The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-05-24

Ava Hamilton Writes al Interest.
ING. Letter to J. o. HAM
llton from Cuba.
Guanabacoa, Cuba, May Is, 1900.
Mr.. j. o. Hamilton
Leon, Iowa,
Dear friend: am now going to try and
answer your letter which should have
done some time ago but have been very
busy and it seemed that did not know
anything that would be of interest to
write and very little know now.
We closed the restaurant when the
volunteer soldiers left Cuba, l bought a
small farm Of 80 acres lying miles east
of Havana on the opposite side Of
Hayana harbor from the city.
bud is here with me now and guess
he will stay quite awhile as he is inter.
ested in farming the place.
was out here alone for quite awhile,
fourteen miles from Americans except.
ing few in Havana with whom was
acquainted, and the soldiers camp is
nine miles from there. could scarcely
speak word of Spanish and was very
lonesome sometimes among these black
devils.
We are getting along very nicely now.
bud has been putting in quite crop of
vegetables for the city market and the
American soldiers buy good many.
There is great interest among the
Americans that are located here now
wondering what will he done with the
island of Cuba. All the Americans and
Spanish want to see it annexed while
the Cubans keep harping Cuba Liberty
and they don't know the meaning Of
Cuba Liberty. They have as much lib
erty now as the Americans. If the is-
land is turned over to them they will
be fighting among themselves in a very
short time. l was talking to the mayor
of Guanabacoa, a small city of about
$4,000 Inhabitants, he is an American
and has been here forty years. He says:
''The Cubans hate the Americans now
worse than they did the Spaniards dur
ing the war regardless of what the
Americans have done for them"
The majority of the Cubans are cross
between the African negro that was
brought here in the time of slavery and
the outlaw Spaniards who left Spain for
some crime they committed there and
you can see that they are not very we'll
bred. They would rather steal than to
eat when they are hungry. So you can
judge about what such an outfit would
do governing themselves.
The Spaniards are the business men
and own most of the property here and
L think they are better class of people
than the Cubans. They are all Catho-
lies.
This is the most productive country
and has the prettiest scenery | have
ever seen in any country. Though this
part looks like hurricane had struck
it, fine stone buildings and residences
have been blown or burned down and
the country wont hardly get back to
itself in ten years.
There are lots of girls here some of
them very pretty, most of them prett y
black and great many of them dipped
a little with negro blood.
We have some American neighbors,
two families one came from Florida and
has two grown girls and the other fami-
ly is from Arizona. The man lived in
Mexico number of years and has been
on the frontier all his life. He says
that if the Nicaragua canal is put
through he wants me to go there with
him. 1t will take about seven years to
put it through and we will sell or rent
our ranches.
We have been having great deal of
rain fall the last four or five days. 1
guess the rainy season has set in.
This is the finest climate have ever
seen. There is very little change from
winter to summer. The nights are cool
and most alwaysa sea breeze blowing
in the day time and if it wasn't for
that it would be very hot during the
middle of the day->-
am going to set my place out in
oranges as fast as can get around to it.
The last two winters have killed most of
the oranges in Florida and ] doubt
whether the people of Florida will try
oranges again.
think this country will supply New
York City with winter vegetables as
soon as business opens up again
in full blast.
Tobacco, sugar cane and pine apples
are the largest produce of the country
now but it is good tropical fruit coun-
try and most all kinds of vegetables do
we'll here.
l thought some of going to Paris this
summer and coming back by way of
New York and then paying you visit
but have about given up the idea. l
will put it off and take trip next sum.
mer.
Give all my acquaintrnces and friends
my best wishes.
Good bye. Write soon if not sooner.
Your most sincere friend,
ALyA j. HAMILTON.
P.s bud sends best wishes.
reckon IN tho soosons