Weekly journal-miner., 1908-12-30

malan dollar is worth not quite six cents in our money.
 So much for the public aspect of these fiestas, which under the dictator. ship of Estrada Cabrera are made to serve the same purpose Ns did the Ro. man gladiator shove under Tiberius and Caligula.
 Now let us see what are some .pri. vate notions of having a good time in Guatemala as it is today.
 It has already been mentioned t1at the anniversary of Guatemala s Declar atfon of Independence is celebrated with universal drunkenness throughout the land. So is the day following it., which happens to be the Independence day of Mexico. So is the day after that, because it is the Independence day of Chili, and so on throughout the week.
 The writer of this can testify to the feature of drunkeness, since on Sep tember 18th of this year it was his misfortune to find himself in the open country of Guatemala riding horse. back midway between Zacapa and the capital. During that long days ride every man be met, whether waite, In dian or negro, whether commander nte or common bare footed soldier, was Teeling drunk.
 Now this is the authentic story of how the commspdente of Zaeaps, one Gereral Enrique Aris, managed to have a good time in his town on the Independence day of Mexico.
 All that day, September 18th, Gen. ersI Arss. having duly celebrated his own national fiesta the day before, spent at the house of one Senor Spin ola, \ Mexican, employed as the sta ton agent of the American railroad running throuph Zaeapa. The day was celebrated with a champagne "brezk- fast" which lasted until ten o'clock at night. Then the whole party left the house, mounted their horses and escorted the General to his command. sncia.
 4. they rode cyer the deyk .csd he. tween the railroad station and the town they passed a small American hotel, the bar-room of which still stood open. Some of the party reined up their horses and proposed 10 have anot ner drink. "No," said the com. mandante, "there is plenty of drink al my house,--but just the same let u' dismount and have some fun with this Yankee pig"
 What followed is best told in the language of those who were on tho spot, whose reports formed the sub jeet of much diplomatic correspond ence, all of which is to be found among the Guatemalan records in our State Department an Washington.
 "General Aris," so Senor Spinols testified afterwsrd, "had been spend ing the evening at my house together with some of his officers and friends |, was the national holiday of my country Mexico. At ten in the even ing we all left my house 10 ride t' the commandancis. As we were pass ing by MT. Shines hotel, the command ante stopped and said 'let us have some with this American swine.' Tn' commandante dismounted and went II to inc bar. Mir. Shine was there wtl friend and Chinese servant be
 hind the bar. General Aris asked hoy his place came to be open so late. M' . Shine said he had a night license an
 turned to take it from the wall wher
 it nung in plain view. Thereupo
 General Aris struck him in the face The eommandante nephew followe
 this up with blow in Shines fac from the butt of his pistol. Then al the officers set upon Shine and th other Americans about the place an dragged them 10 jail. During tn melee one of t1e eOmmandante' me } stole the American hotel keepers gol ' watch from his pocket"
 There is the testimony of anoths [ eye witness of this affair He WA C George Milliken, an American, emplo, q ed at the railway hospital in Zaeap' "I was standing opposite shine h hotel, together with Monroe William t about half past ten o'clock on th !. night of September 18th when part
 of officers rode up, pretty drunk WI :, Hams said; Its the Commandant r. We had better get out of this and wit c that he moved off. The Commandan' n went into shines place and the ne' r. minute there was an awful noise m n could hear the sound of blows an J shine crying SI senor, si senor' 6 Chinaman came flying out through tf O door with blood running down his fac l