The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-07-08
cuaA An INssc,luae pLAce.


But little Control % the IAwiea -Dar-
gsr d Aa,asilnAtian .Brlkand.
iHayahs cg. yeS oustni Tine.Den9crasi
IWiIl ecncIudeths letter with some
remarks On the insecurity Of property
and person IN Cuba
In al my travels on four continents
and in 9ores Of Islands, ! have not
found q place where had 70 take morn
precautions 10 keep myself and ny.
worldly goods intact. The universal
hard til 81 here, due IN large measure
70 oyertAxation and general mls
60 ernmcnt, have brceded an immense
army Of rogucs right In Havana, as well
as all over the island. Owing 10 tbs
supinencss and intompeency Of this
Spanish depotlsm that pretends 10 pro-
t0tt tie people here, these lawlessly In.
ellcd ones lre allowed to ply their ne
faFious operations uncontrolled. Finally,
owing to the made juacy and uncer.
tainty Of the pay due the police, that
numerous fraternity seem, humanity
speaking, forced to form q pecuniary al.
LANCE with tho law.breakers in some
instances or else starye.
In travelling through Bedouin infested
countries, one can take q mounted
guard and feel comparatively safe.
but here your watch or your purse Is
liable to DO Snatched At MONDAY whilo
you are sitting under your own Wins
md zig tree. 1t Is the insolence
and audacity OF crire which bale all
the watCllfulness Of the lAw.abidinv
citizens. and make travelling here full OF
uncertainty. You may live here a score
Of yelrs and escape in ury Of any sort.
iOu may DO robbed or knitted In broad
daylight before you have been landed
here i've minutes.
Last week four OF us-two ladies and
two gentlcmen-were gettinginto car.
riago in front Of the Cafe Central, on
tho ARGUE central, right in the very
heart OF the city, at 1880 O'clock in the
morning. A negro came along and
snatched at one Of the ladies' watches.
The charm snapped and the fellow
started on n dead run. The husband Of
the lady gave chase, on the suppositlon
that the thief had stolen the watch and
only stopped when the fellow disap.
appeared down q side street several
blocks distant. Upon bis return he
found that, fortunately, the watch had
been too deep in the pocket provided for
II to admit its immediate escape
In such cases the aggrayating fact Is
the stupid or selfish inertia Of the people
on the street. There arc almost always
plenty OF men about who are in a posi-.
ton to head OF and apprehend the thief:
hut ever body steps aside and watches
the villain escape.
After dark II Is not at all safe to walk
any ofths side streets, or some Of the
darker public promenades without a
companion. Tho knife Is the principal
weapon employed, and this Is plunged
into the victims back in order that be
may 'be disabled while he Is being
aeecel
In the hotel where am stopping there
are at present two sufferers Mt the hands
Of deSperadOes. One Is man who was
stabbed TWICE right on tho Prado by
aSsaIlants who did not have time to
secure his supposed money and Jewels.
The other Is the lSndlady herself, who
had a poCkctbook containing 500
stolen in the farquo do Ia India, at .
o'clock in the afternoon. She had the
wallet Clasped tightly in her two hands,
thinking that the safest way to carry It.
A 10y struck hor vigorous blow in the
chest causing her to slacken her hold
on the purse because OF pain. There.
upon he seized tho purse and skipped
across tho street, stumbling as he went.
She yelled Stop theft in Spanish, but,
although the hor might have been
stopped q Scoro Of times, no ono made a
move, and she has never heard from the
money.
1t is intimated that You can often get
stolen property at the poll stations,
providing you are willing toransom il.
Certain parts Of the interior Of tho
islaud are infested by organized bands
Of brigands, which the government con.
fesses itselfimpotent to regulate. Some
American prospectors recently aban.
doned their Ia ors in the interior because
of the danger encountered, and arriy.
ing here, waited upon the captain
general.
why is It," they asked, 'that you
do not drive out the notorious So and.
So
81 have, indeed, done all I could, -
earnestly responded the captain general;
u have offered him large sums Of money
to quit the Island, but no persistently
refuses to do so.
The immense city Jail and peniten.
tiary combined Is always full Of crimi.
nails Of all sorts-Spanish, Cuban.
Chino'C aud negro Tho stocks arc used
as q feature Of Iail discipline; the chain
is worn until good behavior warrants its
discontinuance, and the instrument Of
execution is the garrote. Money will
accomplish almost anything.