i-
Gus Mann wasn’t in Havana when
Fulgencio Batista relinquished his
role as Cuba’s dictator, but the lo
cal dry cleaner can recall how, 25
years ago, he had a ringside seat
for the revolution that brought Ba
tista into power.
Mann was serving in the U. S.
Marine. Corps at the time. For al
most a decade. President Gerardo
Machado, an unscrupulous dictator
like Batista was to become, had
subjected the predominantly pover
ty-stricken Cubans to cruel in
justice. There was great unrest,
and Gus along with other Marines
found himself stationed in a mighty
ticklish locale.
Machado’s corruption had em
braced high ranking officers of the
Cuban army, and these officers
were living like kings *n one of
Havana’s swankiest hotels. In the
slang vernacular of our day, they
never had it so good.
■Batista, only a sergeant, was
strictly on the outside looking in,
and he wasn’t happy about it. He
knew firsthand what was happen
ing, and how money was being
squandered by his superiors, be
cause he was attached to an office
making dispersals for this luxury.
An opportunist, like all budding
dictators, he spread the word
among fellow enlisted men. A so-
called “sergeant’s revolt” was en
gineered. Machado was forced to
flee, while the aforementioned high
ranking officers barricaded them
selves in the hotel where they had
been Jiving it up, s
“Tension was high,” says Gus,
“and the Marine Corps issued ord
ers to us to remove all ammuni
tion from our firearms. We didn’t
feet so comfortable aboiit it either,
especially when people standing in
doorways would spit at us as we
passed by.”
A revolt is no pretty thing to
look upon. “I saw soldiers knock
children senseless in the street,”
the New Bernian recalls. “The up
rising was as brief as it was suc
cessful for Batista and his follow
ers, but it was vicious and violent.”
Batista, lacking heavy arms, had
trouble rooting the Army officers
out of their hotel fortress, so they
were offered a chance to surrender
without punishment. “Ali we want
‘■’/you to do is leave the country,”
■-’the officers 'were told.
The NEW BERN
•n WEEKLY
*' OF
VOLUME
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 1959
NUMBER 41
*
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iiiiiiiigiis
“They filed out,” says Gus, “and
lined up in front of the hotel. But
instead of the freedom counted on,
they were mowed down in a hail
of bullets. Some of the officers
broke and ran, but they were
slaughtered with the rest.”
Disorder and violence continued
during a succession of military dic
tatorships. Then in 1935 a new con
stitution, similar to our own Unit
ed States Constitution, was adopt
ed, but Batista, sporting the rank
of colonel, remained in control.
Batista became president in 1940,
and still another constitution was
drawn up. Among other things, it
provided for social insurance, and
a Tnaximum work week.
For whatever it may be worth, it
must be said in fairness to Batista
that he gave full support to Uncle
Sam during World War II, and Cu
ba declared war on the Axis.four
days after the Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor.
On the surface, the government’s
operation under Batista appeared
to be democratic, dictatorial
though it was. It had a president
and a cabinet, and a Congress con
sisting of a senate and a house of
representatives.
In a situation where the voice
of the people meant little, it is
ironic that voting was compulsory
for both men and women. By con
trast, we in America can really as
sert ourselves with our ballots, and
yet millions of us never bother to
MIST MAGIC---Fog lifting alonj^ the Trfint, in the early
morning hours, reveals this scene of serene beauty. Here,
in the Land of Enchanting Waters, there is little of Life’s
ugliness at dawn. High noon may portray harshness, born
of reality, burat suiinse all thing$ are lovely, and the world
IS good. How true that is on rivers such as ours.—Photo by
Billy Benners.
James Davis Holds Limelight
During National Print Week
Although National Printing Week
is set aside to commemorate the
patron saint of printing, Benjamin
Franklin, on his birthday—January
17—New Bernians can point to the
occasion with pride too.
It was here, in 1749, that an en
terprising Virginian by the' name of
James. Davis introduced printing to
North Carolina. The town was
slightly less than 40 years old.
when Davis set up the first press
in the state.
Just two years later, in 1751, he
started the very first newspaper
in the Old North State. Dubbed the
North Carolina Gazette, it boasted
of “the freshest advices, foreign
and domestic.”
The Gazette, a weekly, was pub
lished for six years before it folded
temporarily. On May 27, 1768, it
resumed publication until the Rev
olutionary War. Whether Davis
himself made this second attempt
at newspapering is a matter for
conjecture.
Aside from publishing the first
Tar Heel newspaper, Davis also
had the distinction of publishing
the State’s first book. It Came out
in 1752, and was a revisal of the
Acts of the General Assembly.
Bound in yellow leather, it was re
ferred to by citizens as the “Yel
low Jacket.”
Davis didn’t confine his efforts
to the publishing field. He served
for some time as New Bern’s post
master, and was a magistrate. He
may have dabbled in other things
too, but the full story wasn’t pass
ed "along to posterity.
More, of course, is known about
Benjamin Franklin. He too pub
lished a Gazette—the Pennsyivania
Gazette. It was destined for longer
life than the Davis weekly, and still
exists as the Saturday Evening
Post. No magazine enjoys quite the
same prestige that the Post can
lay claim to.
Franklin was the fifteenth child
in his family, and what he accom
plished might make a pretty good
argument against birth control. He
learned the printer’s trade because
he lacked the money for a formal
education.
He was a hard boy to handle,
wore out his welcome in Boston at
the age of 17, and ran away to Phil
adelphia. With a lone silver dollar
in his jeans, he decided to straight
en up and fiy right.
It was an amazing transforma
tion. Once vain, sarcastic and un
ruly, he cured his own juvenile
delinquency, and while still a teen
ager became a polished and patient
gentleman. He remained that way
ever after.
He owned his own printing of
fice at the age of 23, and for the
next 20 years was the foremost
Mirror Medals to Be Awarded
For Creative Writing and Art
vote.
What Batista is thinking about
today, as a banished ex-dictator.
The Mirror is in no position to say.
But for Gus Mann the clock has
turned back 25 years, to events he
will never forget.
In order to provide recognition
for students at New Bern High
school and Central Junior High
who show promise in the creative
fields of art and literature. The
Mirror will award six medals this
year.
Mirror medals are to be present
ed at each of the two schools to
the three students who submit the
best article or essay, the best poem
and the best drawing or painting.
All entries must be in the hands
of The Mirror by April 15, and
must be entirely original. There
are no limitations as to length of
prose and poetry, or size of art
entries.
Nor are they any restrictions as
to subjects. The Mirror feels that
writers and artists, whatever the
age level, are entitled to freedom
of expression, and in this instance
there will be no restrictive barriers
to hamper those who have creative
aspirations.
Neither the editor, nor any oth
er New Bernian, wiM judge the
entries. They will be passed along
to distinguished outsiders who are
well qualified to give a fair and
impartial appraisal of the entries.
The Mirror hopes that its medals
for creative excellence will in some
small way spur the efforts of bud
ding writers and artists, who
might otherwise go uninspired and
unrecognized.
journalist in, the colonies. Once
each year he published Poor Rich
ard’s Almanac, and it sold to just
about everybody everywhere.
Of course, neither Franklin in
Philadelphia nor Davis in New
Bern actually pioneered printing.
No one knows when it all started,
but the Chinese were printing vol
umes on tissue paper as far back
as 868 A.D., and probably long be
fore that. The voltynes printed in
868 still exist.
The Chinese carved ridges on
,sofe wooden blocks to correspond
with characters they wanted print
ed. They coated these ridges with
watery ink, laid a sheet of porous
tissue paper over the blocks, and
smoothed it with a brush. They
got good results.
The earliest surviving Euro
pean print bears the date 1418, but
it is believed wood blocks were
used as early as 1350. The use of
movable type was a European in
vention, and such type was utilized
in Europe and China as early as
1041.
So you see. New Bern’s James
Davis in establishing a printing
press in our first State capitol was
strictly a Johnny Come Lately.
However, he was still the first in
North Carolina to print a newspa
per and print a book, and not only
New Bernians but all Tar Heels
owe it to his memory to pause
momentarily and pay their respects
during National Printing Week.
Money may not bring real happi
ness, but many will say the imita
tion is almost perfect.