The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-12
Queer Things in Porto Rico.

SiliiuleH III PORTO Rico wear no
clothes until they are 10 or II years of
age, and even grown up persons of
both sexes battle together in puris nat
uralibus where the water is no higher
than the knee. The people of the ISL
and are composite race-Spaniard, In
dian and negro. AS regards religion,
the bulk of the people are Roman Cath
olics. The upper classes, who are MAIN
ly Spaniards, dwell in houses the mid
die classes live in shanties, and the
lower classes, the poems, exist where
convenient.
The churches are not inviting, for, al
though universally painted yellow on
the outside in accordance with the
Spanish law, the interior is rather bare
Ihfee rows OF seats stretch in front of
the altar and parallel with it, but the
rest of the space is bare, and the wor-
shippers who do not bring their own con-
Veniences have to stand or kneel dur
ing service. The Spanish women of
the aristocracy may be seen going to
mass on Sunday preceded by negro
carrying a chair and followed by an
other with priedieu. The men crowd
the churches on grand occasions, the
grandest of which is the feast of the
Three Kings which we call the
Epiphany. That is the Porto Rican
Christmas. The country folk come down
from the mountains to San Juan and
Ponce, and after drinking rum, COM
pared with which Bowery whiskey is a
mild beverage, they go to church. In
church when they meet old friends
they embrace them effusively. When
| they meet old enemies machetes are
| drawn and used with skill, but all the
| time the service goes on.
The fire department in Porto Rico is
in rather a primitive state. There is no
| water available in summer--fresh wat
er is sold by the barrel, bucket and
even the glass--and when fire is dis
| covered the firemen take their axes and
chop up the adjoining houses to save
| the block. AS the houses are mere
shanties a few boards thrown together
regardless of architectural design, axes
may not be necessary A few kicks do
the business. The poems do not live in
houses at all. They just lie down
when they are sleepy and go to sleep.
They are lazy, but the climate is to
blame for that. They work about four
months in the year-that is to say, in
the sugar cane cutting season--and
spend the other eight months playing
loo and other games, including a
| sort of roulette. They quarrel frequent
ly while gambling, and then the ma
chete, which most Of them carry under
their shirts, comes into play.
| The police department is still more
singular than the fire department. Be
fore the American occupation a detect
i've department existed under a chief.
The detectives in hunting a criminal
went around in detachments disguised
as doctors or priests, reading books and
| looking so sagacious that every one
knew what they We're. OF course they
never captured the criminal On one
occasion a man stole $1,000 worth of
jewelry in San Juan and went to HUI
macao for concealment. The chief
thought this was case that demanded
the ability of a master mind, so he
went in quest of the thief himself. He
had on his person two revolvers, dag
ger machete and a carbine, and thus
equipped he went to the house where
the thief was in hiding.
"If you don't come out" Numbered
the chief, showing a pistol through the
open window. I'll blow you into the
internal regions!"
There was no answer, and the chief
emptied all his pistols and carbine
through the window, the thief all the
time lying on the floor.
will you surrender" shouted the
chief. IT have $50 rounds more"
For answer the robber got up from
the floor, went out by the back door
came round to the veranda, and. taking
the chief prisoner, bound him fast and
left him there.-New York Sun.