ONE TYPE OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTIONIST Many are Freebooters and Cut-lhroats Eager for the Oppor tunity of Plunder. A significant word from Cuba since Secretary Taft went there in effort to briug about amicable settlement of (be revolution is' that in many cases (he insurgents are becoming restless, (he discipline is bad and many are breaking up into bands for the pur pose of independent movement with view to plunder. The fact of the mat ter is that many of the revolutionists are what might be called freebooters and cut-throats, and have welcomed the present state of disaffection in Cuba as affording them an opportunity for their lawless deeds, such as they enjoyed in the “good old days” under Spanish rule when murder and rapine Were events ot every day occurrence. From its earliest history there has existed in Cuba such lawless class of people. At one time a few genera tions ago, they infested the coast as pirates, swooping down with their lit tle sloops or schooners upon all un armed vessels which chanced their way, and as such they were only final ly suppressed by the British, who as late as the '203, drew a cordon around the island outside of the three-mile limit, which with little hesitation they reduced to suit their convenience when it came to the matter of pur suing a susoicious craft. These crafts methods, which multiplied with each fresh outbreak of an insurrection, that inspired the Spaniards to commit many of the cruel deeds attributed to them .during their struggle to main ta'D their grasp upon the island. The Spaniards called these outlaws “bandidos” and always pursued them with more or less relentless vigor, but their buccaneering methods were such that neither the Spanish Guardia Civil nor the Spanish infantryman was very effective against them. They, like the buccaneers of old, lived off the coun try, and the country supplied all their immediate necessities, whether their depredations were carried on in or ganized bauds or by roaming individ uals. In. the fertile tropical land of Cuba the life of these freebooters is com paratively easy. As a matter of fact, after these Cuban gentry hgve tasted of it, it is hard for them to relinquish it. They live in a land of eternal sum mer, where in ncrmal times cattle, honey and sweat potatoes abound. Why should they work when God has given them so much? The peaceful farmer of the interior, no matter how little he labors in the field, produces a great deal more than he can con sume, and he is ever ready to share Kind of Country in Which the Freebooter Thrives. were chased into some one of the numerous coves or hays which indent the coast of Cuba, and when their crews were captured they were taken to Jamaica for trial, where it was a short shift between there and the hangman's noose. Frequently the ves sels were driven ashore by the Eng lish cruisers, anil the crews of the pirate ships, making their escape, be came pirates on land like the old-time buccaneers of Hispaniola, with the dif ference that they rarely made war upon the country people, who almost invariably stood in with them. The remnants of these pirates, or freebooters, have existed in Cuba to the present day, their ranks having been recruited from time to time by the country people who, finding them selves in some difficulty with the au thorities, preferred the free, careless life of the freebooter to going to pris on. It can scarcely be claimed, ex cept in rare instances, that the pres ent day semi-lawless set in Cuba is formed of the descendents of the orig inal pirates, although their methods and manner of living are about the same. Occasionally an individual may be found who will tell you unblushlng ly that his father or grandfather was one of the pirates. As a rule these people are without religion, laws, or sacred traditions, and when the op portunity has occurred they have com mitted deeds of shocking ferocity, scarcely equaled by those of the sav age Indians on our frontier when they wrere upon the warpath in their most palmy days. In some respects they are worse than our savages, for the Indians made war only upon their enemies and were always true to each other, being bound together by their own laws and traditions. But it is not so with these Cuban freebooters, and it was owing to their treacherous it with whomsoever comes along, anil consjquently the roving freebooter, who would be a simple tramp else where, finds subsistence easy. He may be a fugitive from justice, and then he learns to look upon all those who are rich or in government service, either as civilians or soldiers, as his enemies, and he only awaits the opportune moment when a leader steps forth to organize him and others like him into a formidable band. After the insurrection was over and ; the brief war with Spain had been fought out the country was so com I pletely devastated that such of these ] ex-freebooters as remained were obliged to come into the towns and ! cities, where they jiosed as patriots and came in for their share of loot in the way of Red Cross supplies issued to starving reconcentrados. Then there was that pay which the Ameri cans ceded to Gomez to pay his sol diers, when as a matter of fact his so-called army had been practically exterminated before the beginning of the war with Spain. They came in for some of that. The supplies and soldiers’ pay | quieted the turbulent spirit of those former outlaws for a time, although during the occupation of the islands there were many examples of their capabilities. Dear Girls. I “Yes,” said Tess, “Mr. Goodley gave i me this ring. I accepted him last | night.” “Did you?” replied Jess. “I’m so | glad.” “Are you really? He used to call ! on you, didn't he?” “Yes, and I was beginning to fear I’d have to accept him.” I FOR ANALYSIS. Mrs. Newedde—'“Certainly you may take some of those biscuits to your friend. Is he hungry too?" Weary—“No, mum. he’s a geologist! The Rhine Falls. Several times it has been rumored that the water-power of the magnificent Rhine Falls at Neuhausen, in Switzerland (near Schaffhausen), are to be utilized for electric purposes, and that the cataract, which is the largest in Europe, is being spoiled. Up to the present, however, the falls have undergone no change and it would indeed be a matter for regret if this noble creation of nature were to become a victim to the modern materialistic spirit of industry. MANY DIE ON RAILROADS. TRAINS KILL 26 PERSONS D treasury balance on the right side of the ledger was a few millions, and this result was achieved following a year in which the balance on the wrong side of the ledger was upward of $30,000,000. Starting with the present fiscal'year a deficit of $6,000,000 or $7,000,000 showed up within a month as a result of an extraordinary draft to pay congressional appropriations. This deficit hits already been practically wiped out and the indications are that Uncle Sam will have a snug balance at the end of the present fiscal year. It is the customs business that is producing these desirable results. The duties upon imported commodities have brought into the treasury within a IH tle more than two months $10,000,000 more than came in during the same period a year ago. This is the fact that causes happiness to Assistant Secre tarv Reynolds. He is able to show that while other receipts of the govern ment have increased only two or three million dollars, a handsome showing is made by the customs branch under his management. BEST FOR A COLLAR The furrier was taking his stock out of the mothproof cold storage-room. It came forth frozen stiff, and coated with glistening white frost But there was one beautiful skin that, though just as stiff as any of the others, had no frost on it. “It is easy to talk about furs,” said the dealer, “but I want you to look at this skin. It is the kind that the richest Russian grand dukes aud so on,v have their overcoat collars made of. “It is a sea otter’s skin, and it is so expensive that often one coat col lar of it will cost $300. It is unques tionably the best skin in the world to mal e coat collars of. "Why? Look at this one, and you'll see. All the other skins are covered with frost, while on this fur no trace whatever appears. And that's the rea son why sea otter skins make the. best coat collars. The breath, top some unknown reason, doesn't freeie on them.”