The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-02
In THE TERROR OF DEATH
A SPANISH WRITER'S PICTURE OF
TIE AGONY OF WAR.

Cu CnnuOJ llAdBitlo Tue uOITOTS alteuu-
ing the taking of Tarragoua. You did not
see 5000 Spaniards perish in ten hours you
did not see houses and churches in flames ;
you did not see unarmed old men and help
less women sla ughtered In cold blood; you
did not see the modesty of maidens, the
dignity Of matrons, the sanctity of nuns
outraged; you did not see pillage mingling
with murder; you did not see, in short, one
OF the gravest exploits OF the conqueror of
the world. the hero of our age-Napoleon!
~ saw it alll saw the sick rise from the
bed of suffering, dragging after them their
sheets, like shrouds, TO perish at the hands
of foreign soldiers on the threshold over
which the day before had passed the Watt
cum! saw lying In the street the body of
a woman they had slaughtered, and at her
side her infant still nursing at its dead
mothers breast. / saw the husband, with
hands tied together, witnessing the dishonor
OF the wife; children weeping with terror
at the horrors that surrounded them; de-
SPAR and innocence taking refuge in sui
eide; impiety insulting the dead.
Dangerously wounded and unable to
take further part in the conflict l fled for
refuge to Clara's house.
Full of anguish and terror she stood at
the window, fearing for my life and riskiug
her own to see me in case l should chance to
pass through the street.
Il entered and fastened the door, but my
pursuers had already caught sight of Clara
and she was so beautiful
They saluted her with roar of savage
JOY and burst of brutal laughter A mo-
ment more and the door would yield to the
ak and the flames. We were lost
HIDING IN A CIsTERN.
"Clara's mother, carrying in her arms
her year-old babe, led us TO the cistern or
reservoir of the house, which was very deep
and which was now dry, as no rain had
fallen for several months, and there we con-
cealed ourselves. The cistern, the floor of
which might measure some eight yards
square, and which was entered by a steep
underground flight Of steps, narrowed to-
ward the top like the mouth of a we'll, and
opened into the center of the courtyard,
where a breastwork was built around it.
above which two buckets were suspended
from hooks attached to an iron bar for
drawing water.
THE child Isshave spoken'of whose name
was Miguel, was Clara's brother, that is to
say, the youngest child of the unhappy
woman whom the French had just made a
widow.
"In the cistern we four might find safety.
Seen from the yard, the cistern seemed a
simple well. The French would think we
made our escape from the roof
They soon declared that such was the
case, uttering horrible oaths while they
rested themselves in the shady yard, in
the center of which was the cistern.
Eyes, we were saved Clara bound IN
my bleeding hand, her mother nursed
Miguel, and 1, although / was shivering
from the chill which had followed the fever
caused by my wound, smiled with happi-
ness.
SOLDIERS COME TO DRAW WATER.
"At this moment we noticed that the
soldiers, wishing doubtless to slake their
thirst, were trying to draw water from the
cistern in which we were concealed.
Picture to yourselves our anguish at that
instantl
1--WE drew aside to make way for the
bucket, which descended until it reached the
floor.
1--WE scarcely dared to breathe.
"The bucket was drawn up again.
1.-The well is dryp cried the soldiers.
There must be water up stairsp ex-
claimed one.
"'They are going awayp we all said to
ourselves.
"'What if they should be concealed in
this WE'LL cried voice in Catalan.
ut was renegade-a Spaniard who had
betrayed us.
"'What nonsensep responded the Froncb-
man. They could not get down there SO
suddenly
That is true responded the renegade.
They did not know that the cistern
could be entered by an underground pas-
sage. whose door or trap, carefully con
cealed in tie floor of dark cellar, some
what distant from the house. it would be
almost impossible to discover. We had,
no wever, committed the imprudeuce of
loo KING fbQ iron rvbfoh a.
communication between the cistern and
passage, and we could not open it without
making great deal of noise.
LIBERATING THE CHILD.
Imagine, then, the cruel fluctuations be-
tween hope and fear, with which we had
listened to the dialogue carried on by those
wretches on the very brink of the we'll
From the corners in which we were
crouching we could see shadow of their
heads moving within the circle of light ON
the floor of the cistern. Every second
seemed to us century.
"At this moment the babe Miguel began
to cry.
"But at his first whimper his mother
silenced the sounds that threatened to be-
tray our hiding place, pressing the infants
face into her bosom.
Did you hear that? cried some one in
the yard above,
az heard nothing. responded another.
"'Let us listen,' said the renegade.
Three horrible minutes passed
miguel struggled TO get his voice, and
the more closely his mother pressed his face
into her bosom the more violent were his
struggles.
but not the slightest sound was audi
BILE.
"'It must have been an echoP exclaimed
the soldiers.
"'Yes, that was itP assented the rene
gade.
"And they all took their departure, and
we could hear the noise Of their steps aud
the clanking Of their sabers slowly dying
away i'll the direction OF the gate.
'The danger was passed.
but, alas our deliverance had come too
late.
"Baby Miguel neither cried nor struggled
now.
HE was dead !"
One Indian Held Regiment at Bay.
From the 81. Louis Globe Democrat
There was one feature Of the fight between
the Seventh cavalry and the Sioux at