhold
ing of wages due.
But the police service is in other re
spects farce.
The principal part of it consists Of
quardia civil, analogous to the French
gendarmes, who occupy the street cor
ners in twos, and are on duty day and
night.
DURING THE NIGHT
an extra force of watchmen are put
on, called "serenos, from the FACT
that in former years they used to cry
! cut the condition of the weather every
half hour in a sing song tone of voice,
and as it was most often fair weather,
or "sereno," serene came to be their
name
At present these important indivld
uals carry bull's>eye lantern, which
is a great accommodation to the
house breaking fraternity, aud are
armed with a ridiculous staff, five feet
long, terminating in pike.
After dark deeds of personal vio-
lence may be feared, and indeed they
are not infrequently perpetrated in
daylight. There is man stopping al
this hotel who was seriously stabbed
on the Parade at s o'clock one even
ing this winter. The plan usually
pursued is for two or three despera-
does to step up behind man, pinion
his arms so that he can not draw a
revolver, and then, if it is necessary
to their purpose, bury long knife
in some important part Of his ana
tony.
IT is THE KNIFE SYSTEM
that is most followed here. A we'll.
drt ssed man jeopardlzas his life if he
attempts to walk alone in the evening
in many public parts of the city, and
in any of the dark lanes. 1t is Gus
tomary for two or three to go together