The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-11-28

mics before the Spanish arms, favor
ed in so signal a manner by Divine
Providence"
AFTER THE CAPTUNE-THE FIRST VIC
TINS.
And now comes the saddest part Of
this terrible drama. Although the
finding Of themselves actually in pos
session Of the Virginius, and the pow
er to shoot whom they pleased of
their prisoners, kept the Spaniards in
the best possible humor for three
days, something else was necessary
to sustain the excitement. This graf
qualification was offered to the public
at the four principal members of the
illfated expedition, and of whose
deatha l have already told you in my
last letter, Bernabe Varona, { Bambe-
ia, Colonel Ryan, Jesus del So, l,and
Pedro Cespedes. Having been tried
a long time back, in their absence, at
the leisure Of the government, moth
ing more was now required but an
Identification of their persons,t to have
them executed. This ofcourse, was
not long matter, and although there
were one OF two conferences, one, l
believe, between Brigadier Burriel
and Cespedes, and another between
Bembeta and his captor, the comman
der of the Tornado, nothing resulted
Bembeta, l am told, refused to do
anything meritorious to save his life,
and nothing whatever has transpired
with regard to Cespedes. The exc
cution was therefore fixed to take
place on Tuesday morning, (the 4th
in the usual place, at 6:44 O'Clock.
THE ExECUT.oN-RYAN CALM To THE
LAST.
Bembeta walked first, after him
Ryan, then came Jesus del Sol, and
last Cespedes. Bembeta and Ryan
were perfectly unmoved; The other
two seemed to feel the solemnity OF
the situation more. Toward the last
Bembeta appeared also to be moved
but Ryan remained unshaken to the
end. All four wrote while they were
in the prison chapel, and it is said
that Ryan made his will, begueathing
considerable amount of money
Spanish accounts state that they all
manifested their gratitude for the
gentlemanly treatment they had met
with at the hands of the officers and
crew of the Tornado.
THE CONDEMNATION OF THE CREW
CONDUCT OF CAPTAIN FRY.
Wednesday passed without any ex-
ecution, and Thursday also, but ear
lY on Thursday morning the Naval
Court martial assembled, and long
before it met it was known that they
intended to massacre the crew. AS
it was said, so it resulted, for on the
Friday morning 81 out of 43 who
composed the crew were brought on
shore and taken to the prison, to re-
main there until the hour of their
execution, which was fixed for the
same afternoon. Captain Joseph
Fry was a noble looking old man, fnl-
ly a head tsller than the rest of the
crew, and when he met the men who
had served under him, on the wharf,
just previous to his being taken to
the prison, he looked around on them
all who were soon to be no more, and
saluted them, and they answered his
salute with affection.
ACTION OF THE FOREIGN coNsULs.
Leaving the crew in prison prepar
ing for their sade fate, we will follow
the steps taken by the foreign con
suls. The first to move in the mat
ter was the American Consul, natur
ally the one most interested. Moth
ing could have been more moderate
than his action in the matter. New
ertheless, the government officials
fell on him as if he had been the
prime leader and abettor of all the
tillibustering expeditions since the
war began, and it is even said threat
ened to take away, or have taken
away, his exequator. During a person-
al interview which he had with Brig
adler Burriel, that officer yelled at
him like little hyena-a beast he
resembles little physically and a
great deal morally. AS soon, how
ever, as the American Consul was
put down, the British Consul came
on the scene with an Intellectual pro-
test against the execution of sixteen
British subjects, who formed part of
the crew, and an equally Intellectual
petition to delay the execution.
THE SHOOTING.
All was in vain, and on the after
noon OF Friday, the seventh inst,
Capt. Fry and thirty.six of his crew
were publicly butchered in open and
fragrant violation of all information
al right or ltw, and IN spite of the
authorities. the execution was
worthy Of the people who planned
and carried it out. The marines
who composed the firing party were
seven minutes putting the wretched
prisoners to death. 1t seemed as if
they never would finish, and when at
last they marched off the troops de-
fled past the long row of corpses,
and the dead carts were hurried up
and loaded with the mangled re-
mains. Then all the spectators NOV
ed away, Leaving the place silent
and deserted where only few mo-
ments before had stood thirty-seven
men full Of vigorous life. Next
morning, at Gas, the blood of tH elve
other victims stained the ground.
These were mostly young and old
Cubans.
LETTER FROM SENIOR lLFARo.
The following is a letter from
Senior Alfaro to General Burriel on
the day fthe formers execution:
Your EacelIeucy:
In the name OF humanity and civ
ilization, filled with horror by the
terrible and sanguinary scenes of the
fratricidal affair, and apprehending
the uselesSness of continuing longer
the contest in which has beer Icri-
feed the most generous blood which
has taken part in it, 1 am resolved,
and pledge my word not only to de-
sist completely from assisting the
cause ofthe Cuban insurrection, but