The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-13
No MORE G[NSDR|I|NG
Newspaper Correspondents in
Havana Rejoice.
UNDER THE OLD REGIME
He of the Red Pencil Was
Owner of the Earth.


down of the Spanish flag on Sunday was
full Of the most exquisite JOY, not only
because Of the natural patriotism OF the
correspondents but also because the haul
ing down of the flag meant the passing
of the Spanish press censor. All censors
are dragons who stand with flaming ton
CUES between the correspondents and a
waiting world, but Spanish is worse than
a dragon.
A correspondent always feels that any
censor, no matter what nationality he
may be, is much like the famous animal
encountered once upon a time by one
BALKAN when he was going down 20 Je-
/ ruseIam. In the case Of the Spanish CEN
sor there is this difference. that the ami
NAL BALKAN had to deal with spoke in
Balaam's own language. The Spanish cer1-
sor speaks Spanish, and all copy which
| is to go through the cable office must,
after being written in English, be trans
| lated into Spanish. The correspondent
must first write his article. Then ne must
rush around TO the cafes and drag his
| interpreter forth by main force, march him
to hotel, and stand over him while he
| translates.
While this is going on the clock keeps
right no measuring off time, and the small
hand gets nearer and nearer to the mark
which is the moment when the little wood
en- door at the cable Office comes down with
a bang, and the people inside would not
open it again for all the wealth that lies
buried in the Klondike. After the inter-
prefer has finished his translation there Is
hurried run for a cab, The correspon-
dent sees three of four other correspon-
dents starting for the censor's Office about
the same time, and the horrible truth is
borne in upon him that If he waits while
the censor slowly plods through the arti-
cles of the other correspondents his story,
which he knows is scoop, will not be
done IN time to be published If his paper
only came out but once a month, instead
of every morning.
So he and his interpreter dance up and
down in the road, and hiss "pst-m-pst,"
the traditional way of calling a cab in
Havana, unless the crowd of admiring
Cubans drawn up on the sidewalks point
them out to the soldiers as fit subjects
for arrest. Finally a cab Is secured. The
correspondent ana Interpreter climb in over
the doors and Shrek Gel palacio. ell pala-
clio, vaya listed" The cab driver, who
will go just as fast whether he IS driving
for his life or merely around the block to
see a friend, lazily slaps the lines on his
horses back, and the procession moves
away. Arrived at the palace, the CORE
spondent and his interpreter shoot through
the great doors, wildly salute the palace
guard, who regards them with such kind
Illness and goodwill that they immediate
" fix bayonets, while. the correspondent
steps, five steps at Jump.
After colIding with a ferce-Iooking
Major, who wears a mustachio, and
humping into the stomach OF a fat Col
onel. who murmers ''Carambar and lays
his hand on his sword. the correspondent
reaches the head of the stairs, pushes his
way through more soldiers and then
stands in the sainted presecne Of the CEN
sOr's secretary, who puts his finger over
mis- lips and murmers INST" as he tiptoes
cautiously over the peeks into the room
where the censor sits in awful state.
The correspondent sits down and stabs
"thes," and lands" and las" and other
words that his Office dislikes exceedingly
to pay . cents apiece for. Inside the
voice Of the censor can be heard in earnest
eXpostulatiOn as he dissects the article
that has just been laid before him. The
moments pass. The clock points to if
teen minutes of ten. The correspondent
grows pale. and overlooks five "thes'and
six lands" which have cash value OF
several dollars calling for a sarcastic
cabfegram next day requesting that in the
future it mibht be a good idea for the
correspondent to skeletonize his glowing
epistles. Finally. the secretary stands up
stiffiy. He waves his hand and says in
sepulchral tones, "Adelante"
The correspondent adelantes clear over
a chair and drops down in front Of the cen
sor as though he had fallen out of bal
loon. The great parsonage frowns. He
picks IN the copy in Spanish that the in
terpreter lays before him and handles 1t
as though it were a skull just dug from
a graveyard. He reads a lie. and then
he stops and glares at the correspondent.
and the correspondent feels as though
he had been caught red handed stealing
pennies out of the poor box at tie church
All" says the censor. ''Caramba"' The
interpreter meekly objects. He rubs up to
the censor like a sick kitten 70 warm
oven and pur-s softly. but the censor
still glares at the correspondent.
"Caramba"" he says. The correspon-
dent knows he X not a sueakthief but
to save his life he could not deny the ac-
cusatlon at that moment. The clock shows
eight minutes TO ten. The cold sweat
rolls out on the forehead Of the CORE
spondent. The censor turns to the inter
prefer. and his words harsh and stern.
roll out in torrents and remind the cor
respondent q clods dropping on coffin.
The interpreter purrs softly again. and
then news p.teously. He turns 20 the cor
respondent and says: "Signor Censor ne
says soldier did not stab Cuban. He says
the Cuban stabbed the soldiers"
But I saw i" says the correspondent.
meekly.
He says ne saw it," says the interpre-
ter in Spanish The censor speaks IN low
solemn tones, Ike a judge passing SEN
tsnce Of death. and the correspondent
looks for the soldiers 10 come in and hurry
him away 70 execution. He SAYS Car
amba apain- The correspondent, shudders.
He speaks that much spanish himself.
and whenever the censor says IL. he feels
Is though somebody had douScd him with
ice water. The Interpreter tres % purr
again. but the censor makes a grab mo
a drawer. The correspondent wonders
whether ne & SONG TO bring up revolver
OF dsEser. but instead he fishes out
red pencil ana strikes and stabs and rends
the COPY that mas been laid before him.
Then h wades through each page. while
the clock ticks ike the ticking Of the
clock ~ destiny
Just as the old Roman began and ended