The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-19
THE STOCKHOLDERS MEET
OWNERS Of MEXICAN PLANTATIONS
NOW IN THE CITY.
Coffee and Rubber Company and Ubero
Plantation COmpany-Dr. ~. ID.
Woodland Elected.

The stockholders of the Mexican Coffee
and Rubber Company and the Ubero Plan
tation Company held meetings in the city
yesterday and last night. The stockholders
of the coffee and rubber company met in
their meeting the directors met and de-
clared a dividend of 10 per cent. a divi-
dend of 3 per cent. quarterly for the next
year was also declared, and it was decided
to expend what surplus the company has
after paying these dividends in improving
one thousand acres of land that belongs to
the stockholders.
The Mexican Coffee and Rubber Com
pany originally owned five thousand acres
of land on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,
one of the picturesque parts of Old Mexico.
The company has sold four thousand acres
of this land, but is under contract to i'm
prove 1t and turn il over TO the owners in
forty months from the time the sale was
made. The Ubero Plantation Company is
one of the purchasers of the four thousand
acres, and some of the men who are at the
head of the coffee and rubber company are
also interested in the other company. w. l..
OverStreet, of Terre Haute, is one of those
interested and is now living in New York,
where he is engaged in promoting another
plantation scheme. This deal involves ten
thousand acres Oh Mexican l1nQ. y COM
pany has already been formed. w. ID.
Owen, former secretary of state of Indiana,
is interested in the coffee and rubber COM
pany and in the plantation company. Mr..
owen has for some time had an office in
Boston. Both he and Mr.. Overstreet were
present at the meetings yesterday.
AT the meeting of the stockholders of the
Ubero Plantation Company last night Dr..
N. ID. Woodland, OF this city, was elected a
member of the board of directors to fill a
vacancy. George Conner, formerly deputy
secretary of state, is general manager Of
the two companies and spends most of his
time in Mexico.
The land which these companies controls
is situated about the center of the Isthmus
or Tehuantepec, about five hundred miles
south of the City of Mexico. The nearest
city of any size to the plantations is the
City of T~ehuantepec, IN old and pic
turesque town OF about sixty thousand
population. The town. it is said. is chiefly
populated with Aztec Indians. people of a
historic race. The people of the city and
surrounding country are far behind the
times. Mr.. Overstreet said last night that
the first American pillow ever introduced
in that country was taken there by the
Mexican Coffee and Rubber Company. In
dams are employed to do the work on the
plantations and receive SIS a month for
their labor. They receive their pay in Mex
lean money They are a tractable, docile
set of people" said Mr.. Overstreet last
night. Il recall one instance of where
their good nature was apparent. Once we
had a party of visitors down from the
States howin them about. Mr.. Torres
was then the manager. and il was his GUS
tom to ring a bell about 4 or 5 o'clock in the
evening, when it was time 10 quit work. on
this occasion Torres forgot 10 ring the bell,
and it was Z o'clock probably before some
one discovered that our Indians were still
at work. Not a word of complaint came
from them. AS soon as they quit for the
night Torres gave each one a glass of a
favorite beverage they have down there
and they went away hurrahing for him.