Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-04-22
QUEER THINGS
IN PORTO RICO.

A4v SAVAV AV1VVO
children In Porto Rico wear no clo,s..
until they are 10 or II years OF axe. ana
even grown up persons OF both s.x,,
battle together In purIs naturallbn.
where the water II no higher than tho
knee. The people OF tho island ar. +.
composite racc--spaniard. Indian AMI
negro. As regards religion, the bulk a.
the people are Roman Catholics Tn,
upper ciassss. who are mainly span.
isrds. dwell In houses. the middle class.
80 live In shantica. and the lower olns,.
cs. the poems. exist where convenient.
The churches are not inviting. for. nj.
though universally painted yellow on
the outside In accordance with the
Spanish law. tho Interior IN rather bare.
Three rows Of seatH stretch IN front ot
the altar and parallel with A. but tho
rest Of the space Ia bare. and ths wor.
shippers who do not bring thsir owf.
convenlenc.s have 90 stand or knoll
during service. The Spanish won.n q
the arlatocrncy may be reen going 4,
mass on Sunday preceded by negro
carrying a chair and followed By az.
other with q pr,cdlcu. Tho men crowd
the churches on grand occasions. III.
grandcst Of which iH the feast NJ a..
Three Kings which we call ta-
Epiphany. That ~ the Porto Hitan
chrIstmaa. Tho country folk come down
from the mountains TO fan Juan ani
Ponce. and utter drinking rum. coni.
pared with which Dowery whisky r. a
mild beverage. they so TO church. IN
church whom they meet old friends they
embrace them effuaiveiy. When they
meet old enemies. macheies are drawn
and used with skin. but all the time tho
service goes on.
The nrc department In Porto Rico IL
In rather primitive state. There In no
water available In summcr-frcfh water
il sold by tho barrel. bucket and even
the ginas-and when IRE " dlpcovefsi
the .nrcmen take their axcr and chop
up the adjoining houses 20 save III,
block. As tho houses are mere shan.
ties, a few boards thrown together ~
gardIcas Of architectural design, axes
may not be necessary. A few kicks DO
the business. The poems do not live In
houses at all They Just lie down when
they are sleepy and no to sleep. They
are lazy, but the climate II 10 blame
for that. They work about four months
in the year--that II to Hay, In the sugar
cane cutting scaaon--and spend the oth-
or eight months playing loo and 9th.
or ganes. including n sort 81 roulette.
1he- quarrel frequently while gam
bling. and then the machcte. which
most Of them carry under their shirts.
comes into play.
The police department II still more
singular than the IRE department Ne.
fore the American occupation u detect
i've department existed under chief
The detectives In hunting criminal
went around In dctachmcnts disguised
aa doctors or priests. reading books and
looking 20 ragaclour that every one
know what they were. OF course they
never captured the criminal. on one
occasion a man stole 1900 worth Of
jeweiry In San Juan and went 10 Ilu.
macao for conceaimcnt. Tho chief
thought this was n case that demanded
the ability OF u master mind. 40 he went
In quest OF the thief himself. lie had
on his person two revolvcrr. n dagger a
machete and a carblne. and thus equip.
ped he went to the house where the thief
was In hiding.
III YOU don't come out" thundefei
the chief. showing a pistol through the
open window. I'm blow you into the
Internal rcglons,"
There was no answer. and tho chief
emptied all his pistols and carbinc
through the window. the thief all tho
time lying on the floor.
"will you surrender" shouted the
chief. II have $50 rounds more"
For answer the robbcr got up from
the floor. went out by the back door.
came round to the veranda. and. taking
the chief prisoner. bound him fast and
left him there.