The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-02-26
ON BOARD OF THE MAINE
STARTLING STATEMENTS OF THE
 CONDITIONS IN CUBA.

The United States and the Cuban War Boys for Soldiers-The Rebeiliop-Au- tonony-Rations to the suffering-A Waste of Money.
 Archibald H. Bull and family, of Elizabeth, N. J., a brother-in-law of Charles F, Smith, of William street, New Haven, have been spending the winter in the West Indies. They re- turned home Thursday night, and this morning he gave the following facts to the Elizabeth Journal:
 Tuesday, February S. we were enter tained aboard the steamer Maine at Havana. We had been on a delightful tour around the summer land of Porta Rica, which is veritable garden bed of exquisite flowers, including many that grow here. Roses and honey suckles, with many others of our na- tive flowers, were in full bloom in the month of January. The common peo- pie of Porta Rica are mostly couretous, kind-hearted and patriotic, and the is- land has contributed $5OOO0O and also some men to help Spain put down the rebellion In Cuba, which shows their loyalty to their mother country. be- sides paying their regular taxes and duties, which are extremely heavy; six dollars on barrel of flour from this country and all other things in propor- tion.
 The island of Porta Rica is one of the most fertile places in the world, which might be proven by its support of it's immense population, it being in size only forty miles wide and one hundred miles long, not much larger than our state of Rhode Island, and yet it con- tains and supports a population of about million. It is the most thickly populated place in the world except Barbadoes. No other place among the beautiful islands of the Caribbean sea can surpass or perhaps equal 1t in beauty, and the ride across the island from Ponce over the mountains to St. Johns, its capital, equals and exceeds In length the famous Glove road in the Catskills. This road, with it's culverts and beautiful bridges, is made and kept by the government soldiers, who are stationed so many kilometres apart. The road is as good as any in New Jersey, which is saying a good deal Lientenant-G Governor Dewell of Connecticut, who was one of our party, Heclared that if tourists and those rxyo o1ir of nr yUiChino n avoid the rigors of our winters, only knew how entirely foreign, interesting and beautiful, and equable the climate is in Porta Rica they would visit there in preference to Bermuda or Nassau, where they are subjected to dampness and to frequent wetting by sudden showers.
 Boys for Soldiers.
 From St. Johns we took the Spanish Royal Mail steamer Reina Marie Christina, for Havana. We found this steamer to be crowded with officers, soldiers and eighteen hundred recruits bound for Cuba. The latter were mere boys, we should judge of an average age of not over fourteen or fifteen years And the way they were crowd < ed in the lower decks of the steamer was pitiful. It was impossible for them to turn in their berths. Some crawled out and slept on the awnings at the risk of rolling overheard, and our pity for them was increased by of them, must die of levers. Thirteen < knowing that many, perhaps the most hundred had so died in the Matanzas alone during the past two months. They are paid, after they become drilled soldiers, twelve dollars a month, Spanish money, about nine dol lars of ours. Out of this their govern Tnent holds three dollars per month to be paid them when honorably dis charged. This they do not get if they die. They must also pay for their ra- tions and clothes, so there Is only left to them five or ten cents net per day.
 The Rebellion
 After looking at the youth of these soldiers, and the many thousands of officers and soldiers that hang about Havana, frequenting the cafes and showing their indifference in every way we were not surprised if the re- be1lion drags on, and we could not help thinking If they had only little Yan- kee pluck and push the rebellion would soon be crushed.
 When we visited Havana some eight years ago we were told that were it not for the American tourists there would be no bull fights in Havana; that the better part of the Spaniards Themselves thought it cruel, and that the spectacle was only kept up to sat isfy the curiosity of the Americans We found that this was only a prevari- cation, for which the Spanish are de- Eervedly notorious. There are nc American tourists to speak of now in Havana, nevertheless many Spaniards from Madrid, Barcelona and other places in Spain are now in Havana and because of this they have a bull fight every Sunday afternoon. Not withstanding the poverty there are over three thousand persons who at tend the bull fights, at cost of from one to three dollars a head, mostly of f1cers and men connected with the army. Some of our party attended but only one or two could remain tt it's finish. The brutality of blindfold ing and killing five or six horses, anc the tormenting and staying of four o five bulls, was too much for them ant all declared that they would neve again wish to witness a like perfor