The times., 1898-12-18
in gnarding the CITY until their deporta.

4
in guarding the city until their deporta
| tion n few days ago. They were an ad
| mirablc body of men-to look at. in thei
| picturesque uniforms of dark b.ue denim
with trimmings of red or green and thei
Mauser rifles warranted to kill at the dis
| tance of a mile and a half. All were o
| Spanish birth, the pick of the troops II
Cuba; and to be eligible for service in th
| guardia civil a man must have some edu
cation and furnish references of gooS
! character.
| The Orden Publico.
The latter clause is delicate bit O.
irony which many poor souls will appre
ciate. They were the alleged prote tos.
| OF the American consulate at the begin.
ming of hostilties, and Consul Genera
| Lee passed through more perns fren
| their bullets than he WI, proislbly eve!
| again encounter. The orden publico FUR
| nished Weyler and BIanco with ca
spies in addition to their other duties
| peering into windows. intimidating Ell
! dren. servants and women. and reporting
| scraps OF overheard conversation which
| crowded the prisons and sent whole fam
| lilies into exile Their reW ard for these
! distinguished services was such as spa Il
usually metes out TO her faithful sub
| Jects. Most of the men had families in
the mother country, and In spite Of short
pay and long arrearages, they manage ID
by considerable seif-sdcrifice to save q
little for the loved ones at home. The
money which in many cases told of cne
scant meal instead of three a day. WAS
intrusted to Their superior Offices II 4
kind of regimental savings fund They
had not received cent of pay for several
months. when it was lately discovered
that the officers had swindied them out of
all these savings.
Perhaps the superiors were not so much
to blame. II their own salary was far
in arrears and they are compelled to
maintain a certain amount of style be-
fitting their position. No curbstone one
meal-a-day system for them. The dig
nifty of old Spain demands that they live
In good hotels, attended by their Wallets
and order their wines. though the cash
TO pay for 1t comes out of plebian
pockets When the day of reckoning
came, the orden publicos naturally
Kicked, as the Yankees say. Then the
question became how TO get rid of them
peaceably, as their just demands could
no more be met than blood can be
squeezed from turnip. Early on the
morning of the 18th. they were called out
without previous warning. marched on
board transport and headed for home.
DNip-' tAAts Atai.Ztu NtaGI WAS gong
The censored press announced: THE
different battalions which constitute the
garrison Of Havana will this morning be
deiied, but what that meant the rank
and file had no idea.
Solving q Predicsment.
Soon as reveille sounded. the Saragossa
battalion began TO move. closely followed
by detaehments from the Barcelona, the
Malacca, and others, the guardia civil
ana oTden publicos among the rest Down
the beautiful Prado they marched. flags
living and bands playing; then along
Obispo Street to the Caballeria wharf
where. somehow, those to be Ceported got
separated from the rest and their evoIu-
tons led them over gang-pIank into
waiting tugs; and thence into 4 trans
port whose steam was up. all ready to
start on the long journey across the
ocean Taken completely by surprise. the
publieos went meekly as lambs: but the
duiiest could see that an eleventh-hour
revolt, would be useless. The other bat
talions under orders. were massed close
around, and 1t was noticed that a Snan-
ish gunboat, which should have been
lying out in the harbor, had been brought
up near the wharf, her guns mounted and
decks cleared for action. Next day Ha-
Nana censored newspapers gave pleas
ant account of the aeffir. They described
it as a function" presided over by Gen.
ArOias, supreme commander OF the gar
rison of Havana, assisted by other troops.
TO 40 honor to their departing comrades;
they said that the wharf runs with shouts;
OF viva la Espana. (which not an
American present heard). and that the
goodbys We're most cordial The truth is
that the poor fellows were deported as a
punishment. being on the eve of rebellion.
and many believe that their destination
is one of those terrible penal settlements
OF Africa. The guardia civiles went
next so closely guarded and surrounded
by other troops that any hostile demon
stration on their part was impossible.
THIS sudden removal of the police force
such as 1t was, renders life and property
less secure than ever in the Cuban capi-
tai. The lawiess element are enioyine
carnival OF crime. an which murders and
robbery are of hourly occurrence.
The City in Danger.
Not only is it unsafe to walk the city
streets after nightfan, but peaceful citi-
zens are not secure within their own
casas. Though an n'entrance may not he
easily effected through the grated win
dows or thick. heavily barred doors. any,
body can scale the low. fiat walls; and
when burglar has dropped down into the
uaroofed, central patio. with which all
the rooms communicate. the premises are
practically at his mercy. Highwaymen
have grown SO bold that working people,
known to draw salary. dare not go
home sinsly on pay days even in broad
daylight. \ bevy of girls employed in
tobacco factory was held up in a body last
Saturday afternoon and compelled to hand
over the weeks small wages. The street
car running to Jesus del Monte and the
Cerro-;he suburb in which Miss Bar
tons orphanage is established near the
Red Cross headquarters. where l lived last
Spring-bas been stopped by knights of
the road twice within week and the pas
sengers forced to stand and deliver"
Our home was barely a mile from the
heart OF the city. but now to so out there
alone, on foot or in a carriage. would be
TO certainly fall among thieves-or worse.
The intense, long-continued political
animosities between Cuba libre'' and
"Madre Espana" lead to murders innum-
cradle, now that restraint is removed.
Prominent citizens and others known TO
have been ardent in the cause of freedom
suddenly disappear, sometimes in going
the distance of block, and are heard of
no more, and it is darkly whispered that
blood-curdling tragedies are nightly en-
acted in the Cabanas and other prisons.
Such was the case of Senior Beatto. q
wealthy contractor of Matanzas. who was
recently summoned by Blanco to Havana
He came with his family and was next
day arrested on some vague charge never
definitely stated, and 1t has since leaked
out that he was murdered in prison in
the most diabolically cruel manner. Thus
are the departing Spaniards improving
their last hours in Cuba and making hay
while the sun shines in the way of set
Ting old grudges.