The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-12
MANILA CIGARETTES.
How a Yankee Machine Failed in the
Philippines.

Fn1Ipp1neSs
j. G. Stevens, in New York Post
The native of the Philippines wants his
cigarette, and gets it. Packages of thirty are
sold on almost every corner for couple of
copperS, and, to my mind the Manila cigar
cite is far superior to the variety found in
Cuba. Smoking is, of course, encouraged by
prices such as these, and one finds it per-
fectly good form to borrow a cigarette as
tram car or on the plaza. Even on the toll
bridge that spans the Pasig you pay your
copper for the crossing and get for change
box of matches. And If you are queer
enough not to want the matches the man
agement will give you instead a check that
aVailS for a. return trip.
OF late years the cigarettes found in Ma
Mia have been turned out by thousands
from the fast-running French machines in
possession of the big tobacco factories, but
this is not to say that multtudes are not
still made by hand. / had the misfortune to
attempt to interest one of the smaller con-
pattern, which worked at double the speed
of the French article. But we figured with
out our host, and since the larger factories
had made contracts to equip themselves
with the Partisan patent, it apparently
seemed decidedly against their interest to
allow the introduction of the fast-running
American mechanism that had a capacity Of
turning out $4,000 pieces per diem, or two
hundred minute.
No sooner had the two engineers from
New York. who had come out to put the
machine together, started operations than
there was put under their door at the hotel
You are advised to do no more work on the
machine, but leave town at once" In
state of curious trepidation they came to
our office, where We increased their fears
by relating to them the incident of the two
missionaries who, some years ago. came to
Manila to teach Professionalism to the ma
tives. 1t seems that they had but begun
their labors when under the door of their
room at the hotel one night was thrust the
message: You are warned to discontinue
your teachings and leave the city"
Paying no attention to the communication,
the missionaries went on with their work
until second paper was pushed under the
door: You alone will be responsible for the
results of not needing this and the previous
warning. Leave Manila by the next steam
er." Still the missionaries worked on, Civ
ing no heed to what they thought were emp
ty threats For the third and last time the
room. reading: You are advised for the
last time to leave the capital by to-mor-
rows steamer.
But the missionaries stayed on, and on the
morning after the departure of tomorrow S
steamer both were found poisoned in their
little room in the hotel
The two engineers continued their work
on the cigarette machine in spite of our
story and of the first communication. but it
consequences. Scarce three days had
elapsed before second piece of brown pa
per was showed over the threshold of their
room bearing Spanish words equivalent to-:
Give up your work at once and leave
Manila" The situation began to look so
serious and the chances of our friends sail
ing away so strong that-to save the ma
| chine-we laid the matter before the arch
| bishop, who was instantly successful in
! stopping the anonymous communications.
| But the two machinists were uneasy and
| seemed to feel an invisible something work
| ing against them. The day for the trial
| came and among the dozen spectators were
/ trio of Jesuit priests. The machine
| started and the cigarettes began TO drop
| out at the rate of two hundred per minute !;
| but scarcely had mutual congratulations be-
| gun before the delicate mechanism sud-
| denly broke in several places and the appa-
| ratus was a useless wreck. 1t was clear
| that where warnings had failed tampering
! was successful, and our engineers took the
next steamer home, thoroughly upset over
| the methods which Spanish firms were sup
| posed to have adopted 10 shut out competi-
| ton.