USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > History of companies I and E, Sixth Regt., Illinois Volunteer Infantry from Whiteside County > Part 16
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Generally speaking, the men were more tidy as to dress than the women. The men wore white linen suits throughout. 'The glossy bosoms of their white shirts were artistically embroidered and surmounted with white standing collars. The coat was loose and cool, but the trousers, usually dirty and greasy. with frayed edges at the lower extremities, spoiled the effect of the otherwise natty dress. The head was covered with a high peaked, wide brimmed, straw hat, the outer edge of the brim being turned up in a half roll. The feet are wide and flat, with wide spreading toes and usually without covering of any sort.
The dress of the opposite sex is more difficult to describe. The design of the garments were invaribly the same, being made from a white flimsy sort of goods and loose fitting. The fashion of lacing did not prevail among the native women at that time. They apparent- ly made but little effort to keep their clothing clean and like the men went about barefooted. They seldom wore any covering for the head and when they did it was either a large kerchief, wound about the head in the form of a turban, or a shawl, woven from some white fab- ric, which was thrown loosely over the head and should-
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PEOPLE OF THE ISLAND.
ers.
Among the common people, men, women and child- ren alike were adicted to the habit of smoking and they went about puffing at a big black cigar or inhaling the fumes of a cigarette. But few of the smokers used a pipe and not many of the natives chewed tobacco. While passing through the "tough" part of Ponce we were disgusted at the sight of numerous women, dressed in bedraggled, greasy clothing, swaggering along the street with a bold air and a brazen look, pushing and el- bowing their way through the crowds, all the while chew- ing at the stub of a half consumed, foul smelling cigar. They represented the lowest class of people on the island and were truly a disgusting lot.
On account of the many inter-marriages of the na- tives and foreigners, their complexion and features vary to the extremes. Some are quite swarthy yet nearly as white as the Europeans. Others are of a brownish yel- low while the mulatto and the ebony black negro are found in about equal numbers. The features of those of the lightest complexion are long and thin. The eyes are dark and deep set and extremely bright. The hair is dark or black and inclined to be curly. With the darker complexion. the features appear coarser, while the profile of the blacks is almost identical with that of the African negro, the exception being in the absence of the thick protruding lips.
They are a mild mannered class of people and their actions proclaimed they had never known the sweetness of independence and untrammeled liberty. They bowed - to every command and accepted their lot as inevitable, yet before we left the island a noticable change came over them and they appeared to have come to realize
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
that the tyrannical yoke of Spanish misrule had been lifted from their necks and that the freedom and pro- tection offered by Uncle Sam had opened up a new world to them and they were slaves no more but men among men.
Who can wonder at the expressions of joy and "vivas" to the "Americanos" which we met with in every town and village as we marched through the crooked, dirty streets, bearing the starry banner which even they, uneducated as they then were, knew brought hope and life where before all must have been black with despair. That combination of red. white and blue. in the stars and stripes is an inspiration in itself and is a welcome sight to everyone who loves their liberty. It -implies more to the downtrodden and oppressed than any combination of colors and figures which adorns the emblem of any other nation on the globe, and today it carries more weight in an international argument than any other one emblem afloat.
This brief description of the inhabitants covers what may be termed the middle class, which predomin- ates in point of numbers. The lower class was scantily clothed and appeared half starved, while the more wealthy people were more elegant in appearance, man- ners and dress. This latter class of people was com- posed of French, German, Spanish and a few natives, and represented the greater portion of the wealth of the island. The women were richly dressed and painted and powdered lavishly in a vain effort to cover the swarthiness of their complexion. They were seldom seen on the street unless accompanied by a gentleman escort.
The usual mode of conveyance was on horseback.
A Porto Rican family.
249
FRUITS, WILD AND CULTIVATED.
Nearly every man and boy had his pony. They are yet smaller than our western bronchos, but gentle and they move along with an easy, rocking motion which at once proclaims them as excellent saddle horses. For trans- porting supplies etc., the two wheeled bullock carts and pack horses were both in use along the coast, but in the interior the roads are impassible to wheeled vehicles and the pack horses alone are used. A native pack train consists of half a dozen of the small horses or don- keys. On each side of the animal a large basket is hung in which is placed the articles of transport. The contents of these baskets was either fruit enroute to a seacoast town or a supply of codfish going inland. The driver sits astride the horse between the two baskets. No matter how heavy the load. the man seldom thinks of walking any distance and then only to stretch his legs after sitting in the cramped position for some time.
The fruits, of which there were numerous varie- ties, grew wild to a great extent. The bananas were cul- tivated and found only in groves, but the oranges, limes, mangoes, pineapples, bread fruits and many other kinds. the names of which we never learned, grew in profusion along the length of our route while on the march. At every camp established on the island we found them among the woods and shrubbery. Cocoanut palms were al- ways within sight. The oranges were not ripe, or if they were they had none of the deliciousness of the kinds we were accustomed to. They contained a great amount of acid and were quite bitter. By making an ineision in the peel and giving the orange a slight squeeze between the palms of the hands, the escaping acid. when applied to the flame of a lighted candle or burning match would in- stantly become ignited and give forth a lurid blue
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
flame, flashing up like smokeless powder.
The limes are not unknown in our own land as the juice from this fruit is used quite extensively as an in- gredient in some of our most delicious drinks and liquors. They are a species of lemon and grow on a tree similar to the lemon tree. The fruit is much smaller, and like the oranges, we found them to contain much acid and very bitter to the taste. In the hotels and eating houses lime water was a common drink. The mangoes are also found in the fruit markets of some of the larger cities of this country. They grow on trees which have many branches like the most common apple trees. The fruit, when ripe, is quite yellow, and oblong in shape having a length of about three inches with a width of two or two and one half inches. The skin is thin but tough and covers a yellowish, stringy meat in the center of which is a large core or pit. Many of the boys relished a man- goe as they would an apple, yet there were others who could not become accustomed to the peculiar flavor which is sweet and yettart. . We were told that eating this fruit and drinking the native rum was the cause of much sickness and many deaths on the island and we were ad- vised to let them both alone.
Everyone knows what the pineapple is. The bread- fruits are of several varieties. The fruit is shaped like an apple but is several times larger, being from six to eight inches in diameter. The species which appeared most in evidence has a hard shell covering from an eighth to a quarter of an inch in thickness. The contents is white and mealy and is eaten as food. Of the fruits the names of which we were unable to learn, there were two varieties which were much sought by the soldiers. One grew on a large tree and was usually found among
251
FRUITS, WILD AND CULTIVATED.
the very thickest growth of timber. The fruit hangs on branches high up from the ground and is similar to the breadfruit in size. When ripened it is soft and in strik- ing the earth when falling from the tree, breaks open and soon decays if left lying on the ground. The outer sur- face is of a dark green color and covered with numerous small growths which in some respects reminds one of the hedge apple. The purplish fruit is nearly entirely edible, containing but a very small core. and is extremely rich, juicy and delicious.
Another very desirable variety grows in clusters and size and shape much like the ordinary plum and on trees somewhat similar to a cherry tree. It is green in color when ripe and has a thin, hard shell for a covering. Upon breaking the shell open a flabbly, pinkish pulp is exposed which clings to a large pit in its center. The peel is easily removed but the pulp is with difficulty sep- arated from the pit. The pulp is pleasing to the taste, having a tartness about it which reminds one very much of plum jelly. From its growth, formation and flavor we judged it to be a variety of plum.
We were plentifully supplied with cocoanuts at all times. During the first few days after our arrival on the island the natives gave them to us for a mere noth- ing. One day, a soldier, in a generous moment. gave one of the little brown fellows a blue flannel shirt in ex- change for a cocoanut. He had more clothing than he could conveniently carry when on the march and rather than throw it away, as many of the boys did, he made the trade with the fruit seller. From that moment the price of a cocoanut was a blue shirt and no amount of argu- ment or persuasion would induce them to reduce the price until the commanding officer of the camp notified
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
the venders that he would strictly prohibit the sale of the cocoanut unless a reasonable price was put upon them and maintained. This had the desired effect and a great many of them were brought into camp and sold. The natives would break the half-ripe nut open, drink the milky fluid which it contained and throw the remain- der away, while the soldier cared not so much for the drink as the white, solid meat if the nut was ripe.
The banana groves were a welcome sight to us as we soon came to rely on this fruit for food when our ra- tions would not suffice us, which was not an uncommon occurrence. In the midst of this land of fruits, which were the staff of life of more than one half of its million of souls, we expected to literally roll in the deliciousness of the many varieties which grew on nearly every shrub, bush and tree within sight and which we had been ac- customed to consider as luxuries in our northern homes. In this we were sadly disappointed as we were not long in recognizing the fact that while these people were pro- ficient in the cultivation of many of them, they knew practically nothing of the art of curing or ripening the product. The cheapness of the fruit was its one re- deeming feature as the quality was of the poorest when compared with that which is put upon the market of this country.
Mahogany wood which we value sohighly was found in profusion in certain parts of the island. We found mahogany telegraph poles of large sizes strung for miles along the line of march. Rail fences were built of this wood. In fact it appeared to be about the only kind of hard wood which could be utilized for such purposes as it bore no fruit and its commercial value was under es- timated or unknown.
Searching the foot hills for signs of the enemy.
253
THE CITY OF PONCE.
CHAPTER XIX.
During the eight days we were in camp at Ponce we had many opportunities to visit the city. This is the largest city on the island, the population of the town and port was variously estimated at from twenty to thirty thousand. To one unaccustomed to their mode of living it seemed utterly impossible to crowd such a number of souls into a city covering no more area than does Ponce. The tenement houses were seldom more than two stories in height and never more than three. In the center of a brick block would be a large court with several wide en- trances opening onto the streets. These entrances are protected by heavy iron doors made of bars or corrugated iron. Peering into the court one would see swarms of children and women. All of these places were foul smelling and the occupants unkempt and dirty. As in the tenement districts of our own larger cities, whole families were crowded together in one small room.
Venders of all sorts of goods were seen on the streets daily and our camp was alive with them from early morn till night. The men, women and children invariably tote everything on their heads. Little tots. selling candies, made of sugar or molasses. ran about with a large tray nicely balanced on the head and it was a common sight to witness a woman carrying a babe in her arms with a huge can or kettle of water poised on her head.
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
The business portion of the city was surprisingly quiet and although the stores and shops are numerous, there appeared to be but few buyers for the wares. The market square usually presented a lively scene but the articles on sale were of little value and commanded prices so low that a large volume of trade represented very light cash receipts. In the poorer districts grocer- ies and meats were bought and sold by the ounce. The balance scale was everywhere in use and it was amusing to witness a transaction between a storekeeper and purchaser. We had been on the island but a few days over a week, yet the shelves of many of the stores were well filled with army hardtack and sowbelly. Just how the merchants secured these goods was a mystery to us, more especially so as the rations issued to the sol- diers were always short. It was irritating to step into one of those dirty, halfway places and find our supplies star- ing us in the face from the shelves. These things may have been purchased from the government but we doubt- ed it very much.
The natives were eager to secure the meat and pur- chased it in very small quantities. A seemingly half starved native woman dressed in tatters would enter a store. In one thin, brown hand, a few coppers were clutched and after looking around nervously for a mo- ment, she would give an order for a piece of meat. The clerk, with all of the dignity of one accepting an order for several hundred dollars worth of goods, would slice off a piece of side meat no wider than your two fingers, and weighing less than a half a pound, drop it into the balance and if it was the slightest fraction over weight, he would trim it off until satisfied and if the purchaser was not alive to the trickery of the wily shopkeeper, he
255
LIFE IN THE CITY.
would slip a small weight under the piece of coarse wrapping paper and into the pan of the balance which contained the meat. Picking up his knife the clerk would continue the trimming process and as the small square of sowbelly grew smaller and smaller, the anx- ious customer would put up a fearful howl which was usually the opening gun of a war of words. Shaking their fists in each others faces and gesticulating wildly the argument would continue fast and furious for some time, the customer apparently alternately protesting and plead- ing, but to all entreaties the clerk would turn a deaf ear and giving a turn or so of the paper around its precious contents he would retain his grasp on the package un- til he had secured the few coppers which the customer would angrily deal out to him.
Not alone in the sale of meat were these difficulties evident. A hot exchange of words accompanied nearly every sale and to us it appeared the shopkeeper was usually victorious. With the exception of possibly half a dozen stores located in the center of town, each one sold liquors in connection with the other business. The rum and wine, common to all parts of the island, was sold in large quantities. The natives drank it with a relish and without effect, but to the uninitiated soldiers it was the vilest of fire water. a very little of it would start a soldier to wabbling and leave him half sick for a week. The most popular place in town was a wine room con- ducted by a young fellow who appeared as a king among the sporting element of the city. He was always flashi- ly dressed and reminded us of one who followed the prize ring and race course for a living. He spoke Eng- lish quite fluently and was indeed a genial fellow. The place was not a resort, there was no "Ladies Entrance,"
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
and women did not frequent the house. The proprietor received the patronage of all classes of people, as in that country the drink habit is as general as that of smok- ing.
A general store carried a small stock of groceries, hardware, drygoods, tobacco, liquors and fruit. The business represented here, as in all of the towns of any size, which was most distinct in itself, was that of the druggist. There we found a very intelligent class of clerks and employees, one or more of which could speak English fairly well. They were extremely polite, well dressed and had a business way about them that placed them far in advance of the ordinary merchant in the es- timation of the soldiers.
The milkman leads his docile cows to the door of his patron and fills the bottle while you wait. They evi- dently are not acquainted with the productive qualities of the town pump as are their brother tradesmen of this country. The city police wear a uniform of white and are armed with the Remington rifle. The police officers carry a side arm in the shape of a large machete, made much like a heavy cavalry saber, incased in a leather scabbard. In patroling the city they usually walk in the middle of the street.
The port of Ponce presented a lively scene through- out each day and sometimes far into the night. The bay was well filled with transports, relief ships and supply boats, with here and there a war vessel swinging at her anchor. The government had secured the services of a large number of natives to unload the supplies which were being brought to the island. Huge barges were continually on the move and thousands of dollars worth of supplies and ammunition was rapidly placed on shore.
The company tonsorial artist. "Next."
257
A VISIT TO THE ALMSHOUSE.
Large storage buildings were in the course of construc- tion and everyone about the place was busy as a bee. The natives worked like beavers under the eyes of an armed guard. Bullock carts, and army wagons drawn by sleek looking mules. were moving great loads of sup- plies out to the various camps. General Miles' head- ยท quarters was in a brick building not far from the wharf and he was supervising the work.
On coming into the city from camp and while re- turning we passed and repassed a small, dingy. stone building. A small. grated window opened out on the street. The head and shoulders of a heavy bearded, dark featured man could always be seen at this window. One long, hairy arin dangled through the iron bars and hung limply over the stone window sill. His presence there every day and always in the same position excited the curiosity of the soldiers. One day Captain Lawrie and a party stepped over to the building, which set back from the street several rods. and were admitted by an at- tendant. And what a sight met their gaze. They in- stantly saw they were in an alms or mad house. They were conducted through a number of filthy rooms. The walls were bare and the only furniture visible was a cot or two on which rested some of the most pitiable objects imaginable. The face which appeared at the window was that of an insane man. He was larger by consider- able than the ordinary native and one close look was suf- ficient to decide that he was a maniac. In the center of one room stood a young girl. Her legs and arms were crossed, her eyes were closed and her head hung to one side. Not the first spark of intelligence shone from the white face and she weaved backward and forward as though about to fall. Her clothing was in tatters
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
and hung loosely upon the spare form of the unfortun- ate girl. She was an idiot, unable to think or do for herself, uncared for and probably unthought of, grinding out a miserable existence among surroundings which could not be worse and yet she was human. Who could imagine a worse lot and for one so young? Fortunately there were but few inmates in the place and- the little party, made sick in both mind and body by the sight and repugnant odor of the interior of the build- ing, hurried out into the open air and away from it. If one met a native in the neighborhood of the building and pointed inquiringly toward it, he would raise a hand to the side of his head and turn it around and around, signifying that the occupants had "wheels in their heads."
Out at camp it was a question as to which was the most troublesome, the natives or centipedes. During the day it was the former and as the gloom of night settled over us the latter made their appearance and broke the rest of many of the volunteers. The natives carried their wares about offering them in exchange for money, hardtack, meat or clothing. They did a thriv- ing business in the hardtack line as we were getting extremely tired of them and either traded or gave them away. These they sold in the town for one cent, (Porto Rican coin) each. A number of enterprising native women did a thriving laundry business among the officers and men. Their manner of washing cloth- ing is primitive but the result is very satisfactory. The washboard and tub are unthought of and there is no lugging water. The clothes are carried to the bank of some convenient stream, a large flat stone partially out of the water is selected and on this the clothes are
259
A TRIP TO PORT PONCE.
pounded and rubbed until every particle of dirt has been taken out, then the clothing is spread out upon the grass to dry.
The duties while at Ponce were light as they con- sisted mostly of guard duty. Full companies relieved each other on outpost duty and shortly after we ar- rived in camp we were advised that we were to be equipped with the U. S. Magazine rifles. We were given target practice with the Springfield rifles and shot away thousands of rounds of the ammunition which we had packed from Guanica. The men detailed to guard the ammunition on the wharf at Guanica, made the trip to Ponce by boat and joined us later on. On the sixth of August we were issued the new rifles and belts with a supply of ammunition. The guns were some lighter than the old Springfields and the difference in weight of the same number of rounds of ammunition was considerable.
We had been using the shelter tents, consequently our quarters were rather cramped. After four or five days in camp we were informed that the heavy tentage was being unloaded at the port and each company was given a couple of bullock carts, and with a detail of men were sent after them. Arriving at the wharf they found such a congestion of carts and wagons that it was impossible to get near the sheds. They lined their teams up by the curb and awaited their turn. The noon hour came and they were still waiting, the scanty rations were divided with the native drivers. Another long wait and darkness was upon them with the long line of teams ahead of them gradually growing smaller.
The native drivers began to get restless. The an- imals had not been fed or watered since early morning.
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HISTORY OF COMPANIES I AND E.
The soldiers rations had all disappeared as they had fully expected that they would be back at camp in the early evening at the latest. The drivers became uglier with each passing moment and after consulting together a few moments they took the bullocks from the carts and started down a by street with them, leaving the soldiers guarding the lone carts. They attempted to in- duce the natives to remain but failing in this, they used force and after a time the teams were once more at- tached to the carts. About nine o'clock a portion of the carts were sent for and pulling up at the wharf they were partly loaded with tent poles and they returned to camp. The tents were not all unloaded from the boat and the next morning we received orders to continue the march. The tent poles, which had caused so much trouble were not taken from the carts at all.
The volunteers who were sick were ordered to report to the surgeons for an examination, and those who were physically unable to continue the march were to be re- turned to the United States. A number from each company took this examination and several of them were found to be in such condition as to make it im- practicable for them to remain with the regiment for a time at least, during the hard march which was expect- ed would be a severe one even for those who were in good condition.
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