Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-11
DARKEST DOMINGO.
As Yankee Skipper Saw Il Ten Years


Ago.
THAT was a queer experience / had
down to Santo Domingo in 1885," said
the captain from Maine. II was stop
ped at Palenque, twelve miles from the
city to take on a pilot. The official
secured was in the service Of the gov
ernment. After had engaged him he
said that he had been the commander
Of ship during the late war and was
we'll known, so could go anywhere
over Hayti and Santo Domingo with
out fear Of molestation. He said that
IL would like to. see some Of the wild
spots In that country he would be
pleased to be my guide and escort.
He said that would be perfectly safe
II went with him.
"Of course I knew nothing Of the
country or habits Of the. people and so
took him at his. word. He first wish
ed to take me to Mestangs to see his
twenty-three children. AS he was less
than forty years old, I was naturally
curious to understand the situation.
When pushed him for an explanation
he assured me that he had three wives
and that was nothing uncommon there.
l soon found that polygamy was the
universal rule In that country.
I'VE were mounted on horseback
and had gone about twelve miles from
Santo Domingo when we came to the
first place of any size. Here we found
a big cock fight was on and nearly the
entire population were in attendance.
That is their favorite Sunday amuse-
ment. There was one church In the
place that had been built by an Eng
lishman ten years before, but whose
walls had never echoed to either a SER
mon or a prayer.
"The men Of the place all seemed to
be drinking heavily and one fight af-
ter another followed. 1t was a wild
place and the toughest, lowest class Of
human beings that 1t had ever been
my fortune to get among. The officer
who took me there came and whis-
pered in my ear that trouble was brew
ing and we had better get out. The
men called on him to come to the cock
fight and bring me with him. ] heard
several OF them talking about me and
from their actions knew that something
was up. My guide said that It would
not do to refuse their invitation.
but before the words were out of his
mouth big burly brute drew his ma
chete and fourished II around my
head. Then another one came and
pointed his at my heart. asked the
pilot for an explanation Of such treat
ment when he had promised that
should be treated well. He informed
me that the men there had no respect
for a man who was not armed, and
that / was rated as a woman. found
out later that this was true and that 1t
would be impossible to go across the
interior or the island without weap-
ons. That didn't make me think any
more OF him for getting me into such
scrape.
while the men were extremely In
sulting they had offered me no actual
harm up to that time. A fandango
was going on near by and they asked
my pilot to dance. The men were
drinking harder and harder and 1t was
easy to see that they were planning
deviltry of some kind. The pilot fin-
ally told me I must go out at once or
would be killed. He advised me to
get the horses ready and when the
dance commenced, to ride for the clear
ing as fast as possible, leaving him to
Jump out and follow q few minutes
later. This / did and was soon out OF
reach of the gang. In few moments
the pilot came up and looking back we
could see the men gesticulating and
shouting after US.
I'VE rode on and in two hours reach
ed the harbor, where I signalled for
my boat. When we got on board re-
minded him that he was now In my
charge and the conditions were revers-
ed. He had led me into a danger that
might have cost me my life ana / was
in an angry mood. Probably was
not very pleasant to him, for he re-
ported me to the consul when we
reached port, but my story proved the
best and nothing more was heard OF
the matter.
"Santo Domingo Is but little better
than a nation of savages. Two days
before / left there an English negro
from ST. Thomas was in my employ.
When paid him off In American dol
lars he remarked that each one OF
them was equal to 81 In that country.
which was a fact. Several other
workingmen corroborated the state
ment, and by some means the incident
came to the ears Of the president The
next morning nine Of them were ar
rested, taken outside Of the city and
shot without even the form Of a trial.
4 was exceedingly gratified on reach
ing New York that this president OF
the so-called Republic Of Santo Do
mingo had been shot In turn by an
assassin. He deserved his fate, and
quite likely met II at the hands or
some relative of one of the men he
had so barbarously murdered for say
ing that American money was better
than his.
1.-The people live in little huts with
no glass windows or doors. They have
no beds and usually sleep on thatch
laid on the ground. There are no
stores in the interior, and the food OF
these wretches is mostly yams, beans
and breadfruit. They are wild, un-
tameable and brutal. For the United
States government to get mixed up
with such a nation as this one, is In my
Judgment a serious error.-Lewiston
Journal.
A WONDERFUL LocK.-Neuman To-
bias of Kingston, Jamaica, has invent