The San Francisco call., 1896-04-25
prevent rescue before reaching the city
and mnh vinlenca aftarruard

prevent rescue before reaching the city
| and mob violence afterward..
| The lower class of Spaniards gather
about each batch of prisoners and clamor
| for their blood as they pass through the
Moro Castle. The court-martiaI before
which the prisoners are tried is perfume
tory affair composed of five military men.
who order the death penalty under Wey-
ler's decree that all insurgents are bandits
and incendiaries and deserving of death.
The prisoners have no opportunity to
make defense, and all Cubans in the
rebel armies know that capture means
death.
Most of those brought in, it seems, have
| been wounded. cut off from theT columns
or caught without arms. Then con-
demned to death they are given twenty
four or forty-eight hours to prepare for
the end. They are given what they want
to eat, and are placed in the chapel at
Cabanas Fortress with priests in constant
attendance for the last twelve hours.
Most of the Cuban patriots who have
paid the extreme penalty since Weyler has
been here have died bravely. saw three
OF them meet their fate last Friday morn
ing. They were Jose Bascallao and Estiva
Hernandez (white) and Gregorio Borges
(colored). During the night before the
execution Bascallao made several feigned
attempts to escape from the chapel, hoping
that the guards would shoot him down,
preferring that to public execution. The
guards forced him back each time without
firing at him.
ha hau fay 70 of ftaY R
O'Clock on the morning set for the execu-
ton. 1t took place promptly at 7. The
three men, escorted by a file of soldiers
and supported by an order of lay brethren
of the Catholic church, were taken from
the chapel to space between the outer
and the inner walls and at the eastern
end of the fortress, where battalion of
Spanish regulars formed three sides of
square.
The fourth side was the main wall of
the fortress. In front of that the prison
ers' arms were tied behind their backs and
they were led out. Just outside the square
hundred people had gathered to witness
| the execution of the rebels, most of them
Spaniards. On the walls of the fortress
200 or 300 soldiers were grouped where a
good view could be obtained I heard no
expression OF pity from the spectators for
the men who knelt with the priests and
| prepared for the end. A young lieuten-
ant of the guard, who was ordered out to
do the shooting, however, asked to be ex-
| cused. He was Cuban, serving in the
| Spanish army. Another officer took his
place. The men knelt facing the wall and
with their backs toward the firing squad.
They showed no signs of 1inching. A file
of soldiers, twelve in number, was drawn
up about ten PAGES away. Four men were
ordered to aim at each prisoner. There
| was an interval of silence when all was
ready. The officers raised their swords,
there was rattle of musketry and the
| men fell forward on their faces.
Hernandez and Bascallao showed signs
| of life. A sergeant with his revolver gave
Hernandez an extra shot, the tiro de
| graeia, as it is called. He was obliged to
fire twice at Bascallao before it was over
The lay brothers carried the bodies to
| Havana and buried them in pauper burial
grounds. j. FRANK CLARK.