The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-02-18

as to induce him to order that she should be
severely whipped. When slave is whipped
in Cuba it is the custom to lay him prone
on the ground four others hold his hands
and feet, and the lash is then applied to the
bare skin. The whip used on these oc-
casions is most formidable instrument OF
| punishment. The handle, which is gener-
ally of orange wood, is quite thick, and
is about three feet long, with heavy lash
of about four feet, tipped with a strongly
twisted hempen cracker. With this whip
when welded by practised hand, the skin
may be cut through at each blow.
When the sentence was about to be exc
cuted upon the woman, it was found that
she would soon become mother. Her
fellow slaves hoped that on account of this
she might escape, thinking that her condi-
ton would preclude the inhiction of the
punishment in the ordinary manner. But
this did not avail, and she was whipped in
a terrible manner. During the whipping
her child was born.
Luis, incensed at the terrible outrage to
which his wife had been subjected, deter
mined to revenge himself upon his master.
From the cruelties daily practised towards
his fellow slaves, he felt convinced that he
could easily secure the cooperation of
sufficient number of them to accomplish his
purpose. In a few days seven Of the me-
groes who had been brought with him from
Vuelta de Arriba, together with the China
man, had entered into a solemn league with
him to kill Arrange.
About the middle of January all their
plans were laid, and one night they started
out to do the deed, but Arrange, from some
unexpected cause, had left the plantation.
Meeting the mayoral, they decided that he
as the executioner of the cruel and inhu-
man DEGREES of his master, should pay the
penalty. They accordingly killed him, and
then went and gave themselves up to the
authorities at Bejucal, telling what they had
done, They were at once put in prison and
an investigation was begun.
The trial did not last long, and the result
was that Luis and two other negroes were
sentenced to be shot, the Chinaman and two
negroes were sentenced to the chain gang
for ten years, ard the remaining three to
five years extra hard work on the planta-
ton
Arrange was not satisfied with the sem
tences of the court. He therefore appealed
from its decision, and through the influence
he brought to bear obtained another trial.
This time the prisoners were tried by a
court martial composed of officers of the
Spanish army. On January 26 Luis, the
Chinaman, and five of the negroes were
sentenced to death, and the others to extra
hard labor on the plantation for such time
as Arrange might deem proper.
Early on the morning of the 26th the
prisoners were taken out and surrounded by
a strong guard, were placed on horses, their
arms tied behind their backs and their feet
securely fastened. The scene is said to have
been one of the saddest ever witnessed in
Bejucal. All persons watched the proceed
ings with sorrowful faces, and the negroes
of the town were loud in their expressions
of grief, and many of them were in
tears.
When the procession was formed the
prisoners were taken through the piazza and
thence through the principal street of the
town, to the plantation Ell Santo Cristo.
There all the slaves were called out to wit
ness the execution, and Luis mother was
made to stand first in the line. His wife
was too i'll in the infrmary to be pres
ent.
The prisoners were then made to stand in
line, and a platoon of soldiers were drawn
up in front of them. They fired at the word,
and the seven men, who all met their fate
with courage and resolution, fell at the first
fire. Their bodies were then thrown into
an OK cart, and removed for immediate
hurinl