The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-20

Etc.
Stanley Hubbard OF the U. S. Hospital
Corps is now stationed in Placetas, Cuba
and in letter dated June he sgives the
following interesting description of the
city.
Placetas Is town OF about eleven
thousand inhabitants and was held BY
the Spaniards all through the war, the
Cuban soldiers having gone into the
mountains. II Is a very well fortified
city having five root trench all around,
the length OF is being thres miles. Out
side Of the trenches Is Q barbedsw fence
seven feet high having the wires one foot
apart. 1t also has an obstruction of
railroad rails above and below the three
middle wires. This is to prevent the
enemy jumping into the trench and
standing the. show Of winning the battle
py hand to hand enlargement: There
are two forts in the center of the business
part Of the town and on every principal
four corners Is .blockhouse right in the
middle OF the intersection OF the princi-
pal OF streets. About q mile from
town in different objections are eight hills
which were occupied by the outposts.
During the war there were 1--we thousand
Spanish soldiers here. Four thousand
walks where they could get little pro.
lection from the projection that reaches
from the caves Of houses to the outer
edges of the sidewalks.
These awnings as they might be called
are on nearly every business and dwell
ing house have seen In Cuba with the
exception of some in Havana. There
were over one thousand Spanish soldiers
that died here, of which less than one
hundred were killed in the two successful
attempts the Cubans made to capture the
town.
Within one hundred feet Of where / am
sitting sharp engagement took place
between the Spanish soldiers In the block
house and the Cuban oayalrymen in
which an American who came here to
fight for Cuha's freedom was killed. His
name was Capt. Charles Dodd and he is
buried In the cemetery on the hill here
The cemeteries here are all walled in and
nearly all of them have little chapel in
them where they hold burial services.
My opinion of the Cuban and Spanish
people from what / have seen, including
tie Spanish soldiers. saw in Cienfuegos,
is with the exception OF about five pei. cent
of the Cuban people, that the Spanish peo-
pie are as far ahead of the Cubans as the
American are above the Spaniards. OF
course there are some very fine Cubans
and Spaniards. Perhaps the reason tho
Cubans are so dirty and also lazy is be-
caue the Spaniards have not given them
"a chance, but 1t Is game of chances If
they are ever any better unless they are
forced 20 be SO. AS IL is they are worse
than the North American Indian, for If
you do him favor he will both remem-
Der and appreciate 1t, while If you do q
Cuban favor or give him anything he
will come back the next day and expect
twice as much and Is mad II he does not
get it.
Every day since We have been here we
have fed probably hundred men, women
and children, and the way they appreciate
IL Is TO steal everything they lay their
hands on.
/. A, few miles from here in the town of
Fomento the people have been starving
and dying Of fever ever since the war
started, SO they have been issued cer-
tain amount of rations to be delivered at
the rate of two thousand rations q month.
A detachment of soldiers from here took
them their allowance few days ago,
and few of them were mad because they
couldn't get the whole .ainount at once.
themselves, but it is only the lower class,
or should say the majority that want
their liberty. All the educated Cubans
want to be annexed to the United States
as far rs can find out. The only re-
deeming virtue that have found about
Cuba is nature and that was here before
q human being ever struck the island.
As far as morals are concerned / don't
think the word is known to but few peo.
pie on the island, and II I had some way
to express myself without shocking the
modesty of the lowest human being in
America would do so, but can't find
anything In Webster's Unabridged that
would answer the purpose. All can
say Is that for fifth ID can't be surpassed
f.u ha 18th L. nf he
for all that there are some beautiful trees
and spots that we don't see in the States.
May 2S.-The weather ia fine. and we
have nice, COOL days. am going over to
the river on mounted pass this after
noon and take swim. The water is al
ways cool and quite clear, and is healing
to many kind Of sores such as boils, etc.
The only thing that spoils the sport of
gunning here Is that everything is too
tame. II 10 just like going out in the yard
and shooting hens / just just got back
from dinner. We had vegetables, soup.
roast beef, mashed potatoes with butter
gravy, coffee and bread. We live high
and sleep in the garnet. Campbell and
are chewing to beat the band on ginger
I have just got back from dressing a
fellows ear. he Is totally denf in one
ear. IL seems to be an epidemic in this
country, but 1t Is very easily cured.
would give $500 for pot Of your beans
with brown bread.
BOY OVERHEARD.
The young SON of MIR. Nichols, an
enploye of the Marine railwsy, while
play ing Saturday afternoon on the rail-
way wharf. not only fell overheard and
got good ducking, but came very near
sustaining serious injury. He was rss-
cued by Mr.. Goddard and taken to his
home and put to bed. The boy was sud-
denly taken sick and DIR. Lowell was
summoned and found him full of water
and. as consequence the action of his
heart was seriously affected. Proper
medical action was resorted to and the
boy soon began to mend. sew
Miss Mollie Lowell OF Gorhams spent
Sunday as the guest of Miss Clara Hem
ley, Preble street.
Miss Virginia Dyer of Higgins Beach
is visiting Miss Clara Henley. Preble