Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-12-20
BlOOd-SOaked Santiago.
FreemasOns Murdered and Their Wives
and Children Hunted In the Woods by
BloodhOunds.

a leJJer, OF Wnlcn tne IOllOWlng is an
accurate translation, has just been re-
ceived from an acquaintancein Santiago
de Cuba. 1t gives one of the most re-
voting pictures of brutalism ever pre-
sented to any civilized community and
will lead to but one conclusion.
The names of the writer and recipi-
ent of the letter are both withheld, as it
would imperil the writer's life if it
should be traced to him by the Spanish
authorities.
My DEAR FRIEND AND HRoTHER-I
know you will pardon mf FOR not an
swering your letter of last April, In
which you desire "full information in
regard to the massacre of the Grand
Lodge of Santiago de Cuba and the
present condition of their widows and
orphans" When your letter was re-
ceived it had the appearance of having
been opened. This fact and the con-
tents of the letter convinced me that If
the reception of the letter by me was
known by the Governor my life, in spite
of my high official position, would not
be worth moments purchase. i'm
mediately burned the letter, and, be-
yond my usual correspondence on bust
ness matters, have not thought it
advisable to touch on matters and
things of our unhappy island, much as
L should have desired you to have the
horrible facts to present them to the
Grand Lodge of New York at their last
sitting. But this you know was impos-
sible, as every mail was searched, and
life here is held of no value whatever.
But the affairs of the last few days and
the savage acts of the volunteers have
compelled many toyleave here secretly,
as there is no knowing where this will
all end, and by this mode 1 send you
this letter, though when it will reach
you God only knows.
The Grand Lodge in 1869 met here,
as was their custom since their organi-
zation. They had never been disturbed
by the government, although their time
and place of meeting was well known to
all of us. The night before the meeting
was informed that the arrest was to
be made, and that should there be any
resistance on the part of the Tyler to
the free entrance of the officers the
troops were to fire into the building
and burn it, with all those within. I
personally informed the Grand Lodge
of these intentions, and the next morn
ing learned that they intended to hold
their session with open doors. They
did so, and were arrested, and confined
that night in the jail. The next morn
ing they were informed that they
should be taken to Havana for trial, but
three hours after sunrise they were all
taken outside of the city and shot.
This act created considerable excite
ment at the time, but as it was impris-
onment to speak of it, it was soon
hushed up.
The families of those men thus shot
were on trial for the acts of the heads
of those families, and, as q result, tkei1
property was confscated, they were
declared paupers and, at the same time,
the populace was forbidden, under pain
of imprisonment, to render any of them
any assistance. Thus, being deprived
of home and shelter, food and the
means of obtaining it, forbidden to
leave the jurisdiction of Santiago dc
Cuba, these poor, helpless creatures
sought shelter in the woods near here
and became one common family.
But the inhumanities, CT c1delties and
barbarit1es which these women and
children have been subjected to passed
the belief of a civilized being. 1 could
not describe what have seen and been
unable to prevent. All robberies are
laid to their door, and even supposed
robberies were gotten up, so that the
chase of the bloodhound might be wit.
messed by the rabble and the suffering
of some one of the poor beings added
to their thirst for morbid depravity. II
was not two months after the executions
that saw one Of the women, who was
about to become mother, placed be-
tween two boards upon which sat 6
heavy, burly savage, surrounded by 6
dozen soldiers and several officers, who
were trying to compel this helpless be-
ing to confess crime of robbery which
/ had previously investigated and coul6
find nothing that warranted the belle
of robbery having been committed
Her dead body was left there, and foul
days after, when the stencil compelled
it's burial, it was found to have beer
partly devoured by dogs. Since tina
time to the present these poor creatures
have been subjected to outrages beyond
description or comprehension by the
people of community such as yoU
live in.
There are now but few living, per
haps 30 to 40 souls, though in 1869 they
numbered in all over 800. Some dice
from starvation, others from exposure
while the majority of them were killed
by bioodhounds, for it is one of th'
sports of these brutes to hunt thes,
poor people as game. have seen bodie
of those killed whose sex could not b,
distinguished by reason of mutilation
An attempt to exterminate them wal
made few days ago by the volunteer
and some of the crew of the Tornado
When the Virginius was brought int
the harbor it was made the occasion O
great festivities, and liquor flowed free
ly. Toward midnight party of thre,
men, with hounds to hunt their vic
Tins, started for the woods. No on,
ualou w prevent WHat III WIS knOWl
would follow. The next morning the,
boasted in the streets of what had takei
place, and related with pride ant
pleasure the violence to which they haC
subjected these women and girls, som,
of the latter being only 10years old.
With an associate official we that af
ternoon proceeded into the woods ant
ordered the burial of nine, whom W.
, found dead. Seven were suffering from
violence that I cannot describe on,
was black in the face, she having beef
} choked to death, while another had he
entire breast bitten of. returned sicl