The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-01-02
received. None oftbe officers or crew

received. None Of the officers or crew |
of the steamship have yet been al
lowed to leave the vessel.
WHAT TRIBUNE REPORTER LEARNED.
A reporter of the Tribune, who |
boarded the Juniati Immediately af- |
ter her arrival, obtained full particu- !
lars from a variety of sources con
cerning the treatment received by
the prisoners at the hands Of their
Spanish captors. All these reports
agree in one particular, namely; that
the treatment received was uniform
" harsh and in some cases barbar
ous, "A fact which has not generally
been known, BY the statement of the
prisoners now. comes to light, which
'is, that they we're robbed by the crew
Of the Tornado, and nearly all who
owned anything were robbed Of
money, jewelry, watches and other
valuables. The prisoners we're taken
to the jail of Santiago, soon after
their arrival in port, where they
were crowded together like cattle.
Here their sufferings began. They
were not assigned TO separate cells;
indeed, there was no opportunity for
such eonfnements in the contracted
quarters OF the Santiago jail, but the
eatife party of nearly 200. was driven
into a small room, hardly so feet
long by Is wide. Here they were
obliged to live as best they could,
though the air, of course, was almost
deadly, and there was little or no OF
portnnity for exercise. The priso-
ners we're supplied provisions which,
though sufficient as regards quanti-
ty, were poor in quality and hardly
fitted to sustain life. These provis-
ions consisted almost wholly of rice
and water. s~Ms -
One night the prisoners were
stealthily taken from jail and made
to march with tue greatest haste to 8
point seven miles below the city, in
the vicinity ofthe Moro. The road
lay through a rough tract of coun
try, and the jou. neyiwas most weari-
some, while some Of the prisoners
were so sick as 10 be almos4 unable
to stand. The sufrerings of some Of
the number were intense, and no pity
was in the breasts of the Spaniards.
At this point on the coast they were
placed on board the steamer Bazan,
which at once set sail for Havana.
At Manzanilla it was met by the mail
steamer coming in an opposite di-
recJion. Or board this steamer was
General Burriel, who at once order
ed the Bazan to Santiago. She turn
ed about and seon after ran aground
and the passengers were transferred
to another vessel Here they suffer
ed horrors heretofore unknown
They were crowded in the hold Of
the vessel, where scarcely ray Of
sunlight could struggle in. The air
poison. The darkness was almost
continuous. The food they ate was
wretchcd in quality and insufficient
in quantity. The water they drank
was what remained in the buckets
after the dumb animals on board
we're satisfied. These animals con-
sisted mainly of horses and mules.
They were kept on deck above the
Virginius prisoners and were thus a
source of constant annoyance to the
pelpless prisoners. 1t is said that
in the midst of all this filth and suf-
fering, the prisoners were not allow
ed to wash on board she Bazan. for
period of ten days, and their arms
were pinloned behind them thelarger
portion Of the voyage. They were
occasionally beaten on the slightest
provocation, and sometimes on no
provocation at all These punish
ments, however, seem not to have
been Of a nature so serious as to pro-
duce any lasting effect.
Commander Braine said to the
Tribune reporter: "The feeling at
Santiago against Americans is ex
ceedingly bitter, and Vice Consul
Smith is in actual danger of his life.
He has several times been threatened
with assassination, and l think one
of our men of-War might be stationed
there permanently, at least till the
feeling subsidies, as 1 hope it will
Vice Consul Smith was abused most
shamefully in their daily papers, and
it was only by my personal inter
cession with government that they
were stopped
The Juniata, when about 120 miles
from Cape Hatteras, encountered q
terrific gale-Ehich drove heF60 miles
out Of her course. Grave doubts as
to the ability of the Ossipee to bring
the Virginius to New York are ex-
pressed by the officers of the Juniata
in view of the exceedingly tempest
uous weather Of the last few days.
The latter vessel is in poor condi-
ton to weather the rough gale which
tho Tuniofa opnOuntnPad