The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-19
Early spanish Cruelty In Cuba.


St Louis Giosve-DemocTat-
No other island In the West Indies has
90 bloody record as falls 10 the hot or
Cuba When the island was discovered
a. was estimated that there were az least
.ea.ooo Indians on this superb posses
Sion. In I5Ii the island was oyerran and
subdued by Diego yalesquez with only
3a0 men SO cruel was the treatment the
Indians received that by lisa they were
almost extinct, and tie planters made an
Gpplica ton 10 tho emperor for 100 Al
rican slaves. TO be distributed among the
plantations at once, that they might be-
come accuss oTned TO the toll before the IN
dams had become extinct" This was but
. years after the conquest Of the island.
and in that time nearly 100000 human
lives had been sacrificed 10 Spanish greed.
In is53 the Indians had practically ceased
10 exist. and from an agricultural country
Cuba had becons a grazing ground Tor
millions Of cattle. The policy o. dePopu-
iation brought its own punishment almost
Immediately. however. for the greater
part OF the Spanlards. particularly the
more adventurous. pushed on 70 the con-
tinent. and the islands soon sank into a
condition Of almost ebJect poverty. the
Spaniards who remained having few re-
sources 70 enable them 10 utilize the I'm
uefsse native wealth OF the Islands. By
cities they had buiided ~ Haiu. in Porto
Rico in Cuba. were almost ira ruins. the
Inhabitants were In rags. In San Do
mingo a special mass was celebrated al
night In rhe cathedral for the benefit OF
the womenn. who refused 20 exhibit
their saualor on the streets in the day
time. The policy OF bloodthirsty greed
was prodoclng legitimate fruit IN poverty
and shame.
The history OF inhumaaity does nor con
tain more fiendtsh record than the story
q the Spanish invasion. with it's accom-
ranying deeds OF s1arbarfty. Even leaving
CIT OF consideration the Tnassac~es per
petTatsd Tor the purpose OF striking ter
ror 20 the hearts % a defenseless and
peaceful people. the record - damniug
n is atrccfty. In Cuba native chiefs
were burned AZ The stake for the crime
% not surrenderlnE with sufficient
prom ptnCss In Hasa holocaust was
made, round dozen OF the native lead
ers being burned alive on one pile of
wood. Las Casas and others ten - the
tIssssacres that they witnessed both on
TIE island and on the mainland The
Apostle 20 the in8i.sns." in hls letters.
mast - Which were not 70 see the hight
un4 after ne was dead. gives the most
terrifying pictures OF she b,Ytche~isS ~
which be vas the eyewitness lie tells
% the hundreds q miserable wrctchps
whom IA saw panned up like sheen. walt
iHE 10 Pc k0lc3. ~ the thousands o. chill
cren wbotu he tpeheld starving 30 dean.
and for whom PIE could do aothinse. Of ths
crowds whom be baptized 81 che utmost
haste ana often ia secret knowing them
- b destined "a teeth. and anxious 20
cave them frcn the tcTrneatS thss hs be-
neved awaited the uFsoz pflxeG in a f,leu-.
stale. Tie tells also OF TIA wsAnton cruel
ties t3st come under his pages and from
taose 81 his contemporaries We learn n.
tAs drunken Spanish knight. who 60 win
a wager ran tarouSa the bodies OF a
oozen lndtans placed sn line. driving MS
lance fhrouEa eleven. and ~aunainr che
twelfth. % tae soldier who a, tha- "a
could cat OF yNo heads az one blow. az,
sac7eeSaed. % t'{at other. who. "a srv shr
temper 81 his blade heR - an Indian -
rleees oFcoTe his ccmpansonS. Etss,8 ~l,a.i
- Fsocbtry ever cries from the er,,,n8 q,
t. West Indies sni Spanish Arne-t-s
skAAnSs tAe nation guilty. 81 so-h atro.,l
ties; national crime deserves. and N tht.
case las rNcVSVfsi national n.t.ssf,-,,s,,.