The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-20

There has been no provost guard in San
Juan. There are American sentries at GER
tain Of the public buildings as a guard TO
the property, but this is all. II was often
said the city needed an American military
police TO control the soldiers themselves and
IN the days when the regiments were land
ing and embarking at this port the truth
Of this statement was realized. But no men
have landed here for some time and there
has been little abuse or disorder among the
soldiers quartered in the town that has not
been controlled by the native policemen of
the capital. Still there exists feeling of
ensafety among certain classes and II is a
fact that women of the better class go upon
the street as little as possible, and then
only with male escorts. They have heard
of disorderly soldiers in Ponce; they re-
member the b0isterOuS behavior OF certain
of our regiments as they passed through the
careful.
one night last week sailor from the col
lier Caesar stole from a cafe a pewter SUI
gar bowl. The native police followed and
attempted to arrest him. The sailor was
drunk, and these facts are always SUFFICIENT
TO commence a general row and much ex-
element. When the American soldier or
sailor is intoxicated nothing is more insult
ing to his American honor than for a Porto
Rican policeman TO in any way interfere
with his actions. The police are not impos-
ing. They are small men and have several
times shown themselves afraid of the
Americans, and the average brawny soldier
IS a match for any three of them. And the
soldier can always count on the active help
Of every other one of his comrades who hap
pens to be on the streets at the time. The
local police can take care of the law-break-
ing Porto Rican with more or less success,
but their efforts to control the disorderly
American have almost always ended in
trouble that would be averted II provost
guard were maintained whose duties were
confined to keeping order among our SOL
diers and sailors.
Several policemen joined in the effort to
arrest the man with the sugar bowl, previ-
ously mentioned, but his friends had gather
ed about him and the task clearly had its
difficulties. AT length an active policeman
saw his chance and brought his club down
hard on the drunken sailors head, making
bad wound Immediately after performing
this feat the policeman ran for dear life and
was soon lost to sight up a dark alley. 1t
was about o'clock in the evening, and the
streets were filled with people. The excite
ment grew quickly, the mayor was called
and the police went for their rifles and at
tempted to dispense the crowd. Doors of
houses and stores were nolsily slammed and
barred all over town, and these disturbing
sounds always work on a crowds nerves.
People did not know what to expect, and
the tension might have given way to some
hysterical action. At this juncture, how
ever, six American soldiers arrived from the
palace. They quickly scattered the crowd,
their normal appearance. There have been
several similar instances recently, and the
demand for q provost guard, which could
nip the origin of such trouble in the bud,
has been very general.
Reports concerning the disorders in the
interior of the island have pointed toward
which was the most unsettled now seems
to be quiet. But these troubles seem to
have broken out with renewed vigor near
Ponce 1t is the same story. Bandits, fire.
bugs and thieves infest the countryside,
plantations and farmhOuSeS are burned and
men are assaulted and occasionally killed.
The American troops are quartered in the
towns, and remote farms and haciendas are
often without protection. Travelling is I'M
safe and all men go armed. 1t is said on
the best of authority that the agriculturists
cannot raise money on future crops or on
any farm properties and that storekeepers
In Ponce refuse to send any goods on credit
to the troubled district.
Cavalry is certainly needed to put stop
to this unfortunate condition of affairs. 1t
is estimated that this years coffee crop,
which promised to be large, will in reality
suffer much loss. and this because the grow
er finds such difficulty in getting funds to
harvest and because of his trouble in get
ting men to work in the fields. In short,
because Of the general disorders, outlaWry
and maraudfng that have been more or less
prevalent for some months past. These
conditions affect other crops besides the
coffee. The islands agricultural products
will undoubtedly be greatly reduced this
year, and this means a reduction of in
come. If these disorders had been stamped
out In the beginning and before the out
laws gained confidence and impunity, and
II the authorities had been more active in
this respect than they have been the coun-
try at large would have reaped the advan-
tage. The result of the crops, what they
bring into the island, is Porto Ricos wealth.