The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-04-23
MANSLAUGHTERP PENS.
q Sketch OF tho Awful History OF
tho Weat Indies.
NANA M ATROCIOUS MASSACRE.
n'onhhound Campnlgna OF slavo
iluntcrs-linuo Wars IN San DO.
mingo-,iow Tribute was Collected.
Wholesale suIoIde-liow Insurreo.
lions Wcro Suppressed.

$500" 'N'u 'hulTCSsCN,
Tho success Of tho Jamaica steamboat
excursions have attracted tho attention
OF American travellers to other parts Of
tho Wcst Indies. Porto Rico, lIayti,
and the mountainous cast coast OF Cuba.
Tho scenery Of that sca.girt Eden, in.
decd, rivals that OF tho Grccian Archi.
pelago, and only low Of tho tourists who
80 into ecstasics about tho majestic
coast ellis and tho peak, OF tho wood.
clad slerras suspect that thoy are ap.
preaching a G0lgatha OF tho vest, q
manslaughtcr pen Of the American abo-
rhymes, whose blood has attained ovory
valley and whose doRth shrek walked
tho echoes oil every mountain glen. In
that monster haunted ago, vaguely do.
scribed as tho "miocene PERIOD" tho
fostering Torn swamps engendored crea.
turcs that could swallow q inny fab at
gulp and dart through the water at race.
horse speed, and others almos, equal
digestive abilities that could pursue
their victims by land and sea, and even
through the air. Yot for all that, says
u writer In tho Cincinnati Enquirer. It
remains doubtful II our planet has over
produced more horrible boasts OF prey
than tho Spanish man hunters OF the
sixteenth century.
The long.continuod struggle against
tho power OF tho Spanish Moors had
perfected them In the use Of warlike
implements and bluntcd their sympa-
thies with tho sutierings OF dissenters
from tho tenents Of their own creod.
They wore also masters OF every art OF
torture; successful wars OF extermina.
ton had endowed them with n reckless
passion for bloodshed, and for nearly
three centuries they exorted all those
qualifications for murder at the expense
of the timid or alarmed natives OF their
American colonies. A murder grim
and great" as the author Of the "Nibel.
ungen' describes the scene in tho castle
court Of King Etzel, was going on along
the coast OF the Spanish. American prov.
inces: b2t the aborigines oil South
America and southern Mexico could
take refuge in n practically boundless
wilderness OF virgin woods, and tho
main brunt OF the man hunts fell upon
the natives Of the IVES. Indian islands.
How TRIBUTE WAS COLLECTED.
Tho campaigns Of the slave hunters
began in 1912, when the highlanders Of
San Domingo had, in an evit hour. be.
traycd the existence OF rich gold mines.
AZ first the Spaniards contented them
selves by levying tribute upon the aur.
ferrous dis,ric. and enforcing Its %collec.
ton in an Ingenious mannsr. Every
Indian living within q circle OF thirty
Spanish leagues OF the placer mines was
required TO deliver every three mouths
II hawks bill full OF gold dust, every
chieitain half n calabash full worth sew
eral hundred dollars)," and as a receipt
was handed a perforated copper coin
with the instruction to wear it about
bis neck day and night. Secret marks
on each coin indicated the date OF dc.
livery. and every Indian caught withou.
n certificate OF that kind was dragged to
headquarters and ,hrashed within half
an inch OF his life.
The system OF control was really an
efficient one. as not Que OF a million IA.
tiTes would have undertaken to counter
felt the recsip. coins. Horse loads OF
gold dust were collected in that manner,
but as the surface mines became OK
hausted hundreds OF the gold washers
fled to tho wcst coast OF the Island, and
the gold-grecdy c~olonists then deter.
mined to capture a few thousand ables
bodied natives aud work them In slave
gangs under regular overseers.
In 1919 4 commission appointed 10
investigate the conduct Of Rodrigo de
Figuera, governor OF San Domingo, TO.
ported as follows: The slaves OF the
gold mines were kept at work from sun
rise to sunset, and scourced on betraying
the least aymptom OF fatigue. Their ra-
tions consisted Of three pounds OF
scorched maize (Indian cornl or two
pounds OF corn bread per diem. They
were put in chains before being march.
cd to their night camp. Those sus.
pcc,ed OF plotting to escape were tor
tured to betray their accompllces. .Ac-
tual Geserters were scourged to death.
II they resisted their pursuers they wore
killed on the spot aud often burned ut
tho stake. Parties and slave hunters
and b~loodhounds ranged tho mountains
in all directions. Few Of the stoutest
adults survived the slavery Of the min
ing camps for, moro than 4 year. In q
camp containing five hundred poems
tho average weekly death list was about
q dozen.
CAMPAIGNS OF SLAVE IIU STEas.
From San Domingo the campaigns Of
tho peouoros or slave Eunters spread to
tho neighboring islands. On solns OF
the smaller Isles OF tho Bahamas these
cmissarics often captured tho entire
population Of male adults. leaving only
women and infants to get along tho best
way they could. Armed resistance
was punished as high treason. aud there
wero casos OF populous villages being
burned with all tnoir inhabitants, who.
indeed, often preferred death IN ihe
flames to the alternative OF being
dragged to the minos. In tho pursuit.
OF fugitive "rcbols" men and hounds
were permitted 10 glut their bloodthIrst
as u salutary warning to malcortents.
By constant practice tho Aragon slouth.
hounds had acquired mo sagacity o!
veteran detectives and could DO relied
upon to kill or rocnp,uro ninoty-nine
on. OF n hundred descrters. Flight be-
ing impracticablc, tho o~nslaycment oil u
nntivo WeB, Indian might DO said to
amount TO n sentence Of death. elthor
by allow torture aud starvation or under
tho loss cruel fanga OF a trained beast
Of prey.
Those horrors reached thoir climax
when the ~colonis,s went into ngricul-
,ure. Working kneo-deop In moist
gravel Ia not tho worst job In a warm