SELF-RELIANCE OF THE COLONISTS.
I was deeply impressed by the courage and self-reliance of the
colonists. From the start they showed a splendid ability to take care of
themselves. One day early in February a white-bearded old fellow past
seventy years of age, with blue overalls on and a hoe over his shoulder,
appeared at the door of General Van der Voort's tent.
"General," he said, "if a man owns a lot, has anybody else a right to
come on to it and pick fruit of any kind?"
"Not if the owner has a revolver and bowie knife," laughingly replied
Van der Voort.
"Well," said the man, "I just thought I'd ask ye. A couple o' fellers
(Cubans) came on to my lot to-day while I was at work there and began to
pick some o' these 'ere guavas. I told 'em to git out, but they didn't
go. Then I went for 'em with this hoe. One of 'em drawed his machete,
but I didn't care for that. I knew I could reach him with my hoe before
he could reach me with his knife. They went off."
General Van der Voort laughed heartily, and evidently was satisfied that
the man with the hoe was able to protect himself without the aid of the
La Gloria police force.
The old man's name, as I afterwards learned, was Joseph B. Withee. Some
of the colonists who had become intimately acquainted with him
familiarly called him "grandpa," although he was not the oldest man in
the colony. His age was seventy-one years, and he hailed from the state
of Maine. None of his family or friends had come to Cuba with him, but
he had grown children living in the Pine Tree state. Alone and
single-handed he began his pioneer life in La Gloria, but he was not
daunted by obstacles or fearful of the future. On the contrary, he was
most sanguine. He worked regularly every day clearing and planting his
plantation, and was one of the first of the colonists to take up his
residence on his own land. He soon had vegetables growing, and had set
out strawberry and pineapple plants, besides a number of banana, orange,
and lemon trees. It was his boast that he had the best spring of water
in the colony, and it certainly was a very good one. Mr. Withee
declared that his health was much improved since coming to Cuba, and
that he felt ten or fifteen years younger. Everybody in the colony could
bear witness that he was remarkably active and industrious. Once his
relatives in Maine, not hearing from him, became alarmed, and wrote to
the company asking if he were alive and in La Gloria. I went down to his
plantation with the letter, and asked him if he was alive. He thought he
was, and suspended work long enough to sniff at the idea that he was not
able to take care of himself.
Mr. Withee was wont to admit that before he came to Cuba he had a weak
back, but the only weakness we were ever able to detect in him was an
infirmity of temper which foreboded pugnacious action. Most assuredly he
had plenty of backbone, and his persistent pugnacity was highly amusing.
He was always wanting to "lick" somebody, and I know not what my fate
will be if we ever meet after he reads these lines, although we were
excellent friends in La Gloria. I can imagine that my friend Withee was
brought up in one of those country school "deestricts" where every boy
had to fight his way step by step to the respect of his associates, and
where it was the custom for the big scholars to attempt each winter to
thrash the teacher and throw him into a snowdrift. If so, I will warrant
that Withee was held in high respect.
Withee had a great idea of standing up for his rights, and for a long
time he was on the war-path, as he confided to me, in pursuit of a
surveyor who had cut down a small palm tree on his plantation. He didn't
know which individual of the survey corps it was who perpetrated the
"outrage," but if the old man found out, one of Chief Kelly's men was in
for a good licking. Of course, the surveyor was entirely innocent of any
intent to injure the property of Mr. Withee or anybody else, and cut the
tree while running a survey line. It was some months after this, in
September, that the spirit of Withee's revolutionary sires joined issue
with his fierce indignation, and produced fatal results--fatal to
several chickens that invaded his premises. A neighboring colonist, who
lived on the other side of the avenue, kept a large number of hens, and
allowed them free range. They developed a fondness for wandering across
the road, and feeding in Withee's well-stocked garden. They didn't know
Withee. The old man sputtered vehemently, and remonstrated with the
owner--but the chickens continued to come. Finally, Withee went to a
friendly colonist and borrowed his gun. Soon after his return home, one
of the detested hens wandered nonchalantly across the dead line, and
presently was minus a head. Another essayed the same feat, with the
result that there were two headless chickens in La Gloria. Withee's aim
was as good as when he used to shoot chipmunks in the Maine woods. The
owner of the hens heard the reports of the gun, and came over. He was
told to go home and pen up his poultry. Taking the two dead chicks, he
went to the Rural Guards and entered a complaint. While he was gone,
Withee reduced the poultry population of La Gloria by one more. The
owner of the hens returned, accompanied by Rural Guards, several
prominent Cubans, and a few colonists. They had come to take the gun
away from Withee. The old man stood the whole crowd off, and told them
to keep their feet clear of his place. They obeyed the order, but told
him he must kill no more chickens under penalty of arrest. He told them
to keep the chickens off his premises under penalty of their being
killed. The old man was left the master of the situation, and the hens
were restricted to a pen.
Speaking of courage and self-confidence reminds me of a remark of big
Jack McCauley. There was included in the company's property, about five
miles from La Gloria, a deserted plantation known as Mercedes. Upon it
was an old grove of orange trees, which, in the spring of 1900, bore a
fine crop. For a long time everybody was allowed to help himself at
will, and Cubans, colonists, and surveyors availed themselves of the
opportunity to lay in a supply of fruit. At length, as the oranges grew
riper, orders were given that no one should take more than he could eat
on the spot, but the oranges continued to disappear by the bagful.
Stalwart Jack McCauley was at that time employed about the camp by the
company, and it was decided to station him out at Mercedes, with a view
to stopping the raids on the orange grove. Before leaving to undertake
this duty, Jack quietly remarked: "I'll go out there and see if I've got
any influence, and if not, I'll create some!" Big Jack's "influence"
proved to be ample, and the balance of the orange crop was saved.
McCauley's close friend and "pardner" was J. A. Messier, familiarly
known as "Albany." Together they held a large tract of plantation land.
"Albany" worked as a flagman in one of the surveying parties. Once, when
the mosquitoes in the woods were more than ordinarily thick and
ferocious, he made a complaint, a rare thing in him or any other
surveyor. "They surround you," he said, "and you can't push them away
because there is nowhere to push them!" "Albany" was the leading big
snake killer in the colony, and was an adept at stretching and preparing
their skins. But perhaps his greatest distinction was that of being
floor manager of the first ball in La Gloria, a notable event which will
be described in a later chapter.
[Illustration: LA GLORIA, CUBA, LOOKING SOUTH. (_March, 1900._)]
On the afternoon of February 27, the colonists who came on the third and
last trip of the _Yarmouth_, about sixty in number, reached La Gloria.
Among them were Arnold Mollenhauer of New York, a representative of the
company; John A. Connell of East Weymouth, Mass., and S. W. Storm of
Nebraska. The party was brought up from Nuevitas on the snug little
steamer _Bay Shore_, and had a very comfortable passage. The _Bay Shore_
was bought by the company to ply between Nuevitas and Port La Gloria,
and was to have been used to transport the colonists who came to Cuba on
the first _Yarmouth_ excursion, but, unfortunately, she came into
collision with another boat at about that time, and was unfit for use
for several weeks. This was one of a singular chain of accidents and
annoyances which gave the colony a serious setback at the very start.
The _Bay Shore_ proved to be a very unlucky boat, and was laid up from
one cause or another most of the time. When the _Bay Shore_ was out of
commission, a sailboat had to be used between La Gloria and Nuevitas.
Mr. Mollenhauer did not remain long at La Gloria at this time, but
established his headquarters at Nuevitas, taking up the work that had
been in charge of Maj. P. S. Tunison. Young Mr. Mollenhauer proved to be
the right man in the right place. He was active and efficient in the
performance of his duties, and was very much liked by the colonists for
his gentlemanly bearing, accommodating spirit, and frank and upright
character. The affairs of the company and the colony took a new start
when he came to Cuba and assumed charge of the disbursement of the
funds.
John A. Connell was a prosperous business man of East Weymouth, Mass.,
and came to La Gloria to make it his permanent home. He was one of the
most enthusiastic and progressive of the colonists, and gave daily
expression to his liking for Cuba and his firm faith in the future of La
Gloria. He was a man of property and of decided ability. Physically, he
was a giant, being six feet four inches tall, and well proportioned. He
was fond of athletics and was himself a good athlete. A man of strong
intelligence, he appeared to good advantage as a speaker. Mr. Connell
built the first frame building in La Gloria, a modest board structure
with a roofing of tarred paper, and occupied it as a general store. It
was situated on Central avenue in the company's reserve. This was not,
however, the first store in La Gloria. Besides the company's commissary,
W. G. Spiker started a store in a tent several months earlier. George E.
Morrison opened a store in a tent on Central avenue just inside of the
town line at about the same time that Connell started, and did a good
business until he returned to the States several months later. Morrison
had lived in many places, including Chicago, Ill., and Central America.
In practical affairs he was one of the most versatile men in the colony.
S. W. Storm of Nebraska was a veteran of the Civil War, and a good type
of his class. Cheerful and buoyant, lively as a boy, he entered into the
pioneer life with a hearty relish, as, indeed, did all of the many old
soldiers who came to La Gloria. The renewal of camp life under agreeable
climatic conditions seemed to be a great joy to them. Mr. Storm was
never known to complain of anything, not even when he severely cut his
foot while chopping. He brought with him to La Gloria his young son Guy,
who was soon placed in school.
The first school in La Gloria was started and taught by Mrs. Whittle of
Albany, N. Y. It occupied a large shelter tent on the reserve, near
Central avenue. It was fitted up with a board floor, wooden benches,
tables, etc. The school opened February 26 with six scholars, and though
text-books were few in number, the pupils made good progress in their
studies. Mrs. Whittle was an attractive and cultivated lady, and an
inspiring and tactful teacher. Before the middle of March the school
had sixteen scholars, and a little later twenty-one. There was also at
the same time an evening school for men, in which Mrs. Whittle taught
grammar and spelling, and Mr. Max Neuber of Philadelphia, a prominent
colonist, gave lessons in Spanish. Tuition was free in both schools,
which were kept up until Mrs. Whittle and Mr. Neuber returned to the
States in April.
[Illustration]