Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-31
The leading citizen. of Agona. the capital

The leading citizens of Agona. the capital
and most important port of Guam, are
varied assortment. There are a half-caste
born in Samoa of an American father,
native who spent some years in the United
States and has an American wife, native
priest, Spanish pilot, a San Francisco
beach comber, some ex-whalers, a German
trader. a Filipino trader, a Japanese trader
and pOtpourri of other worthless of greater
or less degrees of respectability and va
riety of parentage. Besides these there was
the native soldiery, really well-disciplined,
neatly uniformed body of men, who were
regularly maintaining their organization
and posts.
To preserve order among this heteroge-
neous gathering and to select local officials
required a most careful and Michiavellian
diplomacy on the ieutenants part. One
or two who were raised to public dignity
We're found to be too much exhilarated by
their official eminepce. and It. became nee
essary to remove them instanter.
Treasury investigation.
One of the earlier trials was a most dis
tinguished gentleman of Spanish descent
who, in the interregnum between the de-
parture of the Charleston and the arrival
of our first ships in February had been In
charge of the treasury. With that official
absent mindedness and natural wish to
provide for rainy day that is so nobly
Characteristic of the Spanish colonial off,
clal he advanced himself his salary for
the next eighteen months, and in order
that the other hidalgoS in the treasury de-
partment might not make injudicious and
slurIing remarks upon his Castilian honor
ne also advanced them twelve months pay
| apiece. At this interesting stage of the
proceedings an American man-of-war ar
rived most inopportCnely. and her CAPTAIN
at once proceeded to investigate the finances
| OF the island He sent ashore a very incon-
| Siderate and inquisitive individual of a pay
/ master. who betrayed a most unusual a nd
| sordld desire to overhaul the accounts and
| the treasury.
| ''Carambai AS If the word Of a SPANISH
| gentleman were not enough of an account!
| These mercenary 'YOnQuisr" Truly this
! man was decidedly different from the noble
| ana chlvalrous officials of old SPAIN for
| there was evidently no golden way of stop-
| ping his impertinentiy meddlesorne inouir-
| les. and, of course he discovered the miss
! ing sum overpaid for salaries. The "Yon-
, our captain was firm his brutal demands
Tor return OF this trifing amount and
] the clerks repaid at once though the noble
| don held out for a long time, thinking that
| surely eel senior captain must be joking
or holding off for a larger bride. In fact
the official had some pressing personal
| business in a neighboring island and was
about TO leave quietly when the unchival-
| r0us "Gonquf issued order that the
! official should not leave the island until
! the money was paid. which was finally done
| with much bad grace and the incident
| closed.
Tenching the BuGlers.
One of the first duties of our lieutenant
| was 70 teach the bugiers of the native mi
litia how to play the morning and evening
salute to the American colors which wer,
now regularly raised and lowered on the
palace each day al in the morning and a
sunset. The lieutenant not being musician
Gug the music out of an old drill book ant
| with much sign language explained TO
| village musician what was wanted. Thi
| worthy called the buSiers before him anC
| then the agony began And for days tn
| barrack plaza resounded las with the tor
| mentS of the damned" In a short time
though the buglers We're able to give rem
| uition correct enough to satisfy the ofticia
| conscience of the lieutenant.
| Next he noticed that the military com
| pany always marched under arms In al
funeral professions. although the late de
! parted were but humble civilians This wa
too much for the officer, for 1t was obvious
| ly dead against the blue book to give