Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-10-29
Sending Cannon Out of Cuba That
Belong to the Havana
Defenses.
PRESIDENT ASKED FOR ADVICE
Censor Under Orders Of BIancO
Stops Messages to This
Country.
OFFICIALS ROB The MERCHANTS
Demand All Kinds OF Fees Before
They VIII Allow n Man From
the United States 10
Enter Trade.

New York, Oct. ga dispatch to
the New York Herald from Havana,
via Key West, says: While there is lit
tie or no danger OF n physical clash be-
tween the Spaniards and Americans, 1t
may be well understood that affairs in
Havana have reached a critical stage.
Acting under the direction Of General
BlHnco, the censor prohibited any ref
erence In the cable dispatches to the
difficulty, my last dispatches having
been destroyed.
Trouble followed the serving OF
written protests by the American COM
mission against the sale of cannon To
F.. II. Hammcl. No attention was paid
to the protest by the Spaniards, who
cody proceeded to load the cannon on
lighters for delivery. This reached
the cars Of the American commission
ers who ordered Captain Brooks to
proceed il full uniform to the Macs
stranza de Artillera," there to take e.
act note of everything done. His pres
ence was objected to by the oticialS.
They were informed by Captain
Brooks that he took orders only from
the American commission, to whom
the protest against his presence
should be made. He remained untll
lac counted $50 cannon taken away
and saw another gun, many tons III
weight, placed aboard the Alfonso Nil
The President A,krd for Ndvicr.
Captain Brooks reported results in
a.. .,,.,l..tn gngginn nf tho
sion, when il was decided to send n ca
BILE to the president, asking for power
to enforce respect for its protests. II
the administration upholds the posi-
ton of the commission the Scorpion
will be brought around from Matanzas
and il Is believed more powerful repre-
sentativeS OF the navy will be sent 10
Havana. If the commission is not NJ
held its position will be unenyiable 10
say the least.
On hearing of the trouble General
Blanco ordered the censor TO permit
no reference to the sale OF the cannon
unless they were spoken OF bronze
Junk. The censor was also ordered 10
permit no reference to the action tax
en- by the commission.
1t would be hard for one not CONVEX
SAINT with all the facts to imagine the
condition of official brigandage exist
ing here. Every dollar it is possible TO
wiring from the island the Spanish Of
fcials are Selling. That is the reason
why the American commission is
anxious for the American possession
of the government.
ChcCk mated for Once.
General Butler Butler recently
checked one piece Of rasCality for
which he has been thanked by the en-
tire American colony. Years ago An
son Howly Taylor came here from
America and engaged in contracting,
amassing a large fortune, of much of
which he was practically robbed by the
government. He died last June, leav-
ing several pieces of real estate and
large accounts against the municipal
ity which are practically worthless.
His widow, who has relatives in Chi
cago and New York, came here after
the blockade TO gather up the rem
nants of the estate. To assert her claim
she had to secure the possession Of pa
pers left i'm a strong box by her hus-
band. To do this she applied to Julio
Macias Nasqucz, n civil Judge.
Then began one of these mulcting
processes peculiar to Cuba. After Civ
ing various sums. Mrs. Taylor saw
what the end must be and laid the case
before General Butler. The general
told her that the commission had no
authority, but he was inclined 10
usurp some. He turned the matter
over to Mr.. Garrison, attorney for the
commission, with instructions to de-
mand the possession of the papers
from Nasque2, telling him if they
were not forthcoming a force OF
American Marines would be sent
for tomorrow. Nasquel tried to
argue and the result was that Mr..
Garrison broke open the box and took
the papers. He was asked 10 make an
affidavit of his right in the premises.
but answered: - represent the soyer-
cign power of the people of the United
States. No sovereign ever makes atii-
davits." The incident then ended, and
Mrs. Taylor is in Il fair way TO secure
her property. No doubt the Amer
leans exceeded their power, but had
they not done so the Taylor estate
would have been plundered.
In all portions of the western half
of Cuba the Spaniards are c~ndeavoring
TO collect taxes for next year. The
rate varies according to the ability OF
the officials to collect. In cases where
the demands can be enforced the rate
has been as high rs 10 per cent of the
assessed valuation of the property. In
the country officials make a practices
of assessing property at about the
value Of any live stock the owner may
possess. If he refuses TO pay the cat
tie are taken without process and sold
in the name of the Spanish crown.
The custom houses present an OPP
p~ortunity for plumber which is never
neglected. An Englishman named
Mccullough, having a large estate
near Sagua la Grande, imported ma
chinery to rebuild a sugar mill partial
ly destroyed during the insurrection.
The import duty is only per cent, but
the officials, on learning he was in a
great hurry that the mill might be
ready to grind the present crop, re-