The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-05-29

onn ? ya[o. Inc population being A.
VoO, land is precious. Lots are divided
and subdlvided, and houses built In yards
and gardens are wedged in here. there
and everywhere, facing sixteen ways for
Sunday. Where there is no room for
a house, they build a stable or q pio
pen, and sprinkle chickens around in
the corners. The richest people do
not disdain to thus add from So to Sc
q month to their income, although il
destroys their privacy and disfgures
their grounds.
This key is settled by Cubans, me-
groes, Conks and Americans. Placing
the population at $4,000, the rop
tons are about six, four, three and a
lIalf. These proportions live in an
agreeable state of contempt and dis
cord. The Cubans hate the Conks
natives of the Bahamas are so called
by everybody except themselves), the
Oonks cordially detest "them Cubans"
and both unite in despising the "nig-
gers" The little band of Americans
and English are generally employed in
scheming to get away from the island.
There is Conk town, Niger town and
Cuban village, with very ill-defned
Limits, however. Each has its own oc-
equations, amusements and turmoils.
The Cubans are usually employed in
the cigar factories, which number over
lou, and which turn ont over Q million
cigars a week. The men are understood,
weak and effeminate, and given to gam
bling, cock-fghting and flibustering.
The women are passably good-looking,
given to obesity, high heels, lace shawls
and face powder. Men and women
smoke necessarily and chatter continu-
ally. They crowd together and subsist
on oil, coffee, pork and bananas.
"The Conks are big, hardy and phe-
nomenally ignorant. They have the
cockney sticking out all over them,
drop the "h" where needed and clap it
on where it is not needed, talk of
Weeds" "vimmen" and vinegar"
and live on fish and hominy. The
Ccnks are spongers, fishers and wreck
ers.
The colored folks drive the drays and
hacks, act as porters and stevedores and
do the bulk of the heavy sitting around.
Everybody takes q turn at the latter
work, however, and the whole commu-
nifty offers to the historian the most
striking example Of people born tired.
1t is an edifying spectacle to Northern
eyes to see q native of Key West going
on an errand or doing a piece of work.
Usually he moves Ikea snail. II you
are not particular, you a live for 75
cents q week. A stick of sugar. cane
costs only 3 cents, bananas and oranges
can be hooked from the auctioneers,
hominy is cheap, and a string Of fish
car be caught from any wharf. For q
shelter there is little need, save to keep
off the rain, aud it needs not a house to
do that. What a country for a tramp
What q climate for the poor.
In keeping with the prevailing lack
Of enterprise, the accommodations for
visitors are meager Two private board
ing houses and one hotel is the sum to-
tai. Pick up any travellers guide, tour
lists hand book or railroad advertisement
and search for Key West, and you will
search in vain. With q larger popula-
ton than any city in Florida, and great
or capabilities for being made . pleas
ure resort and sanitarium than any
city in the Union, it remains an I'M
known land. There are signs, however,
of an awakening. Within two months
the city will be lighted with gas and a
street railroad will be in operation.
There is even talk Of q new and large
hotel, to be built this summer, and OF
increased mail facilities. at present
there is a semi-weekly mail service
by steamar, connecting at Tampa
with the Florida Southern Railway.
The service is Of the most ex~asperating
description. Supposed to arrive on
Wednesday and Saturday of each week
ut 5 o. M, the mails are frequently ten
hours and sometimes an entire day be-
hind hand. Even then the bag Q fnews-
papers or the registered pouch may
have been forgotten. Such q state OF
affairs in any other city of 1000 in
habitants-even in a Dakota village OF
1 .4OO-would result In a mutiny or q
petition TO Congress, but here it is
taken with lazy indifference. With the
advent Of Northern capital and enter
prise this key might be converted into
q famous resort. The people here will
never bestir themselves. They must
be boosted into fame. The place needs
several first class hotels, q road around
the island, sidewalks and plenty Of
trees.
In the way Of amusements, the city
is probably the dullest on the continent.
An average Of two theatrical troupes
per ear one Masonicho one Odd Fell
lows ditto and o Cuban dance every
month, all shiny patronized, are the at
fractions. In religion and all things re-
Iigious q most absorbing enterest is
taken by high and low, and for the ma
iority IL is at once occupation and recre-
alton. The colored folks have their re-
vivals, and they are most astonishing