Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1893-05-11
LIFE IN CARTAGE\
A CORRESPONDENT REL fEs
HIS EXPERIENCES THERE
The Town Observation-Disclosures I
tance-Residents6 Jescrlbed.

my A""h cAi-SouresniRVo IDS
tance-Reside9fS described.
The news of he severe winter now
being experienced in the States, makes
this tropical climate by contrast doubly
pleasant to the PARTY of Americans down
here in the Republic of Colombia, en-
gagged in the construction of railroad
through densely wooded country,
where every step has to be cleared Of
brush in order to cut way through for
the engineers.
During our wiz ter months (but which
the natives call ssverano," or summary no
rain falls, and the sir is agreeably warm,
tempered by the prevailing northeast
winds. In this old Spanish town, with
Its cool, narrow streets, shaded at noon
by balconies which project from the
massively built houses, the steady breeze
and the refreshing monotone of the
breakers as they roll on the Caribbean
shore at this. season, make mere existence
pleasure.
THERE'S little to indicate the consider
able business which is done here, as
everyone moves slowly and time seems
of little Importance to the citizens, and
although the City has recovered to some
extent from the bad effects of the revo-
luton OF 1885, it could hardly be more
quiet. There are no street cars, and as
the streets are practically unpaved, the
few ancient and dilapidated coaches
with rope harness and bony horses make
little noise as they pass.
Cartagena is surrounded by walls OF
immense thickness, in places of sufficient
width to past six carriages abreast and
from twenty to forty feet high. with
many quaint turrets and formidable
bastions which tell of the time of the
Spaniard, three or four hundred years
ago. The principal gateway Of the City
Is an arch Of masonry amply wide for
two carriage ways which are divided by
a wall six feet thick, all surmounted by
handsome cupola of Spanish arcllitec-
ture. There are three other smaller
gates which are guarded or closed dur
ing the night.
Only the poorest class of the inhabi-
tants live on the street floor of the city
houses, and as the unsociable customs of
the richer families prohibit any kind of
social intercourse between the young
people of either sex until intentions"
have been formally declared, one sees
nightly land also in the early morning)
the interesting spectacle of a young man
playing his mandolin or guitar below the
balcony of his lady love, singing SER
enata, or conversing with her as she leans
over the rail, this being the only means
of communication during courtship.
The rich young lover will sometimes hire
the military band to perform few
pieces for the pleasure OF his 'samante."
The Americans here only object when
singing is INDUCED in by the lovelorn
SWANS in the "wee sma' hours" it is
painful to hear their melancholy tales of
wos when one is trying to obtain we'll
earned rest.
Every few weeks there occurs u
Fiesta" or holiday time, lasting some
times more than week. On these oc-
casions the natives give "bailes, or
dances, in the plazas at night to the
beating of the ''tambor" "a hollow log
with pigskin stretched over one end)
and the rattle of other barbarous instru-
ments. These "baies" are really unique.
The senoritas, holding as many lighted
candles as possible in one hand, sway
the body in different positions, graceful
and otherwise, as they shuttle slowly
around the circle. their partners attitu-
dinizing in the same manner but minus
the candles. On dark night these
women, their bare arms covered with
grease, holding the candles high in the
air like animated statues of Liberty,
form picture to be remembered. Then
during the festas there is the sport of
bull fighting, which, however, is by no
means so attractive here as in Mexico
and Cuba; the fun consists in watching
the antics of the toreadors as they en-
deavor to escape the pursuing bull that
they have teased till he has only the mad
idea of tossing his agile tormentors as
high as possible. Sometimes a man is
hurt, and the year before last there was
one man killed and another badly in
jured at one Of these bull fights.
Gambling is, however, during the
6estas, the principal pastime The
streets are lined with roulette tables, and
even the old cathedral Quilt in 1881 is
surrounded by native gambling device
and the stands of vendors of rum,
anisado" or aniseed," and other
drinks made mostly from sugar cane.
Men and women, dressed in most start
ling costumes, and wearing masks, pass
through the streets in groups, dancing
and shouting all the night long, and the
foreigner is glad when the fiesta is over,
and waits resignedIy until the next one
again disturbs the even tenor of his
way.
Excepting the small majority Of cul-
tured white people who lead comforta-
BILE and easy going existence, the mass Of
the people, Indians, negroes and mixed
races, live very poorly, according to
Northern ideas. The ''peones" or la
borers, wear only short coat Of cotton.
with trousers of the same material and
they either 60 bare footed or use a strip
Of leather bound to the sole Of the foot |
by thongs; for headgear, hats Of straw,
with broad brims and steeple crowns 4
foot high, or black and white checker
board pattern straw hat. with q brim Of |
six or seven inches breadth, are the mode. |
The younger children are not burdened |
with clothing Of any description until
seven o. eight years old, while the women
Jnxrx |