Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-03-12
HAD A DELIGHTFUL TRIP
Next TO Seeing HIS Son No Most En-
joyea Being with Fourth Virginia
Volunteers : Tho Boys nre Homo
Nick - Havana n fine City The
Cubnns nre Mixers Horrible
Bight-Annexation.
Especial to Virginian-Pllot.)


having returned from Havana this
morning His Excellcncy put in several
hours of hard work trying to dispose
of the business which has accumulated
during his absence of ten days.
II had a delightful trip and l think
the entire party enjoyed 1t as much as
they ever enjoyed any outing. Every
thing was full of novelty and fu(l of
interest. One doesn't realize the great
difference between Cuba and the United
States until one gets a glimpse of Cuba.
1 was there four days only but | used
my eyes and my ears to the best adj
vantage possible, -and-I saw much That.
to me. was full of interest.
Next TO seeing my son Heath, who
was awaiting us at the Hotel Tclc-
Telegraph. of course 1 most enojyed be-
ing with the officers and men Of the
Fourth Virginia at Camp Columbia,
five miles out of Havana. l doubt if
there is a finer regiment in the SER
vice. Its excellence is the talk of sol
diers and civilians down there. The
boys are bronzed and soldierly in ap-
pearance and the manner in which they
drill excitcs the enthusiasm of all who
witness 1t. 1t is magnificent Colonel
Taylor held review in honor of the
Virginians. 1t was the prettiest sight
Of the kind l ever Witnessed.
THEY ARE HOMESIC<.
"The boys are we'll fed, we'll quar-
tered and. well clothed. But they want
to come home. There is not any doubt
about that ] did not make them u
speech. but l talked 10 them little,
and every time l said Il word about
hat - i,,r
was yell. / have never been able to
strike such n popular chord in my
speeches in Virginia / would be a
wonderful orator II 1 could. When l
promised to do everything possible 10
have the regiment brought back there
was great cheering.
There are only about thirty men in
the hospitals. and the surgeons told me
there were no serious cases. There is
said to be not II single case of yellow
fever or smallpox in Havana. think
the cleaning UP which the Americans
nave begun is having good effect
HAVANA ~ FINE CITY.
We'll. Havana is a fine city. II beau
tiful city. IL wonderful city. have
visited most OF those OF this coun-
try and Europe. but 1 have seen moth
ing like Havana. The general condi-
tons of life. the novelty and the CON
tradictions strike the tourist above all
else.
The braying of n donkey under my
window woke me the morning after |
got to Havana. This was in the busiest
part Of the city. mind YOU. Once. while
l was sitting at a table in a fashcna
Bile restaurant. / was startled, 1 won't
say shocked. by chicken topping up
beside my plate and cacklinC ike she
had laid an egg. ~ duck jumped from
the basin of Il fountain to Il table near
me and shook the water from her Wlngs
onto my table and plate.
THEY ARE GREAT MINERS.
ooh. tell you they are The greatest
mixers imaginable. Man and beast live
close together The Easements Of the
houses are occupied by the families and
their domestic animals in most friend
ly fashion. This applies to rich ana
poor alike.
UNDIVIDED IN DEATH.
Poverty and wealth is side by side
everywhere. The beggar and the rch
man are constant neighbors. Ana in
death they are not divided. The con-
trasts In the CriStobal Colon cemetery
are probably the most remarkable
sights l saw. The tributes 20 the lead
are the most splendid | have .er seen
In this country or Europa. All aro,ini
one is magnificence such as we DO not
find in American cemeteries. imposing
statuary, splendid marble monuments.
fountains, broad drives. ana winding
walks, and shrubs and lowering plants
In greatest luXuriance. Rut in the cen
ter of this splendid Gods acre is a
great pit forty feet in deotn surround
ed by stone wall ten fee, nigh and
nearly filled with human bones.
HORRIBLE SIGHT.
"The sight was horrible. Imagine
hundreds of human skeIA.ons piled u3
together. grinning in ghast'y. or ghost
~. skeleton fashion. The bones are
those OF persons once buried. but whose
families We're unable to pay the annual
tax required to keep their dead under
ground. AS n result the bones were
taken up and thrown into this charncl-
pile. do not know what this tax *
called l suppose grouni rent would be
n GOOD name for il. I wondered rs I
looked Mt this mass CT human bones Il
the hand of government had ever been
laid as heavily upon any and as
Spain's was laid upon Cuba Not even
the dead could res: for the importuni-
ties of the Unsuitable tax-gathcrer.
II did not find in Havana the Doyer-
ty that l expected" said the Governor.
"Beggars were comparatively few. One
sees no more than on the streets of the
average American city. I went into
many of the streets of the slums. Con-
ditionS seemed not much worse than we
can find them in our own cities"
ANNEXATION.
Regarding annexation Governor Ty-
Ter said he had used every opportunity