Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-03-02
THE BEGGARS OF HAVANA.

Meanwhile Havana is an inferno of
misery. The miserable one, no longer
called reconcentrados, but simply the
poor, lie in immovable heaps on the
narrow sidewalks, too weak even to
beg. No one will give them food,
anyway. The misery in the city
seems more miserable now than before
the war. In my ride through O'Reilly
street the cabs wallowing wheels
barely grazed the rags which served
as the only garment for a young girl
That girl was dead-had died for
want of food and lack of mercy. No
one paid attention. When the dead
cart came that way on it's rounds, the
dead girl would be added to the hor-
Fible harvest. Only professional
beggars prosper. These are prin-
cipally children. One little boy
moves about on all tours, frisking,
jumping, trotting, lying down and
rolling like dog. With him is a lit
tie girl who does nothing but crow
like a cock. Every time the boy-dog
finishes a series of amusing antics,
IdC Sill SSIS up ClOWluSj
like a rooster on a barn-yard fence.
Every day at breakfast time these two
perform for our benefit in front of the
Inglaterra cafe. While the girl
crows, the dog-boy trots from window
to window, holds up his hand-or,
rather, his forepaw-and banks his re-
quest for aims. He can whine like a
pup, growl like a ferocious hound,
howl like prairie wolf. At sight
of him real dogs flee.
There is another boy whose every
joint seems to have been dislocated.
He appears to have been boned,
seems to have no frame, is simply
lump of flesh. He can mold himself
into all sorts of fantastic shapes, man
ipulate his flesh as a sculptor handles
clay. He never walks; he tuGnbles.
He stands On his head or walks round
on his hands, collecting pennies with
toes which serve as fingers. The
favOrite beggar is a little girl who
makes a living, not with her hands,
but by having no hands. Unable to
receive pennies like an ordinary NOR
tai, this little handless girl has her
mouth propped wide open; and into
this forever-open jaw you put your
pennies. rev can resist her horrible
appeal. These deformed children stand
out prominently from poverty's horde,
diverting attention and cash to them
selves, like stars in stage tragedy.
What is their awful story?
They are the products and the prop
erty of a band of comprachiOcos, a
Spanish word meaning child-stealers.
In the practice Of their hideous arts,
these fends take well-formed children
and deformity. When a Cuban
mother wishes to brighten her child,
she says, Mind or l will call the
comprachiocos." Forty Of these child
stealers, with other criminals, were
freed from prison and turned
loose into the coming FL Dorado, by
order of Gen. Blanco. To corral
these criminals will be one of the first
duties of the military police under the
American administration.-Gi Will
lets in Leslie's Weekly.
The American game of poker has
been declared illegal in Austria-Hun-
gary, on the ground that it is a game
of chance The upholders of the game
had been fighting for poker in the
courts, holding that skill 1redomi
mates over the element of chance and
that accordingly the game does not
come within the edict.