Newspaper Page Text
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AMERICUS TIMES-RECORDER
VOLUME 1
AMERICUS. GEORGIA, SUNDAY: MAY 17, 1891.
NUMBER 37
NO
Advertisement, which promises more
than it will perform, will be of value to
the advertiser.
We recognized thi« truth long ago, and our succetw is largely due to
the fact that we have never yet violated the
Confidence of Our Customers
THE BLACK REPUBLIC.
INTERESTING LETTER FROM ENSIGN
GEORGE F. COOPER, U S- N.
Descriptive at tba -Qumh at Ik. AatUla.'
and the People Who Inhabit the Island
Customs of the Conatry-Slothfalneei
Dirt and Pli
You will find evenrthing EXACTLY AS REP
RESENTED every time, at
GEO. D. WHEATLEY’S
But bear in mind, to get the benefit of the
Rare Bargains we Offer!
To avail yourself of sueli
EXTREMELY LOW PRICES!
You must call ip person, or order of us without fail,
THIS WEEK.
One case Figured Victors Lawn at 8fc worth 7c
per yard.
One case Sherwood Dress Ginghams at 7$c.
worth 10c. per yard.
5 Bales “Cant Tear” Chock Home Spun at 4Jc.,
worth 8c. per yard.
FOR SALE
TO-MORROW! I 5o. worth 7c. per yard. ^ ^ ^
1200 yards Figured Manchester Chaliis at 7c.,
worth 10c. per yard.
WE ARE OFFERING EVERY DAY
Something New in Dress Goods!
WHITE GOODS,
BLACK GOODS
GRENADINES,
DRAPERY NETS,
FRENCH ORGANDIES
. BATISTES, CHALLIES, Etc.
And our LOW PRICES MOVE the goods right out,
enabling us to replenish every week, besides saving our
customers a snug little sum from the prices demanded by
others.
KING SOLOMON thought thero was “nothing new under the
sun,” but with all his wisdom he new nothing about our
FINE APPLE.TISSUES!
Very pretty and appropriate for the lovely-fabric which bears the name.
' We will show you a solid case of them in light, Medium, Black
and Navy Grounds with white and tinted spots and
figures, at
15 CENTS PER YD. THIS WEEK!
This is what we call a “ease of love at first sight” and you should call
early and get your choice.
As a Special, We offer Tomorrow
12 beautiful styles Plaid and Striped imported ZEPHYR CLOTHS at
2fic. per yd.—the acme of perfection for a wash dress.
Entirely new line figured China Mulls at 11 Jc; really worth 20c. else
where.
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR TANK OE
Nainsook, Swiss and Cambric Embroideries ?
More than 1000 styles, from the daintiest little edge at 2}c to
the most superb 48-inch Flounce at 12.50 per yd.
We often hear that “ours is the only stock of TORCHON LACES in
the city” and are also gratified to hear the expressions of astonishment
when onr modest prices are mentioned.
Here is a batch of Bargains weU worth yonr consideration:
FOR THIS WEEK ONLY I
40 do*. Ladies’ Ribbed- Undervests,
Fast Black Stainless Hose,
Black Silk Mitts, ■ •
linen Hack nr Crepe Towels,
10c.
25c.
25e.
26c.
10c.
Regular price, 20c.
“ “ 40c.
»• « 35c.
« « 40c.
“ “ 15c.
GLOVES AND PARASOLS! FANS AND CORSETS!
If you need either don’t fail to oall. We’ve got ’em to eeU and our prioee
are right
A word to those in need of
CLOTHING
Knee Pants.
Respectfully,
GEO. D. WHEATLEY,
Cor. Lamar St. and Cotton Ave.
Uhited Statu Steamer Kb arsabob,
Pout ah Prince, Hayti, May 1 —Tnn
Times-Rkcohiiek: What bu grown to
be very monotonous and disagreeable
to ns on board ship may be of Interest to
those chat hare cot bad the same ex
perience. That Is my apology for asking
tho attention of the readers of Tan
Tihks-Recobder for a little while, ton
short account of some things that I
have seen and beard during the past
month.
About 11 a. m. on tb« 27th of January
we sailed from Norfolk, and after a
beautiful trip of eight days anchored In
the harbor of Port au Prince at 10 a. m.,
on the 4th of February. The ship Is an
“old timer,” and rather slow. Wo
came down at the rate of seven and
seven and a half knots an hour. The
sky was almost cloudless the whole time
and thero was but little wind.
In tho 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 la prob
ably equally aa fertile as that liland.
Had the French retained possession of
it, one might well believe that a prettier
■pot could not be found. 1 shall speak
especially of Port au Prince, and thi
surrounding country.
Unfortunately for the Island, its in
habitants and the civilized world in
general, wealth, eaae and luxury and
quarrels with the mother country In the
latter part of tho eighteenth century,
rendured the French eolonlsta 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 ootfee and
sugar estates began to retrograde. Tho
planters, their wives and children bad
been ilidn or driven to France. Of
course some few remained. Theee nude
au attempt to regain their poeeeesloa*
and were partially successful, helped by
the mother country.
Bnt this success was only temporary.
The former slaves were soon masters
■gain and made their victims truly suffer
for their partial aaecess. Napoleon,
with all hla suoceaa in Europe,'was un
able to subdue again the “Antilles'
Queen.”
Bnt he did not have the ordinary ene
my—man—to deal with. Tellow fever
attacked bla army of thirty thousand
men, and bnt a fair hundred oscaped.
He dared not make a seoond attempt with
prospect of such loss, and so since 1804
the island has been In the possession of
the descendants of Its former slave*.
If any one will take the trouble to read
its history he will find there la bnt little
to admire. Revolution hat been fre
quent; violence, tyranny and bloodshed
almost constant. The greatest lieroesof
the people are those who, during their
terms of office, were the moat blood
thirsty. There Is one exception to this;
Tooaaaint DOuverturo, the liberator of
tho slaves. The preiident of Heyti Is
cooitantly In fear of revolution, and
while he la called the president of a Re
public, he la probably the most despotic
ruler on the globe—oertelnly in any
country of the Occident
it would be hard to find a more natur
ally beautiful situation for a city than
Port au Prince possesses, and It la
probable that those who originally set
tled tho city looked well before ohoelng
their site. It Is situated at the heed of
a wide and deep bay. The shores of the
bay rise suddenly and beautifully into
hills of tho height of two or throe hun
dred feet—even more In some cases.
The bay is open to the north, and Is
large and deep enough to accommodate
a much larger fleet of vessels than can
ever visit It The bills on the western
side are covered almost to their very tope
with palm trees end tropical vegetation.
Those on the eastern elds are not so lux
uriant as those on the western, probably
became the soil la volcanic and not so
P. S.—Order* by mail lor goods or samples wilt receive personal and
prompt attention.
<J ■ t
Among the western hills and in the
valleys on the western approach to the
city nestle pretty cottages, Inhabited by
some of the better elaee of Haytiens and I
by foreigners. The city Itself Is situated I
upon the side of a hill which slopes to I
the water, not too suddenly, but enough
so to make It very picturesque. In ap
proaching the city from the tea the
slope of Its hill la such that the course of
many of the streets may be plainly
traced. At the very top of the hill and
overlooking the city Is the principal fort
for Its defense. From Its situation Ita
guns can be brought Into action ngalnst
enemies from the sea or from the valleys
and bills beyond thecity. In tho 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 tbs craws.
Tba beautiful natural altnaliou has
been turned to naught by the tadlflto-.
£
enee and alothfutneaa of the inhabitants.
One would think that aeity situated
npon a hill eloping to the eea could not
be very dirty. Neither could it, if Its
people were possessed of only a little
care and cleanliness themselves. Bnt
there are, I Imagine, few cities In the
world with 25,000 Inhabitant* that am
more filthy than Port an Prinee.
At the landing place is approached
one has sometimes to almost hold hla
nostrils, and in the streets, or many of
them, things are Just as bud. There is
bnt little tide in the harbor, and the
sewers, If such they may be celled,
empty Juatinto the edge of the water
The letter it therefore, close to the land,
very fool, end If disturbed a UUle le as
black at ink.
The streets ere very filthy and In
many at them ere great piles of garbage.
Such sewers ee there are, are all above
ground, end In most of them the scum le
thick. In.the rainy season tbs city Is of
necessity kept somewhat dean, as the
water must esrry the dirt before it.
Nothing In the place looks clean. The
houses are mostly one story frame or
mud buildings of a dirty, yellow color.
There are no hnudaome building,! not
even a pretentious one. The palace (so
called) of'the president Is an ordinary
frame building of large dimensions. The
street* are, lu most parts of the city,fair
ly regular, because by being neglected
they could not change their direction.
What pavements they have are most
ly remains of the old French pavements,
and are now conaoquently very irregular
and troublesome to walk npon. Thero
Mono street in particular which shows
what some parts of the city must once
have been. It baa beautiful shade trees
along moat of Its length, la wide and If
a little clearerand the houses a little
better might be called pretty.
At almost every street corner one
comes across the barracks of the soldiers,
who are numerous In some form or oth
er. It lea standing joke with us that
the Heytion army is made up principally
of generals and colonels, with afew pri
vates thrown In for form’a sake. It
not aeem to me that I, ever heard of a
HaytMa lieutenant
Once or twice I have passed theee bar
racks While the guards was being mas
tered or paraded, end they presented au
Intensely amusing spectacle. All aorta of
uniforms and all sorts of
about aa UUle military as anything
ooujd wall be. lam told, however, that
the-body guard of tho president are well
uniforamd and are a fine lot of man. I
have paver BlftetK* to ate them.
The government of Hayti la entirely a
centralized government Everything Is
done by the national government Thera
It no such autonomy or attempt at such,
as with na. Nominally It la Republican
•^-really, aa I said, despotic. The presi
dent generally speaking, obtains bla seat
by revolution and keeps It until he le
serrqd as be served hie predecessor—
forced out. He and bis cabinet general
Iy odrae In With nothing and leavo with
everything; and In leaving offioej they
generally have to leave the country.
There are occasional exoeptiona.
The hatred ofn Heytlen to n white
seems to be Intense, and Is almost as bed
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 tho constitution
of the oountry that no white man could
beooms a citizen of the oountry nor own
real estate lu It He may lease 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 I
have been told that In some districts It
grows wild end.the berries fall to the
ground, He there and rot simply because
tho people are too lazy to plok them up
and carry them to market
I cannot.vouch for that statement Bnt
not I ahonld be at all surprised If It ha
true, for the people In the oountry need
not work to Uve. They can get fralt
■imply by pieklng it
Some of the fortunes I mentioned an
In thehaadeof Haytiens, bnt I think the
larger part are In the bands of foreign
er!, principally Germane. German mer
chants seen to bo most
•nd most of those claiming to be Ameri-
citizens seem to be-of German da-
it I am told that at the time ef th6
lata revolution la Brazil, ooe of these
merchants made two hundred thousand
dollars on a lot of coffee that he had In
That Is another statement for
whieh I will not vouch, salt sounds a
little crazy.
In riding along the road hero I have
Men cotton growing wild. The bush, or
plant rather, la taller and not to busby
In Georgia, bnt the product
seemed to me to be the same. During
the civil war at home the cotton Industry
lu Hayti received a great Impulse, and
Urge quantities were exported, but after
the war It fell again Into IU accustomed
place.
Many of tho wealthy Haytiens educate
their ebildreu In Parts. We ere told
that It la tha greatest ambition of a
young Haytlen lady to many a French
man or Uermaa sad leave tee Island. I
knew one la Cepe HayUea who made
each u
with her
She was probably ao ootoroon; certainly
most of her blood came from the Cau
casian race. She was one of the most
beautiful women 1 ever saw and spoke
English end French perfectly.
I have seen some few women of beauty
In Port nu Prince. They have Just
enough African blood to make them
pretty. They almost Invariably dress
either In eoltd white or black, and look
well. But the great majority of the wo
men and men too are careless In
dress and habitually dirty. It
that they can not be clean.
Nominally the religion of the people
la the Homan Catholic, hot thero Is
good reason to believe that the groat
majority an Voodoolst or Voodoos—
•nake worshipper*—the religion brought
from Africa by their forefathers.
We know positively that the Voodoo
dance still exists. I have an acquain
tance In Gonalves, n young German, wno
tells mo that lie has seen It. The or
thodox dance, I think, requires human
sacrifice to be eaten, but cattle are gen
erally substituted here. I think, In fact,
there are two dances; one requiring
human and the other anlmal.flesh. But
a Haytlen lady once told A United States
naval officer that she was sure cannibal
ism was still practised In some parts of
the ialand.
It la painful to walk through Port au
Princo or out a little Into the surrouod<
lng country and aee tho wreck and ruin
on overy aide. Splendid aqueduct* and
pavements ruined simply by neglect;
filth, where beauty waa and still should
be; beautiful situations, and what were
beautiful gardens utterly ruined. What
there la of beauty here Is simply what
monuments remain of the French.
The language of the people le a patois
of French called “Creole.”
In the hande of a truly civilised peo
ple the Island would again become what
It once waa—the “Queen of the Antll
lee,” but lathe hands of Its present mas
ters what Is its future? It aeama that
Ha past history tolls us—ruin. One
hundred years haa 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
age state. The not cannot can for
themselves. The*white man most ear~
for them. Gao. F. Cooper.
PROSPEROUS CORDBLB.
Hsajr New Batldlax* Oetog ■» to the Meets
Cltyot the Pine*.
Cobpkle, May 16.—(Special.]—The
following oompriie a partial lilt of the
bnlldlnge which me actually being con
structed In Cordell:
A two etory brick store bouse between
the bakery end Pony building, by Smith
A Middleton; a two story frame store
near the racket store, by G B. Mlllen;
a one story store between the poetoffloe
■nd book store, a aloe dwelling near the
academy, byj. 8. Pate; a two story
dwelling near the barrel faotory, by H.
M. Hixon; two dwellings on College hlU,
by Mr. Elderand adwelling near Smith’s
English mansion, by V. O. Meredith.
Among the bnlldlnge not contracted
for is the new Baptist college, whloh la
to be built at ones. Subscriber* to It
have been notified that they will be call
ed on soon for their eabscriptions. Rev.
J. A. Scar boro, of Kastman, who Is one
of the building committee, has been se
lected to travel In the Interest of this
college nntll it Is completed.
The revival at the Baptistchurch is
progressing satisfactorily. New mem
bers am being received dally. Nest
week Pastor Davie will be ably assisted
by that eminent divine, Dr. B. R. Care-
well.
Rev. T. C. Boykin, the celebrated Sun
day school evangelist, was in Cordelo
yesterday.
Mr. M. 8. Harrison, of Savannah, has
been prospecting here this week with
the view of opening np a mercantile
ineee. If he locates hero Cordelo
will have another enterprising and use
ful dtlxen. He invested In real estate
here last year and is well pleased with
the town.
A good many went from hen yester
day to. picnics at Yleana and Arab!,
and each one reports that he had a big
ger time than anybody else. The Cordo-
THE NATION’S CAPITAL.
WHAT THE PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON
ARE DOING AND SAYING.
The Time at Little Boa’s Arrival Home
Kept e seem sad the Lodm DIsap.
pole ted—Where the Meat Democratic
Washington, May 16.—Mr. Harri
son's fool Meads put all Washington
Into aa amused titter to-day.
They decided several days ago that it
would not do to announce the hour of
the arrival of Abe royally equipped spe
cial train bearing Benjamin, tho candi
date, .beopoa* forsooth, he desired to es
cape the crowd that would meet him
If they know he waa coming.
If tho hour tho train would arrive had
been announced for days before In all
tba local newspapers and bad been- pla
carded on ail the bill boards and dead
walls In town It le possible that two or
three hundred Idle negroes and hood
lum* might have congregated at the sta
tion from curiosity, but to suppose
that there would have been a crowd
largo enough to worry tho gentlemen is
the most humorous thing of the season,
and It haa set everybody In town to
laughing.
Mr. Blaine’s being conflred to hie
room in New York by Illness we* good
enoughjfor the(aensatloniil newspapers to
gull those who knew no better with, but
It didn't go down with those who knew
that Mr. Blaine left Washington became
of the Irritation eauaed by tha dictato
rial tone of the telegram* with whloh
Mr. Harrison wee flooding him, and if
he does not resume the active duties of
bla position for sometime it will not be
on account of hla health, bnt because he
wishes to get even with Mr. Harrison
by leaving hla In charge of matters over
which h* Is almost certain to blonder.
I have good reason* for beUeving that
Mr. Harrison's treatment of Mr. Blaine,
who things ho has a grievance, during
the next few day* will settle bis chances
for a re-nomination. It Is certain that
Blaine doesn’t cars for the nomination,
and that If Mr. Harrison has the tact l.e
can have the Blaine strength thrown to
him, which would make hla nomination
certain; bnt It is equally ocrtaln that Mr.
Harrison wIB have to drop the I-only-
the-admlntstratlon style, which haa
Several vrfn gqf boot bm to the K. F.
exercise* at Braniwltk next weak.
Bacxawicx, May Iff—'The Oglethorpe
Division No. 4, Uniform Rank, Knights
of Pythlzz, hzz recently boon getting In
ime splendid work. ■
The division turned out In force last
night to the practloe drill on Newcastle
street. Captain Newman drilled them
through all the faney movements. The
men executed all orders with prompt
ness and precision, and • large crowd
congregated on the streets to witneas
their excellent drilling. Captain New-
tain la a veteran commander, and man
age* hla men with the moat admirable
akill, and he la determined to have them
aecond to none when the teat cornea,
rev BrtMae Harare.
New Onlrans, Msy 16.—The grand
Jtuy again indicted Jobe Cooney to-day
far ettemptfag to bribe Juror*. The
great Jury ha* adjoareed till Taeeday.
- ■
ao Irritated Blaine, in order to succeed.
The outcome will be walohed with In
terest, and were it not for the “big
head" which the courtesy extended by
the people to the high office he fills ha*
given Mr. Harrison It wonld not be In
doubt Blaine holda the winning cards,
and he knows It too.
Representative Hooker, of Mississippi,
thinks the democratic party will do well
to go west for It* eandidste next year,
and that If eoold not do better than to
take Hon. William R. Morrison, of Illi
nois, at present the democratic member
of the Interstate commerce board of
commissioners.
Senator. Feffer and Representative
Jerry Simpson unite In the declaration
that the convention of the farmers’ alli
ance and labor organizations which
it la Cincinnati next week will not
form a third party, bnt will conflno its
pnbUe work to the inning of an address
to the people.
Representative Crain, of Texas, who
la her* on private business, says the out
look for the election of the democratic
oandldate, whoever he msy be, next
year, could hardly be brighter. Ho
doesn’t think there wUl be a farmers’
alliance national ticket nominated, nor
does he think there will bo the slightest
doubt of the election of bis colleague,
Mr. Mills, to the speakershlpof the next
Keep your eye on Representative W.
L. Wilson, of West Virginia. Ho It a
young man, but he la growing as rapidly
as any man now in pnbUo Ufa. His name
Is heard on all aides here, and nothing
but prala* le spoken of him. He la deep
ly interested fat the organization of dem
ocratic dnba, red he lent present mak
ing speeches oat west- la their Interest
Again the rumor Is revived that Jus-
ties Bradley, ef the United State* su-
retiring, and that
will be nominated as
Jastloe Bradley Iz past
tha legal age lee retirement, and It may
be that he lnteads to retire—many peo
ple wish that ha had retired before the
notorioe* 8 to 7 decision was mado—but
I cannot understand why Mr. Edmunds,
who; when I* good health, on two occa
sions declined going npon the bench,
ahonld, now, when hie health to begin
ning to break down, aoeept the position.
There Is something rotten somewhere
lathe connection of this government
with matter* relating to ChlU. The pub
lic has never been given the true Inward
ness of this Itata business.
-It la expected that the names of the
new Judges of the U. S. Circuit Court
will be announced lu a few days.
Ex-Senator Ingalls haa surprised ev
erybody by turning up here, end the
newspaper men era itching to learn what
he came for.
V •- ‘ ; v . •.
Nzw Yoax, May 16.—Secretary Blaine
passed s very good sight ami left**
from pal* this meraiag.
