HARASSED BY THE MILITARY--LAWLESS SITUATION--MEN DRIVEN TO THE
MOUNTAINS--RESTRICTED WALKS.
I returned from a flying visit of six weeks to New York, to find Lamo
harassed by the exactions of the military almost beyond endurance. The
insurrection in a remote southern part of the island had furnished
excuses for innumerable taxes, forced loans, and impressments of horses
and cattle from the planters in every district. We, of course, did not
escape. There were war-taxes, church-taxes, taxes to repair bridges we
had never heard of, and to make roads we could never travel. Uniformed
men lighted down upon us almost daily, armed with orders we could not
understand and which they could not explain. When Lamo resisted, he was
politely informed that they had the power to seize negroes or sugar to
the amount demanded. So it was when I returned Lamo was almost daft.
During my absence I chanced to spend a few days with friends in
Connecticut, who gave me an elegantly engraved breakfast invitation
they had previously received “to meet the President and Mrs. Grant.”
I carried it home as a souvenir, and to show the latest style of
invitation-cards, little dreaming what a valuable souvenir it would
prove to be.
The next collector that called had the pleasure of meeting the señora
just home from the States, and, before he had time to divulge his
business, was shown the invitation. He evidently inferred I had been
the recipient of numerous courtesies from that august quarter, in fact
was on the most intimate terms with the occupants of the White House.
Moreover, we assured him that our ideas of proper allegiance would not
permit citizens of the United States to pay the war-taxes of a foreign
government; that we had been cautioned to maintain strict neutrality
with Spain and her colony, and much more to the same effect, quietly
adding that assessment bills against Desengaño must be presented at the
office of our merchant in Havana, to be approved, if necessary, by the
American consul.
In our ignorance of the laws and customs of Spain and other despotic
governments, and knowing full well the venality of all the officials we
had any business with, we naturally entertained serious suspicions that
we were being imposed upon.
Lamo actually worked himself into the belief that a lot of impecunious
knaves masqueraded as tax-collectors, and raced to Desengaño every
time they wanted money. About the time the elegant invitation was
thumbed and soiled, letters of a purely personal nature began to
arrive for my husband in the consul’s private mail-bag. “Executive
Mansion, Washington, D. C., R. M. Douglas, Private Sec’y,” conspicuous
on the official envelope. The innocent missives were laid away, but
the envelopes were ostentatiously spread over the parlor-table and
exhibited to visitors and officials, who regarded them as unmistakable
evidence of our constant communication with the home government.
The _ruse_ worked a miracle. We paid no more _claims_ at the
plantation, and very few were ever presented to our merchant.
Matters were rapidly assuming a more unsettled state, and in the
lawless condition of affairs even life was becoming unsafe. Our
fire-arms had not yet been restored to us; so, except Zell’s clumsy
blunderbuss and Henry’s small shot-gun, we had nothing more formidable
with which to defend ourselves than the swords worn by the _mayorals_.
The order to disarm all civilians was deemed necessary by the
Government, as it closed one avenue of supply availed of by the
insurgents.
The tax-collectors, not content with all they could wrest from the
wealthy planters, were driven by the exigencies of insurrectionary
trouble to seek every possible means of raising money, and at length
invaded the _sitios_ of the poor and lazy _guajiros_, where often
there was nothing but a horse that could be levied upon, and their
horses were as dear to them as their children.
No doubt many a man would have remained quietly at home but for the
threatened seizure of his prized animal. To save this he fled to
the fastnesses of the mountains and hid in caves, often drifting
gradually into a lawless life. The _guajiros_ earned from seventeen
to twenty-five dollars a month during the busy winter season. It is
pitiful to call these meager monthly earnings by the comprehensive
title of _income_; but the tax-collectors now began to claim that a
percentage of _all_ wages must be paid into the government coffers.
Several brothers, who owned a few acres of land adjoining us, were
dependents on our estate. For years they had been employed as teamsters
by the former owners, and we continued to hire them. So exasperated
were they at the demand for a portion of their incomes that they
refused to work. Earning barely sufficient at best for their modest
needs, if they had to divide with the tax-collector, they might as well
_strike_, not for higher wages, but for no work. Hundreds acted in this
way, finally becoming utterly idle, hopeless, and miserable. In many
instances desperation drove them to follow an abandoned, vicious career
on the road.
Soon our doctor, who on account of his calling was allowed the special
privilege of carrying arms, came on his errand of mercy, followed by a
lusty attendant, and had to disembarrass himself of a belt and sword,
and remove the formidable pistols from his holsters, preparatory to
visiting the bedside of his patient. It was not safe for him to travel,
even in broad daylight, without these preparations for defense, and no
emergency ever called him out after nightfall.
Ellie and I were repeatedly warned not to walk over the fields or up
the mountain-side, as had been our daily custom, so our promenades were
gradually confined to the broad avenue in full view of the house.