The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-09-10


tom, divided among the stable employees
and the poor.
Besides Macul, the widow has another
extensive estate about 40 miles north
of Santiago, and several others in vari-
Gus parts of the republic. In Chilli farm
ing Is carried on much as it was in Eu-
rope in feudal times. The rural dis
tricts are composed of extensive farms
thousands of acres in area-owned by
people who usually live in the cities and
leave the property in the care of agents.
Here are found but two classes of peo-
ple-the landlords and the tenants; the
former very rich and the latter exceed
lngly poor. These estates are dotted
with small houses, standing amid bits
Of garden patches, wherein the tenants,
or poems, reside, paying their rent by so
many days labor each year. For labor
outside of that required for the pay
ment of rent the tenant is paid, not in
money, but in orders upon the supply
| store of the estate. Tenants are kept
| in debt, for the reason that the Gillian
/ law iorbids a laborer to leave an en-
ployer to whom he owes money. This
is what is called "peonage," or. in other
words, slavery.
For the Gillian peon the future holds
no hope of better things. However, he
/ does not care, so long as he has plenty
10 eat and drink and bit II money
with which TO gamble. He was reared
/ In this way and knows no other. His
fathers before him were peons-"dumb,
/ driven cattle"-and his sons will follow
In his footsteps. The peon is attached
to his master and is ever ready to fight
/ for him. Feudal wars are kept up be-
/ tween the estates, like the old family
feuds which were common in Europe
/ during the middle ages, and bloody en-
counters are of frequent occurrence.
I Sonora Consino, if she so desired, could
muster $500 able-bodied poems from her
/ farms.
In the capital, Santiago, she has four
/ large and handsome houses-one OF
I which was the former home of Henry
Meiggs, the California absconder. This
/ is an elegant residence, superbly fin
ished within and without, and built of
red cedar, resembling in style New
port villa. The others are of stone,
! fashioned after the Spanish plan, the
interiors being deliberately decorated
and furnished. Her rentals from her
real estate in the cities of Santiago and
Valparaiso alone amount to 100000
year.
Chilians think there is strain of He
brew blood in the widow, as she is
wonderful manager and famous for
driving close bargains. Her numerous
agents and superintendent are re-
uuired to render her weekly reports,
and they say there is no use trying to
fool her. Every cent must be account
ed for. She has genius for details
which is a constant source of worry to
her employees. She watches the small
things and is quick to re %fmand. How
ever, in direct opposition to all this,
she is generous TO fault.
Her extravaganza is princely, limit
less. Whatever she fancies she will
buy, regardless of cost. Her collection
Of diamonds is one of the finest in the
world. Her toilets are made in Paris.
but are seldom worn. Her gifts are as
munifcent as they are numerous. Last
year she presented to the city of San
tiago a beautiful park of 100 acres, with
race course attached. Now that the
sonora proposes making her residence
in New York, the American daily pa
pers have much to say anent this mod
ern Countess of Monte Cristo" and de-
light in depicting her as youthful and
beautiful in appearance, when, as
matter of fact. she is a shabby-looking
little woman, and a brunette. Fifty
six years have penciled deep wrinkles
upon her face-a face plain almost to
ugliness-and placed crows feet about
those wonderfully keen black eyes. Her
hair is streaked with gray Though it
once was black as ravens wing), over
which a plain black mantilla is usually
worn. She is very energetic and re-
markably active, though she limps
slightly, owing to sciatica.
Naturally, the widow is a pleasant
tempered woman, but in the last few
years neuralgia has made her irritable,
which often seriously interferes with
the comfort of those who have business
with her. At present there is young
Englishman, with rosy cheeks and a
large moustache, to whom she took a
sudden fancy, who is attached to her
establishment in the role of private sec
rotary. The widow, however, is very
tickle, and this agreeable young man
will doubtless soon be cast aside, like
many others before him.
She has three children-two daugh-
tiers and a son. The girls are quite
pretty, bright and very popular in So
ciety, but neither has thus far shown
any evidence of possessing any of their
mothers business genius. The son,
however, young man of about 30, has
developed into a steady, industrious
and excellent business man. He seldom
takes part in social affairs, is very
economical and is quite decided in his
stand against his mothers extrava-
gance.-Ohio State Journal.
ha CnIanAor