The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-03-09
A MARIETTA BOY
IN PORTO RICO,
Clarence Brumby Writes to
HE Mother.
GIVES INTERESTING FACTS
Customs, Scenery, Productions and
Several Incidents Related, and
Soldiers Life.
GIVES INTERESTING FACTS
Barros, Porto Rico, Feb, 1899

DuITOS, IOrtO hlcO, FeD., lS19,
Dear Mother-I arrived in this place
on the last day of January. 1t is a
nice, clean, pretty little town. sur
rounded by high mountains. Right
here, is some of the prettiest scenery |
have seen on the island. About one
fourth of a mile from here is beauti-
ful little cataract, fall Of about 80 or
6o feet over one solid massive rock.
The water is icy cold and clear as a
crystal. This is a regular coffee town,
the center of fine coffee region.
There is also plenty of fruit near here,
for coffee is grown in the shade, most
always in the shade of the banana and
platina trees, but no bananas are ex-
ported from these island towns, and, of
course, there is scarcely any or no
profit from the bananas. The platina
is one of the principal foods of the
"work-for-nothing" coffee picking ma
tives. Oranges, sweet and delicious,
are found on nearly every hillside, and
Porto Rico is nothing but hillsides and
mountains. Then there are large to-
bacco plantations here and there, but
do not know whether any is raised
for export or not. Europe is the con-
sumner of nearly all the coffee exported
from the island, especially France
Great quantities are shipped to Havre.
The few cocoanuts we get here are
brought up from the coast of Burros
for the cocoa grows only on the coast
and have not seen any: sugar planta-
lions this far inland.
L believe, now, since having been
stationed in ten different towns of this
island, all have ever read of the filth
OF Santiago and other Cuban towns
they are the most filthy people with
| whom have ever come in contact. o.
course l speak mostly of the low and
the poor, but even the premises of the
rich, the Don Pedro class, are nothing
like they should be, but now the
Americans are taking charge of the
sanitary department of the Island, and
OF course, look for a change. A Chi.
naman owns the three butcher shops OF
the town, and conducts them on scale
as most lowdown Coolies would. But
unlike Cuba, Porto Rico has very few
OF this race.
l
The fieas here are my worst enemy
They are terrible. South Carolina See
Island mosquitoes are nothing in com.
parison.
Sunday | went to the cock pit here
Sunday is the sporty day of the week
The chickens are lined up on one side
OF the street, the ones that are match.
ed for the coming Sunday being tied
up five or six feet apart, fifteen fee
further down the street is the next
pair, and so on. They are placed thu,
Tor exhibition. They are tied to the
same stake every day for three or foul
days. Each stake bears the name of the
fighting birds owner. Here the Sport
comes, watches and picks his winner
On the morning of the fight, Sunday
the crowd collects, the money is stak.
ed, and the referee takes his place in
the pit. The two "Coleadors" (the
men who keep care of the cocks during
the fight) step from their seats. which
are directly in front Of two gates, enter
the pit with the two birds under theil
arms. The referee draws two lines
feet apart, the "Coleadors" place. the
birds on the line, the word is given ant
the fight begins. They fight withou
gaffs, and, OF course, the fight is lon,
and bloody one. When bloody ant
painting, the two birds stop for "a rest
they are picked up by the "Coleadors,
who suck the blood from the bleeding
necks with their mouths, then films
their mouths with water from bottle
always handy, they blow it into the
face OF the painting birds; the fight
starts anew and does not stop until one
of the birds is killed or lays down to-
tally exhausted. The crowd yells and
cheers, the money is handed out to the
winners, and the onlookers depart, and
this is an every Sunday affair in every
town I have visited.
On every bright, sunshiny day, in
front of almost every store, the coffee
is spread out on large sacking or can
vas pieces about s feet square, and as
the streets are only about % or 30 feet
wide, the coffee takes up nearly half Of
the street, but then there is not sin.
gle carriage, buggy, wagon or cart in