Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-11-20

] a few hours captivity, during whiel
they were subjected to all the hunilis
, tons that the most barborous nature
could devise, they were taken out ant
shot dead by skies, under the walls 0
: the fortificRtiOn. When the fatal ball
: had done their work, the troops wer
ordered TO retire, when a scene Of tn
| most extravagant barbarism follow
, ed. The corpses were left t,
! the fury and f1endishness of hired rab
! bic, consisting mostly of negroes, wh'
set to work first, divesting the bodies o
their garments and then mutilatinl
their every limb. Hands and nose
! were cut of and fastened on the tops o
sticks, with which the rabble paradeC
the city, and the eyes Of the dead mer
were plucked out in the very excess o
wantOn barbarism.
| When the dead bodies had been thu
deseersted by horde Of lawless negroes
they crammed them six and
seven at time into hears.
es, which had been used the
year previous for the conveyance oi
cholera eOrpses. The manner In which
they were placed In these hearses was
equally revolving. They were pushed
Ia any way they could tit, some caught
overhead, by the feet and their heads
dangling toward the ground, giving
the hearses the appearance of portable
human slaughterhOuses They were
then thrown into q pit in piles, un-
coftined and unshrouded. The manner
or the death Of these men Inust not pass
without tribute, even at this distant
day. They were ehot in siXes, twelve
were first brought to the place of exeou-
ton, and six were ordered to kneel
down. Upon the shooting of this six,
the remainder were compelled
to walk round their dead
bodies and then kneel them
selves for the same fate. If the cruel
butchers had possessed a sclntilla of
manhood, they would have spared their
dead bodies the indignities they suffered
In respect for tine heroic manner in
which they faced their death. Not 8
murmur Of complaint passed the lips Of
a single victim, and they knelt down to
receive the fatal shot without moving a
muscle, Or displaying the slightest emo
ton of terror. The poor fellows only
made one request before their death,
and that was TO the United States consul
at Havana, whom they requested to see
that they might send some token of love
to their friends; but the churlish consul,
A. T. Owens. refused to visit them, and
this melancholy pleasure was denied the
hapless band.
EXECUTION OF GENERAL LOPEZ.
General Lopez was subsequently CAP
tured near the site of San CristebaI,
aud, without moments delay, he was
conveyed to Havana, where, in the
summary manner characteristic of Span
ish Cuba, he was condemned to execu.
ton by q drum-head c0urt-martial,
the sentence to be put into execution
the next day. At an early hour next
morning crowds of people assembled,
with all the ribaldry which characterize
such mobs, near the front of the Punta,
opposite Moro Castle. Every species Of
excess was INDUCED IN by the jeeFing
crowd, Of which the Spanish soldier
on duty were the chief provokers. In
the center of the crowd was a space,
guarded from the Irespass of the crowd,
and within that space was erected the
terrible machine which was to transport
the gallant soldier into eternity. This
consisted OF an ordinary scaffOld, about
twenty feet high, surrounded by balcO-
ny of rough boards, aud garrotR The
post and an iron screw behind, with q
handle, and attached were the fatal col
lar and the chair of death, After the
mob had sstiated themselves in every
species of barbsrism, the solemn eortege
proceeded toward the place Of execu-
ton from the prisonhOuse of Lopez. |
First came a number of priests, srrayed
i'll their most solemn and imposing
garb, with bell in each of their hands. |
After them came a procession of SOL
diers, fully armed, and main
tanning a profound silence, and
lastly came Lopez himself, sur-
rounded by a prOmiseuous crowd Of
priests and soldiers. The place Of exc
eution gained, the soldiers formed a !
guard around the space, leaving none
inside but few priests and the higher |
officers Of the Spanish government. The |
eXecutioner, who was a huge negro, led |
the way up to the scRffold, followed by !
Lopez, who walked with a firm tread |
and an easy, graceful bearing. He was
on either side by priest, who |
kept constantly reciting prayers, in /
which he joined with every exterior ev-
idence OF deep christian devotion. When |
be had gained the platform, he knelt |
down, recited some prayers with his |
spiritual attendants, and firmly clasping |
3 cruciflx to his breast, he raised him |
self to his feet again. At this mement |
the officer in command called for silence. |
upon which Lopez stepped forward, and |
addressed the crowd with words of pie |
ty and patriotic fervor for s few minutes. |
At the conclusion Of his address, he |
walked toward the dreadful chair, and 1
seating himself therein, he |
his pure and brsvespirit to God. |
His last words were:
"AdfoS, Cuba Quertdo."