The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-03-29


in colors, very old, and Is a valuable curiosi!
The other picture represents dcath-iiIus
traing the end of the coed and the wicked
7 This too, is in ColorS very old, and no dout
had been used by some of the early mission
rs an object lesson" for the savagcs, TIN
| good man is represented, surrounded by priests
angels and saints aud ready to take his iligh
to the pcarly gates which stand ajar, through
which glimpse Of the shining streets of golC
Is had, and all the glory and grandeur o
Heaven displayed to view. But how ditleren
for the wicked. The great gates of hell stanC
wide open and notwithstanding devil sur
rounded by his imps stands ready TO receive
him. All is fire and birthstone and the tor
lures Of the damned are pictured according IL
the most horrible Imagination of Dantc's In
| rernO.
| But ihc greatest attraction is
OLD FORT SAN MARCO,
now called Fort Marion, massive tortrcs,
built of this coeuine stone before mentioned
ii geological marvel in itsclt--iormcd of Il con
crete OF small shells, which centuries Of tim,
have u.as>cd together, forming II rock, hui in
which each shell, no matter how small. j. as
perfectly distinct and visible AS though they
had been glued together only Il moment be
fore. Truly, there is something wonderful
about those shell foundations, and indeed it
would be hard to determine how many cen
turtles of time il has taken to amagamatG these
myrlads of tiny shells INTO one solid mass OF
rock and which is quarricd within a few hun
dred yards of the shore.
This ancient tmc.worn and battle SCARED for
tifcation, towers above the little town, lrown.
ing defiance to harhor. bay and everything
else around. 1t is rather IA prctcntous struc-
turc covering many acres, with walls Of great
thickness and averaging some thirty feet in
height with battIcmcnts and turrct~ and pro-
tcctcd by outer walls, carth-work> entrcnch-
ments, bitches, draw bridges and all the other
accessories which none but an old soldier
can numcratc Ii is said to have been com
menCcd some time in 1920, but owing to Its
massiveness was not finished until about 1866,
AS none but Indian captive labor was employed
IN its construction. 1t is BOW mouldy and de-
caycd, gradually crumbling into ruin, and re-
mains only as monument Of the past gran
dcur and military power of lhc once naughty
and adventurous Spaniard.
Ii is sQuarc-shaped and has tour large basli-
ons of great thickness. 1t is surrounded by u
moat or canal, some eight or ten feet deep and
about twenty feet wide, which could be flooded
on short notice by means of II ditch Leading
from the san Sabastn river close by On en-
tering you find yourself in square parade
ground about one hundred feet each way; the
walls on either side rising some twenty or thr-
ty feet, giving to the place the appearance of
an immense court. In former times, during
the Indian wars and in case of attack by sea,
the people tlocked here for protection, and
would take up their abode in the classmates or
Of which there are twcnty-seven,
each thirtytivc feet long by eighteen feet wide
During such intervals mass and all the religi.
Gus festivities Of the season were observed
There are many strange mysteries and TO
manccs connected with the history of this place
many of which are amusing, others absurd
ties and a great number perfectly horrible. AZ
ter taking you around the ramparts, through
the casemates and explaining the history Of
each, we are finally led to the dungeon, II dark,
gloomy, dismal place about twenty feet long
md six feet wide, where not a ray of light can
penetrate, and where by the dim glare OF "A
benzinc torch the "old guard" tale unfoldS
hat seems enough to harrow up ones soul and
make the hairs stand endways, But his ora.
orial powers are SO child-likc and bland and
Ms " beautiful brOguc so rich and swatcn that
Is difficult to tell whether it is Spanish or
irish he is giving us, and if it were not that
he map of Ireland is seen in his face we mi ht
imagine that he was doing both He is very
,odicrly in his acts and movements, and seems
o handle little narration in school-boy fash
son. in his fable OF the dungeon he says
This dungeon was accidentally discovered
many years ago by part Of the wall or roof fall
ng IN disclosing the skeletons of human be
ngs-at one end IA cage suspended from hasps
rom rust and decay, and human bones lay
scattered on the tloor-the other remains in
It's position holding pile Of human bones"
lie continues, Il don't mean to say that this
IS all true, tell it to you Us it was told to me
he cage Is now in the Smithsonian Institute
1t Washington, if you 80 there you may bel
,ble to see it--l never saw 1t for was never
n the Smithsonian lnstitutc-at all events you
Will observe the hole in that wall there whereI
lung the cage" and he points to a small hole
N the wall, which might have been made a
week before for all his listeners knew
There are many other places Of interest, such
Is the city gate, with its center boxes, loop
loes, pillars and towers about all there is left
If a great wall that was built around the city
Another attractive place is the military Gene
cry with It's three mounds or pyramidal-shapcd
inf, Of old