The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-04-08

city. TheN >apf Is not so elaborate
rs that OF Havana, being an arena
thirty or forty feet in diameter, COW
cred with wire, n corrugated iron roof,
and with floor of hardened earth,
around which wooden seats are placed,
within fence three feet high. A cock
fight takes place here every Sunday.
One of the curious sights of the city
is the 'rooster district" where the
sidewalks are monopolized by the aris-
tocrntic fowl, tied TO posts three or
four feet apart. They are jealously
guarded, their keepers handling
them frequently, and continually Civ
ing them "refreshers" by filling their
own mouths with water and squirting
it in their eyes and under their wings
The fighting cocks may be seen here
every morning, taking their matuti.
nal airings. strutting to the length of
their strings and making the air re-
sound with their crows of defiance.
Like Havana and every other Span.
ish city, San Juan has its "Morro," to
visit which permission must be OBJ
tanned from the commandante. With
in the massive walls of this vast castle
fortress there is small foreign town
by itself, with houses, barracks and
even chapel, while deep beneath its
walls are dismal dungeons, sometimes
filled with political prisoners. A first
class light is shown above the tower,
from which view is opened of the
entire north coast and the whole area
OF the island city. Then il is seen how
securely entrenched this old city was
in early times, and how carefully
guarded are the remaining poss essions
of the King of Spain; for the walls
bristle with ancient cannon, diminu-
tive soldiers pace the parapets, and
active cavalry parade the broad spaces
of open ground within the walls.
The most picturesque structure, ms
well as the most ancient and interest
ing is that called the Casa Blanca (the
great white house), which was built by
the first Governor soon after his ar
rival here in 1903. This gentleman
was none other than the great Ponce
de Leon, who, after he had gained all
that heart OF man could presumably
wish for, sat within the crenellated
walls surrounding his gardens, with
their ornate sentry turrets, quaint old
cannon and massive battlements, and
planned n new scheme of conquest. 1t
should interest oil who have studied
the romantic history of this period to
know that within the white walls of
the Casa Blanca was projected that
chimerical voyage of his in search OF
the fabled Fountain of Youth, of
which he had heard from an old In
dian woman OF this island.
Setting out from his castled resi-
dence, in the year 1912, Ponce de
Leon sailed through the island-chain
of the Bahamas, and eventually dis.
covered the coast OF Florida. He land
ed on the island of San Salvador just
twenty years after its discovery (the
first land seen by the great Columbus),
and thence sailed northwardly till the
coast OF a new country opened to his
view. But he returned without find.
ing the tabled Bimini, Fountain OF
Perpetual Youth, though his Sovereign
bestowed upon him the elevated title
of Adelantado of Bimini and Florida.
In 1915 he suffered defeat at the hands
of the savage Caribs, and then stayed
at home, attending to the affairs of his
island, until the year 1921, when
he again undertook to find that ignis
fatuus, the Fountain of Youth, and
this time the Indians of Florida
wounded him with an arrow. He re-
treated to Havana, where he died, and
his body was afterward brought to
Porto Rico, where it was deposited be-
Ieath the altar Of the Dominican
Church of San Juan.
1t is q strange coincidence that the
ashes of Columbus and Ponce de Leon
rest respectively in the islands they
were instrumental in conveying to the
Spanish crown-the remains of Col
umbus in Santo Domingo while those
of the "Ilon- Hearted" are to-day
found in leaden case in San Juan.