EUSEBIO ATANASIO VALERIO.
SIEGES AND FORTUNES
OF A TRINIDADIAN
IN SEARCH OF A
DOCTOR'S DIPLOMA
BY
EUSEBIO ATANASIO VALERIO
Philadelphia
Dewey and Eakins
1909
CONTENTS.
BOOK I.
Chapter. Page.
I. My Birth and Early Childhood 9
II. The Death of My Father and Subsequent
Changes in the Family 18
BOOK II.
I. Leaving Trinidad 25
II. New York at Last 32
III. School and College Life 39
The Island of Trinidad 46
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Eusebio Atanasio Valerio Frontispiece
Opposite Page.
Valerio's Home 9
Valerio Starting Out in Search of an Education.. 23
Valerio as Officer at Hampton 39
Major Faculty of the Medical School 44
Faculty of the Medical School 48
PREFACE.
THIS little book has gradually taken form as a
result of conversation with many whose
friendly sympathy has led me to talk of the
"sieges and fortunes I have passed through," in my
roundabout wanderings in search of an education and
a doctor's diploma. They have suggested that I at¬
tempt a written account of my life's struggles; and
this suggestion I have been induced to act upon
chiefly for the sake of my own people. I am desir¬
ous of submitting to them a connected account of my
life; its struggles, hopes and fears, and final attain¬
ment of that object which took me away from Trini¬
dad, and will carry me back there to work among
them.
Many of the customs regulating the lives of my own
people are as primitive to-day as they were when the
islands were first discovered. The wise modification
of these will work great benefit along sanitary and
industrial lines; and much suffering and inconvenience,
incident to a lack of proper knowledge, can be done
away with entirely. Being one of them myself, hav¬
ing lived their life, and being able to understand their
thoughts and feelings, this little book will, I hope,
have a certain missionary influence among them, and
perhaps stimulate, to some degree, that desire which
took me practically around the world to get what I
wanted.
The account of my early childhood is more for
the benefit of my English and American readers. It
pictures, although imperfectly indeed, a mode of life
and customs, which they may find quaint and enter¬
taining, because entirely unfamiliar, and for that rea¬
son perhaps worth reading.
I have appended a short description of Trinidad.,
as it is probable that many of my readers will have
been separated so long from their school geographies,
that their ideas as to where and what Trinidad is
will have become somewhat vague.
BOOK ONE
VALERIO'S HOME.
Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
in Search of a Doctor's Diploma.
CHAPTER I.
MY BIRTH AND EARLY CHILDHOOD.
I WAS born in a miserable little thatched hut, on
the outskirts of the small village of Tortuga, in
the island of Trinidad, British West Indies. To
the villagers, my father and mother were known re¬
spectively as Jose Tiburcio Valerio, and Eleonore
Valerio; both being natives of the island. From
them I have inherited a natural legacy, which it is
perhaps the privilege of comparatively few people to
fall heir to, and the possession of which I dare say
the majority of them would be only too willing to
ignore. This legacy consists of a mixture of three
strains in my blood: the Caucasian, the Indian and
the Negro. My father, a man of small stature, was
born of white and Indian parents, and, in color and
other external characteristics, would have had no dif¬
ficulty in passing for a white man. My mother, a dark-
skinned woman, also of small size, and very kindly
disposition, is descended from the Negro and the
Carib Indian; the latter being now almost extinct on
the island.
It was the custom in the country villages of the
island at the time of my birth, to greet the advent of a
io Sieges-and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
newcomer into the world with peculiar ceremonies.
There was much firing of guns, eating, drinking and
dancing, terminating occasionally in a free-for-all
fight. Should the child be of the male sex, its birth
was signalled by three successive shots from the bar¬
rel of an old-fashioned musket, mounted on a block
in the yard several weeks before, to await the glorious
event. The birth of a girl was made known in the
same way, except that instead of firing three shots,
they only fired two.
I have been told that upon the occasion of my
birth, there was great feasting, drinking and merry¬
making. This unfortunately gave rise to some conten¬
tion among the participants, and terminated in one of
the aforementioned occasional disturbances. The
scuffle which followed would seem to have been little
short of epoch-making in its intensity, and only
ceased when the hut had been nearly demolished. Al¬
though indirectly the cause of it, my part was neces¬
sarily a passive one, and I do not seem to have suf¬
fered any great damage. Its effect upon my mother,
however, was pernicious; and ever since she has suf¬
fered from severe attacks of headache; which she
ascribes to that memorable struggle, which rather
ominously celebrated my birth.
The section of the country in which we lived at
that time was newly settled; and the young planta¬
tions, sown with such vegetables as corn, cassava,
tania, beans, pumpkins and yams, were not yet suf¬
ficiently advanced to enable us to beat the lean spectre
of hunger; an unwelcome guest who came in the train
of that awful period of hard times.
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. ii
Food in those days was scarce, and the further
scarcity of odd jobs around the settlement, made it
still harder for my father to provide food and cloth¬
ing for his small family.
The small hut in which we lived was not nearly
as substantial nor cosy as those you may have seen
in the lumbering districts of the United States. It
was a small, four-sided, shifty concern, built of wood
and palm leaves. The roof was thatched with the
leaves of a variety of palm, known in the island as
the carrat palm. About three-quarters of the interior
was converted into a sleeping room, by hanging car-
rat leaves loosely around on cross pieces of wood
nailed to the posts. The remaining space was utilized
for various purposes. A square piece cut out of the
leaves at the back of the hut constituted a window,
while an opening in the front, with a piece of sacking
for a curtain, served as a door.
The bedroom furniture consisted of the most
primitive sort of home-made couch, on which the
family slept; an old Carib basket containing the
scanty supply of clothes for the family, and a soap
box in which salt provisions were kept, to protect
them from the ravages of rats and mice.
The meals, consisting usually of plantain, buc-buc
(which is also a species of plantain), sweet or bitter
cassava in various forms, and salt fish were prepared
in that part of the hut which was left open. As each
one received his share, either in a soup plate or cala¬
bash, he would simply sit down on a bench or on the
bare ground, with his dish beside him, and eat his
meal. The only table implements used were a tin
soup spoon or a fork, and it sometimes happened that
12 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
the family supply of silver consisted of but one spoon
or fork, in which case my father would be given the
preference.
Except for the few rose bushes standing a little
distance apart in front of the house, the yard was left
bare purposely, that we might detect more easily the
approach of snakes and other unwelcome visitors
from the surrounding woods. But we occasionally re¬
ceived a visit from a very welcome guest, the opossum.
His visits were apparently directed to the chickens;
but, as they roosted on the cabin roof, the opossum
hardly ever escaped, even on the darkest night.
Besides tilling the ground, my parents devoted much
of their time to the preparing of cassava bread, both
for home use and the market. The making of cas¬
sava bread is a somewhat complicated process, ac¬
companied by much hard work; and one which neces¬
sitates an unusual amount of patience on the part of
those engaged in its preparation.
I remember very well the time when my mother
and father used to get up at four o'clock in the
morning, and begin what might be considered the
first step in the preparation of cassava bread—scrap¬
ing the roots clean. This is done with a large-sized
knife or spoon. My little sister and myself were of¬
ten called out of bed to assist in this work. At about
seven o'clock, when the scraping was finished, the
family would have breakfast, then we would start with
the grating of the roots, which had been thoroughly
washed and cleansed after the scraping.
People who worked with large quantities of cas¬
sava generally hired men to grate the roots for them;
but my father could not do this, so he and my mother
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 13
were compelled to grate the roots themselves. The
grating reduces the roots to a pulp, from which all
the moisture must be sprained, as the cassava juice is
poisonous.
The grating and straining finished, the pulp, which
is now free from liquid, is in small cylindrical pieces,
which form it assumed under pressure in the strainer.
These bars are broken up into fine particles, and
passed through a sieve of very small meshes. The
flour thus formed is nice, white and coarsely granu¬
lar, and ready to be spread on a hot circular piece of
iron, and baked into bread. This part of the work
requires a great deal of skill; for easy as the process
may appear from the description, it requires a skilled
hand to turn out good cassava bread.
But that is not all. These discs of cassava bread,
as they leave the hands of the baker, must be put out
in the sun and dried. Here again we little ones took
an active part. The large, flat, circular loaves are
laid on carrat leaves in the sun, and the child is en¬
trusted with the care of them. He is given a whip
and told that he must keep the chickens away from
the cassava bread; and at the same time watch and
give notice of any change in the clouds, which might
threaten the drying of the precious loaves. Should
the weather be stormy the bread must be returned to
the hot baking iron, and kept there for at least ten
minutes, to make it dry and crispy. This is im¬
perative, because if the bread is allowed to remain
moist over night, it becomes so tough and difficult to
swallow, that it is almost impossible to eat it. My
mother has often spent almost the whole night drying
cassava bread.
14 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
This was part of the drudgery which circumstances
forced on r^y parents during my early life.
Some time after my birth, and while yet a baby, my
parents moved from the little cabin where I was born,
to another hut which my father had built in the vicin¬
ity. It was similar to the one we had just left, and
stood on the edge of the country road. Perhaps one
of. the most exciting moments in the life of my
mother came to pass one night, a short time after we
had moved into this new abode.
The afternoon had been a stormy one, and several
tropical showers had fallen, partially filling the shallow
ditch which encircled the house. After the rain had
ceased much of the water ran off, but some still re¬
mained in the ditch, and our little pet pig Bessie
enjoyed playing in it. The rain had rendered the air
cool and refreshing, so that my parents slept soundly
that night. But I, a little baby sleeping by my mother's
side, managed somehow to roll out of bed, and through
the flimsy palm-leaf wall of the hut, into the ditch
beyond. A few hours later my mother awoke and
heard the cry of a baby outside; she felt around, and
finding her baby was missing, awoke my father. When
the excited couple got there, they found me in the
little pool of water in the gutter.
My troubles, however, were not yet over. When a
little boy, I would follow my father wherever he went
around the house. One day it happened that he
escaped me, and finding out from an old aunt that he
was on the opposite side of the road, assisting in the
burial of a dead donkey, I proceeded to cross the road,
when I was knocked down and almost killed by a
galloping horse. Mr. Roache, who was riding the
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 15
horse when the accident occurred, was much alarmed
and offered to pay all doctor's bills, and furnish all
nourishment that I might need during my illness.
With skillful treatment and proper care I was able to
run around as before, after a few months had passed.
To guard against further accidents of the kind,
my father decided to build another hut on the opposite
side of the road to where we lived.
Shortly after we had moved into the new home, my
father, who, though illiterate himself, believed ear¬
nestly in education, began to talk of sending me to
school. A few weeks later all preparations were com¬
pleted, and Clemancia, my sister, and myself were
ready to attend the little village school, of which Mr.
Louis McCarthy was master.
It was on a lovely Monday morning that Clemancia
and I made our first appearance in the school. To me
everything seemed so strange and different from what
I had been accustomed to—running about in the
bushes—that I was anxious for the time to come when
I should be allowed to go home. This feeling, how¬
ever, soon gave way to a love for study, that later
could hardly be satisfied.
A Mr. Miller, noting the success that Mr. McCarthy
was having with his pupils, proposed to share with him
by opening a school on the outskirts of the village.
This school was nearer to our home than Mr. McCar¬
thy's, and as it shortened our walk considerably, we
were transferred to it. One day, during a two weeks'
holiday from school, I teased my father to take me
with him to the plantation when he went to work. He
consented, but made it a condition that I should not
16 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
climb any trees, which was a favorite pastime of mine
in those days.
When we reached the place he set me down in the
shade of some trees, and went on with his work.
Looking up into the branches above, I saw a sight
that fairly took my breath away. It was a bird's nest,
with the mother bird sitting on it. That meant eggs.
Father wasn't looking, so I climbed that tree and got
the nest. There were four speckled eggs in it. But
in climbing down I lost my hold and fell about ten
feet, coming in contact with the sharp point of a
stump below. I didn't realize I was hurt until I got
up and tried to walk. Feeling giddy, I looked down
and saw the blood streaming from a terrible wound
across my abdomen. I just had strength enough to
call: "Papa, your son is dead," and then I fell
unconscious.
Father took me in his arms and carried me to the
cabin, where they laid me on some green banana
leaves, and sent off for the doctor. But my parents
both expected me to die before the doctor could arrive;
for he was seven miles away, and there was no very
expeditious manner of reaching him.
In the meantime the report had spread about the
village that I was near to death. Now, on such occa¬
sions, it is the custom among us for the neighbors
to contribute something for the comfort and help of
the bereaved family. So, in anticipation of my death,
my mother had received before morning a goodly sup¬
ply of coffee, sugar, crackers, cheese, candles, rum,
matches, and boards for the coffin. The neighbors
contributing these supplies were all congregated in and
about the little cabin, waiting to indulge in a good
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 17
comfortable wake, as soon as I should be adjudged
sufficiently dead for the purpose.
During this time I had returned to a sort of semi¬
consciousness, but couldn't decide whether I was dead
or alive. The somewhat dim perception of what was
going on around me didn't seem to help me any, either.
At last, about midnight, the doctor came and com¬
pletely ruined that funeral by bringing me back to
life.
For six weeks, however, I was flat on my back, and
when I first moved I had to crawl about on all-fours.
At last the muscles gradually came to normal con¬
dition, and I was able by degrees to stand upright.
My sister and I continued at school under Mr. Mil¬
ler, until my love for education had developed to such
a degree that very often, when there was nothing to
eat at home, and my sister was inclined to be peevish
and disagreeable, I would stay in school all day with¬
out, perhaps, a morsel of food.
This state of affairs was modified to some extent
by the death of my father on August 4, 1895, in his
forty-third year.
18 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
CHAPTER II.
the death of my father and subsequent changes
in the family.
MY FATHER'S death was caused by a severe
form of measles, prevailing in the district at
that time. My sister and myself were also
stricken with the disease. My mother, though suffer¬
ing from a severe spell of headache, was the only one
able to go out and gather the different herbs and roots,
from which were prepared the various infusions and
decoctions used in quelling the disease.
My 'father's death overwhelmed us with sorrow
and gloom, and threw a responsibility upon my moth¬
er's shoulders, which only a woman of unusual courage
and fortitude could support. There was no money,
and as we had only recently left the plantation which
my father had cultivated under contract, we did not
know what to do. The body had to be buried. My
mother's efforts to borrow money for the purpose were
only met with rebuffs and disappointments. The poor
woman was helpless. Finally a kind-hearted East
Indian volunteered to lend her a few dollars, and thus
the money was obtained for his burial.
After the remains had been buried in the church
cemetery, on the road between Tortuga and Besessa's
Village, and those friends who had spent a night or
two with us had all returned to their homes, we were
left desolate and in a most pitiful condition. There
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 19
we were in a cabin, sick and penniless, and almost
starving. My poor, sick, heart-broken mother was
willing to work, but she could find nothing to do.
It seemed to us a special provision of Providence
that a sand-pit in the neighborhood, which for many-
years past had been lying idle, was now again to be
operated. My mother, though feeble from the effects
of her passing illness, was among the first to apply for
work. She was successful, and obtained a job as car¬
rier. She worked all day carrying sand from the pit
to a given point, getting as wages one dollar and
eighty cents per week. It often happened that when
the week was up, and she had paid the debts which she
was forced to contract during the week, she would
have only a few cents left* by no means enough to
take us through the following week. Oftentimes the
only thing we had to eat was rice boiled in water
and salt, or a roasted plantain or buc-buc, which we
would eat with a grain of coarse salt.
The impression made upon my youthful mind by
these early sufferings was such that I decided that
when I became a man I would aim to choose an
occupation that would bring me in contact with better
conditions, that I might be able in some degree to
make up for what I did not get in my childhood. But,
more than this, I also felt deeply that I would like to
do something to recompense my mother for the many
hardships and trials which she suffered in trying to
provide for me when I could not provide for myself.
Previous to my father's illness he had bought about
six acres of land in the ward of Savanna Grande.
The attention of farmers had only' recently been at¬
tracted to this section of the country, and most of the
20 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
land was still covered with dense forests, teeming
with snakes and monkeys and other wild animals.
We might have migrated to that place very soon after
my father's death, had we been able to cut down trees
and perform the other labors incident to the estab¬
lishing of a cocoa plantation. Not being able to do
this, we, in our straightened condition, simply wondered
as the days went by whether or not we would ever
be able to have a home on those lands.
About this time one John, a former policeman,
seemed to be imbued with a great deal of agricultural
ambition, and became very much interested in our
welfare. He offered to till the grounds for us, for
which he was to receive payment when the cocoa
trees had begun to bear. This offer we accepted. A
three-cornered hut was built, and by dint of much
hard work we managed to move our few belongings
to our new home in the virgin forest. After a por¬
tion of the woods had been cut down and burnt,
the land thus cleared was planted with corn, cassava,
tania, beans, pumpkins, yams, sugar-cane, plantains,
bananas, buc-buc and cacao; the cacao being the main
crop, and planted in rows twelve feet apart. Rice and
baji, which was made by stewing the leaves of vari¬
ous varieties of spinach with cocoanut oil, butter or
pork fat, formed our principal diet during the early
part of our life on the new plantation. Later, as the
different crops matured, food-stuffs became plentiful.
We also received occasionally a few dollars from the
sale of provisions.
As the cocoa trees gradually grew up, and expanded
their branches and threw out their leaves, the low
plants were smothered out of existence, which cut
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 21
down our principal source of food. The few chick¬
ens we had were gradually eaten by the family.
My sister and I now began to attend school again.
The school was located in Hard Bargain, a small
settlement about two miles from home. With the
increasing hard times at home, it was necessary for
Clemancia and me to stay at home one or two days
during the week, to assist in preparing cassava bread.
The bread was usually taken by my mother and my¬
self to the people in the village who kept small gro¬
ceries, or to the Saturday market at Williamsville.
We exchanged it for other articles of food, such as
rice, hogshead, salt codfish, pork, and the like. In
those days my lunch basket was very scantily fur¬
nished, and being sensitive about it I would usually
go off into the woods near the school to eat my lunch,
in order that my schoolmates might not notice the
poverty and scarcity of my food. My sister, however,
was not troubled much in this manner; indeed, she
usually managed to fraternize with somebody whose
lunch basket was particularly well furnished.
About this time my mother decided to send me to
my grandfather in Port of Spain, believing that in the
city there would be a better prospect for a good edu¬
cation, and some chance for a start in life.
It was only about forty-six miles to Port of Spain,
but it was considered a very important event and a
serious journey by the country people of the neigh¬
borhood. So the day before I started they came
around with a good supply of food to see me through.
They brought plantains, buc-buc, sweet cassava, cas¬
sava bread, sweet potatoes, tanias, beans, bread-fruit,
yams, bananas, sugar-cane and chickens. Being used
22 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
to the country, they feared the city atmosphere might
be hard on me at first.
Soon after my arrival in Port of Spain, Mr. Eriche,
an intimate friend of my grandfather, and teacher of
a private school, expressed a desire to take me as his
valet, he being elderly and an invalid. My grand¬
father consented, and I was placed with Mr. Eriche.
For the short time Mr. Eriche lived my position was
very much like that of a son in his house. I en¬
deavored to discharge such duties as were allotted to
me with thoroughness and care. As remuneration for
my services I received, besides my board and lodging,
the same training as the rest of his pupils, who paid
five dollars a month. In addition to this I also re¬
ceived two cents each morning as spending money.
Notwithstanding the fact that I now had a com¬
fortable home, my boyish mind still harbored the ambi¬
tion and determination to go forward and try to reach
a position where I might be of some use to my country
and to humanity. My people were not in a position
to send me to college and give me the education neces¬
sary to the successful execution of my plan, and I
realized that in Trinidad the field of opportunity was
too limited for me to hope to accomplish my purpose
if I stayed there; so it seemed to me that the only
practical method was to run away from home and
hide in some vessel bound to a foreign port. Then,
if I escaped being thrown overboard, I might land in
some country where I could obtain the training I
desired by working my way through school.
Accordingly I began to work toward this end, and
when Mr. Eriche died I felt free to follow out my
own plans.
VALERIO STARTING OUT IN SEARCH OF AN EDUCATION.
BOOK TWO
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma.
25
CHAPTER I.
LEAVING TRINIDAD.
' I ^ HE wretched condition in which my parents lived,
the grinding toil and poverty, and the hardships
and suffering of my childhood had aroused in
me the strongest sort of determination to better my
condition, if possible. It was borne in upon me that
I must acquire an education and, if possible, a profes¬
sion, a physician, for choice, because of the terrible
suffering, due largely to ignorance, which I had seen
and experienced among the class of people into which
I was born.
My first difficulty was to get away from Trinidad,
to some land where education was the rule instead
of the exception, and where opportunity was not so
rare a bird. It was from Port of Spain, the principal
city in Trinidad, that I first attempted to break away
into the world.
I applied to various captains along the water front,
but got more kicks than sympathy, and this forced me
to the conclusion that the only thing to do was to
become a stowaway. My first attempt was not for¬
tunate. It was a terribly rainy morning, about one
o'clock. The vessel lay about half a mile out and,
instead of boarding her at the forecastle, I climbed
aboard near the captain's quarters, and managed to
wake him up. He chased me off in such a hurry that
I forgot where the boat was that brought me, so I
just went over the side. It was the quickest and most
comfortable, on the whole; there was so much rain
falling, anyway.
26 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
The next time I suffered from the rather unsteady
assistance of some friends. They took me out in the
early morning to an old deserted fishing craft, and
left me with a promise to return in the afternoon
and take me aboard some of the foreign-going vessels
then in the harbor. I had provisions enough for a
day; some bread, cheese and a bottle of water, and
as it was necessary to keep myself concealed as much
as possible, I crouched down in the boat and took what
comfort I could. But three days passed and my
friends failed to return. My supply of food was gone
and I was suffering greatly from thirst, besides the
cramped position in the small boat. Under this stress
of circumstances I hailed a boy in a passing boat,
and he consented to take me over to one of the
steamers. But as soon as we got the sail up a stiff
breeze hit us; we lost our heads, and before we could
get control of the little craft we were driven plump
into a big sailing vessel and smashed to pieces. It
was hard luck, but the sailors fished us out, and I
was so done up that they consented to let me stay
with them for a while. But the poor boy who had
brought me was held responsible for the wrecked
boat, and they took him off to jail.
That night, fearing they might put me in jail,
too, I persuaded a boatman by means of six-pence to
take me over to a sloop that was going down the coast
to Cap-de-Ville, a village situated not far from the
great pitch lake on Trinidad.
Cap-de-Ville, however, did not help me much, and
not long after I was back in Port of Spain. I got
work and managed to save enough for a passage to
La Guayra, Venezuela. My money was gone when I
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 27
got there, and I was stranded for three weeks. That
was a hard time, and work did not come my way,
I ate whatever I could get, and slept wherever I could.
Finally some English sailors—having an idea of my
condition and knowing what I wanted—offered to
stow me away. They put me in the chain locker, and
it was a five days' trip to Savanilla, where we were
bound. It was as hot as Tophet, and dark as pitch,
in that chain locker; but I survived, and when we
reached Savanilla the sailors smuggled me ashore,
supplying me with some bread, meat and a piece of
soap, to keep me going until I could get work.
I went inland and got work at a hotel. Three
months later, with a little money saved, I got away on
a vessel to Carthagena. Off the mouth of the Caiman
River she became disabled. Our provisions gave out;
even our salt was gone, and for a week we lived on
shark meat and plantain. Besides which, on going to
my trunk I found that somebody else had been there
and practically emptied it of clothes and the little
money I had. It was not a fortunate voyage. But we
finally made Carthagena, where I was taken sick and
laid for three weeks in a hospital.
As soon as I was able to get around I obtained work
in a hotel as a waiter. In two months I had a little
money saved and, of course, I couldn't rest there any
longer, for I wanted to reach a country where there
were schools and colleges. So I took a ship at Car¬
thagena and paid my passage to Colon, and when we
arrived I found I had enough money to pay my fare
over to Panama.
But at Panama things looked rather badly, and I
was in a tight fix again. There were no boats leav-
28 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
ing for anywhere at all, and I had no more money.
I Walked about the town until nightfall, and supposed
I should have to spend the night in the streets. But
a policeman interfered with that. Wanderers were
not permitted to roam the streets after a certain
hour, and as I was totally unprovided with any lodg¬
ing, he would have to furnish me one in the jail.
The offer was not in the least alluring to me; indeed,
I preferred the streets. But that was highly illegal,
and he could not permit it. By way of encourage¬
ment he assured me that no stigma would attach to
my brief stay in the jail, and my standing as an hon¬
est man would not be affected, even in Panama.
There was no alternative, so I accompanied the
policeman to the jail. It was worse than I had
thought. The superintendent in charge subjected me
to the regular routine: I was searched and all my
personal property taken charge of. Then I was
handed over to the sheriff, who conducted me to the
basement and put me in a large, common jail-room,
wrhere the day's harvest of prisoners was housed. I
tried to impress upon him the fact that I was there
only for lodging and not for punishment; but that
sheriff could not be bothered with such a fine point,
and I had to submit.
The room was a large one, with concrete walls and
floors. It was dimly lighted by one oil lamp, and it
was most emphatically not clean. By way of beds
there were tables, each about six feet long, set into
the walls all around the room. But these tables
slanted, and if you lay lengthwise you would roll off
on to the floor. To lie across them meant curling
up just as tight as you could, and then your feet
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 29
would hang over. They were specially designed for
the discomfort of prisoners, and they served the pur¬
pose admirably. There were fully a hundred prison¬
ers in that room, and they looked a bad lot. On that
account, and for other lively reasons, I did not sleep.
Before long one of the inmates came over to me
and wanted to know what I was in for and how long
I'd got. I explained my position to him, but it took
both time and effort to convince him that I was telling
the truth. Then he informed me that it was a repre¬
hensible custom of the place for some one to come
around about four o'clock in the morning and rout
everybody out for a cold-water bath. "As you are
not a prisoner," he said, "you kick." At that time I
did not understand the peculiar significance of the
verb "to kick." "You watch me," he said, "I'll show
you."
At four o'clock, sure enough, a guard came around.
He carried a lantern and a club. I was awake and
managed, with some difficulty, to make him under¬
stand my position; so he passed me by and went to
the others. When his voice failed to awaken a pris¬
oner, he hit him over the shins with his club. At
last he came to my friend of the night before; it
seems he was an American sailor. He did not re¬
spond to the call, and that misguided guard hit him
with the club. He jumped up quickly, hit the guard
and knocked him down. The latter scrambled to his
feet and fled upstairs. We heard him telling his
troubles to the superintendent, who came back with
him. The guard pointed out the prisoner who had
maltreated him, but when the superintendent saw
who it was, he said: "Oh, it's the Americano! better
30 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
leave him alone and get the rest out." Then I knew
what it meant to kick.
At about nine o'clock I managed to get out of the
place; but when I asked for my personal effects,
which had been taken when I was searched the night
before, they were not to be found. Nobody knew
what had become of them, and I had to go away with¬
out them.
The next morning I went down to the bay, but the
only thing in sight was a coal barge. I managed to
get aboard of her and asked for work, and the cook
seeing I was pretty hungry gave me something to
eat. The captain and his whole family were aboard;
they lived there. His wife wanted to know if I
could do washing, and I wasn't afraid to say yes.
She brought me a basket, a very large basket, of soiled
clothes, her husband's, her own and the children's;
there were six children. When I had finished that one
she brought a second. I washed all that day and
two-thirds of the next, and the captain's wife being
satisfied with the quality of the work, they decided
to keep me with them. I staid three months, and
during that time did little else but wash clothing.
Then a Pacific liner, the Baracuta, happened to
come in, and I got work aboard of her. We touched
at most of the Pacific ports, including San Francisco.
But I had been told that New York was the place I
must get to. So when we got to 'Frisco I shipped
aboard an English tramp, hoping she would put in at
New York before long.
She carried me to Honolulu, China, the Mediter¬
ranean, and at the end of two years landed me back in
Panama.
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 31
It didn't look as though I were getting much nearer
to New York, so I determined to try it from the
Atlantic coast. I left the tramp. My wages while
aboard had been hardly more than sufficient to buy
my clothes, but I had just enough money to pay my
railroad fare to Colon, where I was fortunate enough
to get a chance to work my passage to New York.
On the trip up one of the men gave me six cents,
and I found five cents, so that when I landed in
New York on the 13th of September, 1898, I had
eleven cents in my pocket.
32 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
CHAPTER II.
new york at last.
T T HAD taken me a long time, and I had come a
roundabout way to reach it, but at last I was in
New York City. My courage was good and there
was no doubt in my mind as to what I wanted. I
wanted to transform myself into a doctor just as
quickly as possible.
But had I been able to realize then how much time
and work that transformation was going to require,
my courage might have faltered. Fortunately, that
was hidden, and only unfolded itself as I was able
to meet it.
The first thing I did on leaving the ship was to
buy a five-cent loaf of bread. That left me six cents.
But the loaf was enough for three meals, and I went
along munching my breakfast. People looked at me
strangely, and I suppose I must have looked rather
queer, although I was not conscious of it then.
I was dressed entirely in white, and I suspect there
was just a touch of the outlandish in the cut and
design of my clothes; they had not been made to fit
me particularly, either.
But none of these thoughts bothered me then, and
when I had finished my breakfast I stowed the rest
of the loaf away in my pockets.
I now inquired about hospitals and managed to find
my way to the Bellevue, where I had an interview
with one of the doctors. I told him I wanted to
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 33
become a doctor, and offered to work for him for
five years as an apprentice without any pay.
He was very kind, but his answer surprised me
very much. He said that doctors were not made in
that way nowadays, and that I would need a good
school education and a regular course in a recognized
medical college. This would give me a doctor's
diploma and a legal license to practice.
Evidently my plans needed readjusting. The
process of becoming a doctor was not nearly as direct
as I had thought. For an education I would need
money. There was but one way to get it: work
for it.
When I left Bellevue I went looking for work. All
day I tramped; stopping at almost every door; but
night found me still without work.
I knew of no place to go, and remembering my
experience in Panama, I supposed the New York
policemen would be even more particular about allow¬
ing wanderers on the streets at night. So I went to a
policeman and told him how I was fixed, and that
I had six cents to pay for a night's lodging.
He sent me to the West Side Boys' Home. I found
the place, and was going in, when some boy outside
said that the home was for American boys only. I
stood on the steps for a moment and decided that I
would change my name.
My own name is Eusebio Atanasio Valerio, and I
thought if I gave them that they would surely turn me
out. Aboard ship they had always called me John,
so I was familiar with that name. While thinking it
over, Paxton came into my mind, and I decided on
John Paxton.
34 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
At the office the name passed muster without any
trouble, and on payment of five cents they assigned me
a place to sleep. I was tired, and a good, sound sleep
put an end to my first day in New York.
The next morning I was up and out pretty early; for
\yhich I was rather sorry afterwards. It seems the
five cents included breakfast. But I didn't know it
then, and I needed it badly, as I had only one cent
in my pocket.
All morning I walked from place to place looking
for work, and found none. By noon I was very hun¬
gry, and thought seriously about investing that cent.
I spoke to some men about it and one of them told
me of a place over on the East Side, where a bowl of
soup and bread was sold for a cent.
I managed to find the place. It was crowded, but I
squeezed in, paid my cent and was just going to eat my
soup when somebody said: "Here, you, get out!
we don't serve niggers here!" Of course I could not
stop to tell him that in my country I was not con¬
sidered a "nigger." The distinction involved was one
which he would not appreciate; then, too, he was so
importunate that I should "get out," that he would not
even let me eat the soup I had paid for. So I found
myself outside again, minus the soup, with a craving
stomach, and that last cent gone.
It was evident that if I were to eat, I must find
work. Until that time I had not imagined that my
color would be any handicap, but had supposed that it
would be in other countries as it was in Trinidad.
There, judgment of personality is determined purely
from the standpoint of character and ability rather
than nationality or racial characteristics.
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 35
It seemed that my social standing was not at all the
same here, and it was not long before I was again
reminded of it. Passing by a Catholic church which
was open, I was going in to pray for work. Our
Catholic churches are always open in my own coun¬
try, and it is a custom when we need anything very
much, to go in and pray for it. But a man called to
me and said: "Here, you mustn't go in there!" I
asked him why, and he explained that the colored
people had a church of their own, and he told me
where it was.
I let him know that I wanted work, and he gave me
a newspaper and pointed out the advertisements. The
first one that seemed at all likely was: "Wanted a
man to carry the banner."
That struck me as just the right thing, because in
Trinidad we often go on pilgrimage processions to
sacred localities in the island, and the men and boys
carry banners. This, of course, would be the same,
I thought.
I noted the address and set out to find it. Having
got to the street I looked up and down, expecting to
see a church; but there was none. I then looked for
the number given in the address, and found that it
was a saloon. Instead of a religious banner, it was
a free lunch banner, and they wanted a man to carry
it up and down the streets.
As I never drink intoxicating liquors, I felt that
I could not "carry the banner." Some men in the
saloon, however, directed me to a barber's shop, where
they had seen a sign "Boy wanted," that morning.
I went there and found they wanted a boy to sweep,
look after fires, and shine shoes. The fires and sweep-
36 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trimidadian
ing I could take care of, but I made a very poor job
of the first pair of shoes I tried to shine.
The old proprietor took me in hand and explained
the use of the various polishes, brushes and rags, and
then he showed me how to shine a pair of shoes. I
stayed in that place for two months, but I was looking
for something better all the time.
At last I got a job as boy in Kilian Brothers, on
Thirty-second Street. They started me in at three
dollars per week. After two months Mr. Kilian told
me that he thought I was worth $3.50, and in two
months more he raised me to four dollars.
During this time I lived at the West Side Boys'
Home, and attended the evening school there.
In spare moments at the store, I had begun to write
out some little account of my life, and, one day when
I was out and they were moving things about, they
came across this.
It gave Mr. Kilian an inkling of what I was work¬
ing for, and he told me that in future I could go to
his house at meal times, and he would see that I was
taken care of. That was a great help to me.
The cold weather was coming on and they noticed
that I had no coat, so they gave me one. I had had it
but a few days when it was stolen from my clothes
locker at the home.
When they noticed at the store that I was not wear¬
ing it, of course, I had to tell them why, and Mr. Kilian
gave me another.
This I determined to keep with me all the time.
But one day when I had stopped at the desk, to identify
my laundry, I placed the coat down beside me. When
I went to take it up again, it was gone.
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 37
I did not know what to do. They had been so kind
at the store, that I was ashamed to let them know
what had happened. But, of course, they noticed that
the coat was gone, and I had to let them know how
it was stolen.
Well, they gave me another; and I certainly tried
my best to keep it safe. It was with me all the time,
except at night when I checked it at the office. As I
held the check, I supposed nobody else could get it;
but I was mistaken. One morning I went for it and
it couldn't be found.
The clerk had evidently allowed somebody to go in
to get his own coat, and he had taken mine, which was
a very good one, and left his own, which was a very
poor one.
When Mr. Kilian learned that the third coat was
gone, he went to the home with me to see the super¬
intendent. And he managed to make him realize his
responsibility in the matter to such a degree, that he
took me out right then and bought me a new coat.
That coat I did not lose.
During this winter I attended the evening school
at the home, and was greatly surprised at the close of
the term to receive the first prize.
This was given for attention and interest in the
work. It was a one-volume edition of the Encyclo¬
pedia Britannica, and proved very useful to me
later on.
But its immediate influence at the time was of great
importance. It roused the interest of the superin¬
tendent and trustees of the home. They questioned
me and found out what I was trying to do; and they
decided to help me.
38 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
During the time I had been working I had saved
eighty dollars. So the superintendent made applica¬
tion, and secured admission for me to the Normal In¬
stitute at Hampton, Virginia.
VALERIO AS AN OFFICER AT HAMPTON.
Ix Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 39
CHAPTER III.
school and college life.
AT THE school in Hampton, Virginia, the cost of
tuition is rated at one hundred and thirty dol¬
lars per year for each student, and this is se¬
cured by donation. The cost of board is eighty dol¬
lars per year, and this the student pays; the expense
of books and clothing being also borne by the student.
To meet these expenses I had the summer months
to work in, and also two days out of each week during
the school term.
In summer I usually managed to get a job aboard
a steamer, generally a tramp, and in this way I went
pretty nearly all over the world, and made part of my
expenses for the next school term.
Once the ship I was aboard took fire at the wharf,
and I lost every stitch and cent I had. When I got
back to school there was everything to get and no
money to get it with.
But they gave me a position in the hospital, which
was connected with the school. Here I worked all
day, and attended night school during the whole term.
So the loss was not so great after all, while my experi¬
ence in the hospital was a positive gain.
The following summer I shipped aboard a tramp at
Newport News. She first took me down to South
America, and then over to Antwerp. But when we
made the latter port I had to leave her, because she
40 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
wasn't going back to America, and I had to get back
to school. Through the kindness of the captain and
the American consul, however, I got a chance to work
my passage on an American boat going to Canada.
We got into a very heavy fog off the coast, which
delayed us considerably, while through some fault of
the steward the ship was not properly provisioned,
and the stores gave out. This placed us in a very bad
fix, and for a week we had nothing but herring and
water.
Had the fog not lifted I might not have got back
to school at all that term. But we did make port
at last, and I was only two weeks late.
They had held a position open for me at the school,
as, indeed, they always did if I happened to be late,
knowing that I needed the work to help me through the
term.
I stayed at the school five years, but owing to some
remarks of one of the teachers to the class, which I
took too much to heart, although they were not ad¬
dressed to me personally, I got discouraged and pan¬
icky, and, instead of waiting for the final examinations,
I left the school before they came on.
A letter from one of the faculty assured me that
there was not the slightest doubt of my passing the
examinations, but I did not go back, so I did not get
my diploma.
From Hampton I went to New York, and my next
hard work was to get money enough to go through a
medical college.
I worked for awhile on the boats, but it was not
lucrative enough, and I decided to try something else.
I went canvassing for the "Success" magazine. My
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 41
first subscriber was Mr. Tice, the former superin¬
tendent of the West Side Boys' Home. But after
trying New York awhile I thought it would be better
to try the country, where the people were not so busy.
I started afoot up the Hudson River, and canvassed
all the way; taking in every town up to Albany. Then
I came down, doing the same thing on the other side.
The trip took six weeks, and when the account was
balanced I found I was only fifteen dollars ahead.
I thought perhaps the West Indies might prove a
good field. They were my own race, and would un¬
derstand, and perhaps sympathize and try to help me
in what I was trying to do.
They proved me mistaken, however. I worked my
passage down to Jamaica, stayed two weeks, spent my
fifteen dollars, and got one subscription.
So I determined to come back again, working my
passage, but I needed fifty cents to get my trunk down
to the boat, and the American Consul, Mr. Bridgman,
let me have it.
I sent the money back to him as soon as I could,
which evidently surprised him, for I received the fol¬
lowing letter:
Kingston, Jamaica, December 30, 1904.
E. A. Valerio, Esq.,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Dear Mr. Valerio:—Measured by the fact that you
have taken the trouble to return the trifling amount
borrowed, you are the first honest man I have met un¬
der like circumstances for six years in the Diplomatic
and Consular Service.
42 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
I am going to place your letter on file, and if I can
give you any written recommendation in the line of
obtaining employment, I will cheerfully write one.
Very truly yours,
G. H. Bridgman,
American Consul.
When I reached New York again I decided to try
Philadelphia, but not having money enough for my
fare, I went to the Pennsylvania railroad station in
Jersey City, and asked them to give me a ticket.
It took some time and a good deal of talk, but I
finally reached the proper official, who heard what I
had to say, and gave me a ticket.
But the field in Philadelphia proved to be a poor
one; besides which, the dollar I received for the first
subscription was stolen from me. I determined to
try something else, and shortly got a position with a
doctor on Chestnut Street.
Another doctor, whom I met and to whom I spoke
of my purpose to go through a medical college, told me
about Temple College, in Philadelphia, founded by
the Rev. Russell H. Conwell, D.D., and suggested my
going to see Dr. Snively, the Dean of the Medical De¬
partment.
This I did, and Dr. Snively, when he heard my
story, gave me a letter to the college trustees. This
did not have the effect hoped for at the time; the
trustees deciding that I ought to be in condition to pay
at least fifty dollars towards the cost of the first year's
tuition; which was one hundred and twenty-five dol¬
lars.
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 43
I thought that among my own people in Trinidad I
might be able to raise the money, so I took the "Suc¬
cess" magazine again and went to Trinidad. I stayed
until it became evident that I would not be able to
make more than enough to pay my expenses while
there.
When I returned to Philadelphia I went to see Dr.
Snively again. He gave me another letter to the
trustees, which proved more fortunate this time. I
was admitted as a student at the beginning of the
next term.
To pay for my tuition the first year, I worked as
janitor of the Bacteriological Laboratory in the Sa¬
maritan Hospital, which is connected with the college.
During this year, besides my tuition, I gained a good
deal of knowledge and experience in laboratory work,
and learned the formulas for making culture-media for
bacteria.
In the summer vacation I obtained work in Better-
ton, Maryland, with the Y. M. C. A. While there I
received a letter from Mr. Grant C. Osborne, Secretary
of the Board of Trustees, informing me of my appoint¬
ment by the college trustees, as laboratory assistant in
the Garretson Hospital. When I returned to college,
Dr. Duncan, under whom I had worked in the labora¬
tory of the Samaritan Hospital, interested himself to
have me appointed assistant with him also. The salary
being one hundred dollars each, for these two positions,
was amply sufficient to pay my tuition during the sec¬
ond term.
As I write this the third term has just come to a
close. Two more years and I shall have a doctor's
diploma, although to enable me to practice in Trini-
44 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
clad, it will be necessary for me to take a post-graduate
course of a year in some English college.
My ambition and desire as a boy will be realized and
fulfilled. I can return to my own people with the
ability and knowledge to help them, and, in some de¬
gree, to educate and uplift.
Surely, as I have done, so many of them may do.
For I was one of the poorest among them, and a def¬
inite desire opened the whole wide world to me, and
placed me at last in that particular spot where the de¬
sire could best be fulfilled.
The following letter which I have just received
speaks for itself. I. am very glad it has reached me
in time to enable me to place it here, for it has en¬
couraged me greatly, as it constitutes a recognition and
approval of my progress up to the present:
The Temple University,
Philadelphia, Pa., June 23, 1909.
Dr. Eusebio Valerio,
18th and Button wood Streets.
Dear Dr. Valerio:—I am directed to notify you that
at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, held
Saturday, June 19, 1909, you were elected a member of
the Medical Faculty.
Very truly yours,
Geo. A. Welsh,
Secretary.
MAJOR FACULTY OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL.
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 45
It seems to me that I cannot close this little book in
a more fitting manner than with thanks. First to
God, Who has uplifted and strengthened me through
all; and second, to those men and women whose
kindly aid has helped me to attain the position in
which I now stand, and whose encouragement and
sympathy, while traveling a rough road, will be one of
the lasting memories of my life, and will live in my
work when the goal is won.
46 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
The Island of Trinidad.
TRINIDAD, one of the West Indian Islands, lies
near the mouth of the Gulf of Paria, off the
northeast coast of Venezuela. It is opposite the
northern mouth of the Orinoco River, between lati¬
tude ten and eleven degrees north, and longitude sixty-
one and sixty-two degrees west.
The length of the island from north to south is
about fifty miles; average breadth, about thirty miles;
area, one thousand seven hundred and fifty-four square
miles. Its southwest and northwest extremities ap¬
proach within seven and thirteen miles respectively
of the continent of South America.
The island is crossed by three ranges of hills from
west to east. The highest borders the northeast, and
attains an elevation in places of three thousand feet.
The second range is somewhat lower, and occupies
the centre of the island, and the third, of about the
same elevation, stretches along the south coast.
The valleys between these ranges are drained by
several rivers, many of which are of considerable size.
These, with their numerous tributaries, contribute to
the formation of a dark soil, which, in fertility, is
hardly surpassed by any soil in the world. Much of
the island is alluvial, and appears to have been formed
of the mud deposited by the Orinoco.
The mineral deposits are clay and mica slate, py¬
rites, quartz, arsenic, copper sulphate, alum, graphite
and sulphur. Traces of volcanoes appear under such
names as the Devil's Wood-Pot or the Devil's Wood-
Yard.
In Search of a Doctor's Diploma. 47
Trinidad lias an almost exclusive possession in as¬
phalt, mined from the unique and wonderful "Pitch
Lake," to the extent of nearly $1,000,000 a year. From
this product alone the government derives an income of
nearly $200,000 yearly.
The principal industry on the island is agriculture.
There is nothing that grows within the zones of heat
that cannot be produced here in rankest luxuriance.
The staple cultivation was sugar, which stood by the
planters for many, many years, but was at last sup¬
planted by cacao, when emancipation reduced the sup¬
ply of laborers, and beet sugar glutted the markets.
Sugar has fallen in value as an export from about
$4,000,000 in 1880 to $2,000,000 since the present cen¬
tury opened. Cacao, on the contrary, has increased
within ten years from some $2,500,000 to about
$5,000,000.
Port of Spain, the capital city, has a temperature
ranging between seventy-four degrees and ninety-six
degrees in summer, and seventy and eighty-one de¬
grees during the coldest months. The rainfall is about
sixty-five inches during the year.
The principal Government buildings are located in
Port of Spain, and the public affairs are administered
by a Lieutenant-Governor, appointed by the English
sovereign, assisted by legislative and executive coun¬
cils.
In this city a comparatively large volume of busi¬
ness is carried on. There are several large manu¬
facturing plants, supplying work to a large number
of skilled and unskilled workmen. The products of
these factories are sold and utilized mainly in the
island.
48 Sieges and Fortunes of a Trinidadian
In a most desirable, but somewhat remote part of
the capital, stands the Colonial Hospital, a magnificent
stone building of modern architecture, and capable of
accommodating a large number of patients.
As an adjunct to the Colonial Hospital, the city has
a Public Health Office, where the poorer class of peo¬
ple may receive medical advice and treatment free.
The privileges of this office are daily enjoyed by hun¬
dreds of the afflicted poor.
Regarding the educational facilities of the island,
there are schools and colleges which, though few in
number, may be classed among the best institutions
of learning in any civilized country. If the average
Trinidadian should appear to be deficient in education;
it is due, not so much to lack of schools, as to his
inability to secure funds to enable him to enjoy the
privileges of those colleges that are there.
It is a common belief abroad that the West Indians
are a lazy, non-progressive sort of people, whose
wants are easily satisfied. To the casual observer
there may appear to be much of truth in this, but as
applied to Trinidadians, I have found many exceptions
to it.
From personal observation, with a view toward de¬
termining the ground for this belief, I admit that many
of the inhabitants, especially in the towns, do not ap¬
parently exert sufficient energy in any direction.
Whether this tendency to take things easy, regard¬
less of results, is due to idiosyncrasy, or is one of the
manifestations of some idiopathic disease, is more than
I can say at present. To me it would seem largely
due to the depressing influence of the tropical heat.
FACULTY OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL.