Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-14
BUILT DEATH PITS.
.ocious MURDERS ~ TILE
ANIsH-A1iERlcAN COLONIES.
lY WERE NLAN-sLAUGHTER
5Ns. AND HUMAN BEINGS
ERE MAssAcRED FOR THE
IN OF 1T-RACE WARS IN SAN
oAriNGo-MILLIoNs DIE.


u = OF the West Indies, Porto Rico
III and the mountainous cast coast
cuba The scenery Of that sea-girt
IN. indeed, rivals that of the Grcclan
nipoIago. and only few OF the tour
4 who go into ecstasies about the
estio coast cliffs and the peaks Of
wood-clad sierras suspect that they
approaching Golgatha OF the
st. granddaughter pen OF the Amer
!, aborigfnes, whose blood has stain
livery valley and whose death shrek
! led the echoes OF every mountain
4. In that monster haunted age,
Nusiy described as the "miocene
cd" the fostering fern swamps en-
, dsred creatures that could swallow
my Ash at a gulp and dart through
water at race horse speed, and
ers OF almost equal digestive ablli-
! * that could pursue their victims ~
q and sea, and even through the
Yet for all that II remains doubt
y IL our planet has ever produced
re horrible beasts OF prey than the
ftnish man hunters OF the sixteenth
tury.
he long continued struggle against
y power Of the Spanish Moors had
rp,enents and blunted their sym
HES with the suffering OF dissenters
! m the tcnets OF their oNn creed.
ley were also masters Of every art
torture: successful wars OF eNter-
a&tlou had endowed them with n
tSlesg passion for bloodshed. and for
Gay three centuries they eNerted all
5s- qualifications for murder at the
,onse OF the tlmid or ill-armed ma
D. a sfHaa.r saY.Ns.H 4
nnc4er grim and greRt,' as the au-
ips OF the "Nihelungen" describes the
ne n the castle court Of King Etzel,
. going on all along the coasts of
e. SpDnish-Amerlcan provinces; but
a. nnuriglurs OF South America and
Huthern Mexico could take refuge i'm
+ practically bounlless Wilderness 0f
gin woods. and the main bruut Of
DE- man hunts fcll upon the natives
/ tbs Wost Indian Islands.
r;.e campaigns OF the slave hunters
. Fan IN 1912, when the highlanders OF
Z . Domingo had, IN an evil hour, be
4 s.c1 the existence Of rich gold mines.
rirst the Spaniards contentcd them
Ives by lovyiug tribute upon the
l.ticcr0us district and enforcing It's
hsCilon in an ingenious manner.
very Indian living within q circle OF
rty Spanish leagues OF the placer
ines WIS required 90 deliver every
zee months hawks bin lull OF gold
st, every chieftain half calahash
u (worth several hundred dollursJ."
ID as receipt was handed q per-
rated copper coin with the instruc-
IN 20 wear 1t about his neck day and
ght Secret marks on each coin in
Gated the date OF delivery, and every
dian caught without certificate Of
at kind was dragged 20 headquarters
I'd thrashed within half an inch OF
life.
The system Of control was really an
hcient one. as not one of million
ltives would have undertaken to
ounterfeit the receipt coins. Horse
ads OF gold dust were collected in
iat manner, but as the surface mines
,came exhausted hundreds OF the gold
ashcrs fled 90 the west coast of the
land, ana the gold-grccdy colonists
zen determined to capture few
iousand able-bodled natives and work
ZEN In slave gangs under regular
yerseers.
In 1919 commission appointed 10
iNeSt'gate the conduct of Rodrigo de
lgucra. governor OF san Domingo,
ported as follows: The slaves Of the
old mines were kept at work from
inrise 10 sunset, and scourged on be-
aging the least symptom OF fatigue.
H'lf iatlonH consisted pt three pounds
selichtd maze dndinn corn or two
ounus on corn bread per diem. They
ere put IN chains before being march
d TO their night camp Those sus-
ectcd Of plotting an escape were tor
hrned to bctray their accomplices.
Actunl dc9erterg Were FCourgad to
ealh. II they resisted their pursuers
hey were killed on the spot and often
uVhcd at the stake. Parties ana slave
'unt"rS ana bloodhouuds ranged the
Mountains IN all directions, Few OF the
toutest adults survivcd the slavery Of
ne hlhllE camps for more thUn II
~ sf IN u camp containing 900 poems
V hNeFaEc weekly death list was
'pout dozen,
rom san Domingo the campaigns
y .he Pconeros or slave hunters spread
o the nelEhhorinE islands, on some OF
ny smaller Isles Of the Bahamas these
lhlfsHiieS often captured the entire
,uPulauoh OF male adults, leaving only
Nunen ana Infants to get along the
'est WY they could. Armed resistance
~ Pui,iSneu az hlgh treason, and there
80 ,aHes OF pppuluus villages being
,utned with their inhabitants. who.
lueeu' otten preferred death IN the
uiNea TO me alternative OF being drag
.su 10 the mines In the pursuit Of
ubltiEe febelA' mon and hounds were
ermitted to glut their blood thirst as
sanitary warning 10 malcontenta
y constant practice the Aragon
ieuthhounds had acquired the snRacity
; veteran detectives and could be re-
H.. upoh 10 klll or rceapture ninety
~, Ky, out on hundred descrters. Flight
elns lmpraeueahle the enslavcmcut
hhtlNc west indian might be said
amount 70 sentence OF death
,tner py STOW torture and starvation or
lluer lhe less cruel fnnBs OF ATTAINED
v ~ OF prey