The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-04-11
Latte NEWS FROM CUBA

NeW Orleans, April 9-Mr. Frank H.
duncan, II well known sugar maker, ar
rived ~ the city some days ago from the
island OF Cuba, where ha had been to take
on crop &t one of the plantations a few
miles inland from the coast. Mr. Duncan
was seen by reporter and told some very
HlhJereSJlnE lhlngs about the little island
\ in the Gulf
In speaking of the agricultural condition
u the cou Try, Mr.. Duncan said:
CUBA is u veritable tropical garden.
.iiino"l every known plant lives and thrives
mere ana rle balmy wintry weather is
4 neautliul and one cannot help ENJOYING it.
ne inferior some parts is mountainous.
opt there rs hardly a square inch ON the
eSSland tina oOes not contain some vege-
~ 3bic life
II Lhe gentleman then went on to speak
"A the present condition of the people and
Asaid that it vas indeed deplOrable.
4 WIN N'lC1nds, insurgents and robbers
w. al kinds the people are kept in CON
Gsiant MTOr for their lives. The state of
the revolution which is now going on is
3s9mathms tnrrible," said Mr.. Duncan.
n The insul&ants are Il wild set and work
3under three leaders. They burn sugar
V houses, country haciendas and sometimes
sil0ii towns. and act generally ike set
I 0f barbariuu3."
rs il true that the insurgents are led
.4by negroes a." asked the reporter.
IA NO, sir II is not" emphatically replied
h1r Duncan. 'TwO of the leaders are
while. the third is a mulatto, but the last
hamed was raised by white people on a
'p,antation and has the same antipathy
70 mis- race that the whites have The
natives Of he island are mostly half
breeds, mixtures of whites, Indians and
CreOies of the southern islands. The in
q rr.,ats are rough set and the people
. ne island who remain loyal to Spain
%taud in fear of them. The Spanish
ltYoups that lave ben sent over the island
~ Rubdue the insurgents do not look like
Iptop soldiers and whenever they go off
) battle they apepar as though they
F0uld rather stay at home.
"Spain cannot afford to lose Cuba. The
country is one of the richest in the world
and it would forever ruin and humble
Spain to lose it. The depredations COM
lmittcd by The insurgents have ruined
: ihe commerce and trade of the island
The sugar crop was very poor this season
1jbecausc so many of the cane fields were
destroyed and mills burned. The insur-
Igents along the coast have captured sew
Ileral small craft bearing the Spanish flag,
. but they won't harm a vessel bearing the
A 'What is the feeling of the Spaniards
Sf the island toward America and Ameri-
eans?"
every bitrer-very bitter indeed; they
&nate Americans and all the northern re-
Npuhlic people and Spaniard always
Heooks at an American with a distrustful
Nsye. The hatred of the Spaniards is so
Nntensa that orders were issued some time
Eag0 that no American could hold any posi-
lion of trust on the island. 1t is a very
Hard thing for one of our people to get
Nkork On the island and not long ago the
$laiiroads we're forbidden to mire Ameri.
VANS The Spaniards fear that the United
VStates wants to take Cuba and behind
Utheir great hatred turks a deadly fear OF
Nthe cool determined representatives OF
alhe great Northern republic
q "Do they hate the other foreigners
Pkike they do us"
VE "No, they do not; they will do anything
Wor u Scotchman or an Englishman and
W great many of the former occupied posi-
IWions under the interior government
Whey hare Americans for the simple reason
SNhat they stand in fear of her coming
IWown aud taking possession of the rich
lNttle islam of Cuba.
4 Nov, tAe Cubans do not hate the
n ~ nericans as their rulers do" continued
~ Duncan. "The insurgents were