The herald., 1898-12-15
WOODS WORK IN CUBA
FROM EARLY MORNING TILL
LATE AT NIGHT
RESULTS ALREADY APPARENT
In the Changed Opinion of the Cubans
as to the Good Faith of the
United States
Associated Press Special Wire

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Dec. 7.-(Cor-
respondence OF the Associated Press.) Fol-
lowing is an account of day with General
Leonard Wood, the American commander
here:
By 9 o'clock a. M the horses are at the
front door, and he starts out on tour OF in
spection, possibly unexpectedly turning
up at the civil military hospital, or prob
ably visiting the docks to see to the storage
of Government property, or going the
rounds of the STRENGTHENING gangs, or
again one of the military encampments, or
sometimes the city Jail is favored with an
carly morning visit, on which occasion
every delinquent who has been ncarcerated
since his last visit, three or four days be-
fore, is brought before him.
1t is very nearly 8 o'clock before this early
inspection tour is completed, at which hour
General Wood joins his family at breakfast.
BY. $3.50 he is stepping into his carriage
miles away. BY $50 he is entering the
city palace, proceeding at once to his private
office, private only in name, for all the time
he remains there he is besieged by all sorts
and conditions of men and women, on bust
ness of every possible description.
General Wood is not hard man to get at,
and few words generally suffice for the
management of his visitors, unless, perhaps,
for some importunate office-seeker who is
desirous of giving history of his career
from his birth up. If the man be Cuban,
and there happens to be vacancy for such
man, he is turned over with his credentials
to be investigated by either General Cas-
tillo or Captain Mendoza. If the caller is
an American, his chances of obtaining a
public office are very slim, indeed, for Cen
cral Wood believes in the policy of giving
the Cubans every office which they are cap
able Of filling.
The General remains at the Civil Palace
only one hour, and it is pretty safe to say
that within five minutes of 10 o'clock he
will be seen walking across the square lead
ing from the Palace to the department head
quarters. For the first hour he is coseted
with Colonel Beason, Adjutant-General,
signing numerous papers, or the reverse, to
plans, estimates, etc. After that several
army officers are generally waiting for an
audience, some on detail work, reporting or
asking for information, others desirous of
merely paying their respects and some with
grievances they desire to lay before the
General
To all patient hearing is given, and by
quarter to one they have been disposed Of,
and then Captain Scott, captain of the port,
pays his usual visits to the Palace.
BY II o'clock he is answering letters which
come, In great quantities and to which ne
usually gives short answers
AT one o'clock the General again makes
his way to the Civil Palace, where he par
takes of lunch, at which meal are present his
two aides, Lieutenauts Brooks of the Sixth
Cavalry, and Hanna, of the Second Cavalry,
also three other members of his staff, Cap
tain Mendoza and Lieutenants Allen and
Wright of the Fifth immunes, and generally
come personal friend of the general
Half an hour sulfces for lunch, when the
General at once goes to his office, the
passage and for at least three hours attends
to the civil business of the Province Of San
tiago.
BY 5 o'clock he takes drive or possibly
q run down to Moro in the steam launch,
Inspecting on his way the yellow fever hes
pital and the island where the explosives
are stored On evenings when he tai kes his
water tour he lands at a wharf at the foot
of the hill, where his house is situated, in
one of the most beautiful suburbs OF Sau-
tiago.
The house was formerly the property of
Mr.. Ramsden, the late British Consul, in
whose hands it had become veritab BILE para
disc. 1t has magnificent view of the har-
Dor, and since the arrival of Mrs. Wood
has put on a very home-like appearance.
At about o'clock the general dimes.
More often than not his work of the day is
by no means over and from to 10 he is
often attending to correspondence and other
details of the government. Being an early
riser, the General endeavors to get to bed
between 10 and IL.
The opinion of the Cuban part of the
population has been completely changed
during the last sixty days At first they
We're more or less antagonistic to Americans,
but the tact of General Wood and his evi-
dent desire to give them every possible show
to prove their ability for self-government,
has convinced even the most anti-American
Cubans of his sincerely and good faith.