About Americus times-recorder. (Americus, Ga.) 1891-1902 | View Entire Issue (May 22, 1891)
THE AMERICAS WEEKLY TIMES-RECORDER: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1891. THE BLACK REPUBLIC. INTERESTING LETTER FROM ENSIGN GEORGE F. COOPER, U S N. Descriptive of the “Queen of the Antilles" snd the People Who Inhablt the Inliunl - Custom* of the Country—Sloth fulness. Dirt and Filth Everywhere. United States Stk a m ku K k a its a kuk. Poet au Prince, Havti, May 1 —The Timks-Rkcouheu: What has grown to be very monotonous and disagreeable to us on board ship may be of interest to those that have not had the same ex perience. That is tny apology for asking the attention of the readers of The Times-Rei order for a little while, to a short account of some things that I have seen and heard during the past month. About 11 a. m. on the 27th of January we sailed from Norfolk, and after a beautiful trip of eight days anchored in the harbor o f Port an Prince at 10 a. in., on the 4th of February. The ship is an “old timer,” and rather slow. We came down at the rate of seven and seven and a half knots an hour. The sky was almost cloudless the whole time and there was but little wind. In the golden days of the French oc cupation of the island of Hayti, it was called the Queen of the Antilles. It is the largest of the West India islands, with the exception of Cuba, and is prob ably equally as fertile as that island. Had the French retained possession of it, one might well believe that a prettier ; spot could not be found. I shall speak especially of Port an Prince, and the surrounding country. Unfortunately for the island, its in habitants and the civilized world in general, wealth, ease and luxury and quarrels with the mother country in the latter part of the eighteenth century, rendered the French colonists careless and weak, and their slaves of pure Afri can blood were enabled to wrench the magnificent island from the masters. Very soon the splendid colfee and sugar estates began to retrograde. The planters, their wives and children had been slain or driveu to France. Of course some few remained. These made an attempt to regain their possessions and were partially successful, helped by the mother country. Hut this success was only temporary. The former slaves were soon masters again and made their victims truly suffer for tlieir partial success. Napoleon, with all his success in Europe, was un able to subdue again the “Antilles’ Queen.” Hut he did not have the ordinary ene my—man—to deal with. Yellow fever attacked his army of thirty thousand men, and but a few hundred escaped. He dared not make a second attempt with prospect of such loss, and so since 1804 the island has been in the possession of thy descendants of its former slaves. If any one will take the trouble to read its history he will find there is but little to admire. Revolution has been fre- -quent; violence, tyranny and bloodshed almost constant. The greatest heroes of the people are those who, during their terms of of lice, were the most blood thirsty. There is one exception to this; Toussaint IJOuverturo, the liberator of the slaves The president of Hayti is constantly in fear of revolution, and while he is called the president of a Re public, he is probably the most despotic ruler on the globe—certainly in any country of the Occident. It would be hard to find a more natur ally beautiful situation for a city than Pert an Prince possesses, and it is probable that those who originally set tled the city looked well before cliosing their site. It is situated at the head of a wide and deep bay. The shores of the bay rise suddenly and beautifully into hills of the height of two or three hun dred feet—even more in some eases. The bay is open to the north, and is large nud deep enough to accommodate a much larger licet of vessels than can ever visit it. The hills on the western side are covered almost to their very tops with palm trees and tropical vegetation. Those on the eastern side are not so lux uriant as those on the western, probably because the soil is volcanic and not so old. Among the western hills and in the valleys on the western approach to the city nestle pretty cottages, inhabited by some of the better class of Haytieus and by foreigners. The city itself is situated upon the side of a hill which slopes to the water, not too suddenly, but enough so to make it very picturesque. In ap proaching the city from the sea the slope of its hill is such that the course of many of the streets may he plainly traced. At the very top of the hill and overlooking the city is the principal fort for Its defense. From its situation its guns can be brought into action against enemies from the sea or from the valleys and hills beyond the city. In the distance, back of the city, are the mountains, which stand out very plainly on a clear day. Our vessels never anchor nearer ; than a mile or mile and a half from the city because of the health of the crews. The beautiful natural situation lias been turned to naught by the indiffer ence and slotbfulness of the inhabitants, j One would think that a city situated upon a hill sloping to the sea could not be very dirty. Neither could it, if its people were possessed of only a little care and cleanliness themselves. Hut there are, I imagine, few cities in the 1 world with 25,000 inhabitants that are more filthy than Port an Prince. As the landing place is approached one has sometimes to almost hold his nostrils, and in the streets, or many of them, things are just as bail. There is but little tide in the harbor, and the sewers, if such they inay he called, empty just into the edge of the water The latter is therefore, close to the land, very foul, and if disturbed a little is as black as ink. is the Roman Catholic, but there is good reason to believe that the great majority are Voodooist or Voodoos— snake worshippers— the religion brought from Africa by their forefathers. We know positively that the Voodoo dance still exists. I have an acquain tance in Gonaives, a young German, who tells me that he has seen it. The or thodox dance, I think, requires human sacrifice to be eaten, but cattle are gen erally substituted here. 1 think, in fact, ADiRS 313 Lamar st. 313 Lamar st. The streets are very filthy and in ! there are two dances; one requiring many of them are great piles of garbage, j human and the other animal flesh. Hut Such sewers as there are, are all above ; a flaytieu lady once told a United States ground, and in most of them the scum is naval officer that she was sure cannibal- thick. In the rainy season the city is of j ism was still practised in some parts of necessity kept somewhat clean, as the j the island. water must carry the dirt before it. j It is painful to walk through Port au Nothing in the place looks clean. The | Prince or out a little into the surround- houses are mostly one story frame or j ingcountry and see the wreck and ruin mud buildings of a dirty, yellow color. \ on every side. Splendid aqueducts and There are no handsome building,s not j pavements ruined simply by neglect; even a pretentious one. The palace (so ! filth, where beauty was and still should called) of the president is an ordinary | be; beautiful situations, and what were frame building of large dimensions. The j beautiful gardens utterly ruined. What streets are, in most parts of the city,fair- there is of beauty here is simply what ly regular, because by being neglected | monuments remain of the French, they could not change their direction. The language of the people is a patois What pavements they have are most-1 of French called “Creole.” ly remains of the old French pavements, ! In the hands of a truly civilized pco- and are now consequently very irregular ; pie the island would again become what and troublesome tA walk upon. There j it once was—the “Queen of the Antil- is one street in particular which shows les,” but in the hands of its present mas- We w ill prove the above assertion t< urge and elegant stock of be a fact if you will call and ex- Dry G-oo&s, Dress Goods, Notions, Et We will also convince you that it is to your interest (from the stand- what some parts of the city must once have been. It has beautiful shade trees along most of its length, is wide and if a little clearer and the houses a little better might be called pretty. At almost every street corner one comes across the barracks of the soldiers, ters what is its future? It : its past history tells us—ruin. One hundred years has done nothing for the people,and that with all their intercourse with the great nations of the globe. Take this influence from them and what will be the result? A relapse into the sav- thatiP 0 ' nt °* to trade with us. who are numerous in some form or oth-! age state. themselves for them. The r The ’ ice cannot care for diite man must care Geo. F. Goopeh. I.EMON ELIXIIt. j er. It is a standing joke with us that i the Ilaytien army is made up principally j of generals and colonels, with a few pri- j vates thrown in for form’s sake. It does | not seem to me that I ever heard of a I Ilaytien lieutenant. Once or twice 1 have passed these bar- ! racks while the guards was being mus tered or paraded, and they presented an s intensely amusing spectacle. All sorts of j uniforms and all sorts of attitudes, J about as little military as anything ; could well be. I am told, however, that j the body guard of the president are well j uniformed and are a line lot of men. I | have never happend to see them. | The government of Hayti is entirely a ! centralized government. Everything is done by the national government. There is no such autonomy or attempt at such, as with us. Nominally it is Republican —really, as I said, despotic. The presi dent, generally speaking, obtains his seat by revolution and keeps it until be is served as lie served his predecessor— forced out. He and bis cabinet general ly come in with nothing and leave with everything; and in leaving ofticej they generally have to leave the country. There are occasional exceptions. The hatred of a Ilaytien to a white soems to be intense, and is almost as bad for a mulatto, though some of their best men, and I think one or two presidents, have been such. It was, and I think still is, one of the articles of the constitution of the country that no white man could become a citizen of the country nor own real estate in it. He may leaso it but cannot own it. Many fortunes have been made and many more will probably be made in the Island. Coffee is the principal export. 1 have been told that In some districts it grows wild and the berries fall to the ground, lie there and rot, simply because the people are too lazy to pick them up and carry them to market. 1 cannot.vouch for that statement. Hut not I should be at all surprised if it be true, for the people in the country need not work to live. They can get fruit simply by picking it. Some of the fortunes I mentioned arc in the hands of Haytieus, but I think the larger part are in the hands of foreign ers, principally Germans. German mer chants seen to bo most numerous here, and most of those claiming to be Ameri can citizens seem to bo of German de scent. I am told that at the time of the late revolution in Brazil, one of these merchants made two hundred thousand | dollars on a lot of coffee that he had in | store. That is another statement for i which 1 will not vouch, as it sounds a little crazy. j In riding along the road here 1 have ! seen cotton growing wild. The bush, or i plant rather, is taller and not so bushy 0f ^if r fJ”oavciiinp !n re n gth'--Late.* as that iu Georgia, but the product j States Government Food Report, seemed to me to be the same. During j junel*> d.rwlyr i the civil war at home the cotton industry j in Hayti received a great impulse, and ; large quantities were exported, but after | the war it fell again into its accustomed place. Many of the wealthy Haytieus educate their children in Paris. \Ye are told that it is the greatest ambition of a young Ilaytien lady to marry a French- AT man or German and leave the island. 1 &\* knew one in Gape Ilaytien who made j ■ - ; such a marriage, and has since gone j* •/' . .A -. UjYU i with her husband to live in Hamburg. .She was probably an octoroon: certainly most of her blood came from the Cau casian race. She was one of the most H:i ^ e by FIJ5KTWOOD & RUSSELL, Pleasant, Elegant, Reliable. For biliousness and constipation, take Lemon Elixir. For fevers, chills and malaria, take Lemon Elixir. For sleeplessness, nervousness and palpitation of the heart, Like Lemon El'xir. For all sick and nervous headaches, take Lemon Elixir. Ladies, for natural and thorough or ganic regulation, take Lemon Elixir. Dr. Mozley’s Lemon Elixir will not fail you in any of the above named dis eases, all of which arise from a torpid or diseased liver, stomach, kidneys or bowels. Prepared only by Dr. II. Mozley, At lanta, Ga. 50c. and $1.00 per bottle at druggists. Lemon Hot Drop* Cures all Coughs, Colds, Hoarseness, Sore Throat, Bronchitis, Hemorrhage and all throat and lung diseases. Ele gant, reliable. 25 cents, at druggists. Prepared only by Dr. II. Mozley, Atlanta, Ga. may2-tuesthursAsat-lyr German papers point out that the severe winter has entailed an appreci able increase in coal consumption on all the railroads. On the Prussian State railroads for example, the increase of four weeks amounted to from twenty to twenty-live tons per locomotive. THAT TEKUIItLE COUGH In the morning, hurried or difficult breathing, raising phlegm, tightness in the chest, quickened pulse dullness in the evening or sweats at night, all or any of these things are the first- stages of consumption. I)r. Acker’s English Cough Remedy will cure these fearful symptoms, and is sold under a positive guarantee by Feetwood & Russell, Americus, Ga. 5 It Is estimated that the total amount of business Involved in the transconti nental trade is about $25,000 000, of which about one-half refors to California and one-half to the Northern l’acillc coast. NEW LINE DRESS GOODS! WELL ASSORTED STOCK OK TABLE LINEN, TOWELS, NAPK1S, ETC. SPECIAL DRIVE: FIGURED LAWNS, .*>1-2c. PER YARD ! Beall & Oakley, TELEPHONE 93, 313 LAMAR ST. More Attractions AT TI-IE P.A.T. These three letters stand for“Pine Apple Tissue” the all fashionable Spring fabric. We have them and if you desire a pretty cool dress, call and make your selection. PI-3SWA Qll IfQ Another novelty, and lovely they h H 1.1H OI L l\ O. arc . Only 12 1 -2 c. per yd. Of course you want one of them. Supply limited. We continue the Sale of WHITE GOODS At the same Attractive Prices announced last week. They are moving rapidly, our prices being so much below those of the other houses. PR0FES3I0NAL CARDS T. A. KLUTTZ, Architect and Superintendent Americus, Georgia. Lamar street—over Holt's [ J. WORSHAM — DENTIST, • Office over People’s National Bank. [ir p. hurt, ~~ ” - W DENTIST, * Cranberry's Corner, Americus «• Continues to serve ills friends in all ,f dentistry. jaw*? D R. J. W. DANIEL, DENTIST Otters his profej-sional services to th people of Americus, ana surrounding conn - *'»* surrounding conn Murphev building ill Sc Oakley’s. * *** M. R. WESTBROOK, M. D, PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON Office and Residence, next house to c \ febTtf r .1* Of Huntington, Church street. J A. FORT M. D. Office at Dr. Eldrldge's ’drug store r 0 * •be found at night In his room, i£ Eldrldge'i diug store, Barlow Block. ian ,-tf R. J. H. WINCHESTER, PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON. Office at Davenport’s Drug Store. Rmi dence, corner Forsyth and Mayo street^ <l6mo D U. T. J. KENNEDY, M. D. PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON. Having five years experience, and n-centlv taken an extended course In New York Post-Graduate Medical school, is now p.ired to otter his professional servh Americus and surrounding vlcln’ty. left on his slate at I)r. Eldrldge’s drugstore will receive prompt attention. At night can be found in his office room over El dridge’sdrug store, Barlow block, febo-ly. j. b. mFOThinee best Eye, Ear, Throat and Nose A Specialty. r 1 ^Graduate ot Bellevue Hospital Medical v College. N. Y., twice graduate of N. Y. Post Graduate Medical School,Chief Hurgeon S. A.M. R R.etc.) Offers his professional ser vices as a general practitor er to the citizens of Amerlcusand surroundingrountry. Hpe. •dal attention given to operative surgery. Including the treatment of hemorrhoids, fl* t«.la, stricture, catarrh and ail diseases qf Anus, Itectum, Genitourinary system and nose and t hroat . Office In Murpliey bnildhc Lamar st. connected by spen ing tube with Eldrldge’s Drugstore. Calls should be left or telephone 1 there during the day. a night, cad at. residence on Lee St. or tele phone No. 77. aprSHf E A. HAWKINS, ATTOnNEY AT LAW. * Office up stairs on Uranb-rry corner. B UTT & LUMPKIN, AiTuKNakS AT LAW. Americus, G». Office in Barlow Block, up stairs. P. WALLIS, A noRNEY AT LAW, Amer'cus Will practice in all courts. Office w; National Bank. w; T. LANE, ATTORNEY AT LAW, Americus, Ga. Prompt attention given to all business placed in my hands. Office in Barlow bloca, roou Pelt. *», tf J‘ A. HIXON, ATTORNEY AT LAW. Americus, Ga Office in Bagiev building, opposlh the Court House. Prompt a'tentlon given to ail business. luno-tt. New Black Lawns Just In! E. F. Hinton. e. H. Cun*. HINTON & CUTTS, ITTORNKYS AT LAW. Pract'ce in the A State and Federal Courts. Office over **Hart Building, on Forsyth street, marl-lj R oot, l. haynard, ATTORNEY at law. Americas, Ga. Prompt.and careful attention given to ail business entrusted to ine. Lamar afreet over I’. J,. Holts. sepiH-dA-wUm* J L. 1 Will practice in a State. Prompt at ten lectio* s entrusted to r Abbeville, Ga. munties of the eu to all col- ANSLEY & ANSLEY, ter, Hcitley, Macon, Dooly, Webster, Blew* art, iu the Supreme Court, and tlie United States Lour.. J.‘ MATHEWS, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW, 221 *4 Forsyth street, Americus, Ga. 'lalltl ~” J rn " n Will practice in all the Courts,and in the Coun ty Court for the twelve months. 12-24 d&wly. Weliiorn F. Ci.ahkk. Frank H.IIoopkb. CLARKE & HOOPER, Attorneys at Law AMERICUS, GEORGIA* mayl5-d-w-ly Walter K. Whbatlev, J. B. Fitzgerald Wheatley & Fitzgerald, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, Office: 405 Jackson St., Up Stairs, AMKHICUH, 1 OEOIlCW jan7-tf A fow special mentionings in CLOTHING. I-'ancv Worsted Cutaway suit at Si 2.50, worth $20.00. UOSON A BLALOCK, LAWYERS, AMERICU Will practice in all courts. Partnership to civil cases. Office up stairs, corner U’c Lunar street, in Artesian Block. dcc2l-u-»*J E. <i. SIMMONS, W. H. KIMBROUGH* SIMMONS & KIMBROUGH, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, Harlow Block, Rood* 4 Another and better line, same style, $14.50, well worth $25.00 Prince Albert Suit at $17.50, never sold for less than $25.00 |them ‘ ' lele i ,honcNo - m - DuPont KKI.V BIG SAYING FOR YOU ON beautiful women 1 ever saw auJ spoke : lil> 0 agents, Americus, f.a, English and French perfectly. \ 1 have seen some few women of beauty in Port au Prince. They have just enough African blood to make them pretty. They almost invariably dress either in solid white or black, and look well. Hut the great majority of the wo men and men too arc careless in their dress and habitually dirty. It seems that they can not be clean. Nominally the religion of the people 4-29-dAwlm I5§PH CORK.m BUNION 5 UHfcfcVviniC.n A N0 WARrs' '■EL. p A)N IIPPMAN 3P0'S DFbC3:sriPf(OP'5 <UvannXm ca For sale by the DAVENPORT DRUG COMPANY Americus, Ga, Whatever you may need in our line, don’ f spend a nickel elsewhere until you have gone through our stock. You’ll save money thereby as our ENTIRE STOCK MUST BE SOLD. Oa.lt at the BEE-HIVE. W. B. tiUKKRY. Americus, Ga. Macon GUERRY & SON, r AWYEIls, Americus, On. *»!'' J pic’s National Bank Bulldin street. Will practice in Sumter anti County Courts, und in th«- Court. Our Junior will regular the sessions of the Superior c °‘ i LV,nerior firm will take special case* In nni Court on .Southwestern Railroad. " stttenJ G. OFFICES A® Plans and specifications iurn[sL«*,, ;d . buildings of all deso»iptlon«—public hj Ings especially. Communications •»> tftt . to either office will meet with er i* tentlon. Wm. Hall, Superintendent a a* cun office. . W ILLIAMSON A EARL, civil and Sanitary E*mNL^ ly , Plan® and estimate* for water suPej, sewerage uud general englneenug • Construction superintended, specialty. Headquar'ers, MoDtf°n&w| eC |i« Americus office over Davenport. W& ^ Drug Store. Have some fine vacant sale on liberal terms. One four ***X5l4® to rent. ■P”
