The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-27
WEST INDIAN POOH-BAH.
.,fe in san Juan Like a scene From
Comic Opera.

From the Chicago Tribune.
r1srriek Cavling is one of Denmark's
t-ivbtest writer's belonging to the mod
school. Last summer he was order
- M his doctor to take long sea voy-
90 and he chose the West Indian
.-,sr5s belonging to Denmark as his
mint de voyage" His observations
md experiences have now been published
il, a book entitled, bet Danske Vest
i,5ien." and some Of the chapters are
-,ast entertaining. In his introduction
NJ Cavling remarks, now, since the fall
If sugar and the liberating of the negroes
- costs Denmark about S125, 900 a year to
ten the governor and other officials on
- ISLANDS. whose use none but they
St 'roIld look black for the officials, and il
ne negroes should one day turn white
m emigrate to Puerto Rico heaven
7.rov-s what would become of the officials.
T,-ssn entering the harbor Of St. Thomas
y Gentleman in a most gorgeous uniform
vhom the author thought was the gov
error. boarded the steamer. This was only
-5a harbor pilot, and the first of a long
recession Of uniformed and bedecIed
lHoials. The authors visit to the Island
nj san Juan is the best in the book.
When one, after three or four hours
sail in an open boat, arrives at San Juan,
The least known Of the three Danish
west Indian islands. one receives the
IMPRESSION of taking part in an Often
Ssch opera bouffe. Since the beginning
nj creation no correspondent has ever
Visited this island, and il is therefore
with the feeling of a premiere we land at
Crux Bay.
This is the capital of the island and
is probably the smallest capital in the
world. It consists of seven negro shan-
fies. two pigpens, and a wooden fortress.
In the old days a company of Danish
soldiers were stationed in the fortress.
Il is now the residence Of a many-sided
official. Schellerup, a Dane. This official
is governor judge, director OF police,
collector Of customs, postmaster, harbor-
master. chief of the fire department,
veterinary doctor, and coroner, and is the
absolute master of 800 negroes, the popula-
ton Of the island, and it is only when the
minister and the doctor from St. Thomas
once a month make a visit that Mr.
schelerup is made to remember that he
is not the only white man in the world.
was told in St. Thomas that this gen.
fleman as highly incensed at the report
that newspaper man intended to make
the island a visit, and / was, therefore,
prepared for a rather rough reception.
Imagine, therefore, my surprise when,
On entering the fortress, 1 was received
bv a OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES man dressed
in the uniform of a Danish privy coun-
cillor. who, with a most ceremonious
manner, wished me welcome to the island.
In the sitting heat there was a man in
a tight-buttoned uniform. three-cornered
hat. sword, etc. I had to suppress my
smile and accept the situation. The con-
versatlon and inspection OF the fortress
that followed were Intensely comical.
The governor had probably not seen
strange face for the last twenty-five
years, and secretly was most pleased to
show his Kingdom and its interesting
objects but at the same time he must
be careful Here was a stranger and he
must be impressed with the Importance
and greatness of his host and his diplo-
matte position.
] was shown the place where the gov
ernor kept his prisoners, the court room
where he, as a judge, gave sentence after
the old Danish law. 1 was also shown
several different desks that were called
pos0tfce department, custom house de-
partment and so forth, but the most
comical was that as soon as the governor
was seated on one of these desks he was
called by his attendants postmaster, col
lectJr Of customs, etc. After passing a
sentence as a judge he presided over the
punishment as a sheriff. and he has a
uniform for each position. What mate
rial for a vaudeville. During the whole
interview the governor tried to impress
US with that If he would only consent to
speak there were state secrets that
well, somebody might lose his head.
I returned to my boat and the fisher
man, followed by my uniform host, ana
as the island was left in the distance
the palms, the tropical sun, the half
naked negroes, and the gorgeously uni
formed governor formed a picture that
only needed the melody Of an orchestra
to be complete scene from a comic
opera.