Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-06-11

for his action. the latter made reply:
Haven't [ lost as much as you?
We are both in for it, but better than
twenty years in the carcel. We have
no evidence of our guilt with Us now,
and let us hurry ashore with the
crowd
There arc plenty of such methods of
victimizing the green in everyday
use kere. I have been told Of one
which impresses me as gauzy on its
| face, bat 7 am told that it has been,
worked with success on so many oc-
caslons that it is almost worn out. A
man writes letter to some person in
| a leading American city whom he
does not know, dating it Royal Hav-
ana Jail" This letter is usually sent
| to number of persons at once, in Or
der that
ONE FISH MAY BITE
if the rest don't. Perhaps this letter
reads as follows:
Dear Sir: write you from this
jail in deep distress, having secured
your address as that of q reputable
citizen of --! Twas cashier of the
- Bank at Matanzas. [ found my
accounts short, and IN order to help
matters went into speculations which
| proved disastrous. Thinking that I
might as well suffer for an old sheep
as a lamb, [ then took of the bank
money $780, 900 in gold and over $3.50, :
900 in paper, and escaped to the States.
For safety I buried this money in a
suburb of your city, and was then al
most Immediately apprehended and
brought here. If you will agree to
procure this treasure when send you
the charts giving It's location, | will
present you with one-third Of 1t for
your trouble. The remaining two
thirds will more than FIX me all right
with the Judge IN this country. Please
let me hear from you in confidence.
Very truly yours,
Some man, eager to make $100, 900
easily. responds with promises that
are satisfactory. Then comes a letter
from the Havana jail, setting forth
that the prisoners trunks containing
the charts have been seized by the
government; but giving q general
description Of the site Furnished by a
confederate in the American city,,
though one that is obviously too in~
definite.
THE REPUTABLE CITIZEN
writes saying that the description was
good IN general. but not definite
enough. The supposed prisoner
answers back that he can not do bet
ter as his trunks are held for 1000
sum which he can not produce.
And thanking the unknown for his
trouble, he bids him good-by. But
the unknown writes back that 50, 900
shan't prove an obstacle. and that he
Will send a man over to Havana with
| that suna. The man is sent, and OBJ
tains the trunks with accurate detail~
ed maps Of the gtound. But it needs
not 10 be said that the digging is time
and labor thrown away.
made a trip through the carcel or
Havana Penitentiary the other day.
Cuba has not attained the dignity
yet Of a state penitentiary indepen-
dent of the jail. The carcel in ques-
| ton is under the same roof as the jail
here, and merely separated IN part for
convenience's sake. There were 787
inmates, and I was informed that as
many more were out as chain~gangS
at work IN different parts Of the island,
| principally on sugar plantations. The
majority Of those in the carcel were
engaged in manual service, notably
In cigar making. The negroes and
Chinese were most numerous, though
there was liberal sprinkling Of Gu
bans and Spanlards.
A large minority of the prisoners
had chains soldered to their ankles
and fastened by the other end to the
waist.
ONE LINK INDICATED
a sentence of two years; two links,
one of four years or slightly less;
| three links, one of SIX years or slightly
less; four links, one of more than six
years.
Prisoners sentenced for more than
fourteen years are sent back to
Spain.
Prisoners guilty Of incorrigible con-
duct are sent to the Isle of Pines
south of Cuba for q year or two, in
the hope Of reforming them.
The carcel was tolerably decent
place compared with what I had been
led to expect. The prisoners were in
large wards where they could nlingle
freely, and man preceded me with
q club with which he whacked the
door before we entered a ward In or
| der to command discipline. When
we entered the men would be drawn
up in one ortwo long lines, and they
would remain thus in silence as long
as we were IN the room. I did not
like the looks Of some stocks which [
saw, nor of the cells for solitary con-
fnement. The latter were absolutely
dark, with only a beard bed for fur
niture, and with only tiny hole way
up at the very top for supplying air.
Millions in Timber Culture.