24 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Interesting Items from Various Sources Regarding the Island's Activities. 



Mrs. Palma's Home Saved. 



Mrs. J. Estrada Palma, widow of 

 Cuba's first president, was surprised on 

 arrival at Central Valley, N. Y., to learn 

 that her old homestead, which she sup- 

 posed had been sold, was still her prop- 

 erty, says the Utica Press. 



When General Palma went to Cuba 

 seven years ago to become its president, 

 he placed the homestead in the hands of 

 Carlos Zaldo and O. A. Zayas, business 

 men of Havana, to be sold. In due time 

 Mr. Palma received a check for $10,000 

 from the United States Mortgage and 

 Trust Company, ostensibl}^ from the sale 

 of the Central Valley property. It was 

 more money than he had expected for it. 

 The real fact was that these two friends, 

 as a mark of appreciation and friendship 

 for the unfortunate former president, 

 paid that $10,000 out of their own pock- 

 ets and took over the property, all with- 

 out General Palma's knowledge. Then 

 they placed it in trust with the United 

 Motoring in Cuba. States Mortgage and Trust Company for 



Mrs. Palma, during her lifetime, and 

 'Sir. H. S. Firestone, president of the thereafter for her two daughters, Can- 

 Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, delaria and Luz. 



Akron, Ohio, and Mr. James Cousons, 



secretary and treasurer of the Ford 



Motor Co. of Detroit, who are enthusi- 

 astic over the subject of good roads, 



recently completed an extensive tour 



through Cuba, he says : 



"While in Cuba we did considerable 



motoring and found most excellent 



roads for motoring in the western part 



of Cuba. There is no place on this side 



of the Atlantic where the pleasures of 



motoring are so great. The government 



seems to be alert in extending the good 



work begun by the United States in 



building splendid thoroughfares of the 



highest class throughout the island. 



The roads are mostly made of the coral 



stone formation which works down 



into a hard surface almost like asphalt." 



Investigating a School. 



Catherine Tingley known as the "Pur- 

 ple Mother," a mystic, and as well re- 

 membered in Cuba as she is in Chicago 

 and San Francisco, conducts a school 

 called Raja Yoga at Point Loma, Cali- 

 fornia, attended by a number of Cuban 

 children. "La Defensa," a publication of 

 Santiago de Cuba, recently called atten- 

 tion to alleged cruelties put upon two 

 of the Cuban pupils. The Cuban govern- 

 ment at once ordered an investigation 

 and officials at the Cuban legation in 

 Washington have been ordered to look 

 into the matter. Mrs. Tingley has writ- 

 ten President Taft, demanding the full- 

 est inquiry. 



Artesian wells are being sunk in vari- 

 ous parts of Cuba by W. E. Powers, 

 the well expert. Flowing wells are se- 

 cured at a depth of from 250 to 400 feet. 

 Most of these wells are sunk for irriga- 

 tion purposes. 



The Havana Telegraph announces 

 that the daily edition has been discon- 

 tinued, to resume October 1 next. It 

 began on Sunday, May 16, the publica- 

 tion of a 12 or 14-page weekly edition. 



Miguel de la Torre, the paymaster of 

 the Fiscal Zone of Havana, who was sen- 

 tenced to fourteen years in the peniten- 

 tiary and to make good the sum of 

 $185,455 which he embezzled, filed an 

 appeal through his attorney to the Su- 

 preme Court on May 18. 



The trial court of the audiencia of 

 Havana has granted the certificate of 

 appeal and the case has been forwarded 

 to the Supreme Court, where it will be 

 set for hearing shortly. 



