The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-08-20
IMPRISONED MORRO CASTLE


/ MORO castle Is 10 the lSldnu Oh 1tlDd
to-day what the Bastile was to France
before the Revolution which broke
down its walls and let its prisoners
free. Although nominally a strong
fortress guarding the narrow entrance
to the harbor of Havana, the Morro's
principal feature is It's dark. damp
dungeons. where political prisoner
are confined. 1t differs from Other
prisons in that its prisoners never
know how long they are to remain
shut in from bright sunlight and free
air
A political suspect is first placed IL
the Moro If the authorities have
only the moral conviction that he is
guilty. he remains there. IL the
government is prepared to give him
some kind of trial, he Is taken tC
Cabanas, the other fortress overlook
ing the bay farther down; and whether
the result be life sentence at Ceuta
or the fosse of LaErales,* there is al
least not the grim uncertainty which
he name of Moro carries with it.
i went to Cuba determined to learn
the true state of affairs there | recog-
nized no obligations to any thing OF
person except faithfully to fulfill the
task | had set myself
| arrived two days after the arrival
of Captain General Weyler, and found
that ne had issued his first decree.
refusing the usual permission granted
to correspondents to go into the field
to witness the operations against the
enemy, and that if were to join the
insurgents, or even to be convicted OF
holding communication with them. |
could legally be judged spy and
shot. There was but one of two things
to do, either to throw up my mission
and to go home, or to take the risk of
| disobeying the DEGREES of Captain
General Weyler. l decided to remain,
| and was soon mixing with soldiers and
citizens. Spaniard and Cuban, loyal st
and rebel all were my friends SO far
as my duty was concerned,
In less than four months | had ac-
complished my task. ] had seen a
little fighting, and had photograph
ed rebel chiefs, Spanish generals, and
the Trocha, that queer military line
Of Weyler's, upon which he has staked
so much.
| was ready to go home My last
work had been done in a very suspic-
ious locality, and [ boarded a train
down in Pinar del Rio, intending to
go direct to Havana Unfortunately
for me, the train went no further than
Artemisa However, as j had spent
some time there in the guise of a
photographer, l had no fears for my
liberty, and even when | was arrested,
within fifteen minutes after my arriv-
al my eighth or ninth arrest since
my arrival in tho island), / did not
consider the matter seriously. But
during my absence the personnel of
the Trocha had materially changed.
General Arolas and his second in com
mand, Colonel Hernandez, had both
gone to Havana, and General Mel
gllizo had been sent to take command
of the Trocha, and his headquarters
were at Armetisa | had been caution
ed not to fall into the hands of this
general, who fought no battles, but
had won his stars by killing unarmed
citizens. He is the Colonel Melguizo
who ordered the shooting of the
American Delgado and Casanova, and
was afterward promoted to a general
ship.
| was taken to General Melguizo's
headquarters. No attempt was made
to find ont what [ had been doing, or
whether had boon violating any law
or not. The necessity Of doing this
did rot seem to come within the in
telligence of either the general or bis
staff men of that class of Spaniards
who cannot comprehend why their
government does not break its treaty
with the United States. lombard New
York and take possession of the entire
country. After a few moments whis-
perad conversation | was marched off
to the church. which mad been turned
into fort, prison. and hospital. That
night | slept on a narrow bench. and
when | awoke | discovered that some
one fancying my hat had carried it
off
In the morning | was again taken
to General Melguizo's headquarters,
and my person and baggage searched,
Among my effects | had two cameras
and two dozen plate holders Though
| felt morally certain that the officials
who were to conduct the search would
ignorantly expose my undeveloped
plates to the light and thus destroy
what would have been proof of my
having been IN communication with
the rebels, yet | SO hated to lose the
work which | had risked so much to
obtain that | took an additional risk.
and was fortunately able, through the
klndly offices of Cuban friend, to
secure the substitution of some mex
posed plates for those which | priced
SO highly, and which were safely
spirited away. What | had expected
happened, The substituted plates
We're exposed in broad daylight and
ruined.
Immediately after this examination
was marched down the street in
front of squad of soldiers, and order
ed into an ordinary box car covered
with sheet iron Here Spanish off
Ger produced a rope and ordered one
# the soldiers to tie me up to fellow
prisoner aged and not overclean
peasant although | was in an armor
ed Ger filled with armed soldiers The
officer then took my camera. which
when folded is in the form of cane,
and made great ado overit. He did
not know how to open it: but finally,
when a sergeant came to his assistance
and placed the thing upon its three
legs, he swung his hands in a frantic
manner, declaring that it was an in
strument for measuring the heights
of mountains, and that alone was suf
ticient evidence against me to merit a
death sentence
About half way to Havana we were
ordered to change cars. We were
forced to drag ourselves through the
mud and rain by the ruined railway
station. while crowd of passengers