Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-04-17
HOW CUBANS LIVE
ERFsTING OBSERVATION OF
DANE COUNTY SOLDIER.
A Mongrel Assortment Indeed Would
Meet the Island essor-Whites
and Blacks of Common People
Freely Mix-Believes Annexation
to he Near.

c. w. Ranum, the young man from
Mi. Horeb who is in Cuba, with the
portion of the American soldiery
which is still occupying the islands.
in continuing his cores ondence
with Mt. HOreb friends, says
After careful consideration as to
the future prospects for Cuba, I
should judge that she is now on the
eve of being annexed to the United
States, and that the Americanizing OF
the island Will be in a short time an
established fact. This. however, will
lot be an easy matter to accomplish.
Simply to Americanize the island
may be easy enough, but when it
come 20 Americanizing the people the
process will be more slow. They are
as yet almost hopeIessly Spanish, and
stick to their old rules and customs
persistently. Nothing but Spanish is
spoken except by few hundred
Americans in Havana Santiago de
Cuba and Cienfuegos, and the few
troops and companies of soldiers still
here. Living under American rule
they do only as much as they are
forced to do through the orders of
Gen. Wood and outside of that they
adhere strictly to their old ways of
living. The CubanS are all Cath0-
lies and mix up, about half blacks
| and half whites, but are divided in
three distinct classes, the white arts
tocracy, the black aristocracy and
the common people. The latter all
| mix together, whites and blacks, live
| together and eat together. For in
stance, every little hut has from one
to six whites and from two to ten
| blacks. Rather large families, Ell /.
l should say so. 1t is very common
to see ten to sixteen or eighteen black
and white children come tumbling
out of little palm leaf hut about
the size of our small granary at
| home. Where they get standing
room, let alone sleeping space, is a
mystery, but if you could see what
these people live on you would think
| it still more marvellous. An assessor
and census taker here would find
thousands of Cuban farmers whose
| inventory would look something like
| this: One palm leaf hut, one father
| (black), one mother (white). fifteen
children one to fifteen years old, Il
acre land enclosed by bamboo fence
| Cor Wire); one-fourth acre cultivated
and planted to tobacco, one-eighth
acre sweet potatoes, hoed in, five
banana stalks, two punches bananas
nearly ripe, one orange tree with
fruit, one-half bushCl oranges, two
goats, one kid four hens. one rooster.
three dogs, one cat, q table, some
stools, some bed clothes, a small and
questionable wardrobe. one hoe. one
spade, one machette, a small stock OF
provisions, and to cap the climax,
the whole family looking fat and
healthy. Well, perhaps l have exag-
gerated a trife, and again, perhaps
don't know the Cubans as we'll as |
think, but at any rate the above will
be pretty nearly correct.
Judging from present indications |
am very likely to finish my term of
enlistment right here. I have a year
and a half left from March Is, half
my term. Yes, like it as well as at
first but shall be glad to return home
when my term expires. providing |
can return in good circumstances.
You know l told you before 1 am in
vesting my pay each month in Cuban
property, which will surely bring
good returns and besides my govern
ment pay have the profits of little
side business which | am devoting
my spare time to-