Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190?, July 08, 1898, Image 3
r 'X SPAIN'S AFRICAN Cuban Polltloal Convicts Chained by the Waist to tho Prison Walls so They aro Unable to Llo Down. There nre at present more thnn 600 nfen, samples of the best blood and brains of.Cuba, living the lives of rats In the prisons of Flgueras, Cartagena, Valladolld and Ceutn. A few of these were captured In war, but most of them were transported for reasons purely political, so far as many of them knew, without rhyme or reason. This story deals with one of the most Interesting and long-suffering of Cuban patriots, Juan Gualbcrto Gomez, the editor of La Lucha and La Tgunldad. Mr. Gomez Is a leader of the negro race In Cuba. If he is a type of his people there the Cubans have solved the ne gro problem by producing negroes that can stand shoulder to shoulder with white men In the march of civilization. His bright, Intelligent fnce beams with kindly humor that has not been affect cd by the cruel servitude that has changed the color of his hair. He was born In Matanzas In 1S54, and sent to France to be educated. He was first called upon to suffer for his opinions at the close of the ten years' war for freedom, when he was arrested and sent to Ceuta for two years. After he got out he was kept In Spain for nearly two years, and then he escaped to Cuba and revived his Cuban newspaper. His first editorials had their effect on the "Temperature of Hava.iv. and the place soon became too warm for him, so he went to the revolutionary camp as a representative of the Junta. Like many others he was lured within the Spanish lines during the autonomy agitation, and found him self a second time on a Spanish trans port bound for the dreaded Ceutn, the place of life In death, the most hope less of Spanish prisons. His sentence ' -was for twenty years. There Is not one merciful custom In the treatment of Cuban prisoners. They were usually prepared for the terrors of the dun geons ncross the Atlantic by being treated to a taste of the comparatively agreeable prison life In Morro castle, In Havana. Mr. Gomez was there for tight months. He never got very hun gry, and was seldom struck by a aruard during this sojourn. Not so on board the transport. There he was keqt In shackles on 'hands and feet, and the guards used him as a punching bag .-when Spanish Indolence permitted them rto take exercise. Then the ships came to the wharf at Ceuta, There was a short marcn through the town and then the gates of Ceuta prison at whose entrance the mind's eye sees a mound formed of the abandoned hopes that have accumulat ed there during a century opened and the life that had been Gomez's taste of hell, began again. But he carried his hope with him Cuba would soon be free. Down In the lowest tiers of dungeons In the citadel of Ceuta Is a room twenty feet square, with a little window In it At the ton of the low wall. This room Is called the "Calabozo." Probably our. "calaboose is named from it or some similar Spanish dungeon. There Is a window in the door. At each of these openings two guards watch day and night. In this dark hole Mr. Gomez and eighteen other Cubans were crowd ed for nine months. Every man had an iron band around his waist, which was connected by a chain to another band at the ankle. These were never Temoved. There Is no furniture of any kind in the Cnlabozo. and when a pris oner sinks upon the floor In a pitiable effort to sleep, water soaks throughout his clothing. It is difficult to conceive of the ecstacy of Joy that approaches the wild and Intoxicating Jubilation that seizes those wretched souls In the Calabozo when the rough voice of the Jailor orders them to the great prison hall above. In this apartment Mr. Gomez spent two years. In com cany with SOO prisoners mostly crim inals of the worst sort. It consists of J WHY AMERICANS An Inherited Fondness for the Rifle makes Good ShotsThe Bloody Work of Americans Good Marksmanship In the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The war with Spain has demonstrat ed one thing quite clearly, and this la that the American gunner knows how to shoot. His nice accuracy In pomt lng his weapon has produced most sat isfactory results. This skill has been met by an Inefficiency on the part of the Spaniard almost pitiful. Indeed It seems like taking advantage of the situation to shoot at men who appear to have no notion that the ultimate purpose of a bullet is to end up some where with a bone-breaking, muscle rending crash, and not keep Indefinite. ly on plowing the air. There are several reasons why Amer icans Bhould and do shoot well. We are still but a few stages removed from the ptoneer In many sections of the country, and the rifle to the pioneer has been as necessary as the ax. He has depended upon It to furnish him a good share of his food and clothing, and in many localities the protection It gave him from the Indians consti tuted his sole lease on life. Conse quently It became traditional that all Americans could shoot well. Even today, aside from that unfor tunate class confined in the large cities, almost every citizen has something of an acquaintance with fire-arms and frequently a very great handtness In their use. For he has all the Anglo Saxon's fondness for sport and he has what the Anglo-Saxon has not unless tie be of the so-called favored class namely, every opportunity to Indulge that fondness. The woods and fields are still open; he can hunt as much as he likes, and where he likes. A cer tain curious affectation for firearms la the result, and a liking to handle them, for one may become Just as fond of a gun as of a horse or a dog. A man with these inclinations can be made Into a soldier with very little trouble. There Is nothing he has to master of the care or use of firearms. He learned ull that as a boy when he tramped the fields and woods In quest of the elusive but highly desirable "cot ton tall" or surreptitiously slaughtered song birds In his destructive thirst for proficiency. The skill gained he Is ready to turn to the very best account as a soldier, when it Is seen that he has the extremely harmful habit of aiming his gun. He Is not content with merely discharging It. He wants to land his bullet where It will do the most good. In the far west the need that still ex ists to go armed makes every man rather expert with his "gun," and the cowboy regiments will probably serve to open the eyes of the Spaniards as to what a soldier may achieve with re volver or rifle In the gentle art of fill ing your fellow creature full of lead. In the revolutionary war It was the skill of our soldiers with their favorite weapon that won battle after battle. Even the cavalry used the rifle In pref erence to the saber; indeed most of the TORTURE HOUSE. b!x rooms opening Into each other, and each room Is In charge of a director. The directors are convicts and only murderers nre eligible to the position. The rooms nre luxurious In one respect they have dry floors. There are no beds nor chairs, but the prisoners mny wash nt a small water pipe that Is, thay limy If they have money to pay for the privilege. Friends of tho pris oners are allowed to send money for them to tho governor of Ceutn, and froln this an allowance of $2 a month Is given. Twenty per cent of this goes nt once to the sentry. The regulnr diet of the prisoners Is beans nnd potatoes served twice a day, at 12 o'clock and at 6 o'clock. It Is served In troughs, each containing twenty small portions. Knch man has a plate. Coffee, rice and In deed any ordinary food can be pro cured by those who enn pny for it, but penniless wretches get nothing but bonns and potatoes from January to December, unless some more fortunate prisoner gives them a bite of Ills ex tras. Even the walls of a Spanish pris on have cars for the clink of gold, and the prisoner with money fares com paratively well. Hut woe betide the poor devil who has not cash for the sentries or the man who refuses to give them the portion of his wealth that they demand. His back will be raw from blows from the Iron stick covered with rawhide that they carry. One man received fifty blows which nearly killed him for fun, the gunrd said. He will also be treated to the dreaded la blanca. This mode of torture Is to chnln a man there nre no women In Ceutn to a wall by a chain three feet long attached to his waist. He cannot lie down, nnd the trentment may be prolonged until the prisoner becomes Irtnne. The prisoners In the large apartment nre compelled to work on the fortifica tions and roads about the prison. The gunrds with their Iron rawhides stand over them, and Instead of a word of correction there Is a blow. The Ceuta convicts are also used and also treated as mules, nnd nre harnessed to wag ons that are used In building and re pairing the forts. Mr. Goitrcz was for tunate In never being broken to har ness. His work for many months was that of sweeper inside the prison. It Is necessary for all prisons to pro vide a convict costume, but the author ities at Ceuta have hit upon a very eco nomical plan. They supply trousers twice In three years and coats twice in six. The uniform Is blue and white in summer and brown In winter. To further prevent escape the prisoners are sha'red twice a week. None of the 10,000 Inhabitants of Ceuta shaves lest he be mistaken for an escaped convict But convicts do not escape from juta. The prison is an Imposing stone castle on the end of a peninsula about three mlfes long, which projects from Africa Into the Mediterranean, Just ncross from Gibraltar. A wall extends around the whole peninsula, and there are sen try boxes at frequent Intervals. To escape a prisoner must swim the strait of Gibraltar. Some of them have done this, but not Mr. Gomez. One morning he received a letter the pris oners are allowed to get letters at stated intervals, and to write one every fifteen dnys. This letter stated that his friends' efforts to secure his pardon were fruitless. He had about touched bottom In the depths of despair. The guards were particularly surly to him the one sign by which Cuban prison ers tell of Spanish reverses. But his spirits were so low that even a Cuban victory failed to raise them. This was at 10 o'clock. At 2 he was a free man, on his way to Spain. How did he get his pardon? He hns not the lea6t Idea. Mr. Gomez got away from Spain with all speed and has just arrived in the United States. But there are 390 Cu bans still at Ceuta. ARE GOOD SHOTS. so-called cavalry troops were In real ity mounted riflemen. It was the famous "minute men," with their long rifles that threw a bul let no larger than a pea, that drove back regulars at Lexington, with a loss I In killed and wounded of over 300 of their number. It was the close shooting of these same "minute men" raw farmers that under General Stark defated Bur goyne and his splendidly trained Ger man mercenaries. Later, In the clvl war, It was this skill that made the battles of the peri od bloody beyond anything recorded In history. The freedom of the citizen in the use of weapons was found to be responsi ble for a curious condition at the outset of the rebellion. As cavalrymen the volunteers viewed the saber with mis trust, much preferring to pin their faith to the arm with which they were most familiar. The effect of horsemen charging with sword In hand was very great In all European armies, and It was one of the military maxims of the time that cavalry relying on firearms must surely be beaten. In America the Idea of the common soldier at least was quite different, and at the breaking out of the war the volunteers displayed an extraordinary contempt for the saber. The very small force of regular horses, trained on the approved European plan, alone placed trust in It. The southern troops In particular so heartily despised the weapon that nothing could make them give way to a charge of cavalry, saber In hand. Lines of skirmishers and lines of bat tle when charged by the regularly equipped cavalry of the north would send up the Jeering cry, "Here, boys, are those fools coming again with their swords: give It to them!" The western troops had the same feeling, at first, and when the "rough riders" of the sixties were moulded Into cavalry they showed the utmost reluct ance to abandon the rifle. At the very beginning of the war much of the cav alry was hastily raised and very Im perfectly armed, often with double barreled shotguns, which did deadly work at close quarters when loaded with a handful of slugs or buckshot. So armed they would charge at full speed and deliver their fire In the very faces of the enemy, and then dash through with a dreadful thumping of gun-butts on the men's heads. An aeronaut says that there Is the same difference In the air at the earth's surface and at an altitude of half a mile that there Is between water In a muddy puddle and the purest spring water. He states that for a time one feels, after coming down from an as cent, as It one were breathing "solid dust." AN ABSENT MINDED REMARK Tho dinner was given In his nonor and as a consequence the eminent Ox ford nrchncologlst was 111 at case. Ho had never been much of n society man, and evening clothes wore a bother to him. He didn't know what to do with his hands. Ho had for so many years browsed like a vagrant goat among the mlns of Babylon nnd Nineveh and other forgotten sites of fleeting civiliz ation thnt he was reminiscent of a mummy. That was what tho eminent nrchaeologlst was like a mummy. He Belled of myrrh and other things thnt go with the wrnpplngs of a dofunat Pharaoh and, taken all In all, he wasn't much of a clmp to dine with. You have seen them often, those per sons who know what they want to say, but cither become confused in tho say ing Or cannot do It at all. That was another characteristic of the eminent Oxford archaeologist. Ills mind vi brated between thoughts of cuneiform bricks and the glory attendant upon their translation. So he wasn't what one would call a brllllnnt success as a dinner table talker. To do him honor, tho conversation, after the second course, wiih allowed to drift around Into his channels. Tho hostess saw that he was HI at ease, and she started It herself. She thought he would feel better conversing on something he knew about, so she threw out a word regarding the recent finds at Pompeii. "All, yes," Bald the eminent Oxford archaeologist. "Pompeii Is tho dream of my life. I should like to be the man to make the greatest discoveries there. The glory would bo magnlllcent. I have my Ideas concernlg the burying of tho city, and feel that by exploring the present excavations personally and thoroughly I could obtain much data of historical as well as scientific value. But I haven't the time. My other work takes all my hours. Still, my leslre, not expanded, Is to work In Pom noil. So when I remember that the cherished hope may never be realized It saddens me greatly. You have no Idea how a man feels who has within him a half-warmed fish." The woman at the table dropped her fork and lower Jaw at the same time. Three American professors on tho archaeologist's left and four on his right put by their eating instruments and gazed at him. Further down a woman touched her forehead and wink ed at her friend across tho table. There was a silence so deep you couldn't plumb It. "I I I don't believe I quite under stand you," the hostess managed to say. "What was It you said about a half-warmed fish being Inside of you?" The eminent archaeologist raised his head and looked at the woman nt tho head of the table. He appeared dazed. He contracted his brows and then he blushed the color of Jack roses. He absent-mindedly thrust the napkin in side the pocket of his coat and scratch ed his forehead with his knife. Then he blushed some more and stammered as he talked. "I I I didn't menu that," he said. "I meant to say I know now how a man feels who lias within his heart and mind a half-formed wish." "Oh!" ejaculated everyone present. And the eminent archaeologist left Immediately after dinner, even forget ting to say good-bye to his hostess. To wod if Husband Died. Mrs. Wllhelmina Schmltt, through l.r... nttnrnPVH Mf'MHrs. I.QWls W. TllOIIl- as and Goodwin, Westmoreland & Hall- man, has filed a petition in me superior court of Atlanta, says the Journal of that city, in which she makes highly sensational charges against J. T. Schneider. iro sniimitt biips for half of Schnei der's property, nnd the following are made parties defendant: The Maddox Rucker Banking company, with whom Schneider Is alleged to have about $1,000 on deposit; the Citizens- uoan ami u,i II .Hi , nnmnnnv. In which he is said to have $1,200 worth of stock, and Mnt- tle O. Davis, W. H. George, h. m. worn and Mary E. Thompson, each of whom Is alleged to have borrowed several hundred dollars from Schneider. Judge John S. Candler has granted a temporary restraining order prevent in., t. .iv nt tlm ilnfonrinntH from navlnc Schneider any money due him pending the hearing, anu scnneiuer nus ueeii restrained from altering the status of his property. Tra Rniimltt rpcltes that in 1S78 she lived in New York, apart from her husband. Slie Kept a ooaraing nuuse, and Schneider was a boarder. Schnei der was living apart from his wife, but showed Mrs. Schmltt a document that he said was a decree of divorce. Schneider beenme Infatuated with his landlady and Mrs. Schmltt fell in love with her boarder. It was a case of mutaul affection. According to the petition, a contract was made by which Ms. Schmltt was to keep house for Schneider till she got a divorce or her husband died. Then they were to marry . A fewmo nths after coming to this understanding they moved to Cincin nati. O. Mrs. Schmltt kept house and cared for Schneider's children, at the same time working as a professional nurse and earning considerable money, which she gave to him. Schneider worked as a painter and frescoer. In 18S3 John Schmltt, the husband, died. Schneider said no marriage cere mony was needed in Ohio, and that a formaA declaration on the part of a man and woman that they would live together constituted a legal union. From that time until last November they lived together as man and wife, moving In the meantime, to Georgia. Mrs. Schmltt was Informed laBt fall that under the laws of Georgia she was not married, and insisted that tho cermony be performed. Upon his re fusal she returned to Cincinnati, but came back .to Atlanta recently, she claims at the request of Schneider, i When told that she would not live ' with him again unless he would marry j her, Schneider is said to have told i her that he had never been divorced from his first wife, who was still living. Mrs. Schmltt alleges that Schneider's ' rrtTartv wnn nrnnlrprt thrnnch thplr . Joint savings, and she seeks to recover one-half of it. His estate Is estimated to be worth about $7,500. , Will She be Pleased. nese legation the other day, In a pho- J tographer's shop, says the Washington Post. He was buying all the photo graphs of pretty girls that the proprie tor was at liberty to sell, and he be trayed an especial fondness for young women In evening dress. The more gen erous the display of polished shoulders the better he was pleased. I asked him what he Intended doing with the pho tographs. ! "I shall send them to my wife In China," he said. 'She has never been In America. She will be happy to see how the Washington young ladles look." And, perhaps, she will be, but I have my doubts. THE "BUMMERS" Deeds, Rookloss, Criminal or Ludicrous Commlttod by Thorn During tho Rebellion Origin of "Bummer.", Ther was no man In civil life to whom the term "bummer" was applied previous to 1861. The war brought out tho man and the name. Shermnn's 'bummers" gained a reputation over those of any other army, but every commnnd held Its free lances, nnd they were more or less of a factor In the field. Tho "bummer" of the war was neither n guerrilla nor a robber, In point of fact, though the clement hnd Its dregs, ho was a man restive of discipline. He didn't shirk fighting, but he wanted to tight when and how he pleased. Ills appetite craved something better than army rations, nnd he also had a curi osity to know what was going on be tween tho lines. No matter how strin gent the orders or how watchful tho provost guard, the bummer found a way to get out of camp and go wan dering about. The ndvnncc guard of a marching nrmy, whether cavalry or Infantry, always found tho- free lances ahead of them. Now and then they acted ns scouts and brought In valu able Information, but ns a rule they had little concern except for them selves. SAVING THE GUARD. Just before Hooker set his army In mnrch for Chnucellorsvllle a provost guard of 100 men was ordered out to round up a lot of bummers who were raiding the country to the enst. Four or five men hnd been overhauled and made prisoners, when the guard rode Into n confederate camp in the woods and a sharp fight began. Unknown to either side, a crowd of fifty "gct nwnys" were encamped In tho same piece of woods about half a mile away. As soon as the firing began they seized their msukets, fell Into line, and under command of one of their number they xnarched through the woods and fell on the enemy's flank nnd routed him. But for their timely arrival and the way they fought, not a man of the pro vost guard would have escaped. They had been raiding farm houses and some of them were wearing women's bon nets and skirts ns they went Into the fight. Three or four of the fellows were killed, but the body of them escorted the guards back to within a mile of our lines, and then sent a dozen fat chickens to General Hooker as a token of their esteem. HOLDING UP A BANK. Perhaps the first confederate bank raided by union soldiers was one at Charleston, Va., as Mllroy was making his way up the Shennndoah valley. Bumming was In Its Infancy then, but a dozen of the fellows found them selves ahead of the army and resolved to strike for a big stake. They made u sudden nttack on the town nt daylight, and then dashed in and made for the bank. The broke In the door with nn ax, obliged the banker to unlock his safe, and something like a half million dollars was carried away as they re treated. A day later they bundled up $100,000, strapped It on the back of a mule, and hired a farmer to deliver the wealth to General Mllroy In per son. Accompanying the money was a note, which advised the genenfl to bribe the confederates to keep ahead of him and do no fighting. As his mil itary maneuvers hnd been checkmated right along, nnd his reputation was under n cloud, It was a hard shot at him. The story got to Washington, and was commented on by President Lincoln, nnd It has been asserted that the president's levity caused the gen eral to tender his resignation. A WOMAN'S ROUNDUP. When Stonewall Jackson flanked in on Pope the bummers were- scattered over a large extent of country. There was not a company In nny regiment which had not contributed at least one man. They went reaming in squads of three and four, over highways where no commander dared send less than half a regiment, and many were shot or taken prisoner. Enough were left, however, to terrify the people of every farm house In every direction. By some circumstance about forty of them reached a certain farm house at the same time, and finding only a women and two or three children about, they killed the only pig left, devoured the last few chickens, and plundered the house of whatever took their fancy As It was a rainy night they took up their quarters In the barn. No sooner were they settled down than the wo man took hfcr children and set out for help, and after walking seven miles she encountered n confederate picket post, and told of the game In the trap. Befpre midnight the barn was sur rounded and every bummer enptured. and some of them had not got back to their regiments when the war closed. BURNSIDE'S ORDERS. A month before General Burnslde was relieved of his command, the bum mer element was called to his attention so forcibly that he issued more strin gent orders than had ever before gone out. It was announced thai any sol dier who should be found absent from hla command without a pass would be Imprisoned during the remainder of the war, with a forfeit of all pay and allowances. The provest-guard was increased and ordered to do constant scouting, but the bumming went on Just the same. Then came a second order, to the effect that any soldier absent for two days without leave should be considered a deserter and treated accordingly. This brought' back some of the men to duty, but one of the professionals at least came Into headquarters solely In search of in formation. He did not get to see the general In person, but he had an In terview with one of the staff, and holding up a printed copy of the last order In his hand he said: "Kurnel, the boys kind o' want to know what this means, and have sent me in to find out." "Can't you read!" demanded the col onel. 'More or less, but we can't git onto the hang of things. Is the" war com ing to an end?" 'It doesn't look like It." "That's the way we all argue, and being as Glneral Burnslde can't down Lee In a square flglt. why don't he let us go ahead and eat him out of house nnd home till he has to surrender?" The "anxious Inquirer" was sent to the guard house, pending a return to his company, but he managed to get away In a day or two. nnd the next thing heard of him was a scrawl, in which he said that four of them had run a confederate calf Into the woods and would divide the veal with heal quarters If a regiment was sent to as sist them to make a capture Had Burnslde hung on he might have Is sued another order, but even had It announced Instant death as the penalty of bumming he could not have abol ished It. CAUGHT IN A SPRING-HOUSE. A portion of Custer's command was scouting toward Berryvlll one day before the battle of Winchester, when ' it came upon a queer state of affairs OF THE CIVIL WAR. nt a farm houao. Two hours prevl ously a gang of seven bummers had come along and stnrted In to loot the house. The farmer was a confederate soldier, who was home on n furlough to be nursed for a wound In his thigh. Ho wns not able to lenvo his bed, but his wltejinnded him his musket and he sholone of the men dead nnd drove the rest out. They did not go nwny, however, being determined to kill him nnd burn his house In revenge. He had his tied drawn to the door, and being propped up, ho kept them away from tho rear of tho house, while his wife, who was armed with an old revolver, fired often enough to prevent nny ap proach to the front. There was a spring house of solid build a few rods from tho back door, and tho bummers entered It to regale themselves before closing In on tho house. The door opened Inwnrds, nnd while they wcro plnylng Jinvoc wth the milk pans the woninn hppronched nnd pulled the door to and thrust a stick through tho han dle. The structure wns too solid to be beaten down, and as there wns but ono window the men tried to mnke their escape that way. Propped up In his lieu, wiin ins wound paining him nt every movement, tho confederate ilred nt every head thrust out, and his bul lets flew bo cIobo that all attempts wero soon nbnndoned. Wo found him with his musket In his grasp and n dead man on the floor, and we also, found the soldiers huddled together In the spring house. The con federate could havo been carried oft n prisoner of war, but he was not disturbed. On the contrary, while a hundred blue, coots were dividing their rations with the wife, the officers were making cash donations to the husband. As for the bummers, they were turned over to the rank and file to be kicked, nnd they got a dose to be remembered nil their dayB. Custer rather favored a man who set out for adventure between the lines, but he had no mercy vn looters and robbers. As tho confederates were fighting mostly nt home there were few bum. mcrs In comparison. There were guer rilla bands who robbed friend and foo alike, but Individual soldiers were not given to It. The golden opportunity came when Leo Invaded Pennsylvania. Hoforo crossing the Potomnc he issued the strictest orders against looting, but they wcro observed only in Mary land. When the Ynnkce state was onco reached thousands of men went to for aging on their own account. They wcro ahead of the nrmy behind It on both Hanks. They foraged on horseback, on foot nnd In wagons. For fifteen miles on either side of th6 highways they did not miss a fnrm house. The first callers gobbled the horses. The next wanted provisions, The next looted the houses. Men on foot bore nwny looking glnsses, trunks, bedding, crockery, tin wareanything they could carry. Those on horseback hnd great bundles In front nnd behind them. In a train of twenty-eight confederate wagons cap tured on the retrent was found almost every article used by civilized ppople. The bummers hnd taken plow points, drag teeth, old harness collars, rusty spikes, cracked Jugs, kegs of vinegar, handleless axes, and even the "old oaken buckets' from the wells. There were crowbars nnd Iron wedges; there were buggy wheels nnd lace curtains. There were farmers' bootr, chlldrens' shoes and women's slippers, and hosiery belonging to all of them. In one wa gon a family bible, two checkerboards, an old gun barrel, children's picture books, Webster's dictionary, a lot of cucumber pickles and a worn-out hnr. ness were flung Into n box together. The Pennsylvania Dutchmen were the principal sufferers, and they did not get through filing their claims for five years after the war. No houses or barns were burned, but no farmer es caped being despoiled. Not one In a dozen of them had time to hide any thing, nnd a quarter of an hour after the first bummer showed up the farmer was a financial wreck. Nine-tenths of the stuff loaded up was worthless to the captors, but forage and commissary supplies were thrown away to take It. After the battle of Falling Waters, when Lee flnnlly crossed the river, he left on the Pennsylvania shore about thirty broken down wagons. In one of these wns a Dutch bedstead Of mahog any, which looked to be 200 years old, and It was so heavy that it must have taken four men to lift It. It weighed 300 pounds, and what its captors were going to do with It was a puzzle. There was at least one big looking glass to every wagon, and the various rag car pets put together would have meas ured two miles. A coffin and a tomb stone were about the only two articles missing. How Uncle Sam Originated. Do you know the origin of the title "Ungle Sam," as applied to the United States government? It Is an old story, but a good one, and particularly Interesting In these war like times, says a New York newspaper. Immediately after the declaration of war In 1812 Elbert Anderson of New York, a contractor, visited Troy, where he purchased a large quantity of pro. visions. The Inspectors for the govern ment were Ebenezer nnd Samuel Wil son. The latter was more familiarly known ns "Uncle Sam," and he super intended the work In person. On this oc casion a large number of workmen were employed In overhauling the provis ions purchased by the contractor for the army. The caskets were marked E. A., V. S This work fell to a lot of a facetious fellow In the employ of the Messrs. Wilson, who, on being asked by some of his fellow workmen the meaning of the mark (the letters "U. S." for United States were then al most entirely new to them), said "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The Joke took among the workmen, and "Uncle Sam" himself be ing present, he was occasionally rallied by them on the Increasing extent of his possessions. Many of the workmen soon followed the recruiting drum to the war. and their old Joke on "Uncle Sam" Wilson accompanied them and gained favor rapidly until "Uncle Sam" was finally recognized as the materializa tion, in name at least, of the American government. It was regarded, even In those days, as very odd that this silly Joke, which originated In the midst bf beef, pork, pickle, salt and other edl. bles. should be the foundation of what eventually became the national cogno. men. A new fad has struck Paris. A clus ter of cherries Is the swell boutonnlere there now, and corsage bouquets of cherry twigs, with leaves and fruits, j nre In high favor. The effect Is "said , to be good, but the custom must be a ' sad discouragement to sentiment, and an affectionate embrace would be com. plicated by a cherry corsage bouquet. On xpcond thoughts this Parisian taA Is not to be recommended for the sum- ! mer season. ,..,..'. . , . 1 1 ' : ' MURDER FOR TWO DOLLARb. J Albert Martin, tho murderer of it Banderly, the dentist of the Hue Pols sonnlore, who was arrested on Thurs day nt tho house of his parents, hai confessed to the crime and given an account of his movements after the murder. "After having killed M. Ban. dorly," he said, according to tho ac count In the Temps, "I mingled with tho crowd which wns standing before tho dentist's house. I wns without my hat, but In my pocket was a cyclist's cap, which I placed on my head. I went Immediately to the exterior boule vards. When on the way I noticed n blood stain at tho bottom of my trnu. Bers, bo I covurcd It with a little mud. 1 then entered a cafe, wiicro I wrote to tell ono of my sisters what hnd hap pened. 'M. Unnderly provoked me.' I wrote, 'by making an unjust remark to me. 1 replied sharply. My master having Btruek me, I solzed a mallet which was near me and struck him a blow on tho head which killed him. I nsk forgiveness for what 1 have done. There Is nothing for mo to do now but to kill myself. It Is untrue thnt I havo stolen n sum or 500f. I only took 35f. "I sent my letter. Night having coma I took a bedroom In the Ituo d'Angou leme. A woman passed the night with me. I left at Blx o'clock In the morn lug, proceeding to the Buttes-Chau-mont, thence to Nolsy-le-Hec, and only returnlg to Paris at nightfall. I met a woman with whom I took n room In a furnished hotel on the Boulevard, Rochechouart. You can Imnglne what a troubled air I had when I tell you that my companion several times saldr1 'What Is the matter with you 7' But i replied evasively to her questions. "I left her early the next morning. I went Into a shop to buy a silk hand kerchief, which I placed around my neck, to replace my collar, which I had thrown away because it was spot, ted with blood. I wandered about the suburbs the whole of the morning. When nt Ncullly the Idea struck mo of calling upon one of my relatives, but seeing a number of men before the door whom I took to be detectives, I made off. Then I went to my mother's, with the Intention of killing myself, but tho. police enptured mo nnd prevented mo' from doing so." After hearing this recital, M, Cocho., fert, tho chief of the detective depart-, ment, had food supplied to the mur-. derer, who refused, however, to touch It. At 12:30 at night ho stated ho was. hungry. When he hnd had a good meal he Hlept soundly until yesterday morn ing. M, Cochefcrt, who has again ques. tloncd him, states that Martin Is a do-, gencrntc. Ho talks quite calmly of hla crime. Martin used to give his mother each week tho money which ho earned, at tho edntlst's. Recently he borrowed, from M. Bnndcrly ten francs, a sum of money which the dentist deducted, on Saturday last from ills weekly wage of fifteen francs. How was he to ex plain to his mother the reaBon for being ten francs short? Ho told his mother thnt lie would not be paid until Monday. From thnt tlmo he conceived) the Idea of killing his employer with, the object of stealing the money which he needed. On Mondny evening Martin lingered behind In the office after the other em ployes hnd left. M. Bnndcrly asked lilm what he wns doing thero after hours, and Mnrtln told him that ho was going to mend n gas pipe. At that moment M. Unnderly turned his back to the young man to strike a match on the wall to light his cigarette. Judg ing the position a favorable one, Mar tin struck the unfortunate dentist over tho head, killing him on the spot. Tho murderer, fearing that the fall )f the, fcody would attract attention, rushed, to his victim and gently stretched out tho body on the ground. Ho then. Benrched the dead man's pockets and! found 32 f. 35c, of which he took posJ session. He afterward attempted to kill Mine. Cnmpredon, the cashier. At the time Martin was arrested In Paris the Brussels police, by a curious coincidence, arrested a youth whose de scription coincides absolutely with that of the murderer. Detectives wero about to be sent to Brussels to verify the Identity of the supposed murderer when tlitt real one was arrested. CONDITION OF CUBA. It has been computed that during our civil war one mnn in every thir teen died of disease, or proportionately five times as many as wero killed In action. The proportion of deaths re sulting from disease and -wounds with in the past three years has been infi nitely higher than this rate among th Spanish troops stationed in Cuba. By some statisticians it is asserted that no less than 50 per cent have suc cumbed, the vast majority of whom have died from disease. That this U lot an exaggerated statement seem arobnble from the report for 1896 of Dr. Angel de Larro Cerego, surgeon gen eral for the Spanish army In Cuba, which has Just been published In Mad rid, and, considering the source from which It emanates, may be taken as fairly correct account. From It w gather that of the 200,000 Spanish troops landed In Cuba during that year, 0 per cent were invalided In the first kwo months of their arrival by en demic diseases and exhaustive march ing. Of the patients admitted to hos pitals during 895 there were 7,035 auf "erlng from yellow fever, the admls ilons from which reached 23,580 In 1898 ind 4.63G In the first six months of 1897, making a total of 35,250 cases of yellow fever, of which 11,347 were fatal. The fact, too, must be borne in mind that this awful death rates takes no ac count of the mortuary records of this fever occurring In tho town3 and vil lages throughout the Island. From June 30, 18'J6, to June 30, 1897, there were 79,552 cases of malaria of such severity ns to necessitate the patients being sent to hospital. The island of Cuba, as Is well known, has for long rested under the Imputation of being one of the most unhealthy portions of the globe; the deadly palmetto swamps lying on either side of the trocha are from May to October hotbeds of ma laria. In addition to the prevailing cli matic fevers. In regard to the mortal ity among the Spanish soldiery, much, of of the excessively high death rate must certainly be ascribed to the lack of efficient sanitary arrangements and to improper food and clothing. It Is stated that the rank and file of the army are attired In linen, In the drip ping and feverous swamps In the rainy season, when the whole air is Im pregnated with fever germs. Yet, al though there can be no doubt that the troops of this country will be looked after with far great regard for their health than the unfortunate soldiers of Spain, still the fact must be faced that the dangers from disease will be very great, even though every precaution be taken. We drew attention some weeks ago to the absolute necessity of having sterilized water for the use of troops on active service, and then rec ommended the adoption of an efficient portable filter. Especial point Is given to these remarks by a report pub lished In the London Lancet of May 14, which runs as follows: "Enteric fever Is now very rare In Alexandria, where Berkefield filters have been provided for about two years.