Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-07
THE SANTIAGO SLAUGHTER.
A Graphic Description Of the Horrible
Scene-HOw a British Officer Brought
Butcher BurrieI to Reason.
al,


New YORK, Dec. 4.-The Morning Star,
from Santiago de Cuba, arrived here this
morning. The Morning Star was in port
at Santiago when the Viginius was
brought there, and during the week of exc
cutions The second mate, Coffin, gives
graphic description of the scenes of that
memorable period, and incidents, many of
which are new, Mr.. Coffin is an intelli-
gent and respectfully connected young
American. His narative is cOroborated in
every detail by the other officers of the
Morning Star. He says the Virginius was
conveyed in by the Tornado and another
Spanish man-Of war on the evening of the
the inhabitants of Santiago were
wild with joy. On the contrary, they
were excessively quiet, and no demonstra-
tion whatever was made. The American
fac. which had been borne at the mast
head of the captured vessel, lay conspicu-
ously upon her quarterback, to be tram
peeled upon by her captor's crew, and was
not removed until the next evening. On
Sunday afternoon, the prisoners were land
ed by the Tornado's boats. All, with the
exception of Ryan, Varona, Del Sol and
CeSpedeS, had their elbows pinioned be-
hind. and their hands handcutied in front.
This treatment of the four latter seemed to
be sort of mock respect to their supposed
leadership. After they had all been drawn
up upon the wharf they were marched in
the centre of strong guard to the prison.
At 6:45 on TuesdaymOrning, Ryan, Varona,
Del Sol and CeSpedes were conducted to
the slaughter house, walk OF about ten
minutes. Ryan wore blue shirt over his
white shirt, with silver star on the breast,
and trudged gaily along as If going to his
wedding. He smoked cigar the entire
route, and did not throw it away until the
moment came for the firing. A priest adj
vanced to his side, and offered the cOnsola-
tions of religion, but Ryan waved him of.
Even the Spanish officers were loud in their
admiration of the GOODNESS and indifference
with which he met his death. The Ameri-
can Consul having attempted protest,
Gen. Burriel placed double row OF senti-
nels around the consulate, thus keeping
our representative a virtual prisoner until
after the conclusion Of the butch
| cries. at o'clock on Friday afternoon,
Capt. Fry and thirty-six of his crew were
shot Mr.. Coffin witnessed their eXecu-
ton from the wall OF the slaughter-hOuSe.
| The victims were ranged facing the wall,
and at a sufficient distance from it to give
them room to fall forward. Capt. Fry
having asked for a glass Ofwater, one was
handed him by Charles Bell, the steward of
the Morning Star. Fry then walked from
the end of the line to the cenere, and calm
ly awaited his fate. He was the only man
that dropped dead at the first volley, not
withstanding the fact that the firing party
were but a distance of ten feet away.
| Then ensued horrible scene. The
| Spanish butchers advanced to
where the wounded men lay writh-
ing and moaning in agony, and placing the
miIzzles Of their guns in some instances in
TO the mouths Of their victims, pulled the
| triggers, shattering their heads into trag-
ments. Others of the dying men grasped
the weapons thrust at them with despair
ing clutch, and shot after shot was poured
| into their bodies before death quieted them.
P. o. Saunderson, the first mate Of the
| Morning Star, who was standing on the
bridge of his vessel when the first volley
was fired, says that for about ten minutes
| the firing reminded him of a Fourth
of July celebration. All the bodies
were tumbled into carts and taken
at once to the cemetery. MIR. Coffin
saws that this batch of victims, at least,
seemed to have no notion of the fate that
awaited them. They walked along quite
merrily, singing, chatting, laughing and
| smoking, as if on pleasure party. On the
| following morning twelve Cubans Were led
| to the slaughter, and similar disgusting
scenes were re-enacted. The moment the
preliminary order was given, the twelve
| turned their heads as if in obedience to a
preconcerted agreement, andthrOwing their
| hands aloft, shouted "Vive Cuba libre."
| This finished the executions. That day
| the British war vessel Niobe arrived. Her
| commander, IambtOn Lorraine, left Jamai-
| ca in such haste that several OF his crew,whO
were ashore on leave, were left behind.
| He hardly stopped to cast anchor at San
| tiago before he fastened ashore, and pro-
tested against the killing of any more of the
| Virginius crew. Gen. Buniel answered
him saucily in a letter, which has already
been published here, saying that any exc
| cutionS that had been ordered would be
proceeded with. Commander Lorraine in
| stantly returned reply to the effect that,
| in the absence of an American man-of-war,
| he would protect not only the interests OF
| his own country, but those of the United
| States, and that if Gen. Burriel harmed the
| hair of another prisoners head, he would
| lombard the city. 1t was gene
rally believed at Santiago that this
action of the British commandant saved the
| lives of the rest of the Virginius crew.
Commander Lorraine afterwards obtained
five copies of the process of the court-mar-
| tial c0ndemning them to death, two OF
which he intended to transmit to Our gov
ernment and two others TO his own. Alr.
Coffin closed his narrative by the assertion
that he would have been shot by the Span
ish volunteers, but that they believed him
to be British subject, his vessel sailing
under British colors. He says he is ashamed
| to be an American.