Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1909-04-01
MAJOR BACK FROM CUBA
Writes from Florida and Tells More About
Cuban Customs.
Maitland, Florida, March o.

SuBai (AstvtsSs
Maitland, Florida, March %.
/ have some memoranda that will
use for some future letters, but will
now begin at home again.
We got home safely from Cuba the
18th. Had much more comfortable
trip coming than going over.
I had an interesting trip to the
Island and came back with the i'm
preston that it would be a state Of
our Union before vefy many years
have passed. I judge SO from the
fact that the Americans are already
getting strong footing over there.
They have already invested two hun
dred and fifty millions in land, rail-
roads and other property there. Real
estate agents are met everywhere.
They have advertisements in the pa
papers; they have descriptive PAM
phlets and they are met in the hotels,
on the boats and everywhere, want
ing to sell from one acre to seventy
five thousand. A syndicate, believe,
has got possession of the Isle of Pines
and want to sell badly. The isle is
about the size Of the original DeSoto
county, and they describe it as ver-
liable garden of Eden, in fact some
of them claim that it is an improve
ment on that garden, and they are
selling good lot Of it. Our Yankee
friends are placing good deal of
money there.
I see in the papers they have al
ready had riot or incipient revolu-
tion since our flag was taken away
and predict it wont be long before
we have to go again and when we do
it will be to stay.
I like the Cubans. They are brown
colored with coal black hair and eyes.
They are small but very straight and
symmetrical, wiry, active little peo-,
pie. The women are very pretty but
are reserved towards strangers and
are not seen in publik The men are
very polite. / didni see an offensive
act during my ten-days' stay, but on
the cars, in the streets and every
where saw the UTMOST courtesy and
politeness to strangers and among
themselves, especially on the street
cars was their courtesy and care OBJ
servable. But their language, oh,
their language, how noisy! / was at
the market when it was crowded with
people all trading, or trying to, and
such a babble I never heard before.
1t was roar, a storm Of sound
sometimes | thought couple or
crowd were about to fight, but it
would end in rip-rorious laugh and
| learned that it was good natured
jollying among them. While couldn't
speak a word of their language, I
found no difficulty in getting about
among them. Between our lips and
hands we managed to trade and com
/ find that money has a
universal language, and you can more
easily trade for pair eye glasses
than you can get the waiter to hand
you the vinegar. e
There is no trouble in travelling
there. There are thousands of tour
lists like yourself and besides the
large stores, the big hotels and the
offices where tickets for travelling are
sold have English speaking clerks.
had funny experience in t le bo-
tanical garden. / was walking alone
and saw swarm Of bees lighting in
a shrub. / went to the cottage lit
tie way off and found the man with
his family eating their breakfast. III
used my mouth and hands trying to
tell him Of my find, but couldn't make
him understand. He stoically kept
eating his breakfast It'll I took him
BY the sleeve and led him out, his
wife and children and dog followed
IS to see what would be the result.
When / showed him the bees hi3II
gratitude was most jubiiantly ex-
pressed. He grabbed my hand and
oeamed all over with thanks, his wife
ind children each shook my hand
ind expressed thanks, even the dog,
! yellow, NANCY cur, seemed delight
ID. | have had sufficient experience
n hiving bees and left them.
have been out among Nthe truck
rs here lately and / am astonished
it what an enthusiasm is arousing the
,eople for growing vegetables for the