The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-05

With the Exception of the Cavalry
They Do Not Excite Admiration.

Havana Letter in Leslie's Weekly
The soldery in Havana is divided into
the Notifications; the volunteers. who
sumo to compare with our National Guard.
the Guardia Civil, who form the suburban
patrol, and the Orden Publico, the city po-
lice. The quality of these four bodies may
be styled as bad, Wretched, more wretched,
and most wretched. The order of applying
these descriptive qualities, however, should
be: Police, bad; patrol, Wretched; volun-
teers, more wretched: regulars, most
T Wret e; In Other words; the pest of the
cellent badness consists of picked men from
the best home regiments in the Spanish
army. While their duties as policemen are
nominally of a civil character they are to
all intents and purposes a strictly military
body, carefully drilled and capable OF
service. They wear a uniform somewhat
similar to the Guardia Civil, but with a
1aunty French KEPT instead OF a felt hat.
On ordinary duty they are equipped with
heavy revolver worn in front, on the right
side, and a short straight two-edged
sword In times of public disturbance they
carry the regulation Remington rife in
stead of the revolver.
The mounted section of the Orden Publico
is a splendid body of cavalry. The men of
the corps are, as a rule, lean, 1.-THE little
fellows. well set up, of most dignified. bear
ing, and of unfailing courtesy in their rela-
tons to the pubic: Their companion body,
the Guardia Civil, is rarely seen in Havana.
forming, as it does. the rural police of the
island, with guardhouses in all the villages
ana lOWnS. 1ney wear a snowy ana tneat-
rical uniform of blue tunic and trousers,
faced and striped with scarlet a wide
brimmed hat of gray felt, with the brfl
caught up at one side and fastened to the
crown with a circular badge of the Spanish
crimson and gold
The Guardia Civil Cavalry. a numerous
mounted body. is equipped Ike the infantry
except that they carry a saber and a car
bine instead of the short sword and the
Remington rife During the late riots in
Havana excellent work was done by the
Squadrons of the Guardia Civil Cavalry. The
third section, which. in point of quality, /
have named the most wretched. is the vol
unteers, the famous military organization
which is called the Pretorian Guard of Ha-
vana. This guard, in its day, has ruled the
city and cast down or set up captains gen.
eral. The volunteers number 90 600 men the
privates for the most part, being clerks
porters. walters and statesmen. The officers
are usually merchants. lawyers, proprietors
of shops establishments. The volunteers
perform military service beyond furnish
ing every morning detail of about 200 men
to do guard duty at the palace the bank
the city prison. the Castillo de la Punta
and other points. They have no armories
such our citizen soldiers have: and but
few opportunities for drill, hence their APP
pearance on parade inspires anything but
admiration.
The fourth and last section of the soldiery
in Havana is composed of the regulars
those pale-faced peasant soldiers whom l
have described. and the excellence of their
badness termed most wretched."