The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-05-10
|..,A THE MOST WICKED CITY
IN THE WORLD
.u.rlcans Go to Paris When
~ Die. But Live Americans
co 70 Havana

&c ey die, ~ "
p b ms 90 to Havana, says the Mii"au-
ID sentinel !.
!. u.vana, gay, wicked, wide open, it
~ ne one city today to be summed
.,.,,ed according to ones point of
Several cities have been called
w,ckedest city-Reno, New, Port
: = and Irkutsk. Siberia, for in
zoe They are wicked cities, but
ii wickedness is of a sordid varie-
havana is wicked and gay. And
hours from the United States.
a., /, paris. the might life gay res
rants and dances are for English
"a american tourists. In Havana,
-, Ell I Dvav life" is for the natives. It's
Ii. ckedness is part of its life.
il. EVERYTHING in Havana is wide open.
j.. Of its 81 varieties of wickedness,
i, mildest is gambling. Gambling
uses in Havana are open to both
!. 4 y and women. All that is neces-
" is a bank roll. Roulette, faro,
n yard. and good American poker are
l. hand. Jai Alai, the popular Span
came of skill, on which such big
BAL ms were won and lost, no longer
'oG nrishes. but it is scarcely missed.
J, ,sbridge's Miramar Hotel is tenn
ID Of chance, where one can WOO the
Mkle goddess as she can be wooed
{ .where else in America. And, what
7. more it is fashionable to do so.
u Even as one sips his chocolate in
a Il morning the daily round has its
AeInning. A half dozen peddlers of
#ttery tickets interrupt the meal.
Ne lotter yin Cuba is run by the
Dyernment, and there are drawings
HES The first prize is 100000.
y The tickets are hawked about the
yreets and sold at every corner store.
= III the fact that the government con-
bets it does not guarantee its being
~ bn the level" At recent drawing
ne e first prize was not awarded for
e reason that that particular ticket
Ia not been sold. The public did
Z NJ like it, but their instinct is to
= AXE chance"
II one sits around a cafe any length
time-and a large part of every
~ Is spent in this way-one is GER
y lin to be invited to witness cock
ght Cock fighting is one of the
mmonest sports in Cuba, and while
is against the law, it is rarely in
rfered with. Large sums change
nds on these bloody exhibitions.
But it is not until after dark that
avana takes on its air of gayety.
ben the Prado and the Malacon and
Pc various parks become fairy
= nd of lights. A band plays at the
= alacon, as the boulevard along the
bean front is called. All Havana
y merges from its cool and comforta-
e stone houses ready for night of
easure.
The cafes are crowded, there is a
pnstant stream of automobiles and
d carriages up and down the boule-
, Prdsx The sidewalks are filled with
ROple hurrying to the theaters. They
Ne nearly all dressed in the height OF
Nshion. Havana is one of the rich
cities in the world Its styles
PINE direct from Paris. The only
p leap things are tobacco and match
AT o'clock performances begin in
dozen theaters. At the Payret grand
4pera is sung by a noted company
artists, headed by Constantine Of
Pc Metropolitan forces. AT the AL
su Spanish opera company from
Pc City of Mexico is singing THE
hoeolate Soldier" and THE Count
Luxembourg" At the Marti farce
pmedy reigns.
Al the moving picture and variety
peaters one finds real wickedness.
ne grizzly bear" and the bunny
ag are modest compared with the
ances shown on the stages of the
arlety theaters, where the public is
admitted for % and so cents. The
Tile plays are beyond description,
nd the actresses wear very scanty
ttire
AT midnight Central Park, which
IN the heart of the city is as crowd
and filled with life as Broadway
"a Forty-second street before the
heaters swallow up the crowds. The
faies are filled with people, but in
''ead of eating Holsters and draining
fOid bottles. they eat ice cream and
p soft drinks There is very little
rinklng of alcoholic liquors in Ha-
lana,