13 2 the standard guide. 
as he returned home. “But,” said Tacon, “this old man has walked a long 
way to obtain his rights. He must ride home. I will pay the debt of 
$1,500 and you can pay me.” The old man went away rejoicing, records 
Mr. Jenkins; and the uneasy planter could not have Tacon for his creditor, 
so he repaid the money before he left the city. On another occasion, when 
a balloonist had sold several thousand dollars’ worth of tickets, but the 
balloon failed to rise, Tacon confiscated the money and gave it to the 
orphan asylum. Again, when a successful slaving house brought to him 
a douceur of a doubloon a head on a cargo of slaves smuggled into Cuba in 
violation of the law, instead of accepting the “tainted money,” as other 
Governors had done, he at first indignantly refused the bribe, but on sec¬ 
ond thought accepted it and turned it over to the orphan asylum. A char¬ 
acteristic anecdote related by Mr. Jenkins is one of Tacon and a celebrated 
fortune-teller of Havana: 
“This seer had great reputation in his mystical art, and immense influ¬ 
ence over the minds and purses of all classes, for superstition is a very 
common infirmity there. This impostor was in the interests of the slave- 
dealers and their captains, from whom he received ‘hard’ reasons to turn 
the influence to their benefit. Sailors were in the habit of consulting him 
to learn their fortune in going out to Africa on slave expeditions. The 
seer always foretold great gains and a. safe trip. This so encouraged them 
to engage in this business that the captains of merchantmen found it 
difficult to obtain seamen, and they complained of the evil to Tacon. The 
general sent for the fortune-teller, who seemed flattered by the call, think¬ 
ing his Excellency wished the service of his art. When he appeared, 
Tacon asked: 
“‘Do you profess to know the future, and foretell its events?’ 
“‘Yes, your Excellency’; and he began to shuffle his cards, and put him¬ 
self in a prophetic attitude, with a serious, profound looking expression 
of countenance. 
“‘What do your cards pronounce?’ asked Tacon, when he seemed to 
be ready. 
“He cut the cards, and began slowly to read: ‘His Excellency is ex¬ 
tremely popular with all classes, and his horoscope reveals a bright future 
of wealth, power—’ here he hes'itated a moment. 
“ ‘Make your story short,’ impatiently replied Tacon. ‘I have other 
matters to attend to.’ 
“ ‘That is all the future reveals to-day,’ answered the diviner. 
“ ‘Not all, perhaps,’ said Tacon. ‘Give me your cards. I am a fortune¬ 
teller sometimes myself.’ (Shuffled the cards and cut them.) ‘I see that 
you will be breaking stone in the Morro Castle in less than an hour, and 
will stay there two years.’ 
“Tacon ordered the guard to take him away and deliver him to the 
comcmdante of the castle, with an order for his imprisonment for two 
years at hard labor.” 
