Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-12-09
An American Eye Witness of the San
tiago Massacres.

lrIoHi tue Now 1Ork t1eTalus November rs
Among the passengers from Havana. on the
last voyage of the mail steamer City of New
York was Mr.. George w. Sherman, an
American citizen, who was present at Sapti.
ago de Cuba upon the occasion of the recent
frightful massacre Of the crew and passengers
OF the American steamship Virginius The
following is the story given by Mr.. Sherman:
l have been residing for some time back in
Santiago de Cuba, and saw several of the
Wholesale executions or butcheries will
give yon the following details of the first four
men killed. prefaciug it with the remark that
I saw the Virginius brought into the port of
Santiago de Cuba on the evening of the lst
instant, tho time being five o'clock, as nearly
as can remember, with the Spanish colors
flying OF course you know all about the
hasty trial, and BurriePs excuse for not re-
plying to the urgent letters Of Vice Consul
Smith, on account of his religious observance
of All Saints day. The slaughter>house
where the first butchery took place is about
sixteen hundred feet square. which gives
lineal frontage to each side of about four huns
dred feet. The men in question were placed
in front of this place, which is an abode build
ing of about thirteen or fourteen feet in
height Cin which are embedded thousands of
bullets), with an ovcrhaneing roof, while on
=
receive the rain which may trickle from off
the roof. Ryan refused to kneel, although
repeated efforts were made to make him do so.
L knew it was Ryan, because he had no beard
Or mustache. The men were all bound and
placed near the gutter just described After
many rounds had been fred the men we're cons
sidered dead, but it was found that RYAN was
not dead, and sword was plunged into his
body but not into his heart as stated. The first
blows given were into his abdomen. The sol,
diers who had been detailed to do this work
by General Burriel were wretched narksmen.
After this number of cavalrymen came ON
the spot and rode their horses over the bleed>
ing corpses till they were in an almost un>
recognizable state. The fonr heads were cut
off and placed on poles. and carried around
by the people in triumph. The bodies were
then, or, rather what remained of them,
placed in cart aud taken out to a marshy
spot about mile from the place of execution,
and dumped out like load of dirt in an open
ditch where few inches of mother earth
Burriel; or, perhaps, not l felt quite i'll
over the sight of this bloodthirsty work. I,
however, endeavored to make some sketches
of the narrowing scene, and for this was ar
rested and thrown into Jail, until was re-
leased after had been kept for three and
half days in that noisome pen. I. made me
terribly i'll and brought on a relapse of fe-
yer attack from which had been suffering
for some time. l, however. obtained my lib>
erty through the mediation of our Consul
General at Havana. l saw, likewise, the sec-
ond and third executions or butcheries. 1
believe that the break in the interruption to
the telegraph wires was Spanish ruse of
Burriel to allow no communication with the
Captain General till the majority of the vir-
ginius people had been shot and he had ac>
complished his wholesale slaughter without
receiving waiting orders from Havana OF
Madrid.