Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-02-16
AN INTERESTING LETTER.
A smyrna Soldier Boy Writes Entertaining
Iy of His Experience In Cuba.

afraid you are working in just now.
You see we had our wish and at last
are in Cuba where we expected TO 20
eight months ago. We left Knoxville
on the 9th of January and arrived at
Savannah on the llth, and went into
camp in the camp of the Third Me-
braska Organs regulars) which had
gone to Cuba. We had fine time,
the Savannah people gave a banquet
and We did parade and review in the
city.
We loaded on the transport Chester
on the Goth and next morning started
for Cuba, but run aground before we
got to the ocean. Savannah is l3 miles
up the river from the ocean, and we
did not get into the ocean until the
next morning. The first day out was
stormy and l got my first dose OF sea-
sickness. Sick. Well / guess | was.
l saved my shoes by mailing them to
the deck. That night all the vessels
deck load and three of the mules went
overheard. The next day was fine and
we had no more trouble. We ran along
the coast of Florida all day and | saw
for the first time sharks, fying-tsh,
sea gulls, etc. We passed Key West
on the morning OF the Both and was in
the Caribbean Sea all day and arrived
at Cienfuegos on the first OF February
about 1870 a. M, got pilot and
anchored in the inner harbor about
noon.
Well / can tell you it is a sight to one
who never saw tropical country.
everything is green, grass growing,
! flowers blooming, etc, and it is as warm
now as it is in June in Michigan.
Cienfuegos has fine natural harbor but
no docks where large vessels can come
alongside so we were unloaded in
lighters, that is steam barges. AS to
the city the houses are low, built of
brick or stone, and having 40 windows,
l. O., glass windows. The windows are
merely window holes covered with iron
grating and having heavy wooden shut
tiers which ars taken down in the
morning and evening and closed at
night and in the middle OF the day
when little or no business.
There is fine government palace
here, now division headquarters for
the Americans. and plaza or park.
| Nearly every night the band plays and
the people come out and walk around
the walks in the park.
There are still many Spanish soldiers
here and large feet of transports to
take them home. They are small in
ferior men and most of them poorly
drilled, and they get but four dollars a
month and some of them have not been
paid for over year. They are very
friendly toward US and exchange but
tons and other relics with us. They
have very little to eat and when they
90 home they pack them on the trans
ports like sardines in box. The
native Cubans here in the government
thieves / ever saw. We had to stand
over them with a bayonet and loaded
gun all the time they were unloading
our stuff. l also saw some OF the re-
concentrates drawing government
supplies. They are ia horrible condi-
ton, being mostly in rags and on the
verge OF starvation. II it were not for
the United States government supplies
hundreds of them would die of starva-
ton.
When we were unloaded we were
sent to Rodrigo, a remnant OF a town,
about sixty miles north OF Cienfuego.
The regiments permanent camp will
be at Amaro, three miles from here.
One cannot realize what the last
three wears has done for the island, or
this port of it anyway All the way
from Cienfuegos here we saw fifty acres
of uncultivated land to one Of culti-
waited, ruined villages, ruins OF sugar
mills and refineries, etc, and they tell
US that 1t has all been done in the last
three years. 1t looks as though it had
been done ten years ago.
Guerillas are plenty around here and
are causing sometrouble, but they keep
a healthy distance from the American
troops. There are also some OF the ex-
Cuban soldiers doing scout and guard
duty for the United States here. They
are armed with Remington carbines
and machete and ride small stout
native ponies. Nearly every Cuban
here carries machete, and they are
very handy with it, but they don't look
as though they would be much good
against an enemy armed with rifles.
There is fairly good railroad run
ming through here. 1t goes from Glen
fuegos to Havana. We get mail twice
a day.
The better class of people here dres
like the American, the poor class in
whatever they can get, mostly, how
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