The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-12-02
IN PRISON ON THE ISTHMUS
COLON EXCITED OVER THE EXPERT
eNCE OF CONDUCTOR FOY.

TO go To Asplnwall. The fare to resident
for this distance is thirty cents, but he gave
the conductor ten cents.
"The full fare was demanded, but the pass
enger told the conductor he would get no
more. Foy reached up to pull the bell rope.
The Spanish native pulled his macheta, a
savage-looking dirk nearly two feet long, and
made pass at the conductor who sprang
back, and drawing his revolver sent bullet
through his assailant's head. At Aspinwall
Foy gave himself up to the authorities and
was taken to prison short distance 0ht of
town. This Jail is nothing more than shed
put on logs in swamp over green staghant
water. In it there are ircn cages about tseven
feet square and six feet high Inside of each
cage there is stock rack into which the feet
are placed so the prisoner cannot stand up,
and then, as an additional bit Of cruelty,
heavy weights are placed across his arms.
The railroad company offered any amount
of bail for tho liberation of the prisoner, but
Cespedes, the chief of police, who has in a
high degree the native contempt for Ameri.
cans, said that the man should remain where
he was. Then the railroad men brought
matters to crisis by refusing to move q
train over the road until the man had been
put in decent quarters. For three days not
train went out from either Aspinwall or
Colon at one end, nor from Panama at the
other.
"All this time, you must remember, there
had been no examination, although the case
was as clear as could be, and every witness
in the car sustained the claim of the con-
ductor that he had acted in self-defense. The
railroad men were preparing an expedition
to take Foy away from that death hole by
force, but they were dissuaded by g. G.
Powers, the acting superintendent, and on
the afternoon Of the third day Cespedes
promised that Foy should be conducted into
town She next morning. At $3.50 the railroad
men were at their posts ready to start out
trains as soon as their man appeared. They
did not place the least reliance upon the
word OF the chief Of police. II was noon be-
fore Foy appeared, under guard Of fifty
soldiers. The trial was set down for Novem-
ber 20, but it is not likely that 1t will take
place for some days OF course every effort
will be made to convict, regardless Of the
evidence, and with three natives to two
Americans on the jury it will be easy to do
so. But the railroad company has asked the
interference Of this government The man.
of.war Adams has arrived at Panama, and
two more vessels of the South Atlantic or
Gulf squadron were expected at Colon when
we left. We passed one off the Cuban coast
on its way to the isthmus."
The informant spent much time in Bohio,
about seventeen miles up the road from
Aspinwall. Here the works of the canal ex-
caVation are very extensive. Speaking Of
them and of other subjects which had come
under his observation he said: "About Bohie
there is great deal of blasting of a hard
volcanic rock Slavin g. Co., are the con-
tractors for the dredging work. The French
engineers do the work Of excavating and
then, when the water Is in the ditch, Slavin
g. Co. start their dredgers and pour the
mixed water and mud into long fumes, and
30 get 1t out of the way. 1t is impossible al
most to describe the waste and extravaganza
which is going on along the canal. Engines,
dredgers, excavators and everything Of that
sort lie along the line Of the canal very much
as bones used TO line the old wagon trail
across the prairie. 1t looks like woeful
miscalculation to order machinery which
cannot be used, and then let it rust in the
rain and sum The whole enterprise is COW
cred over with red tape, and in the midst of
all the circumlocution the money is lost by
the thousand.
"There are first, second and third chiefs to
each division, and they have a lot of assist
ants, so that when anything Is wanted the
order has to be checked and counter checked
by dozen officials who draw big salaries
and do nothing. Why, good active Amer
ican would do more in day than these men
do in week. All this supervision does not
prevent the greatest blundsrs. For instance,
the carpenter who puts up all the houses for
the French officers in Colon wanted some
nails, and there was none Of that sort in the
store at Colon. He was told to make a sam
pie of what hP wanted, and he whitfield out q
nail from bit Of wood This was sent to
France and in due time came back $40, 00C
worth of wooden nails, good for fuel and
nothing else, and they are now stored at
Colon Special trains are ordered by dey or
night, just as one Of the division chiefs or his
subordinates take notion to have O run to
Panama. On everything that comes to the
canal big commissions are paid, and these
with the extra salaries paid, make money
very plentiful Recently the work has been
getting very dull, and on the line it is the
general feeling that nothing will be dons OF
any consequence until a new loan Is made
available.
"The death list is something terrible. Al
each OF the fifteen sections on the line there
are several deaths each day and the work is
one long graveyard, as the men ara buried
where they die, without collins even, unless
the dead have friends to watch the burial
Out OF Colon train Of a baggage car and 9
switch engine runs twice day to Monkey
Hill, where the burial place for the town i.
located. Eight out of ten 1t is calculated
die in the French hospital, but the RailroaG
hospital, cared for by DR.. Thornton, on the
beach, manages to save q majority of the
patients. The men pass a reckless life and
the amount Of absinths consumed Is enor.
nous, while, with wine and other liquors,
the mon seem to pass the time in one long
guxEle, The Americans use rum and brandy.
The railroad men are the best cared for oi
any OF the outsiders. There are about four
hundred Of them and they work together in
Q compact body.
@The natives hate the Americans and have
O contempt Cor them as we'll, because oul
government does not back up her citizens.
Tho French are not liked, but they are re-
Spooted because there are French men. Of war
always about The British flag Is tho most
respected and the coming into port Of a
British man-of-war always creates an ex
element Of fear and the natives are very
careful about bothering British subject.
Much OF our want OF consideration In the
Spanish-American countries is due TO tbs
sort Of consus we have They are men iu
business there who fear to take any decided
stand or to ask even fair play for fear Of In
juring their business. Mr.. Adams, the pres
emit cons, yam W, does not .le under
the D. . oJ. aa IA, uohili work