The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-04-20
A KANSAN IN CUBA
W. IL. Sears, of Lawrence, Writes an
Interesting Letter From the
Island


account OF its illusions to Fred
Funston;
Santiago de Cuba, A pril II, 1900.
] am being entertained by the E-
well boys, Kick and Charlie, and you
Iught to know what that means, but
you don't, so l will try to tell you.
| stay with them in their bachelor
quarters, three large airy rooms over
looking the bay. Coffee with milk is
served In our rooms, something's i'm
our pal amas, as soon as we are out of
bed. This is all we have before
breakfast which comes at 1l:30, at the
Cosmopolitan club, where the boys
take their meals. Breakfast begins
with soup, followed by some eight or
ten coErses, and ends with coffee and
cigars. Dinner is served at Z p. m.
and is the meal of the day.
/ have visited most OF the PORTS of
interest and met many Of the leading
! people, thanks to Charlie and Kick
They are in the swim of course and
will soon be rich. Charlie and /.
vieited san Juan, ri Caney and Moro
| Castle.
Yesterday | met Col. Juan Maria
Portuando, who was with Funston
for one year during the Cutan war
For two hours he RECALLED me with
stories of Funston and the Cuban
war. Then he took mo to the arsenal
and showed me the Identical guns
used 10y Funston and himself during
the war. There was the Griggs-
Schroeder twelve FOUNDER, with
which Funston did such wonderful
execution at Las Tunis. His aim
was wonderfully accurate at all
times. | ALEC saw the dynamite gun
and the Hotchkiss. They are kept as
mementoes Of the Cuban war Col.
POrtuaudO :Old me that Funston and
himself stood beside O5good when he
was killed; shot through the head.
Gen. Garcia Immediately asked Fun.
ston if he felt competent to handle
the artillery. Funston answered, IL
will try slr.n Gen. Garcia placed
him in command at once and he re-
NAMED in command until captured
by the Spaniards Col. Portuando is
now chief engineer OF public works
of the provinces of Santiago and
Puerto Principe.
Kick and | visited San Luis last
sunday and saw the pace where the
Twenty -third Kansas was camped.
Captain Waller OF that regiment is
still here. He is foreman of a gang
of road makers employed by the Bar
Der Asphalt company. At San Luis
| visited several coffee and sugar
plantations. AT the Santa Ana plan
tation we were entertained at break
fast. Here wO witnessed the christen-
ing of forty.four negro children.
twenty.four girls and twenty boys.
The boys all kicked and yelled. while
the girls were very quiet. A question
of heredity, | guess. Ask Professor
Snow. Apropos; | was told that
Weyler Issued his recommendation
order for the purpose of "weakening
the Cubans, so that all children born
in future would be girlsw Another
question for Snow. 1t is believed by
many that the result was as Weyler
wished it to be, and in proof ! was
told that out of a population OF 4 900
in San Luis, $500 are females! But
more in regard to the christening,
only six of these children were legiti.
mate ! There were four marriages at
the plantation the day we were there.
1t costs so much here to be married
in the usual way, that very few in
dulge in that luxury and prefer,
women as well as men, to live TO.
gether without the expensive for
malIty of Spanish marriage.
This morning | went down the coast
in the little steamer Colon, (the boat
that carried Cervera's peace messen-
gers,) to Daiquri and on my return
visited Sibonty and Aquad orls, points
whore our troops landed during the
Spanish war. Only last week Mrs.
Thee. Roosevelt, in company with
one of the Rough Riders and a party
of friends, rode on horseback from
Daiquri to Santiago, visiting every
point made historic by her husbands
regiment.
Last night ! had talk with DIR.
Castillo, the famous Cuban general. |
He told me that the Cubans wanted
Independence and that they would
be ready to take full charge of the
island within eighteen months from
now. The general does not antici.
pate any trouble from the negroes.
lie believes they will follow the lead
OF the educated whites just as they
did during the revolution. He said