The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-04-04
ADJUTANT NED CAMPBELL
On His Way Home-He Hasn't Much
Admiration for the Cubans.
HAVANA, CUBA,
March 81, 1899.

only costs about twice as much to go
from here to New York as from here
to Port Tampa. All of the southern
ports close against the island the first |
of the month, SO there is rush to get |
away from the island now. But there |
are good many Americans who are
going to stay here this summer.
I got the first mail Saturday that
have received since 1 have been in
Cuba, but the newspapers you spoke of
did not get, and 1 don't think l got
all your letters, and from the way you
spoke you haven't received all of mine;
for you ask me to describe things and
write about things have already writ
ten about.
I have kept note book ever since l
started, and put down all important
points have seen.
have had to pay six cents due on
each letter have received from you,
as you only put a two cent stamp on
them, and the postage is five, and when
postage is due they double the amount.
That is the way they get six cents due
on them.
1 was out to see Gen. Keifer, Satur-
day. He expects to go home this week.
They are taking troops out of here very
fast now, and are building barracks at
Buena Vista, five miles out of the city,
as a permanent brracks for the Regu-
lars which are to stay here.
Yesterday the Cubans held public
meeting here in the Parquet Theater,
and I send you paper with the ac-
count of the meeting in it. Give the
paper to Hattie, as she said she wanted
one.
1 think any one who had been in favor
of free silver would change his mind
after he had tried it awhile here. You
ask the price of anything and some
times they give it to you one way,
sometimes another. There are three
prices, Spanish gold, (Oro), Spanish sill
yer, (Plata), and American money,
which is even better than Spanish gold.
The rate between these is changing so
much you can never tell exactly what
you are worth. You can have your
pocket full of Spanish iron las the boys
call it) and yet not have enough to get
square meal.
These people have got an idea into
their heads that the Americans are
made of money, or as one of them said
to me the, ''the Americans shall make
me rich," and prices have doubled on a
good many things here within the last
month. The sooner we get this out of
their heads the better it will be for
them.
Most of the army are standing around
waiting for, the United States to pay
them for fighting. Nearly all of them
are officers. 1t is very seldom that
you see a private. They have forty
one generals of divisions, each supposed
to be equal to our major generals.
They are very jealous of each other.
Each one depreciates what the other
claims to have done, saying she did
not see any of the fighting. If he had
wanted to have seen real fighting he
should have been with us, but now the
war is over, and we have licked the
Spanish, he wants to run things" This
is the way they all talk, and if all oi
the troops were taken out of the island
it would not be "a hours before they
would be fighting among themselves.
In the first place, they say they are
going to disfranchise the negro. Well
now, from all have been able to learn
the negro is the man who has done mos
of the fighting, and he will not stan6
this, SO you have large sized fight OF
hands already.
AS rule there Is very little distinc
tion made between the races here so
cially, and it is nothing to see couple
out for walk, either one of whom ma.
be black.
If they would start to draw the colo
line, l don't know where they woul'
draw it, as you can scarcely find tw'
/
worst mixed class of people I ever saw
| First there was mixture of Spanisl
and Indian. then the cegro came in
: later little Norwegian, Portuguese
7 English, and lot of Chinese, so that
: would hate to have to swear to the na
tionality of any of them.
Il When you are going through tn
3 country and see a nice garden, you
: not have to ask who keeps it, for yo
4 may count every time that it belong
D to Chinaman. The Cinnamon her
do more work than anybody else. The
l also keep some of the best restaurant
n that are here.
e The other day going down street
e saw sign american Restaurant,
g and thought, when 1 came to that plac
I would step in and see who the Amer
S can is who runs the place. Steppin
), inside saw six Cinnamon with smilin
d faces. 1 asked for the proprietor an
b they pointed him out, and he informe
me he was glad to see me, and said b
s name was One Lung, or some sue
e name, and this was the individual WI
: was running an American restauran
n when neither he nor any of his con
1t rades ever saw America.
e Gen. Alger arrived here Sunday, ar
II the army had big review at Buer
e Vista, yesterday afternoon. Last nigl
l. Gen. Brooke held reception at b
e residence in his honor.