The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-09
SPANISH PRISON HORRORS.
CUBLN PhrRIOrs HDRDED WITH
THE WORSr CRIMINALS
Cenviefs Treated with Ficudish Cruelty
Misery aud starvation Bevoud Word
Paiating-A Batbarous Sysiem.

PaiutiRs-A Bat barous Sysfem.
From me London nmss.
In Ceuta the prisoner Is alone. separated
from his friends. without a God to love or hope
In: without any religious consolation or educa-
tion whatever. He DR. % and curses throughout
his weary, suffering lie, then lice down ana dies
WITH oihsohsmy on his lips. In the AUTUMN
OF 1897 an English Rentlem an-now holding Her
Mljesty's CON mission IA Vice Consul in we'll
known town in Spain-was riding along the then
San Lucar de Barrameda, where 1000 convtcts,
caled prestGdriOs. or inmates Of the nearest pre-
walsred with these poor wfetohes' blood. is now
one Of the best In spain. The sight that saw
and frore nv oIood. Thcse 1000 men we're lieut.
bv the Governn eDt TO the contractor who had
engaged to make the road. lhey worked
driven to It by blows from the thick icks of
other prisoners m ide ctbOs or sergeants. be-
cause stronger OF more brutal than themselves,
from morning until night, on one scanty mess OF
pottage." The wiutsr passed alous. unusual
in IT'S severity In ls}T-lS5s, aud the wind
swept In fury across the low. aRuish fats of San
Lucar My friend exDostulated with the super
in endeot. and said. This ia not even human
II Ia nendish; IL Is hellsh to treat human beings
thus" a. cannot help it," was the answer;
he contractor does IA he chooses Ny friend
horseback One OF those poor half-starved fell
lows cane crouching to his stirrup To suppll-
cate for mercy. lie loose1ed his right foot
from the stirrup, aud struck the mans naked
tire st AZ fearful niow that the blood Rushed
from his mouth. He rolled over ON the earth.
aud was rrled Oh corpse. " Ever since that
wful sight. when | had occasion to pass those
prosttdfts, l set spurs to my horse, and gal.
Ioped away from the spot.
There Is u nound ia the burial ground Of San
Lucar which, u It's rottine Inhabitants could
speak. could tell a tale Of awful suffering hardly
equsled in these latter DAYS. There sleep 100 OF
those loo ragred. reckless, wicked men who
tine dslosItion Of their road contractor" Gold.
privitiOn, blows, ard want Of clothing did tneir
felt work. No er heard these sous OF crime
ofy out; ear bowed down to listeD
to their compliant; they never knew OF
any ear that would herr, and so they
.a.lu l..r and
a little Iime aud chalk dissolved The
tale, and the road was made, and the
drafted back To their respective prisons. II
NAV be said. nav, II was said;" These are such
swtsy En- an i'st o sons o, Sr% me- that halt IL
the pretence of Offering them life ana work, to
rive them death aud slavery. Utterly reckless
give the poor fellows cuartos to buy bread when
they throoged round MIN and pleaded their
hunger. sad the overseer "a humane one) to
nun, " II IL no good ; they won't ouv bread with
your flrtni6gs; they wdl only gam ole, ana lose
all the rags tnev nave to one another" THE
end Of this narrative ~ Instructive enough
the merciless Government contractor died ia
aloud ~ hue inbumanities. Before his death Ne
had been bronght to tri.l for murder, but was
| acqlitt.d, although one Judge, the nrst before
whlm hts case came, said, 81 viii leave no
stone uuturned to bling tuat man ~ tuo gal
lows
long and severe: the silence AMI desolati n as
one approaches tn summit extreme. On
uocNcd WIN scarce p's'lnv : ~, ana away TO
the eaatw rd mass OF wuite cloud. rising up as
tnou9h out 81 the waves tues tne uetor'hltS OF
me Eng ish Ccu'a. few prisoners out on
leave, rOugh-iou king elbows. tolerable speci-
mems " the NV or 40 confined In tbe hioliO,
guessed US. lhes were on their way Ia the town
L cater Tor provisions or obtain work for the
coming week, Tor to-day was SUNDAY the DIS
tant strains II the nfes aud ke, tle-drums OF
tue troops were borne tu the breeze,
and the eve couid just discern them, duskv
column, vending their way TO the review
y
WIS already set uD Oh knoll u rising
ground. he prisoners In this J i. number irom
SJ TO 1000; their habitat Is IN various shells.
Lhnly dotted over tn. slopes OF the fortress.
They are 'llowHl To ply their several trades. but
hopes, ana suirits to perform any active duties.
OF the money earned 0y them, cei taiu prJpor-
ton, stated IN my last letter. Is reserved by
Gov rament to pay the expenses of their main
tenlDcs. some make stockings, some shoes,
aud So ON. But they are. for the most part, old
aud woro out. Cal IN soldiers tsttered red
brecches, or. ~ oitentimes, naked To indecencv
they totter Ia aud out OF the wretched shed
which they Gait their home; devour and quarrel
like nyenas over their wretcned, insuficie Z
fare smuggle knives into tue fortress, aud hRh
aud XII one another ike Wild beasts.
Iney sloep III uufuruished sheds open to the
roof 100 OF 30 In each shed. The sheds are
n)oTtu with earth or pitching stones the YER
ain creep over the walls lew have beds. hardly
| any bedste-d all ABOUT the rooms are patches
OF staRnant, stiUking water and ordure, into one
OF waica | plunged my foot, Tor the place IA
well nigh dark. these men are under no order,
no discipline; they have not enough To eat;
thev nave nothing Whatever To raise them
| aOUVc the misery ana lth IA which they gtOvel.
| hey get une-pJss,Oly two meals dav,
nut the vile sNstem OF contract prev lis,
| and the Gov rnment contractor gives these
| poor wretches pulls and water instead Of pulse
aud oil or bacon. On what Is gwen they cannot
1--we, and 80 they die, r';ting away mOn,h by
month aud very glad theN are, so tar AS could
understand. Hut most ot them WIN their
heavi, do~nca,t faces, expressionless eyes,
| seemed too sunrn to hold any prolonged con
vtrsation. these men were all apparently
| Of the lowest class Cuban Insurgents ia
some numbers, assassins, ana JDnors.
There IL, said to To, fOll call twice or three
times uay. SOInetimes IA prisoner escapes
to the villa Moorish country, nut the Moors, the
| hereditary enemies Of the Spaniirds, imme-
"a tell ~ in pursuit.. and bringing back tue
| prisoner anId shower OF Bows and iupreca-
| ions, eagerly claim the five d liars offered
reward ny the suthurltits Of Ceuta for the at
| prchenslon oil an csc pei convict. No words Of
mine eau paint the Il rkness. the NTH. the seetn
inx cOrruptiOn Ol these diets oi convlcts dens
| into winch no speck Of sunlight. Divine or
human. ever finds It's v. and where nothing -
neard or st. u INIT as-t.sIna AnO crueIlY on tho