New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-05-13
A IrCID NTERT4L.

| new stage of our relations with Spain with
no serious questions pending and unsettled.
We are informed from Madrid that the King
has already signed the royal decree for tho
pardon Of the boys sentenced to the chain
gang by court-martial in Havana, for the
alleged dissertation of the tomb of Castanon.
| Of all the numberless crimes against humanity
| committed by the Volunteers of Cuba, this
was the most glaring and conspicuous. 1t
was the one above all which would have
called for the Intervention of the civilized
world if there could ever be any justification
for the interference of one nation In the
domestic affairs of another. 1t was one of
those wild and frightful attacks of homicidal
mania which sometimes strike the pos
SCISSORS Of irresponsible authority or
physical power. A party of boys on
holiday, in graveyard near their
college, were reported by some excited per-
son to have committed sacrilege. 1t was
said they had removed the immortelles and
broken the glass Of the tomb of Gonzalez
Castanon. This man has been reared as O
martyr by the Volunteers, because. having
gone to Key West to fight duel with Gu
ban, he got into tavern fight and was killed.
The men who shot him were Cubans. He had
distinguished himself by his furious abuse of
the Cubans in his paper and so the Volun-
teers logically adopted him as the first great
martyr of the Spanish cause. Spain adopted
his family, and the blOOdtbirsty murderers of
Havana used his memory to whet their hate
of the Crcoles just as the Christian rufiians
of the middle ages used to read OF the cruel
fxion to raise their spirits to the point OF
killing n wealthy and infrm Jew. When the
| news came to the Volunteers that the school
boys had treated with disrespect the grave OF
this patriot rowdy they clamOred for their
blood, and Overbearing the feeble resistance OF
the Governor, and Segundo CdbO, they organ
lied q corrt-martial, tried, sentenced, and shot
eight of the unhappy children, belonging to
some of the most respectable families of the
Island. and sentenced a large number Of others
to the chain gang for terms OF years. Ii was
n crime beyond qualification in words. III 1T
had been committed by any other people in
any other place on earth it would have shocked
the entire world. But such things were so
common and so natural coming from the lla-
yana Volunteers, that the incident passed over
with feeble and languid comment from the
press, and with official protests only from the
United States and England.
There has been no reaction in Cuba in re-
gard to this matter. Although it appeared,
after the slaughter of the children was over,
that they were perfectly innocent, that there
had been no desecratOn of the tombs, that
some of the victims were not even in the
graveyard, there was no shame or remose
exhibited. On the contrary, they insolently
assumed the stain of innocent blood. They
resisted furiously any attempt TO obtain par
don for the boys who were dragging their
days ont in the infamy and hardship of
the chain-gang. They even treated Il
fathers grief as a crime. Mr.. Alvarez
de In Campo, whose son had been
shot among the butchered eight, solicitous
for the honor of his murdered child, prepared
a memorial showing the boys innocence, and
asking for post norton reversal OF his SEN
tence. This was presented to the Government
in Madrid, and the matter coming out in
Havana, reused so much wrath among the
savage Volunteers that Mr.. Alvarez de la
Campo, seeing his life in danger, was snug
gled aboard Spanish steamer and sent off to
the Peninsula After he was gone dclcga-
ton of the Volunteers came to the Governor,
exclaiming bitterly against this escape Of their
victim.
Such being the feeling of the al-powerfu
ianizaries of Spain in regard to this question,
it is question of great interest to see how
they will receive the announcement that the
King has pardOncd the bOy-cOnvicts. 1t is a
matter which has occasioned some anxiety in
Madrid. The pardon was prepared and ready
to publish three months ago. the American
Legation was Informed, but it has been
delayed Oh account of representations received
from Cuba. King Amadeus has, at least,
apparently concluded that he could have no
better ground than this for trying conclusions
with the Volunteers. However the act may
result, it is credtable to him.
1t is reported also, by paper which is I'M
derstood to have relations with the Spanish
Legation in Washington, that the Madrid
Cabinet have resolved to release Dr. Uouard,
as soon as he is demanded by our Govern
ment. "tO show their friendiness TO the
United States.n The question as to the JUS
tice of his sentence does not appear to cut
any great figure in the Spanish view of the
case. 1t is fortunate they are not inclined to
argue the question. If they were, they could
have made a most diverting chapter of dplo-
matte history by sending to Gen. Sickles,
in reply to his demand for Houard's release,
copy of Secretary Fish's letter to Mr..
COlfax, in which, within three days
from the time he had sent peremptOry
requisition to Spain for Houard he
wrote an elaborate argument to prove that
Houard was not an American, and that he was
properly punished. If Spain should now give
up DR.. Houard it will be due to other causes
rather than the frmness or energy of our
Exerutive IL would indicate ono of t,vo thin oo