The evening times., 1898-07-13

New York. July 13.-One of the officers
of the British ship H. NJ. Pollock. which
arrived here from Porto Rican ports
| yesterday, said:
Americans need fear no opposition in
| Porto Rico except from Spaniards. The
natives are eager to see the Americans
land. They want TO be rid of their op-
pressors. Nothing more has been heard
of autonomy. The senators have never
been called together.
Food in Porto Rico is scarce and dear.
with the exception of beef, which Is plen-
tiful. Flour in the port sells for % cents
a pound. or $23 bag. A high price was
offered a schooner to bring a cargo of
tainted fish into Mayaguez.
..In this port there are about 2.0oO
troops, regulars and volunteers. The
former are half-starved, beardiess boys
There are no Notifications anywhere.
except at San Juan. The harbor OF san
Juan is well defended with electric mines.
We were boarded by an officer of the
Yosemite. of the blockading fleet, on Sun
day. June 26 and he knew all about San
Juan and its defenses. Had the former
bombardment lasted two hours longer
the town would have surrendered Az
the same time. l do not think there was
much damage DONE. could only see TWO
shot holes in the Moro and two or three
others in the prison.
I'VE first called at Fajarda with the
mails. A custom house officer got them
and they have never been delivered. Span
ish spies and detectives dogged US every
where We went They insisted that We
were Americans or in league with Ameri-
cans.
THE people are kept in dense Ignorance
of what is going on. The 1rst news We
heard at Fajarda was that the Spanish
fleet was bombarding New York, and was
then going to shell Boston and otner
coast cities. while 100000 Spanish troops
were living off shore. waiting to capture
the railroads and invade the western
States, Commodore Sampson had been
killed twice before, but he was surely
killed at Santiago. and President Mckin.
ley had left Washington to take command
of the fleet. some of the ships OF which
were coming to devastate the coast OF
Porto Rico. The natives were counselleo
to fire guns and pistols at the Americans,
and so frighten them OF. as had been
done in Cuba.
Churches and houses are surrounded
by sand bags. two or three tiers deep. as
a protection for the women ana children
from the barbarous Yankees. lnnumer-
able stories are told the simple natives
of the savage deeds of the Americans
When / explained to one negro that the
Americans were fighting to set the Porto
Ricans and Cubans free from Spanish op-
preston, he danced for joy and cried:
Let them come let them come! Otners
said the Americans would find every
house open to them.
II saw bulletin posted at Arecibo.
tArf all ma
quiet at Manila and that the natives were
joining with the Spaniards to repel the
Americans.
I'VE were twice mistaken for an Amer
can transport. and soldiers on board were
drawn up to repel US. The same thing oc-
CURED in the case of the steamer Elliott,
from Halifax. When she arrived at May
aguez so suspicious were the authorities
that the principal priest and two other
residents We're not permitted to visit the
ship at Arecibo.
Porto Ricans have plucked up courage
wonderfully They are hardly the same
people as those 1 met when previously on
the island, so much are they fortified by
the prospect of relief from oppression
There is war tax on everything that
possibly can be taxed Some time ago
planters son lost both legs in sugar
mill. He had pair of artificial legs made
and fitted here in New York at cost of
$500. When father and son returned to
the island they were not permitted to
land until they had paid $500 taxes on the
boys artificial limbs
THE people are starving all over the
island, which has a population of nearly
a million.
There is a native captain in prison on
the island because he admitted to the |
governor that he had told one of the |
blockaders that he was a Porto Rican. |
and so had escaped seizure with his |
schooner The governor was incensed be- |
cause he did not say he was a Spaniard. |
1T will be easy to land troops on the |
island outside of San Juan. Arecibo and |
u Ia rda are hnth gnnd harhorS.n