The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-26

turned back, or requested to leave the
court or even detained for examination,
but for my sex, which protected me as
the possible foreign-born wife of q pris-
oner.
The zigzag road, after one has climbed
to the last sharp turn of it's steepish as
cent, leads through dim entrance pas
sage of forty feet or so into the narrow.
quadrangular prison court formed by the
calabozos and the opposite Quartet wall.
At the head of a short flight of steps
leading up into this court are guards
and sentries, a stern and critical group,
who examine any parcel or bundle
brought BY relatives of the prisoners,
| shaking out the clean clothing and prod
ding it with bayonets. After these guards
are passed the visitor finds himself in the
centre of a quadrangular court in a
square formed by the wall of the opposite
euartel and high fences at the left and
right, in which are gatas presided over
by sentries, who open and close them In
funeral silence, and with certain awe
compelling solemnity of motion. The
Quartet windows, which face the Gala
| bozos, are usually full of soldiers, who
employ their leisure III commenting with
marked frankness on the appearance of
the Cuban women and girls who COM
pose the majority of the visit RS. In the
court, between these windows, are sentry
boxes, also facing the cells, for use of the
guards when 1t rains. The calabozos
themselves, four on each side of the two
fences, have each door and window of
huge iron bars, the main difference being
that the door may be opened for the
carrying i'll of food aud water. When
this takes place there is always file of
six soldiers stationed outside facing the
calabozo, with guns ready to fire at the
least suspicious movement within. The
prisoners, however, fall back from the
bars of door and window at this moment
las Tar as they can, being SO thickly
crowded.
These are the only times the cells are
opened except when man Is led out to
execution which occurs on an average OF
Que man day, two Or more being some
times shot ut once. These unfortunates
usually have the short shrift Of a single
night; that is they are taken out from
among their comrades at : i the even
ing marched before council of officers,
4 where sentences of death is read to them,
and then conducted at once a oapilla,
this being an unoccupied cell furnished
with small improvised altar, cot
chair, and a table. where priest or two
may offec spiritual consolation and the
doomed receive the last sacrament. AT
sunrise they are bound aud led out to
the Paso, where they must kneel with
their faces to the stone wall and their
backs to the executioners. The Paso ia
not far away from the calabozos; the
shots are plainly heard by the other pris-
oners, and then the gay music OF the
band, as the soldiers march off and leave
the bleeding bodies to the Brothers of
Charity, who are permitted to take them
away and bury them. Oftener than not
the shooting is olumsily done. as, for ex
ample, in the case of Perdigon Petrana,
who was executed while / was there.
There were four young soldiers detailed
to shoot the man. Who shall say If their
aim was not purposely bad, poor hire
lings, pale az the condemned, and any
imposed upon them. Crash Smoke
sitting away in the strong sea wind.
Patrana had fallen, face downward, but
he WIS not dead. Two of the bullets
had grazad his temples, the other two
had passed through his lungs. A thin
stream of blood ran from his mouth on
the sand. The sergeant gave a sign, q
man stepped forward and fred into the
PROSTATE body; but this vas not enough,
and second coup de grace had to ex-
tinguish the vital spar. Outside the
sphinx like walls of the Notifications lit
tie or nothing is known about these
shootings. I have heard tales about peo-
pie going to witness them. There is,said
to be half-crazy woman who attends
them all; but this would seem almost
impossible, unless she were a relative or
special friond of some one in authority
at the Cabanaa who favored her with in
: vitations at the last moment to this de-
: lectable sight. In Havana the people
have only the meagre paragraph in the
papers the day after:
"The political prisoner (reo). Fulano
. de Tal, was executed at yesterday morn
: ing in the Paso de Gloria of the Cabanas
D for the crimes OF rebellion and innen-
1 diarism."
A Havana people never visit the Cabanas
t or the Moror; you seldom find one of
] them who will admit he knows anything
3 about it. unless, of course. he has had a
! relative shut up there. 1t is a place OF
q horror, 10 be Stunned, forgotten.
: Death il, however, lesser misery In
comparison with an endless imprison-
e ment under conditions which, but for a
sublime sort OF hope and faith, might
/ drive men mad. The political prisoners