The Monticellonian., 1919-04-04
Native Homestead in Isle of Pines.

Farded as the Treasure lsIandg
 Stevenson's x: tale.
 As recently as some thirty ya. ago SPahiard who had lived o,F time on the Isle of Pines, as Dmr the p5overbial church mouse, sudleI hl6ssomed out as Il gentleman great afiluence. He moved Win t family t3 Havana, the Paris of A ',West Indies" and to him was trae. as the source of circulation. Ian, amount of old Spanish doubldr, 'pfeces of eight" and other gold eo, of the pirate days. It was genepn believed. he had discovered the eaa. of the hidden treasures of some nr. crew who were unable to return mi. eiNim their ill-gotten wealth. EW now there is more or less desuIou search made from time To time h some of the natives for pirate trea, ures supposed to be buried in th caves and along the shores of tbs island.
 In 1776 the Spanish crown made grant of the entire isle to retire Spanish naval officer. who at fsl d6ath. left seven sons. among whm the Isle of Pines was divided FRs the original grant down to he Spat ish-American war the isle WAS hs home of SpaHish aristocrats who ha large interests in Cuba. When Cuh and Porto Rico were lost to Spain, h. leading inhabitants of the Isle q Pines, being pure Spanish, regarding the iCuhans as infetiors. were very de Sirous, as the lesser of two evils, that the sovereignty of the isle pass to ths United States. There was inserted l the treaty of Paris, negotiated Wia Spain. q clause which President Nc Kinley interpreted as ceding the lst of Pines To the United States.
 Sent Many Men to the War.
 The Isle of Pines is extremely n triotie- and has done its full shan toward winning the war. While tn American population is less than fv thousand, and the percentage of th men who are over the draft age ha been above normal, owing to the fac that many were originally attraete by its climatic and health advantage nevertheless il boasts q service fla of over two hundred stars. Man bright young men have enlisted in VI rious branches of the service. I'll women of the isle in their Red Gro work have raised thousands of dollar In fact, more actuai money 10 da has been raised here than has be- secured and contributed by the Anne ican women ip,all Cuba.
 While all the wealthy Spanian originally inhabiting the isle ha' sold their properties to the Ame cans and returned to Spain or Cub the working natives, "pineros, they are termed. remain to the nul Der of probably twenty-five hundred three thousand These pineros q pure SpaniSh' They are industriol working faithfully ten or twelve hou day for the small wage of Sl $1.50 per day add boarding the selves. pAs workers they are regard as superior to the Mexican peol GubanS or Jamaican negroes. Tn are quiet. inoffensive people, fond the Americans, and cases of theft bodily assault are rare. They are q domestic temperament, marryl early and rearing large families.
 There are diversified amusemef for tourists. Automobiling over go roads 10 all. parts of the isle, det sea fishing, tennis, golf and h0rseba riding are especial favoriteS, as W as sea bathing i'll the warm salt W ters of the Caribbean, As to the mate, 1 will not attempt deser ton, as l found it perfect.