The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-05-18

Dan Mccormick was great tall, SIX foot
two inches, raw-boned Scotchman. His
head was red as red could be, beard and
face to match, and with q warm, social
heart, fond Of a glass, full of good nature,
strong as a horse, courageous as a lion,
his hearty " How is it, mon ?" and cordial
grasp, made him great favorite among
the engineers. r
; Dan had been sent out to Cuba by an
engineering firm of Glasgow, to put up a
steam engine and sugar mill, on the Lou
lisa" a sugar plantation near the town of
Bemba, some twenty miles above Carde-
mas, and finding the situation SO far as
nag was concerned, much better than
Scotland, be. concluded to stay and "tAke
off a crop" so as to have something
''canny" to show when he got back to the
Land o. Cakes le- -eos
Now it happened that though the pay
was good on the Louisa" yet there were
some very serious drawbacks of which
Dan was ignorant, and which made this
plantation avery dangerous place to live
on. The people" numbered about four
hundred, nearly all native Africans of the
Lueumi tribe, and the most intractable
slaves an the island.
The Lucumis are large, finely formed
AGNCA4CANig anu
intensely black, Constantly chahng the
bit of slavery, they are always trouble
some. SO that the planters do not care to
have many Of them on the same estate.
Dan got along very well with his work,
having an administrator who spoke Eng
lish, and in about six weeks had his engine
up and grinding. Things went along
smoothly until the Christmas holidays,
when the usual stoppage was made and all
was quiet for several day On Christmas
day Dan borrowed horse from the sugar
master and rode down to Bemba, two
leagues away. Here he met with several
of his countrymen, engineers on adjoining
plantations, and with them passed a very
pleasant day. rls.r -1s- -l f.- asl
1t was nearly midnight when Dan got
back-a cool, calm, delicious night, a
Tropical moon lighting up the roads almost
as bright, but much more pleasant than
the broad glare Of noon. He rode on to
the place, feeling pretty good, having dis
ctssed several bottles of mountain dew
with his friends at Bemba, and as he dis
mounted, found himself rather unsteady
in gait, winch fact he attributed to his not
being accustomed TO long rides on horse
back as it was, he found his room, and
was soon dreaming Of the blue-eyed lassie
in the far-of old country. -
It was nearly two in the morning when
Dan was awakened by most internal
screeehing, accompanied with beating and
kicking against his room-door aroused
out of a sound sleep, it was some time
before he could realize the situation, but
a few seconds served to dispel his Illusions,
and rising hastily, he was about to open
the door, when fortunately recollecting q
caution given to him that day in Bemba,
he paused to listen. "Muera el Ingles,
(kill the Englishman,) was plainly to be
heard, and though Dams knowledgeof the
Spanish language was very limited, he.un-
derstood what that meant, and it was
lucky he did had he opened the door
they would have made mince-meat O
him. .r- ~
Standing upon bench, he looked oui
through a crack above the shutter, and hil
hair Strengthened out IN horror; the dwell
ings, the engine and sugar houses were
blazing, and suspended from the bell l-post
hung the bodies of the administrator anc
Mayoral, surrounded by q crowd of fun
ons blacks, hacking the lifeless corpsel
with their machettes, and bowling like
fends.
Dan at once considered himself gone
Scot, and wished he. had never left hi
three and sixpence in GlasgoWfor six dol
lare day and his throat cut in Cuba.
Jumping down he felt for his boots, but
only found his stockings, and drawing
them hastily on, crept to the door W hict
yet resisted the blows Of the raging mob
Dams heart throb5ed painfully as be stooC
there with nothing but thin plank be-
tween him and massacre. At length b,
heard the cry, Burn the Engles,R "Smok'
him out, and felt his time was come Hs
at once determined 10 throw open the door
and if possible, break through, the croWC
and run for his life. Dan boosted Of hi
sYiftness of foot, and knew that with am
thing like fair start, he could beat am
Lucami on the place, and in his tight fit
ting knit drawers and undershirts Just a
he had sprung from bed, Dan was in gooC
running costume, though not exactly pre-
sentable to polite society. na- li. -n
Uttering short prayer, and nervint
himself for the effort, he threw open th'
door, and with yell that appalled, th,
negroes, sprung out among them despai
added to his strength, and the very mum
Der Of his assailants was IN his favor, anC
i in their insane eagerness to cnthim down
they only gashed each other, and IN les
time than 1t takes to tell 1T, Dan had ruI
the gauntlet, and with a few slight wounds
1 was speeding towards the avenue leading
out into the main road. .a tsat
1 With a howl of disappointment the Ju
cumis started in pursuit. Men, womel
and children, foaming with savage fury
Joined in the chase, and Dan knew with
out looking behind, that death was at hi
heels thirsting numerically for his blood
fStriking diagonally across the ''battey,
| be forgot an immense heap Of 'tbergasse'
until It was too late TO avoid II. How ,
was surmounted Dan could never tell b
only knew it sOds 90 when he found him
self bounding down the opposite eide W1tl
tremendous leaps; some Of the negroe
followed across the "bergasse. These b
distanced, but the greater number kept q
around the base, and as Dan creased III
summit and began to descsnd thsy re
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