Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-02
WOMEN SAFE IN CUBA
American Ladies Free From In
suit at Any Place OH the
Island
NO exToRrIoNATE CHARGES
Observing Representative Of the Sex
Traverses the Country and Disproves
Some Popular Notions - Received
Everywhere With Respect.

Everywhere With Respect.
Vague reports were published that
Americans were cordially hated when
on the island Of Cuba, and unless under
direct military surveillance they were
liable to attack and bodily harm when
outside OF big cities So when l de-
termined to make the trip over that
'islnnd In state of revolution" and
make it alone, being woman, many
of my friends took leave of me with
doleful countenances and farewells,
writes Mrs. G. r. Miller In Leslie's
Weekly.
There may be people who do not like
Havana, with its gayety; Its clean
streets. It's fascinating shops and Its
attractive cafes, but they must be
counted among the pesslmlsts who find
fault with any and every condition In
life fingered long In this beautiful
tropical Paris and every day visited
some part OF the city, always going
alone, mingling among the rich and the
poor. In many instances my camera
must have appeared impertinent as
photographed the natives after had
literally held them up in manner
] would not have dreamed of doing in
the states, yet l received nothing but
kindness and courtesy from both Span
lard and Cuban. But" said the croak
er, wait until you get into the interior.
and then the temper of the people will
y g. ctN
ping In small towns seldom visited by
strangers and perhaps never by for
eign woman alone, mingling with the
natives, whose Jargon was as intelli-
gible to me as the moaning Of the sea,
yet not even the semblance Of insult
was noticeable. Several times was
the only woman on the train, and l
met few English speaking people. At
Camaguey I never saw white woman
on the street except one night when
the band played on the plaza, and dur
ing the day only few female negroes
who seemed to be marketing.
For days wandered alone through
the narrow, crooked streets of the old
town, making pictures Of whatever
caught my fancy, secretly hoping for
some excitement and that the Amert-
Gun flag might be torn down In my
presence or that l might at least be
hooted at as a detested Americana"
1t never occurred, so went from town
to town alone and unprotected, doing
exactly as / pleased, with sense Of
security not felt in some large cities Of
the United States
After visiting number of towns on
the north coast and in the interior !
started for Santiago. Here, 1t was pre-
dicted, would certainly meet with re-
Bluffs and perhaps worse. This town.
it was asserted, contained the rough
est and most lawless element of the
island. Here rebellions were Matched:
here the hatred Of the American was
most intense, and 1t was beyond COM
prehension to q certain class that an
American woman could go about alone
in this city. With all these narrowing
pictures passing in my mind and read
ing at the time an American newspa
per containing in flashing headlines a
special dispatch from Washington that
the United States consul at Santiago
had been killed and that a thousand
soldiers would be sent to that point l
arrived in that dreadful" town at III
o'clock at night. There was rough
looking crowd at the station, but a
negro hotel runner secured carriage
and ordered the driver to drop me at
the hotel.
The clerk of the hotel had retired. A
dim light was burning over little
desk in the hotel office. Quiet pre-
vailed, except for the pleasant ripple
Of the fountain that was running In
the patio. In few minutes the negro
runner appeared, and two or three
noisy American men were with him.
"Here is your ROOM" he said, opening
a door just off the dining room. Blu
enas noches" good night. As the cleo
Hicity of Cuban hotels Is usually turn
ed off after II o'clock, lighted can
die and found the room had one barred
window looking into the patio, and be-
sides the door leading into the dining
room there was another which con-
nected 1t with the parlor. There was
no key in either, SO with doors I'M
locked l went to bed and slept as
peacefully as have ever slept in my
own home. Indeed, such was my ex-
perience throughout Cuba. never
locked my bedroom door either day or
night except in Havana, and even then
the key hung on the rack near by. My
trunk was never closed, yet not even
q hatpin was disturbed.
was not In a single instance over
charged at hotels or by drivers. When
ever l exchanged American money for
Cuban currency the exchange, which
varied almost every day, was ascer-
tanned by the clerk, and l was given
the correct exchange to the penny. In
Santiago especially l found it neces-
sary to take long drives to the points
of interest. This did in many in
stances alone with native driver, a
Cuban Of the middle class. He was
ever on the alert as to my wishes and
always delighted when I asked him to
"dress up picture" by posing at some
particular point. My tips amounted to
practically nothing. which is all the
more surprising. To be sure, I did not
jostle people on the sidewalks or as
sumo a superior, naughty manner, as
some Americans have done. My expe-
nence demonstrates that any we'll be-
haved American man or woman la alb