The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-01
TWO YEARS In A DUNGEON.
The Romantic Story of a Survivor of the
Famous Lopez Expedition.
Hunted by BlOodhOunds Among the Hills Of
Cuba--An Unsatisfactory Interview
with the Queen Of Spain

even to this day." said Mr. Jeremiah Moreau of
Pine street, in relating his "reminiscences of the
never-forgotten Lopez expedition against Span
ish rule in Cuba
1"These foolhardy attempts" continued Mr..
Moreau ''were made IN 1849, 80 and 81, by
band of enthusiasts and adventures, under
Quitman, OF Louisiana During the previous
year General Lopez. the Cuban patriot. had
made speeches in the larger river cities Of the
West, at Pittsburg, St Louis and Gin
cinnat and the public mind, at that
time, was we'll acquainted with his intentions
and purposes-to free Cuba from the impover-
fishing and tyrannieal grasp of Spain. In the
years mentioned was mere. lad. filled with
desire to see something of the world, and the
natural channel for sightseeing was the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers. Every young buck in
those times, sometime or other, served APP
prentceship at the sweeps of the Aatboat. if he
1ived on a river town; and a trip to New Orleans
Awas the one great event of his life was no ex-
cepton to the rule.
81 had run away from home and had arrived
an New Orleans. where the town talk was of the
proposed expedition starting for Cuba. My
companion on the trip down the river was one
of those daring sort of fellows who captivates
the Imagination Of II boy of nineteen, and he
proposed that we enlist in the expedition. With
out a thought wedi,l So
'tActive preparations were going on, and no
secret was made of the intention of the flibus-
ters. Southern planters were furnishing the
money to outfit us, and the most sanguine hopes
were INDUCED in by both the volunteers and the
friends of liberty. For myself, was embark
ing on strange enterprise, in an unknown coun-
try, and didn't care much what would turn up.
Atlast the recruiting was concluded, and one night
fourteen hundred of us were embarked in the
Creole a ship sailing under Spanish colors,
and made for one of the Florida Keys where
another ship, with recruits gathered in New
York city. would jpin Us. Quitman was to have
been aboard this ship, and would take command
of both detachments
scheme had been carefully planned. On
certain day the Quitman recruits were to- be
Handed in Havana, and ammunition gotten; then,
ut a certain hour, the secret political societies
were to rise in arms and we were to capture the
city and citadel. We waited at the rendezvous
for the New York transport, UNTIL fearing some
mistake, the captain of the Creole bore
down for Havana The gulf was full of Spanish
waiting lOr III So HdppeHet LIlaU
the other ship had tried to get in the port but
had been chased away by two Spanish frigates
We, however, dropped anchor on the appointed
day near Moro Castle in Havana harbor and
proceeded to disembark.
You can imagine us, that murky. forbid
ding looking afternoon-it about o'clock
handing in the streets of Havana, without a lead
Ser, without ammunition. No one knew what to
do. Our subordinate officers marched into the
51iaZa pypnctIrp from the
societies with which the island was honey
combed. There seemed to be no friend AMONG
che strange faces on all sides. All the arms our
fellows had was a pepper box revolver and a
bowie knife, and nothing to shoot in the pepper
boxes.
1.-THE very day we had landed. General Crit
tenden-who. by the way, was from Madison,
this State--and who commanded another party
cooperating with Lopez, was killed; and his
force scattered by the Spanish regulars We
had desultory fight in the street with the
queens troops, and Lopez got in and tried to
rally us and the friends of Cuban liberty, but
he, poor fellow. was captured, and We were
driven to the hills, among the canebrakes and
mango swainps, and price sit upon our heads:
TO add to the pleasantress of the situation; the
government were hunting us with the native
bloodhounds." Mr.. M6reari stopped and looked
out of the window. You would hardly believe
At, but have killed enough of those dogs to Eli
ghod7sized room1savage brutes they were.
too, The great difficulty with US was the fact
and travel in squads, and our endeavors to make
any sort of a stand were rnavailirg :, We
were being literally starved, out, Chased
from from hill to hill by dogs and sol;
us little aid, as harboring as had been declared
high treason l will say, however, that when
any of the secret society fellows could bring US
food, and could get communication With us,
they would help US at the peril Of being garrotted
We were hiding over six months in these hills. and
many are the the incidents that occurred. / re-
call many 4 time of looking over the blue ex-
panse OF water and wondering if we would ever
Jamaica, and some of the men actually swan
there ana escaped by means of rude RATS
Sharks were forgotten in. the desire for liberty.
The execution Of Lopez and the more prom
inent patriots had discouraged us also. 1
remember once my. companion, a much older
man than myself, and were travelling on a coan-
try road, and we met Cuban riding d horse. j
was so weak and exhausted that had given up
to die. My companion demanded the horsa for
me- Explaining who we were. But the CUBAN re-
fused to give US the horse. My companion
Goolly Killed him by q ball through the head and
placed me in the saddle walking by MY side.
But at last the Spaniards gobbled us and we
were taken to Havana, expecting to be garrotted
"A sorry looking set we were, ragged, hungry.
with fever lurking in our bones Instead, how
ever. of being shot. or garrotted as we were ex-
pecting we were ordered aboard a Spanish
cruiser, with orders to be taken to Madrid
Upon our arrival we were marched to the bar
racks, and with much military pomp. Isabella,
who was then Queen, personally sentenced us.
never saw such Mad woman as she was
when We were brought before her She seemed
q veritable termagant We were thrown in tue
dungeon Of some state Building and |, never saw
the light of day until / was ordered released.
For nearly two years 1 was prisoner in a cell
made of stone-one of those kind you see in pict
ures had nothing but straw, and / was
chained like an animal to the wall Seeing no
one but my jailer, VINO gave me q scanty supply
of food, thought would 90 mad 1t is an ex-
perience that no one can describe"
Did the Spanish government order your re-
lease y asked tha raro,.ar -