Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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OUR SOLDIE Queer Customs s Correspondence Quemados, Cuba, Jan. 26.-At re veille, Jan. 21, the commander of Co. I, Second South Carolina volunteers, was notified to report with his com pany to the provost marshal of Ha bana province, Maj. Russell B. Harri son. The prospect of a break in the monotony of camp cleaning and drill ing was hailed with satisfaction by. the men, and the officers were no less pleased, particularly as in their selec tion a compliment was not only im plied but pointedly expressed. i We were assigned to take charge of the town of Quemados, indicated on the map of Cuba as Marianao-they are one and the same, but the portion next the sea bears the latter name. The American soldier pronounces it "Maryagna" and he has not much difficulty in remembering that name, but the Cuban populace call it "Mar ryahnow." It is quite near the camp J of the South Carolina Regiment and about 10 miles from Habana. There are several streets closely built up, but the town spreads over a consider able area, being a mile and a half across. The walls in many places are . broken and crumbled and some of the buildings might number their age by centuries, to judge by experiences, but there are some residences indica ting luxury-one-story and covering an acre of ground. Among these is the home of Gen. Lee, now occupied by him and his family. The most formidable looking building is the old Spanish jail; while there is a church, with its four rusty bells on the four sides of the tower. Several "hotels," without sleeping accommodations, a temporary "sub-treasury" of Uncle Sam's, two new goyernment'warehous es, a railroad station, army hospital, and about 50 American and Cuban rum mills constitute the "public buildings." DuriDg a light rain on the evening of the 21st we pitched our camp in the mud at the north end of Quemados, commanding a fine ocean view and the camp of one division of this corps. On Sunday morning, simultaneously with the experimental opening of every saloon in town, we took charge, ? being promised a reinforcement of 50 men on the morrow. As the soldiers are shut out of Habana, this town is the stamping ground for the Seventh Army Corps, and the fact that when the Spanish built jails they were made of magnificent capacity was appreci ated last Sunday. The experiment was sufficient; hereafter saloons will be closed Sundays. When application was made to pro vost headquarters for written instruc tions-running a town on the Russian or Chinese plan being somewhat out of my line-I was told that instructions might come later, but whatever I did would be right, "you can do no wrong." Of course, there is no trou ble with the natives; they are perfect ly obedient, and I have not seen one under the influence of liquor, but hun dreds, perhaps thousands, of Ameri cans, chiefly toughs, have followed the army to this province. Those who had the capital have opened sa loons, while gamblers and fakirs a?-e rushing their trades; then, besides the soldiers, there are 500 civilian teamsters. With the barkeepers of the American cities' tenderloin dis tricts catering to this class of custom ers, there is considerable satisfaction in holding a "royal straight flush" ev ery deal and being indifferent to any kind of bluffs. There generally is room for American money here, and there must be splendid openings for legitimate investments. It is to be hoped that they will quickly come and occupy the field, not leaving commu nities to be "Americanized" through the impress and influence of these buzzards and carpet-baggers. The rules for the preservation of or der and protection of the soldiers in spite of themselves are very strict, and methods of enforcing them severe. They are allowed to drink beer and light wines, and anyone selling a sol dier whiikey or other liquor may have his place closed, temporarily or per manently, as the provost officer in command may-decide, or he maybe put in jail by the same authority. As a rule, soldiers are not allowed in Cu ban saloons, where rum and ac<|uadi ente are the chief drinks. Two drinks of the latter makes the American ! crazy for a day, producing afterwards j something like nervous prostration. Cubans seem to drink it without trou- ! ble. But then, as an old resident here and an obser/ant man remarked, "for eigners know how to drink; two can split a bottle of wine and go home; the American, as we see him in the saloon, wants to drink a barrel-he rarely kQows when he has enough." But there-I did not intend to write anything that might bc entitled "Ten Days in the Barrooms of Two Coun tries." Thc most important work of the company ia to guard about half a mil lion dollar.-: of American money. -This ? i? in thc paymaster's office. T?tere I are no vaults, and the money would be RS IN CUBA. jen at Quemados. Columbia State. insecure without a formidable guard. Corporals Brunson and Antibus, with six men, are doing this work for the first week, living in the treasury. Government warehouses and Gen. Lee's residence are the other promi nent places guarded, the latter being chiefly complimentary or to keep sol diers at a distance. Sergt. T. E. Carroll, with seven men. is camped at Curazao, a village with a blockhouse and two saloons, a mile from Quemados, but under the same jurisdiction. And it is right here that Company I claims to have captured the first blockhouse taken by the Seventh Army Corps. Midnight Sunday, a messenger brought word that the blockhouse, which was on an estate near a private college for ladies had been occupied by the Americans, who were, according to the sergeant, "a-raisin' hell," barricading the open ing and defying authority. A patrol wagon quickly reached the place. The holders of the fort had a good thing and refused to give it up, barring the little heavy window on the inside. A blockhouse is all right against bullets, ? but the window couldn't stand chunks j of 50 pounds of rock. It caved in in two minutes; the boys followed thc rocks and took the toughs off their feet. Two or three claimed to be American sailors and others dis charged soldiers, but they all went to jail. It is a pity the histories of some of these old buildings cannot be readily obtained. When in the Quemados : jail, with walls a yard thick, every j room a fort by itself, you would like j to turn back the pages of its history during the centuries when the sword has been in less merciful hands. lu the great cell to the right now lies an American-the murderer of his com rade in^arms. To the left of the en trance is the room where names of prisoners are recorded before they are thrust behind the heavy iron doors. Here is a bronze ink stand. On one side the ink bottle; the other pepper box covered sand holder, recalling to the present generation that blotting pads were not always in existence and that sand was once used to absorb ink. On the opposite side of thc building is another entrance, where egress was had to the upper story by spiral stairs. The centre post of this stairway, extending to the ceiling of the second story, looks like a braid that had been twisted, broadside al ways outward, into a huge corkscrew; closer examination shows the heart and half the outer part of a tree have been carved away, with what must have been infinite labor, leaviDg this spiral, hollow column. Half the space once devoted to of ficials has been partitioned off, and here a school for small children is in full blast. During school hours you couldn't miss it if you passed within a block. According to custom, thc children study aloud, each seeming to be trying to read faster than the oth er. No wonder it is a fast talking race ! Their methods are so different from ours; all the corners of the room will be occasionally occupied by littic tots who have missed their lessons or misbehaved. The teacher, a young man, tempts Americans to "pull" him for disorderly conduct, he -norms so at the pupils. Our boys see strange things some times. One of thc patrols, a young fellow from Edgefield county, on com ing off duty yesterday reported seri ously, mysteriously and wonderingly: "Capt., I just saw a man dressed up in woman's clothes and shoes, and he had on something over his head."' Thinking some malefactor or convict might be attempting to escape, I ques tioned the soldier, and I soon as?er tained from the description of the <:woman's clothes" that Friar Tuck was abroad. The ancient cemetery at i'laybo. a short distance from this town, has re cently become a place of great inter est to soldiers. A few evenings ago I saw a sergeant of the Second South Carolina volunteers coming into camp with a skull in one hand and a rib bone in another. Orders have now been issued excluding soldiers from the vicinity. As I understand, if thc rent for lots in a cemetery is not paid for a certain time, the graves are dug up, the bones being thrown out and scattered around, to make place for new occupants. But they do not wish these bones removed. Under the surface strata of earth there is a solid rock many feet thick, and, as grave digging is a slow process, they are dug ahead of the demand, or, rather, blast ed out, for they are all blasted. They are made in trenches, six or seven feet wide; thc collins, laid side by side, '-are only lightly covered with earth when first interred. When a trench receives its quota. ;ill the earth is then thrown in and <?c graves mark ed. An instance of the acuteness of Uncle Sam's rout'.; agent . was shown i day or two ago, when ;:. letter ad lresscd to "So-and-So, Co. D, Habana, Juba," was delivered to thc proper person in thc South Carolina regin Doing postmarked "Lake City.S. the postal people wisely guessed it should come to the Carolina i ment. I send, under another cover, ] of open cotton picked from a bus feet high, growing out of the cent: a cactus hedge in Quemados. I pose the Starr's readers know all k of flowers are in full bloom here; i corn and tobacco, sweet potat .'tanyah's," egg plants, etc., growing in various stages. We the vegatables in every stage exi the last-on the table. W. E. ( Headquarters, Second South G lina Regiment, Camp Columbia, bana, Cuba, Jan. 26.-To-day been the hottest day we have yet 1 Heretofore there has been a stiff w blowing, but to-day has been as su as our June days. One hardly thou he would experience such a day January. The Ninth Illinois boys are ac our neighbors. They have mo just back of us, our guard lines tou ing. We are - glad to have them our next door neighbors. Over at van nab they were thc ones closest us. and our relations were of friendliest nature. They have alw; shown themselves to be gentlcm and have always thought a gr deal of the boys from the Palme State. There was a Chicago paper broui to cami? several days ago by one our neighbors from the Ninth, stati that on February 15 the Second Soi Carolina would pass in review Washington. H. C. So far. Col. Jor knows nothing of this review. He I not yet received any orders to that feet. Looking over the Times of Cu yesterday we came across the followi paragraph : "A reporter for the Times of Cu visits the camp every day, and must out is the all-absorbing topic. The m eat with it, sleep with it, and drii with it, out at the cafes. One of th< number applied to their Senator frc his State last week imploring him obtain a discharge for the private wi had had a plentiful supply of occup tion as she is managed in Cuba. Tl Senator replied that no discharges a being considered on account of tl plans now almostcompleted for sendii thc volunteer regiments back to a re dezvous for muster out. This gb tiding has caused great jubilation: the regiment, where that happy mi sive was received, and the men a: gathering their machetes and the ot! er Spanish and Cuban relics togethi for final packing, and have throw their Spanish grammars and transl; tion books into the cactus fence; and are looking forward to the da when they will again mingle with the friends at home and resume their fo: mer avocations." This is glad news to us all if it i ouly true. We will all look forwar with joy when the transports will bc gin to arrive in Habana harbor to cai ry us back to the States. We hav seen enough of service of this kind There is no pleasure in "sunnin rocks'" and digging sinks under tropical sun. We have had no trou ble from the natives, and are likely t have none. All the military work w have to do is to do provost dut; watching United States soldiers. Wi ali feel that weare able to take careo ourselves, but we want a discharge before we begin it. Think of a growl man having to get a pass from divisior headquarters before he can go inte Habana, or a pass from the colonel ii he will go accompanied by a commis sioned officer. This kind of treat meet makes a mau a menial, and un fits him for life after the army is dis banded. As I can gather, it is.the desire of the great majority of the men to return to a climate where the sun is not so hot. May the day has ten, is our prayer, There was a slight rain last night, and one of the tents having thc guy ropes too tight the pegs were pulled up. The occupants of the tent thought some of the men had been guilty of pulling them up. Some one then accused one of his comrades of doing it. This he denied, and a "scrap" almost followed. The men in the company met just after dinner and organized a court and proceeded to try the one accused of pulling thc pegs, liach side had its lawyer. Thc "State's attorney'" was a corporal from another company. Thc jury brought in a verdict of not guilty as to thc de fendant, but recommended that the prosecutor bc tried for attempting to get up a "scrap" in the company. The trial comes off to-morrow. Sergt. McMillan, of* Co. M. who has been confined to thc hospital for some time with mumps, is with bis company again. Co. M has had an addition lately*. Trixie, a small Cuban dog, or porro, has COinc in as a ma cot. She has already forgotten that she ai onetime belonged t" a I "nb.id I'ur li r I misses an opportunity ol' runniii': af j ter one and Iry ini* to take i |.ul , ol' his calf. Tire mun have ju .si undei i ?a: an other vaccinal ion. lt is be; ; iring tb ' .'take and many are the arms now in a sling. Some cf the boys say that the j" bad rather have smallpox than another vaccination. There are twenty patients from this regiment in the hospital with mumps. Camp Colunbia. Habana Cuba. Jan. 27.-The men of this regiment arc circulating another petition asking our representatives in Congress to use their utmost influence to have the regiment mustered out at an early date. There are several reasons set forth why this should be done. Thc men are mostly farmers, and would like to get out in time to plant a crop, or they will be left high and dry when they are mustered out. Then, too, there is no chance to save any money, and there are those at home who arc dependent upon these men for sup port. Again there seems to be nothing here to do but to sun the rocks. There is nothing that can bc done. There is provost guards at every crook in the road, and consequently nothing can be learned of the people or of the country except in a very small area. The men arc not allowed to visit thc city at all. Another is that most of the men have got enough of army life. They arc realizing that it is most demoral izing to them and they wish to quit. Then, too. this climate is not healthy, and they do not care to expose them selves to needless danger, when there is absolute!}* nothing at stake. I would have given the text of thc petition, but I could not secure it. These reasons were gathered from reading it. They are all reasons that have the ring of truth in them, and should be considered. If thc men were allowed to go around and see something of the country and thereby learn something they would not mind staying here for sixty or ninety days, but as it is, they want to go home. The petition is being largely signed. In some companies very nearly every man in them have put their autograph. Fully two-thirds of the names in the regiment will be on it when it is sent to Washington. This afternoon the writer had au op portunity of seeing a native funeral, or rather seven of them. He got a chance to join a detail to go to the city after supplies. He took off his non-commissioned oflicers' stripes and joined the detail as a private. That was the only way he could get off. While in the city seven different pro cessions passed him. In all of them he saw no women, the processions be ing made up of men and boys. All of these were of the poorer class. One would be surprised to see a funeral procession go by. The coffin is car ried upon the shoulders of four men, with a squad of about two dozen men and boys accompanying the remains. These are laughing and talking and sometimes drinking and smoking. On none of those this afternoon did there appear to be any sorrow. These bod ies are laid to rest in thc cemetery where their habitation* is rented. When the rent runs out, if it is not promptly paid, the bones are broken up and thrown in a pile in one corner of the place. The -rent must be paid or the bones will not be allowed to rest. S. FRANK PARK? HT. - It is truly wonderful that Lon don's vast population of 0,291,667. located on only 693 square miles, should have in 1S97 so slow a death rate as 17.7 per one thousand. This rate is not greater than that of a fairly healthy rural district. England well deserves the name she has received as the birthplace and home of sanitary science and practice, thinks the Lon don Lancet. When Baby's III. When thc little loved one is sick, when its brow is fevered, its pulse rapid, its features pinched willi pain and there urti creal blue circles under its eyes, the mother hovers about tin- bedside, and with anxious eyes tries to read the meaning of ?.-very ex pression upon the physician's face. A woman may save herself almost all of this worriment about her children if .she will but take proper care of her womanly health during the period of gestation. A child born of a mother who is thoroughly healthy in a womanly way will alnio.it unfailingly be healthy and robust. Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription acts directly on thc delicate and important organs tli.it bear thc burdens of maternity. It make's them well, strong and vigorous. It heals all internal ulceration and inflammation. It stops debilitating drains. It fits for motherhood and insures a healthy child. Thousands of happy mothers have testified lo its merits. N<> honest dealei will urge you tu lake au infeiioi substitute, fol thc little added profil it may afford him. "A laily lol?l me Iii.il Dr, Pierce's Kit vm ?te Prescription was ^nntl lu luke when willi child," wi iles Mi-.. Annie Simpson, ul fin. i? Chelms ford Struct, I. iwn M< i . Muss " I was Millet lui; lei lillie pine., ?uni was nnalili In eel al,,,ni \\\r. Ili'itlNi* w il In .ul IM lie* iii nie, is' I I., .? m lil. me Iii. Pierce's Isivniile I't'i .el i pl ii in .ni,l lin- Iiis! I.,,Ill, [illy ni.I mu, I look lim <- liuttli . Iieloie in'jrliiiln wai IHIIII, ul wliieli in n I sui li; reil I rv lillie, I le I- . !.'.' ll.e. I II I II In ililli :,nii.' I.nih, iiinl is i,..,, linet- m.hs .,1,1 .iii.l U'leli lillee!! pnitllllM Wilta ie. ulili-i .?ni,I \. ., I.. .I a I all, Kil lin! il.lv I il'ill'l I. lum I.,,.. m I Im ft I H: Cit io i iioiieli " They i I'M a:, I 'll ?I I It.ll'l imply gtvi Ii i . * i main m cnn Melli Ixl i nil III (lin lilli,- " allon. I li, Pellet " i, il.i i ahurie. Cotton Plant Produc?s. Less than 20 years ago thc seed of the cotton plant were considered as practically worthless. To-day the seed are used in manu facturing several different varieties of ifood products, thc production of these articles is one of the South's greatest industries. Now it is announced that other by products of this plant besides cotton seed oil, oil cake and meal for feed, and hulls for fertilizer are being de veloped. One of these is the use of the fiber of the stalk for thc manufac ture of bagging. According to the Scientific Ameri can, a machine has actually been per fected for working the stalks into bagging. Some of this coUon stalk bagging has b^cn tested and pro nounced excellent for thc purpose. "It is strong and clean and does not readily ignite. Five tons of good stalks will yield about 1,500 pounds of first-class fiber. At this rate the annual crop will produce all of the bagging needed to wrap the lint and leave a surplus to be devoted to other purposes. It is predicted that ma chinery for making coarse mattings from the fiber will be produced shortly. The Scientific American expressed the opinion that if the experiments, which arc now being made with the fiber are successful it will not be many years before the industry will assume gi gantic proportions."' The Chattanooga Tradesman in com menting upon this also mentions that ilthe root of the cotton plant is being experimented with for its chemical properties. The root of the Egyptian cotton plant yields a drug that has thc properties of ergot, and the root of the American plant, under chemical manipulation, has yielded a similar product. This has not yet been fully developed. A difference has been de tected in the properties of the roots of different kinds of cotton, long sta ple and short staple, hence it is prob able that several drugs may be ex tracted from the different varieties of roots." I "With cotton stalk bagging and cot ton root drugs among the possibilities of the future, it would seem that every portion of this great Southern plant is of value. If the staple itself'only brought about two cents more per pound the Southern farmer would in deed be blessed.-Houston Post. The Terrors of a Kcal Blizzard. A great deal has been said and writ ten about those blinding storms that sometimes sweep with resistless fury the western prairies, but without the experience no one, however vivid his imagination, can fully picture to him self such a storm, much less realize all that a blizzard means. The penetrating wind, roaring and howling, shifting quickly from one point to another, whirls the sharp particles of snow into the traveler's eyes and nostrils, blinding and smoth ering. It often obscures in a few mo ments every vestige of tract, render ing travel difficuit and dangerous. The wolves and foxes that roam the prairies, if far away from scrub or tim ber when a blizzard bursts upon them, burrow at once into the drifts and there abide till the storm is over. The grouse, or prairie chicken, Hy ing swiftly, presses its wings to its sides and plunges head first into the snow and there is perfectly safe. The Indian of the plains if caught away from his tepee (tent) scrapes away the snow with his foot aud wraps his blanket closely about him, creeps into the hole he has malle and is quickly drifted over. But the white man caught out on the prairie often becomes utterly be wildered, wanders around until com pletely exhausted, sinks down and perishes with the cold. Ko Time to Fool Away. The world will bc glad of the as surance that there are some men in thc humblest walks of life who can't bc bought with the clink of gold. A Hoosier who lost his wife a few weeks ago was waited upon a few days after the funeral by a man who introduced himself as the agent of a Cincinnati medical college, and he wont right to business by remarking : "Mr. Blank, neither of us has any time to fool away. Your wife is dead and buried. I want her body for the college. I could snatch it any dark night, but that's not my way. How much cash will buy the body ?" "Dige'er up at your own expense ?" "Yes." "How tnuch'll you give ?" "Fifteen dollars.'' '1 A nd I he collin ?" "Oh, that's no usc lo inc.'' "Stranger," said thc widower, "you Lip er I'll shoot. If you (hink l in oid enough to throw a collin in l?ese hard times you haven't sized inc p L i cd. Lei t lie idd wninan stay har. She isu I cost \\\<; anyl liing fer oard .i nd lodgings, and I here ain't a winy "in fm- repairs. " .Y. r Vu rh i I os itu- flesh," said thc the in"' .--l'ili a sirloin ?\7egel?blePiepar??o?for As similating ?ieToodand?egula ling tte Stomachs andJBowelsof INF?XTS /?C HILDREN Promotes Digcstioii,Cheerful ness andRsst.Gontains neither Opium.Morphine nor Mineral. NOT NARCOTIC. Ecapc a/OWBrSAItUELPJTCHEIi Pumpkin Sa tl' 4lx.Scntuz * fitxAtlUSJts Jtnisc Sce/i-* lYppcrmint - Jh Cariona&Soda * fYam} Seed - Clarified Sager . httfjyrocn- Flavor. Apcrfccr Remedy for Constipa tion, Sour Stomach.Diarrhoea, Worrits .Convulsions .Feverish ness and LOSS OF SLEEP Tac Simile Signature of NEW "YORK. jj D O?ES-35C EXT S 1 EXACT COPY* OF WEAEP.EB, THC CENTAUR COMPANY, NtW YORK CITY. OSBORNE & CLINKSCALES Are Sole Agents at Anderson, S. C., for Iron King and Elmo Stoves, Garland Stoves and Ranges, A IND THE Times Line of Cook Stoves. The above Stoves are bought in Car Lots direct from the manufacturers. Thus we save "middleman's" profit, and also get cheaper freight rates. Cus tomers who buy Stoves from us get the advantage of this. We carrv a well-selected stock of F4.NCY CHINA, PORCELAIN GOODS, CHINA DINNER SETS and TEA SETS. Just the thing for Christmas Presents. Call on us. OSBORNE & ChlNKSCALES, The Sole Agents for Iron King Stoves. CALL AND GET ONE. EVANS PHARMACY. O. D. ANDERSON & BRO. Strictly in it at Lowest Possible Prices. Two Cars Texas Red Rust Proof Oats, Aud all the country raised Oats you want. These have go, uo matter what Cotton sells at. Pure Wheat Flour Rock Bottom Prices. We can give Country .Merchants close figures on CHEESE. OYSTERS, TOMATOES, SALMON, SARDINES and TOBACCO. Everybody knows we beat the Town on SHOE?, and we propose to keep up our reputation. BADGING and TIES guaranteed prices. .Sir- Send us your orders Yours for Business, O. D. ANDERSON & BRO. THE OLD, RELIABLE Furniture Store! OF 6. F. TfMbl/T m Still in the Lead I .OH They have the Largest Stock, Best Quality, and Certainly the Lowest Prices ! OTHERS try to get there, but they miss it every tim?. New, beautiful and select Stock of Furniture, &c, arriving every day and at PRICES NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE. Here you have the Largest Stock ; therefore, you can get ;ust what fou want. Here you have the Best Grade of Furniture ; therefore, you can get Goods that will last. Here you have thc very LOWEST PRICES ; therefore, you save good big money. Ber Come along, and we will do you as we have been doing for the la* forty years-sell you the very best Furniture for the very lowest prices. ?3u Thc largest Stork in South Carolina and the Lowest Price in the Southern States. New Lot Baby Carriages Jmi Received. n Depot Street, Andersen, S. C.