The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-01-05
SUG.lR ESTATES IN CUBA.
The dardships of Slave Life Are In
tensified by Cruel Over
seers,

CONGRATULATIONS, InOugn so Deau-
tiful, haze not increased in numbers
of late FEARS; in fact, many of them
have changed into sugar estates, which
are more profitable, and render the
owneH socially more important. The
owner usually resides in Havana,
where = family may enjoy the pleas
ures o. cultivated society and have the
luxurfsss>,of city; he therefore EN-
ploys Sbrt of middleman, called
major-do3lo, to manage his estate.
The owner wants all the money he can
get to Maintain his establishment in
Havana, and the majordomo seeks to
increase his percentage, and thus the
poor slaves are ground to the dust,
and at times the cruelties practiced
are barbarous. The mayorals are
usually Canary islanders, hot-tem-
pered and cruel race, and, being with
out the restraint of the presence of
the owner, are vindictively oppressive,
and in their inhuman punishments
often take life. The horrors which
have been perpetrated in Cuba by the
One striking fact attesting the hard
ships of slave life on sugar estate is
that children are very rarely seen
there. Slave men in their vigor are
more profitable, and hence in large
fqpp- of several hundred men only a
feEolzddsmen are allowed The labors
anns-. drdships which these women en-
dure tend to prevent increase, and
the few children born usually die in
infancy from neglect. There is no
care taken to prevent this result. as
they say it is cheaper to supply the
losses on the plantations by new i'm
portations than by the rearing of
children. The climate. fortunately,
is so mild that the slaves need but
little clothing, and a wide palm hat
and a cloth about the lions are their
costume in their fields, the sun SEEM
ing to have but little effect upon their
black skins.
Every week there is a ration day,
on which they are drawn up in long
lines, and few pounds of black-look-
ing beef brought from Buenos Ayres
are thrown at the feet of each, which
at night each cooks to suit himself.
In addition, a coarse meal or small
hominy (bran and alD is boiled and put
in a trough, from which they eat it
every morning with a spoon, paddle,
or their hands, as they choose.
The Africans brought into Cuba are
generally from the coast of Mozam-
bique, and are called Locoomees and
Caravalees. They are large, stout
men, of logged will, and at times are
very obstinate.
All these creatures believe implicit
ly in the transmigration of souls, and
that if they commit suicide they go i'm
mediately back to Africa. To check
this evil, when suicide occurs, the
mayoral makes each of the slaves
bring a bundle of wood and build a
funeral pyre, on which the body is
burned. The ashes are then scattered
in the air by the survivors, in whose
opinion the dead negro's soul is thus
prevented from returning to Africa.
IpNscQttering the ashes they sigh au-
dibly, AHA! Anal" as if expressing
grief that the soul of their companion
can no longer go home.
The appearance of the sugar estates
is the very opposite of the beautiful
coffee plantations. Wide fields of mo-
nctonous green stretch themselves
to the horizon on every side, while
here and there the royal palm lifts its
tufted head above the verdant level
The mayorars house, the sugar works,
and the dingy barracoons for the
slaves are the only objects to break
the monotony of the desolate scene.
When first planted, the cane is laid
lengthwise in trenches, or burrows
about five or six feet apart, and then
covered. From each eye (there is an
eye to each soft joint shoot springs
up, and sends out others. forming a
bunch of canes; and thus the fields
are covered with the most luxuriant
green.
Every year the crop is cut at the
ground, and the next season another
crop springs up from the roots. which
are called vatons. These vatons will
yield crops in this way for several
years, the length of time depending
on the mildness of the climate. In
Louisiana only three or four crops
are gathered from one planting. while
in the tropics is or 20 are thus OBJ
tanned. The grinding of the cane be-
gins about the last of October. and
continues until the beginning of the
rainy season, period of nearly six
months. This is the time of creates #
labor on the estate; and, without in
PERMISSION of Sundays or holidays,
with but few exceptions, the slaves
work necessarily, and men and teams
are worn out before work is over The
slaves are given few trifiing presents
and are allowed some extra privileges
to encourage them in undergoing the
increased labor.-Jonathan S. jenkins,
in Century.
Soft Gingcr-Snaps.
There is no such thing as n soft Uin.