The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-08
AMUSING EXPERIENCES.

During his brief reign the lieutenant
had many amusing experiences with
his subjects. They were most willing
and anxious to be good AmeriCans-ul
fact, they were almost too enthusias-
tic for comfort, for they would 'ersist
in calling upon him at the most unsea-
sonable hours to ask him how the
Americans did such and such trivial
thing. and they kept sending commit
tees to request various demonstrations.
The leading citizens of Agona, the
capital and most important port of
Guam, are a varied assortment. There
are a half-caste born in Samoa Of @n
American father, a native who spent
some years in the United States and
has an American wife, a native priest.
Sranish pilot, a San Francisco beach
comber, some ex-whalers, German
trauer, a Filipino trader, a japanese
trader and a potpourri Of other
worthless of greater or less degrees Of
responsibility and variety OF parent
age. Besides these there was the ma
tive soldery, a really well disciplined,
neatly uniformed body of men, who
were regularly maintaining their or
ganization and posts.
ogenous gathering and to select local
officials required a most careful and
Michiavellian diplomacy on the lieu
tenants part. One or two who We're
raised to public dignity We're found to
be too much exhilirated by their off,
cial eminence, and it became necessary
to remove them instanter.
A TREASURY INVESTIGATION.
One of the earlier trials was a most
distinguished gentleman Of Spanish
descent, ~who. in the interregnum be-
tween the departure of the Charleston
and the arrival of our first ships in Feb
ruary had been in charge of the treas
ury. With that official absent minded
ness and natural wish to provide for a
rainy day that is so nobly characters
tic of the Spanish colonial official, he
advanced himself his salary for the next
| eighteen months, and in order that the
other hidalgos in the treasury DEPART
| ment might not make iniudicious and
slurring remarks upon his Castilian
| honor he also advanced them twelve
| months pay apiece. At this interest
! ing stage Of the proceedings an Ameri-
| can man-of-war arrived most inOppor-
| tunely, and her captain at once pro-
| ceeded to investigate the finances of
the island. He sent ashore a very in
| considerate and inuuisitive individual
| of a paymaster, who betrayed a most
unusual and sordid desire to overhaul
the accounts and the treasury.
"Caramba. AS IL the word of a
Spanish gentleman were not enough of
an account! These mercenary 'Yon-
qus!" Truly this man was decidedly
different from the noble and chivalrous
officials of old Spain, for there was evil
IDENTIFY no golden way Of stopping his
impertinently meddlesome inquiries
and, of course, he discovered the miss
ing sum overpaid for salaries. The
"Yonqui" captain was firm in his brutal
demands for a return of this triflinG
amount, and the clerks repaid at once
though the noble don held out for 4
long time, thinking that surely sc
senior captain" must be joking or hold,
ing off for a larger bribe. In fact, the
official had some pressing personal
business in neighboring island and
was about to leave quietly when the
unchivalrous "Yonqui" issued an order
that the official should not leave the
island until the money was paid, which
was finally. done with much bad grace
and the incident closed.
TEACHING THE BUGLERS.
One OF the first duties Of our lieuten'
ant was to teach the buglers of the
native militia how to play the morning
and evening salute TO the American
colors, which were now regularly raised
and lowered ON the palace each day al
in the morning and at sunset. The
lieutenant not being a musician, dug
the music out of an Old drill book. anl
with much sign language explained tC
village musician what was wanted
This worthy called the buglers befor
him and then the agony began! An,
for days the barrack plaza resoundeC
las with the torments of the damned,
] In short time, though, the bugleri