The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-04

are some what uncertain Porto Rico was
another name. which seems to have been
| its old original Carib title. It is common
| " given as Borinquen. though the best
! authority on the island assert that 1t
| should read Boriquen. Either or neither
may be correct but Borinquen appears to
| be name held in high esteem by many
of the native people.
Until some historical work be obtain
able, it is only possible to treat these new
cities and towns of the United States
from Typographical and sociological stand
points The district of which the town
| Of Adjuntas is the principal center in
| cludes a large slice of the best coffee grow
| ing territory Of the island Here the cof-
fee industry assumes very considerable
proportions, and one sees the plant grow
ing on al sides. An excellent article is
| produced, and good prices are usually
obtained for 1t. The greater portion OF
the crop finds its market on the European
continent. A Porto Rican coffee planta-
ton does not present any very marked
| difference in appearance from the rest OF
the country. The bush. or shrub, growing
10 some eight or ten feet in height, IS
set out on no apparent system, and grows
mixed up with bananas and forest tlmoer.
Until one knows what it is, one might
easily pass a whole plantation and be-
ueve that he had seen nothing but a some
| what scattered forest with its usual I'M
| dergrowth of scrub and t{licket. Locally,
! the coffee is served in small cups, and is
very black and is very strong. But IL Is
also excellent.
The town proper occupies beautiful To-
cation in a narrow valley, whose border
rise sharply and steeply to the SUBMITS
of the surrounding hills A little stream
which the people OF the place dignity
with the title Of FL Rio (the river), runs
through the town, and makes itself very
useful for laundry purposes la Porto
Rico. In the heart Of the village an open
space is turned into a public park, with
cross walks. shrubbery and brilliant flow
ers It is not over neatly kept, and there IS
no particular evidence of sldllful garden
ing, but the place is quite attractive, and
constitutes a pleasant relief to some OF
its d!ngy surroundings. Here and there a
private residence shows a rank garden
growth of bright hued flowers. But on
| the whole, the long and struggling town
is not particularly attractive. Most OF
its houses are mere cabins, and few or
even the better class are at all home-Ilke
from the American standpoint. The Span
ish people and their kindred II would seem
to have but two ideas regarding a resi-
dence There appears to be no man be-
tween the casa, with its patio. abutting
| Immediately upon the sidewalk, and wall
| to wall others very much like It, and the
! country seat a good distance from any
peighbors. Naturally, the poorer class
can have neither, but in a country where
land is sufficiently abundant, there is no
cabin imme dia tely Observation-Disclosures
reason for setting every little cabin i'm
mediately upon the edge Of the roadway.
! and within two OF htree feet of the build
! ings on either side of it.
The city hall is an unpretentious struct-
ure one story in height, and painted,
! like many Porto Rican buildings. of all
! classes, pale blue, with white trimmings
| In it are the offices Of the Alcalde, who
| seems to he something more than mayor
! and something less than governor.
| There are also the offices Of the different
! legal Official lignataries of the district
| From the numerical relation of the police
/ force to the population, one might infer
/ that AdiuntaS was a sort of Porto Rican
| Bitter Creek" where everybody was bad,
and the higher up one went the more and
more wicked he found the people. In the
! United States a village which needed a
| policeman to every hundred of its in
habitants would be Stunned by all, and
| soon be deserted by all who did not stay
behind for the express purpose of killing
each other Such town in the states
would have a constable or two or mar
shall with deputy.
! Adjuntas claims a population of 300.
and has a chief of police, with a force Of
twenty men under him. They are in
ample evidence in the principal streets,
dressed in suits of linen, with a narrow
blue and white stripe, and wearing a
belt and a sword. They are a rather light
weight lot. and a fair specimen of bowery
tough would probably have but little
trouble il doing up a ialf dozen or so of
them in course of an evening, without
breaking his gait. The spiritual needs
of the community are cared for by a most
excellent man. 1t is a pleasure to render
even so slight a tribute to the good Padre
| Antonio Million, the parish priest of Adj
juntas. Although a Spanish sympathizer,
this gentleman has sunk all else, and re-
! membered only these words, spoken so
many centuries ago. IF thine enemy
hunger feed him; if he thirst. give him
drink" When the great government of
the United States was sending its soldiers
Into the field without adequate provisions
for them in case of sickness, Padre An
| tonic Million gave his time. his care. and
mis- thought, to nursing, feeding and car
ing, for the sick soldiers of the United
States army. Hats off to the good Padre
with the broad badge Of the Spanish Red
! Cross Society on his shoulders.
Adjuntas has stores. 1t has many of
| them. From all appearances the majority
| of them either carry a stock OF liquor
an adjunct TO a stock of m scelianeous
! merchandise. or a stock of miscellaneous
merchandise to an adjunct to a bar-room.
I I am told there are no restrictions here
upon the sale Of liquor and / can see no
| evidence Of any. Yet I have seen no in
| toXication. Almost every one drinks
both wine and the native rum-and oc-
! casionally there is a disturbance in which
the omnipresent machete plays its little
! part. The women smoke both cigarettes
. and cigars. Occasionally one meets
| woman, evidently of the poorer classes
/ full-groWn cigar. AS I write I look from
my window into the rear yard Of the
/ hotel. and see a dark-skinned. though not
black. woman, washing the dishes from
the dinner table. The dish washing does
not seem to be much of a treat but she
is surely enjoying the cigar from which