Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1896-03-19
Weyler's Reign Of Terror.
POLITICAL PRISONERS DYING OF
DISEASE AMID APPALLING
CONDITIONS IN MORO
CASTLE.
Women Besiege the Palace and Seek
Mercy For Their Loved Ones
in the Spaniards'
Clutches.

NEW YORK, March ia letter
from Havana says Weyier's reign of
terror has commenced in earnest.
Moro Castle, reeking with the poison
Gus filth of three centuries, is over
crowed with political prisoners. Food
is at a premium in the prison and in
| nocent men are slowly starving to
death. Unless someone can bribe a
guard to give blanket to prisoner,
bed on the bare stones. Fever has
claimed many victims and the sanitary
condition of the prison is described as
appalling.
There is hardly an hour of the day
that women are not besieging the
gates of the palace with petitions. 1t is
a wife pleading with Weyler for hus-
band, or mother for son, or children
for father, but it is always the same
plea-not for trial on the evidence, but
for mercy, always for mercy. There
is blind conviction that fair trial is
impossible under the present regime.
Many of these women come from the
country, walking for days and weeks
to plead for relatives. They are hol-
low eyed, haggard and frightened, but
in desperate earnest. They stand out
side the palace gates or in the corrid-
ors of the palace for hours. They
make no scenes. They simply wait,
wait, wait; put off on one pretext af-
ter another until it is too late to check
the peculiar sort of justice admins
tered by General Weyler.
| No information is ever given to in
quirers about the disposition of politi-
cal prisoners. Men are arrested and
railroaded to Moro Castle, to the Isle
of Pines or to the Penal Colony in
Africa; after that all is blank so far
as the public is concerned.
The other day one of these prisoners
slipped off the steps at Moro Castle
while getting into the prison boat and
fell into the water. His arms were
pinioned behind him and he was help
less, but managed to struggle to the
surface. As he raised his head no hand
was stretched out to save him. The
other prisoners were also pinioned
and could render no assistance. The
man aoated for few seconds ut the
side of the -boat.-Then- one of the
Spaniards pointed his rifle down into
the mau's face and shot him through
the head.
Nothing has been done about this
case, which was reported as "priS'
oner shot while attempting to es-
cape"
The hundreds of refugees coming
into Havana declare that the Spanish
are shooting the men who are on any
estate that has been occupied by &
rebel man. The killing of Duarte, the
Frenchman in charge of the Olayits
estate, is a case in point. Duarte wal
murdered in cold blood, while carry
ing French flag toward the Spanisl
camp for protection. General Weyler
since the agitation in the United State
Senate has made an honest effort t.
check the indiscriminate killing o
Cubans and foreign residents, but th'
practice having received his approva
in the first place, the effort to abolis
it is now apparently impossible.
The feeling against the United State
ia bitter. The merchants, throug
, self-interests, are forced to continu
their trade relations with this country
but a few of the leading men of Glen
fuegos have Cancelled orders TO
' American goods as protest againf
|, the action of Congress in adoptin
f belligerency resolutions. These mel
4 chants will now buy their goods /
4 Havana from wholesalers, who depen
4 on the United States for their supplie