The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-15
TRIED THE THRONE
Speer Seats Himself in the
Chair of Kings.
FELT VERY COMFORTABLE
Souvenir Hunters in Havana
Playing Sad Havoc

RiIIv Sheer arrived in Wichita yesterday
He left Havana at noon last Tuesday.
week ago yesterday he was sitting a
fable in hotel in Havana, trying t'
pet the Spanish waiter to understand MN
,.oung man. an American. sitting nes'
~ool,e in Spanish to the waiter and 0peei
said:
I want
ct o7,eee 7 have seen you before.
.-rbinl, Won have?" asked speer.
veg. YOU ought to know me-
y don't" said Speer-
.eyoII,re from Kansas" said the Young
man .,yyichila, Kan, and ne broke ou'
into a hard Iau=h. 81.
You've got me down" said speer' who
are vou?" .,,u +or
.eyeIl" said the young man, i 1e-.
Won Sheer: I'm from Wichita myself aho
I've been in the railroad business go.
..rva got vou.'' answered Speer. GU re
Paul Harding ,.-.z
And PAU Harding it was. Harding hVeo
in wichita for years. being q clerk toT the
standard oil company under Colonel Wel-
za1 Harding lived in the Frisco Y. From
bera ba went 10 Arkansas City where
ba was Missouri Pacific agent. Tnen ne
moved IN Missouri He is now master OF
TRANSFORMATION for the government al ma
vana. He was all through the Santiago
campaign in the same caDacitv. II IS ms
business TO attend to the shipment OF al
supplies and army goods. lie IS ENJOYING
his life there He did not know Oh Leo
Pefdfng's presence IN the city. SpeeF ulu
not get TO see Redding-
When Speer arrived in Havana he was
met at the wharf by d crowd Of hotel
oriers who raised an awful din lie was
Welding himself to one fellow when an
other yelled in his ear in fairly good Eng
ush: Keep away from that mousse
they've got yellow fever there" Speer
cult the fellow and tried another ho'e--
When he entered the hotel they asked him
what his name was and wrote it down III
a tremendous book. out around the mar
ket place he found a big crowd Of money
brokers. al Spanish, and all offering TO
exchange Spanish money Tor American
money. Speer took some bills and eN-
changed them for Spanish silver. He got
$40 in Spanish silver for every dollar OF
American money. He saw no American
silver in the town, everything being green
hacks and bank notes and silver GER
ti6cates. He had letter of Introduction
10 a man there and he went out to get a
cab. The cabs are about as heavy as ours
the front wheels are narrow gauge and
there is only one very small horse to eacf
cab. Speer handed the address TO tho
cabby, who took il and consulted another
cabbv and they consulted another, and 81
on. and finally found a man who cou,t
read, one out OF about forty.
While going through the market place
he saw q boy laying up against a pos
gasping and nearly dead. People were
rushing by apparently paying no attention
TO the sufferer They are dying at the rat,
Of 100 a day in Havana.
Sneer wanted a pass to visit Cabanas and
Moro castle. He went Up TO General Lud-
lows headquarters in the top Of big
hotel and asked to see him. \ volunteer
lieutenant very smart and pert. told hin
that the general couldn't be bothered viii
such matters.
Leave it with me-" said the Lieutenant
"and I vii see what can do Come bach
tomorrow"
Speer was back the next day. but thu
young man said he hadn't heard from IN,
request. Sitting near was an old captain
who said to Speer: While Ludlow ISSUE.
those passes apparently, they are really
written by Major Mott. Go and see him
Speer hunted up Mott and asked him lol
2ass.
You can't get it, said Mott. "Yo,
people cant be allowed IN those places
It is this Internal souvenir-hunting. WIN
YOU folks viii carry off the castle The frs
thing you know"
Il won't carry off any thi-teeu-incl
guns" said Speer. 81 want the pass"
u gave a pass 20 a woman to the sum
mer palace yesterday" said Mott. land {
she didn't walk up and steal one of tn
plates off the very table
After they had talked awhile Speer go
the pass, and taking n small negro Wit
him to talk Spanish, he Went through
Moro, which is deserted, and outside o
its massiveucss presented no points of in
terest Caban8s was more interesting. a
ct had some life about Il. as the officer
were CHARTERED there. He was frecuenu
stopped by guards, who let him Sc whe
they had seen his pass. He had alread
been through the summer palace whicl
lies a little way out and he wanted 10 g
10 the governor generals palace. the frs
point Of interest in the city and the oh
5ective point with all souvenir hunters an
tourists.