Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-07-23

pie Of Cuba towards the United States
has always been q singular one and
something which happened in my *
perlence on the island and which, SO
to speak, played small part, show
ed what the unleashed Cuban might do
upon occasion. The teachers on the
means bad one. of charging so much
for each act. When the curtain is up
no cne can enter or leave the house
and this rule American theatres. or
most of them. can copy with profit to
real play lovers. When the curtain is
down all can go out and pay for the
a poor play can be spotted at very lit
tie cost. 1t happened On the ever
ing in question that we were seeing
a play with the rather amusing title
"Azucarillos, Aguardiente Aqua
which in our tongue means sugar
sticks, brady and water. Of course
with the inevitable young Cuban Off
GERS, girls fond of any kind of lark
and the usual sleepy and complais-
ant duenna. After the first act my
friends and myself went out ard
availed ourselves the intermissiCn to
walk across the Prado to the Hotel
Inglaterra, to get glass of the very
good claret of which the Cubans are
fond. We had had the claret and had
come out of the cafe under the arcade
in front of the hotel, which was paw
ed with blue fag-stones. Suddenly in
the cafe behind us there was a crash
of broken glass and of tables over
turned and out of the door raced
one of those young Cuban officers.
who were then so much in evidence
and of whom the old joke about the
American militia might be repea tad,
this joke being in the shape of toast
given by veteran officer of the army
many years ago to the militia officers.
his companions at a banoAet. and be-
ing in these words: "The militia; in
vincible in peace, invisible in war"
since but very small portion of these
Cuban officers were said Or believed
to have seen any sort of service be-
yond that of promenading in thei"
wasp wasted coats. peg-top trousers
and high-heeled shoes. The officer ran
and quite near him came the prsuer.
another of the same stripe, cap Off
trist for gore and a sensation.
Bang went the heavy revolver and the
bullet. striking low, made a lead
splash on one of the flagstones al
most at our feet. Two shots follow
ed and then. strange to say as the pur-
sued dashed into the door of another
cafe the much excited pursuer raised
his revolver and fired at an American
sentry who was walking his post al
most in front of the cafe and hotel.
Then the pursuer dashed into the
door of the cafe after his enemy. but
the sentry, with the quick aim Of
bird-shooter brought him down with
bullet near the spine. and after a
few dramatic flourishes with his heels
the little wretch died there in the
doorway. Up came some Cuban 20
lice, one of them mounted, making a
tremendous amount of noise to which
the sentry gave no attention, his
clear call Corporal of the Guard.
Post Five!" echoing above all the
confusion. The corporal came. the
guard turned out and away wert t
everybody to the central police sta
ton. the writer and his friends in tho
very front of the crowd. At the sta
| ton the sentry stood at attention.
very quiet and business-like in his
trim khaki uniform, with belt full Of
ammunition and to be sure his rifle
magazine full too The police officer
asked few questions ana then the
soldier was dismissed and went pack
to his post. There was just one lit
tie Cuban officer the fewer. The man
who had been shot at had fled through
the cafe and got away somewhere on
| Virtue street, near the Theatre Lara.
| The incident of the evening over
! and we having by this time missed
I the much less interesting second act
| of orr play at the Albisu Theatre. we
| had another glass of claret. with us
Being the chief of police. a very we'll
inforomed man who spoke really good
English and who had spent consider
able time in the United States. AS we
walked and chatted he deplcred the
feriness of his people and then wer:
on to speak of what the United States
had done for them, expressing his
own very great appreciation of it and
Of the disbelief of most of his people