The sun., 1900-08-12
EARNED THE CUBANS HATE
BUT MAJOR PITCHER'S METHODS WERE
GOOD FOR HAVANA.
A. Head Of the Police Court He Fined Every
body Arrested. because He Decided That
This Mas the Only way to Give the
Police Backbone Fearless and Honest.

body Arrested. because He Decided That
This Mas the Only Way to Give the
Police Backbone Fearless and Honest.
HAVANA. Aug 2-The departure from ha-
yana Of Major william J.. Pitcher. who has
gone with the Eighth Regiment to fight the
Chinese Boxers removes one OF the most pic
t,iresa,e characters that the American occura-
ton gave TO Cuba. The Major was man OF
very positive force. who was cordially liked by
his intimate acquaintances and as cordially dis
liked by the rank and file Of the people, Cuban,
Spanish and American. Much of the criticism
which came to him was more or less just, be-
cause he did a great many things which In
themselves were unfair to individuals, but
when the motives behind all his conduct and
the good which his fearless. absolutely honest
course accomplished are taken into considera-
ton great praise must be given to the departed
Major. The Cubans certainly consider him "a
good riddance." and it is entirely probable that
the need for such a man has passed; but had II
not been for Pitcher or some other equally blunt.
honest official during the first month OF our
occupation. Havana would not be the peaceful
law-abiding place II Is to-day or course.
Pitcher should not get all the credit for this
The Cubans are a naturally tractable people,
with few bad habits that lead to the police
court The demon rum as real live demon Is
unknown among them. and that In itself keeps
down the sire Of the police court docket. Still.
there Is a bad element In Havana, as there must
be In all cities. and 1t was largely augmented by
disre y ltable American element trailing in the
wake Of war This element Pitcher took by
the throat and choked out Of business. II
occasionally he got a decent. fair-minded citi-
zen by the throat II occasionally his fingers
slipped and ne tackled the wrong man. or over
stepped the bounds even of his military author
ity. STILL on the whole he accomplished a great
good and should be Judged BY that result.
Pitcher is an Eighth Infantry man born and
bred He was literally born into the regiment.
his father having been Colonel Of II at the time
of the Majors birth. His whole life in the Army
has been in this regiment. He came to Havana
as a Captain Of the Eighth. and when he OBJ
tanned his Majors commission he was assigned
TO the Fourth. Owing to his long connection
with the Eighth he succeeded In getting trans
ferred back to t,and now he goes with his old
regiment to China. Pitcher II a large man.
being over six feet tall and weighing 200 pounds.
His carriage IL very soldierly. and there are
few finer pictures on parade than he. He Is an
excellent mimic and great story teller. Per-
haps If he had not been a soldier he might have
been an actor. He carried himself in Cuba just
the least bit like a leading man; and while this
did not hurt him with those who knew him, il
did not help him with those who were disposed
to critcise.
Pitchers first work in Havana was as the COM
manding officer Of the provost guard, succeed
ing Major j. J. Dickinson Of the Sixth Missouri.
whose regiment was ordered back TO the ~ ates
for muster out. From this he naturally fell
L...t md NV1al
Judge when Major John Gary Evans of North
Carolina gave up that post and returned TO civil
life; ,heyana was still in bad state when he
led led by % John Mct uiIagh. but eve even % so good an
officer a. he couldn't make silk purse out OF
sow's ear. The Havana police force was
sow's ear. Pitcher had more time in which to
attempt the Transformation, and he went at il
manfuly. He did not succeed. No man could.
Pitcher did work an Improvement, however:
He tried to give them backbone He fined
them for every lapse Of discipline He had
good man in Rafael de Cardenas as Chief 10
help him: Pitcher not only fined the police but
This is how he made his enemies, This is how
every Spaniard and Cuban. and three-quarters
OF the Americans came 10 grow pink in the face
at the mention OF Pitchers name. You bumped
into a policeman accidentally or otherwise, and
failed to humble yourself to the vain young
thing and you were jerked of TO the vivac.
ter il you did wear the uniform OF Uncle
Sam. MIR. Pitcher" as he was universally
styled met you at court in the morning with
one idea in his soldierly brain. The police
needed backbone The only way to inject this
much-needed piece OF anatomy into men was to
stand by them. He did not want any evidence.
spect the police. Pitcher went on the theory
that the Cubans hated law and order because
for centuries law and order had meant Srain,
that the Spaniards hated law and order because
it now meant Cuba; that the American hated
law and order because those who represented
II were fiery and could not speak English Much
- H. l. 81.
strict application of the theory to actual prac-
tice IL worked injustice In many cases. and it
gave the policeman the wrong kind Of backbone:
he got 40 proud and stiff-necked that he tipped
back. He wreaked his private revenge through
the police court. He insulted Americans and
then swore to Pitcher that Americans insulted
II was $40 or ten days. or both. There was no
appeal. Pitcher was supreme. save for the
Military Governor He was a soldier, too and
disposed TO give member Of his establishment
the benefit Of any doubts. So II did not pay to
Clbans and Spaniards stood this thing better
sn S ey hsy ssa Scared sefl er babies
with the whisper of the awful name of Pitcher
dubbed ten-do.lar bills Pitchers. and cracked
other Jokes in an effort to make the best Of it.
were right or wrong they got angry. This
helped Pitcher in, his strong hand play. One
policeman. and then went out and talked about
the outrage OF his being fined, was an antdote
TO the howls Of a dozen who had done nothing
that they couldn't do with freedom in the United
States and had been fined for it, whole lot
Of them finally got so angry about it that they
called mass meeting to protest against Pitcher.
but they forgot TO get a permit and Pitchers
police wouldn't allow the meeting to go on.
Then their indignation izzled out and ended
In gas. The Cubans never attempted this
much. They cussed Pitcher in the newspapers
until words and type failed. They were just
about speechess when tho trouble In China
came along TO help them out The Cuban.
talk doesn't do 1t they stand II until IL comes
time 10 shoot, and that time is a long way of
In Cuba, II IL ever comes again.
Pitchers great bugaboO was Atares Castle
their fines or had done something which de-
served Imprisonment without regard to a fine,
There Is u gang in Havana known as the "Acera"
crowd. Acera means sidewalk. They got
their name from loafng about the sidewalk
in front of the, Hotel lnglaterra. Many Of this
crowd are, well born. and some Of them have
money. Few oi them have morals, and they
never work. They dress well smoke cigar
cites. talk scandal and politics and ogle the
women who pass. This IL their life They
often get into rows. insult Spaniards. insult
policemen and beat cabmen, but not so often
az they used to, They learned a few things
under Pitcher There was no fine for them.
fairly killed them. There was the hard work
and there was the degradation. For gentle
men such as they IL was awful. 1t is related
that one OF these men was sent To Atares Pitcher
refused to remit the sentence to the payment
OF fine. The Cuban was sent out TO work
whom he knew saw him and he went mad
such was his vanity. This was crime on
Pitchers part IN the ewes Of the Cubans. You
must not punish gentleman" as you would