The Connecticut labor press., 1919-04-12

1 garded as the Treasure Island" of | Stevenson's tale. ,.=5 AS recently as some thirty years
 ago Spaniard who had lived long time on the Isle of Pines, as poor as the proyerbial church mouse. suddenly blossomed out as a gentleman of great affluence. He moved with his family to Havana, the Paris of the West Indies," and to him was traced.
 as the source of circulation, a large amount of old Spanish doubloons, pieces of eight" and other gold coins
 of the pirate days. It was generally
 believed he had discovered the cache
 of the hidden treasures of some pirate
 crew who were unable to return and
 claim their ill-gotten wealth. Even
 now there is more or less desultory
 search made from time to time by
 some of the natives for pirate treas
 ures supposed to be buried in the
 caves and along the shores of the
 island.
 In 1776 the Spanish crown made a
 grant of the entire isle to a retired
 Spanish naval officer, who at his death left seven sons, among whom the Isle of Pines was divided. From the original grant down to the Span ish- American war the isle was the home of Spanish aristocrats who had large interests in Cuba. When Cuba and Porto Rico were lost to Spain, the leading inhabitants of the Isle of Pines. being pure Spanish, regarding the Cubans as interiors, were very de sirous. as the lesser of two evils, that the sovereignty of the isle pass to the United States. There was inserted In the treaty of Paris, negotiated with Spain. clause which President Me Knley interpreted as ceding the Isle of Pines to the United States.
 Sent Many Men to the War s
 The Isle of Pines is extremely pa triotic, and has done its full share toward winning the war. While the. American population is less than five thousand, and the percentage of the men who are over the draft age has been above normal, owing to the fact that many were originally attracted by it's climatic and health advantages, nevertheless it boasts service flag of over two hundred stars. Many bright young men have enlisted in va rious branches of the service. The women of the isle in their Red Cross work have raised thousands of dollars. In fact, more actual money to date has been raised here t3an has been secured and contributed by the Amer icaR women in all Cuba.
 While all the wealthy Spaniards originally inhabiting the isle have sold their properties to the Ameri- cans and returned to Spain or Cuba, the working natives, "pineros.a as they are termed, remain to the num- Der of probably twenty-five hundred or three thousand. These pineros are pure Spanish. They are industrious, working faithfully ten or twelve hours a day for the small wage of $1 to $1.50 per day and boarding them selves. AS workers they are regarded as superior to the Mexican peons, Cubans or Jamaican negroes. They are quiet, inoffensive people, fond of the Americans, and cases of theft or bodily assault are rare. They are of a domestic temperament, marrying early and rearing large families.
 There are diversified amusements for tourists. Automobfling over good roads to all parts of the isle, deep sea fishing, tennis, golf and horseback riding are especial favorites, as we'll as sea bathing in the warm salt wa ters of the Caribbean. AS to the cli- mate, I will not attempt a descrip- tion, as I found it perfect.