San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-19
BRAvEl.Y he NET DEATH.
He Had Done a Cowardiy Deed, but There
Was Courage In Him.

He Had Done Cowardfy Deed, but There
Was Courage In Him.
The steamship Hutchinson, from Havana,
brought, besides other passengers, a gentle
man who had witnessed the execution in that
city by the Spanish army of a conscript SOL
der named Agullo. Agullo's offense was the
murder of his commanding sergeant. A
Times-Democrat reporter obtained from the
gentleman description of the military exc
cution, which took place at Fort Principe:
81 saw Agullo as he stood directing the SOL
diers to aim at his lead and heart on the
morning of his execution" said the gentle
man. 1T was o'clock, on the elevation of
Principe, whose crest is crowned with that
gray granite fortress, and from which point
the harbor view is grand, and Agullo, casting
one fleeting glance to wave Tapped Moro, fell,
pierced by the three bullets in his head, upon
the narrow parapet of Fort Principe. One
bullet of the four destined for him sped wide
of its mark wounding an officer to the rear
and near the fort.
"Agullo was man of magnificent physique.
six feet tall, fine head, brilliant eyes and o
face denotng gentle birth and refined intel
Egence. His long, military step-as he
marched to the point Of his execution In the
square formed by the corps of engineers, In
which he was enlisted, of artillery, cavalry.
volunteers and infantry-caused murmurs OF
admiration to rise to the lips of the 5000
spectators curiosity brought together to wit
ness the stern sentence of the military court.
''As he stood, the central point of all eyes,
dressed in his fatigue uniform, striped trou-
sers and cap, directing his fellow soldiers to
aim with surety, the sad contemplation of
life which in other fields may have led to a
successful career broke In upon tho specta-
tor with harshest feeling. There is no telling
what grief laden hearts beat with suffering
throbs in far away Spain, innocent victims
alike with their soldier sons compelled to
serve the hated CONSUMPTION in Cuba But
such is often the case, and this poor Agullo,
smarting under the overbearing sergeant who
fed him his food in insult as to dog, barn-
ing under the adverse fate, became the assas-
sin and slew his victim when asleep.
"The prisoners hours before the execution
were spent in calm, deliberate consideration.
He had begged friend to write to brother
and sister telling them Of the close of his life
and altering his will by bequeathing sman
house in Spain to his sister, which lin pps.
vio,s document he left to his brothA- e,s
spent much time in religious exercise
began steadily to wend their way toward
CASTILLO Principe Senior Elias, chief of police,
and the colonel in command inspected the
square formed by the military on the north
west quarter of the eSplanade, in tha direc
ton of the chOrera.
1.-THE condemned soldier, accompanied bt
the Brothers Of Charity, saluted each op-
locker with his farewell, and, defying death,
stood at the spot where post had been placed
for him to lean on to await his doom, with
out one culver of nervousness. He was heard
TO remark: 1 was a coward. l killed him
while he was asleep That was badly done
In the preparations going on around him he
took active interest in the direction of one
thing and another, and then, calling a ser
geant from some distance, babe him good-by.
when the soldiers advanced to place the
bandage over his eyes he told them, putting
his hand across his face: There is no neces-
sity for bandaging my eyes, but if abSo
luteiy necessary, will bandage them my
self He took his own handkerchief for this
purpose, and loosely tied it so that he could
see over the edges. This he was told would
not do, and for the first time his fingers shook
under the strain upon his feelings, and one
of the chaplainS stepped forward, securely
knottlng the ends OF the bandage and firmly
pressing down his cap to hold them in posi-
ton. The soldier kissed the cross as his last
glimpse of earth was taken and saw the four
soldiers had come closer to him, as he re-
quested that death might be quick and GER
tain. They had previously been the military
distance. These four soldiers had been given
a cigar each and some money by Agullo
Disregarding hespecial plea of Agullo, these
four men, as they looked at the livid coun-
teIauce and eyes of feverish blaze when the
request was made to come closer and closer,
were visibly disturbed. Agullo could touch
the muzzles of the pieces. Standing close to
the post placed to support the prisoner, at
the order 'Kneel' he quickly sank to his
knees Then the four shots irregularly rang
out, and the body leaning against the post
fell to the ground dead. New Orleans
TimeS-DemOcrat.