The times., 1899-04-08

the silence of death had Is over all. for the
splendid place is quite deserted.
Our intelligent cochero related its his
tory. The residence is considered the
finest in the entire province. 1t contains
a weIl-illed art gallery and imported fur
niture that vas formerly the admiration
of the people. The owner. a once wealthy
Spaniard. possessed rich sugar plantations
a little way back in the valley. besides
three thousand acres of the best tobacco
lands in the world. Five years ago it
seemed beyond the range of possibility
that he could ever find himself 4 poor
man. Early in the war; insurgents burned
his sugar estate. destroying his mills and
machinery and in a few hours sent sky
ward in fame and smoke property worth
two or three million dollars. Fearing for
his own life and the safety of his family,
the Spaniard hastily gathered together
what he could and fed to the mother
country, leaving all he possessed in Cuba
TO be sold by agents.
But nobody was buying much in those
nefasti dias. Some of the richest plan
tations on the island brought only six
dollars an acre, and others equally good
could not be sold at any price. The
senor's tobacco property. that erstwhie
yielded yearly income of several hundred
thousand dollars. brought only $1,000 in
the lump. During the war. the aban-
doned mansion in the outskirts OF Matan-
zas, at the mercy of both armies and all
the guerrillas, bush -whackers, and bandits
of the time, was absolutely yalueless. for
nobody would have accepted it as a gift
if Obliged to try living in it. Probably
the house cost in the neighborhood of a
quarter of million. and in the opinion
of our cochero might be purchased today
for 81, 600 down" Here is valuable
hint to home-seeking Americans.
There are other abandoned palaces like
this, scattered all over the island. which
might be bought for a 1.-THE of their
original value and converted into ideal
residences. The beauty, salubriety, pure
water, and easy railway and ocean facili-
ties conspire to make Matanzas far
more eligible place for American resort
than Nassau and other points to which our
countrymen and women flock by thousands
every season. Two or three million dol
lars iudiciously expended in Matanzas
would put it on par with Nice and the
Rivera and make it central watering
place for the world.
Widest Reveiry.
When we reached the central portion of
the town the streets that earstwhiie look
ed so deserted were filed with merry
maskers. Ladies in Spanish costume. wear
ing harlequin masks of black silk. prone
uaded in bevies, or rode in carriages,
throwing kisses and bandying jokes with
everybody they met, both friends and
strangers. Presently barbaric music was
heard, a weird sound like the beating Of
tom-tems before eannibal feast, and
around the corner swept molly process
sion. 1t was headed by a score of stall
olDff pfffPrpS of
saints the most honored figures being ma
turaliy the Black Virgin and st. Angus
tin.
Following this advance guard were sew
eral hundred men, women. and children, or
all conditions and shades of complexion.
Most of them were more. or less darkly
colored and while few sported gorgeous
holiday rainment. many were rather too
scantily attired for decency,, with here and
there half-grown child as naked as in the
minute he was born. All were shouting
and singing at the tops of their voices,
and while the leaders kept step with the
monotonous rythm. beating the ground
with their long heels like Indians in the
ghost dance, the more excited females
were whirlng like tops down the dusty
street. in a dance la Egyptienne.
Such heterogeneous crowd ! have seen
King Carnival in many countries. but never
anything like this. The pavements were
lined with well dressed ladies and gentle
men, thousands of children footed horns
and shook noisy rattles like the Mexican
metracas. while the barking of dogs and
the shouting of the populace mingled with
the unearthly music. Now. and then an
over enthused negress of the procession in
the wild abandon OF the dance, would
waltz cut of the line TO embrace an inno-
cent on-looker, as regardless of order as
of comment.
The End at Dawn.
One of the funniest sights of the day was
the Mortified expression on the countenance
OF digniied elderly army officer and the
disgust Of his prim American wife when a
buxom wench spun up to the wearer OF the
United States uniform, slung her fat arms
around his immaculate collar and imprint
ed a resounding smack upon his soldierly
moustache.
All~the saloons. cafes. and casinos were
wide open, their tables surrounded by civ
ilians and soldiers of every nationality
drinking light wines and smoking cigar
cites Faster grew the fun as evening
advanced and by midnight Saturnalia
reigned supreme. Still the procession kept
in motion. or rather scores of inpromptu
professions in various parts of the city
Every park and plaza was filled with
SDOTllNt IEdSAutT1utIs. hNEUstiliS tdNll Otl-
er in terms that were often less conven-
tional than affectionate, at times groups
of strangers clasping hands and singing to-
gether. or whiNng in mad waltzes under
the palms. N nwhiIe carriage loads of
ladies. en- masThe. wound slowly through
the streets. exchanging airy nothings with
pedestrians, and young girls on balconies
kissed their finger tips TO unknown gallanta
below and pelted them with flowers.
Whenever the main procession appeared,
or an offshoot of it, it was greeted with
loud cheers. and all joined in the singing
and dogs lifted their voices in agonized
howls as the weird music increased in vol
ume. Though an enormous amount OF
wine must have been consumed (whisky
gin. and kindred American beverages dc
not prevail in Cuba l saw not single
case of intoXication. Not until the first
rosy beams of dawn appeared in the east