Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-12-25
The Delivery of the Virginius Pris-
oners--Scenes at Their Receptions
.-Things i'm Havana, According
to Their Statements. 5e,ytE
Nav YORK. Dec. 23

NEW York, Dec. 80.
A dispatch to a New York paper gives
the following. graphic account of the re-
eeptisn of the Virginius prisoners, One
hundred and two of them were given up
to Commander Braine of the Juniata:
On Thursday morning, December IS,
shortly after five o'clock, the prisoners
were brought out of the dungeons of
MORO Castle and put on board a large
fiat, which was towed by four=oared
boat to where the Juniata was laying at
anchor, about mile up the harbor
The United States man-of-war was
hidden by a bend in the harbor from. the
dock at the port of Moro, and the .pris-
oners, when put on the flat, were told
by the Spanish officials that they were
being taken to be shot. The reFulsion
of feeling was immense when, rounding
the point, they saw the Stars and Stripes
floating over the Juniata, and they knew
it was liberty and not death that await
ed them. They were all huddled. close
together on the flat and appeared in the
most abiect condition, emaciated from
starvation and destitute of boots, shoes
or clothing. When the flat came within
hail of the Juniata the prisoners ran to-
gether, and, as if suddenly electrified
with the prospect of food, clothing and
freedom, gave three hearty cheers for
the United States. In another minute
the flat was alongside, and the Spanish
sergeant who was in charge of the party
stepped up the gangway and handed
Lieutenant De Long the invoice of his
cargo. -.-s
The roll was then read, and each pris-
oner was handed on board as his name
was called. Commander Braine, find
ing the list correct, made out a receipt
for the prisoners in the name of Cover
nor Burriel, and not in that of the Span
ish sergeant, favor which had been re-
quested with view of saving Burriel,
that humiliation.
In the meantime the liberated men
were wild with excitement, dancing
about the decks and embracing one an
other in transports of joy at their de-
liverance, as it were, from the jaws of
death.
They were in most pitiable condi-
ton, nearly entirely destitute of cloth
ing; some without a rag to protect their
skins from the scorching rays of the sun
and others partially covered by piece
of coarse sacking.
The first order of the officer in charge
was to throw all their rags overheard,
and then they were marched forward
and subjected to a severe course of soap
and water Clean and fresh from the
bath, each was given bran new suit of
sailors clothing and then paraded for
medical inspection. Five were put on
the sick list, and the rest, after being
provided with hammocks, were divided
up into messes among themselves.
A requisition was made on the Kansas
and Pinta for all the blankets they had
to spare, and, as the captains of the two
English men-ef-war, Woodland and
Niobe, then anchored in the harbor, IN
derstood the supply was not equal to the
demand, they sent present of 100
blankets on board TIE Juniata, for
which they declined to accept any re-
Enumeration. ..
The Pinta arrived in Santiago at noon
the same day, with dispatches for Com
mander Braine, ordering him to proceed
Immediately to New York with the
prisoners.
The suffering of the prisoners during
their confinement, as described by them
selves, tells tale of refined cruelty
hardly credible in these days of advanc-
ed civilization. 1t appears that their
jailors, not satisfied with reducing their
physical condition to the lowest ebb by
starvation and brutality, kept them in
perpetual mental torture by threats of
instant death.
On Wednesday evening they were Wis
tied by a Spanish official who told them
to prepare for death, as they were to be
shot next morning. The priests came in
soon afterwards and passed the greater
portion of the night with them, admins
tering the comforts of religion.
This horrible comedy was kept up
next morning, and then they were hud-
died into the flat that was to take them
to the Juniata. They were told they
were going to execution.
Active warlike preparations were con-
tinued around Santiago harbor up to the
time the prisoners were actually handed
over