The Anaconda standard., 1899-01-06
A CHRISTMAS IN CUBA
A Letter From Ex-Assessor
Kroone. Now in Havana.
TRYING TO LEARN SPANISH
Good Havana Cigars Sold for Five
Cents--Wine Cheap and Everything
Is High Priced-Buzzards
Ideal Scavengers.

companions in this city who enlisted
in the late war and who is now located
at Havana with company F, I'd In
diana volunteer infantry. The writer
is Leonard Olson and the letter is dat
ed Camp Lee, Havana de Cuba, Dec.
10, 1898. Eliminating some references
of a private nature and a few imma-
lows:
When with you last Christmas l
could not imagine that I was to cele-
brate this Christmas in Cuba. The
company you had then l understand
must be pretty well scattered, but I
don't think anybody got as far as I
nave. 1t seems queer to think. when
we lie here in our tent trying to get
little breeze, or march down to the
ocean to take swim, that you people
are having snow, Christmas trees and
sleigh rides. It's no use for me waiting
Tor ice and if we are to have any sport
1t Will be at hunting Spaniards, though
now there don't seem to be any very
serious cause for trouble. There was
some quarrel here in Havana a few
days before we arrived here Some
CubanS were killed and wounded and
some Spanish officers wounded.
The town is now in mourning for
General Calixto Garcia, who died in
Washington, but most of the people are
so delighted to see the American troops
here that they forget even that sorrow
Cuban and American flags are seen
everywhere, though the poor Spaniards
dare not show their colors at all
They are in a sad position. being rldi-
culed by the people they used to ty-
runnize 1t must have been pretty hot
here just before peace was declared
Ihe Cuban camp is ten miles from IIa-
Vana and we are camped right between
the Cubans and the Spanish. The Gu
bans don't use any tents, neither does
there seem to be much regulation as
to the uniform they carry. They wear
wide straw hats, same as the
Spaniard, only they have different. en1-
bems on the sides. Everybody in this
country who is big enough to carry
gun. never goes without one. The Gu
bans all have different kinds of guns
some Wlnchesters, and some Mausars
taken from dead Spaniards. Nearly all
the Cuban soldiers are more or less re-
groes, though appear to possess intel
ligence above the average. 1t was ru-
mored in camp last night that there
had been an attempt to assassinat.
iSiiCl al llAAuSll Lee, LnOuSn no Qa0-
ger in that respect is apprehended. We
were lying in dock when Lee came in
on the Panama, one of the prizes OF
the war. He seemed to feel good when
a lot of the prominent citizens of the
town came down to welcome him, and
L don't wonder that the Spaniards are
sore to see him back.
They say that we are to officially
take possession of the city on the first
OF January. Our colonel Moultoa, is
detailed as chief of police. and they
say that he has orders to raise the
stars and stripes on Moro Castle on
the first. Everybody in camp is try
ing to learn Spanish, but most of them
will find out it's not so easy as he i'm
agines. | don't know much about it
yet, though | have been studying ever
since we got to Savannah. Now, if |
tell you how cheap the real Havana
cigars are here, I suppose you will wish
you were here. In camp they sell them
two for five cents: they don't have
them in boxes, but in big bundles, and
there are all kinds of cigars in bun
die. If a man knows a good thing
when he sees it, he can pick out two
cigars for five that he pays 25 cents
for anywhere in the states. Wine is
comparatively cheap, but everything
else is high. The poor class of people
don't use many clothes and children
are running on the streets dressed IN
the same manner as when they first
came into this world The city is built
on the old European style. nearly all
the houses being constructed of stone,
with tiles for roofing. Some appear to
be of great age, especially the churches
and public buildings. Many of the
streets are only wide enough for us to
march in column of fours, and when
two persons meet on the sidewalk one
has to go out on the street The
streets must have been cleaned pretty
well of late and are much neater than
those of Chicago are
Talking about street cleaning. we
have some great scavengers around our
camp, turkey buzzards by the thou
sands, constantly picking up every
thing thrown away, and if we didn't
stop them they would eat the food
from our plates.
We are pretty well equipped with
everything now: wall tents 12x16 feet,
six men in each, and, with cots to sleap
on, seem to us almost a luxury We
are wearing our brown khaki suits once
more; in fact, many of us don't wear
even that; some of the boys seem to
have an idea that all a good-looking
soldier need wear is a hat belt and a
Suhpuill niue. we are getting the
mail three times a week and a Chica 90
paper has an agent here. so we get the
news pretty regularly, We understand
the regular army is to be increased, and
1t is the general supposition here that
we will be sent back and mustered out
IN the spring. I will feel satisfied to
go pack north in the spring; it's hot
enough now, and what will it be in the
summer? There is no sickness at pres
ent. though we are warned not to 90
INTO any houses or congregate in NUN
lie places. Talking about the officers.
there must be something rotten lot
only in Denmark. but also in the United
States army. The transport vessel
Michigan. which took US from Savan-
nan to Havana, was condemned as I'M
mt to carry human beings. Yet, the
fact is now established that it carried
both human beings and cattle, What
DO you think of 500 mules and two dOz-
en- officers as first class passengers and
7OO priVates and "non-Coms" in the
steerage? The mules had their managers
full of oats and hay all the time and
the cooks assured if we became hungry
we could feed with the mules, You
might believe that I make it worse lhan
it was, but really all we got was two