The times., 1899-07-09

relatives of what might be expected to
happen next unless the money was quick
ly forthcoming; followed by other por-
tions of the victim, until it was known
beyond doubt that there was not enough
left of him to be worth paying for
The last authenticated case of this sort
was that of Senior Manuel de Alvarez, a
merchant of Villa Clara, who started for
Cienfuegos with small escort, presum-
ably to buy goods. Not one of the party
lived to reach his destination. Most Of the
escort was killed in the first brush with
the robbers, and the others deliberately
murdered, being poor men from whose
relatives no ransom could be obtained, as
even these gentry recognize the truth of
the old saying, that blood cannot be
squeezed from a turnip' After a few days
Senor Alvarez's family received written
demand for 10000 pesas, embellished with
drawings of skulls and crossbones worthy
the Ku-Klux Klan, accompanied by the as
surance that unless the money was depos-
tied in a specified place before a given
date his life would pay the forfeit. A
week later a stranger knocked at the door
of the casa de Alvarez, in Villa Clara, de-
livered TO the wife OF the prisoner small
box and galloped away. Opening the
package, with her baby in her arms, what
was the lady's horror to find inside two
Toes anu HNe DIOOuy huetTIdllSy eNIuehlS
torn from their roots, and note signed by
her husbands name, begging her for God S
sake to rescue him at any cost. The Gis-
tracted woman did her best to sell the
store and all she possessed, but nobody
was buying property in those troubled
times. She begged on her knees of the
alcalde and everybody she knew, but the
people were all SO poor that her frantic
appeals could not raise 1.-THE OF the sum
demanded Meanwhile, every day or two
brought home another grewsome reminder
OF the unfortunate husband and father,
maybe found in the morning mysteriously
tied TO the door-knocker or tossed through
the window bars as the family sat at din
ner. An eye arrived in this manner, a
foot, an arm; and when at length ghastly
human head, propped up on stick against
the open window, greeted her with re-
proaehful eyes, the wife went into conyul-
sions which ended in death, leaving a
family of orphans to the charity OF the
town.
To get a good general idea of Cienfuegos.
the stranger should climb to the top of
reservoir hill, the only commanding point
in the vicinity. For two or three miles
the city stretches east and west curving
around the crescent-shaped bay, while
countryward are the plantations, green as
the greenest, with their neat villas and
sugar mills and scattered groups Of palms.
The parti- -colored casas-pink, blue, pur-
pie, green. often all the hues of the rain
bow combined on one wall-are built In
the usual Cuban style around an open
courtyard in the middle, though there are
more two and three storied houses here
than any other place In central Cuba can
show. The few noteworthy public build
ings are rouped around the inevitable plaza
the latter a large and handsome square,
well lighted by electricity and ornamental
gas lamps. Its broad marble walks are
bordered by palm trees and fowerbeds,
while each OF the four entrances is guarded
by two lions of Spain, one asleep, the other
awake, couchant on tall pedestais. These
lions are as common in all the Spanish
possessions as the eagle In Uncle Samuel's
in the parks, before the public buildings,
and often in the grounds of private houses;
and always one watches, fierce and wide
awake, while the other sleeps. Right un-
der the noses of one of these royal pairs
an American band was playing THE
Star-spangled Banner" as We passed
through the plaza
One side of the central square is occupied
by the great cathedral, with its broad es-
planade in front and double towers, one
much taller than the other, filed with
little bells perpetualiy tangled out Of tune
all too new TO be interesting. On an
other side is the government 'palacio,
faced with stately colonades and lanked
by long line of barracks. Not far away
is the opera house, quaint open-air the
atre, the maFketplace. town hall, military
hospital and the carcel, or prison. which
became so unpleasantly famous during the
late war. Sentinels pace perpetually be-
fore its closed doors, and the little barred
windows high up in the enormously thick
walls are like shut eyes that betray no
secrets. They viii tell us that subterra-
mean passages connect the dungeons be-
low it with the forts, the palace and tri-
bunal; and that deeds have been commit
ted there which would shame the darkest
days OF the lnquisition. In the spacious
Alameda, (grove Of elms) at the edge of
the town. fashionable Cienfuegos drives on
promenades on certain afternoons of the
week when military bands play. Nova
days large proportion OF the people speak
English and those who do not know 1t are
studying with might and main; while the
presence OF so many American soldiers,
American doctors. dentists and photogra-
piers. department stores run on the Amer
lean plan, not to mention American sa-
looms on every corner, Justify its frequent
| ly-heard appellation of "a Yankee Town Z"
Captain Baker, who was consul here before
the war, is now captain OF the port, and