The Irish standard., 1896-04-11
HORRIBLE TREATMENT
A Shocking Story Comes From Blood
Stained Cuba.

Havana April S.-The following Is the
story of the crime committed by the five
negroes. who were the victims Of the
bungling execution by the garrOte. ON
Monday, the details Of which were cabled
on that day. Their names were Zacha-
rlas Santa Cruz, Isidro Calderon, Juan
Batista Gutierrez (alias LucumD, Ruff
fino Ordenez and Marcelino Gonzales.
The scene of the bloody crime was q house
on the road from San Jose to TtJiragua.
In the evening of July H. Jose Castillo,
the owner of the house, had just left IL
his wife, four daughters and four friends,
remaining there, when the galloping Of
several horses approaching the house on
the highway aroused the inmates as ii by
a presetiment of the wretched fate they
were to meet. Soon afterwards five ne
groeS diSfnounted before the house, brand
ishing their glittering machetes, and Or
dered every one in 1t not to move. They
then demanded of Castilb's wife that she
should give them all the money there was
in the house. She gave them two gold
pieces, asserting that that was all they
had.
But some of the wretches in ransacking.
the house found 36 more gold pieces, which
brought the men up TO a state Of fury
over the deception played upon them.
One of them struck the poor woman with
the keen edge of his machete, decapitating
her with single blow. The negroes, see
ing the blood Of their first victim, became
transported with rage, and put to death
all but one of the inmates, the exception
being one of the visitors, who was left
so badly wounded that he died soon after
giving the testimony of the affair. Seven
days after the commission of tine crime
the civil guard succeeding in capturing the
flVe murderers, and they We're lodged in
the dungeons of the Cubanos fortress and
sentenced to die by the infamous garrOte
on Monday evening.
The horrors Of the executions are still
felt by the Havana public. Zacharas
Santa Cruz was the first of the five to be
executeds and like all of his fellows, he
was perfectly. cool. He noticed that there
was daInpness ON the death bench, and
demanded that the executioner should
wipe itfoff before he sat down, which
was done. As the executioner was fixing
the iron ring around his neck, the reli2-
ious brothers present ntoned in chorus
the words Ego te ahsolvoN ct forgive
thee"). as has already been related and
It was not until the third turn of the gar
rote that he was killed
Valentin Ruiz, the assistant execution
err said that the trouble was due to some
of the screws being badly fixed The
body of Santa Cruz lay where 1T HAD
fallen, when Isidro Calderon, the next to
pay the penalty, was brought forward,
and subjected to lingering agony through
the period of three attempts by the execu-
toner to do his office.
1t was Juan Batista Butierrez who
sought to make an address before he was
executed. but he was seized and the iron
ring adjusted about his neck, and while
the executioner was still engaged in pin
ioning his legs, the assistant executioner
turned the lever. A murmur of indignat-
ton and horror arose from the crowd.
Ruffino Ordiez was the forth one exc
cuted, and the last was Marcelino Con
zales, who was smoking a cigar ais he
mounted the steps to the instrument of
death and who smiled as he saw his four
comrades lying dead near the garrote.
New York April 3.-A special dispatch to
the Herald from Madrid says: "a rumor is in
circulation here to the effect that the United
States would send a squadron to Barcelona
| if Spain continued her naval preparations
| against Cuba The rumor is SO persistent
| that the following ministerial denial has
been issued:
1.-THE ministry emphatically deny that
| there is any foundation for the runor that
! International difficulties have arisen which
| impede the sending of a squadron to Cuba
or the armng Of transatlantic steamers as
| cruisers.
| 1t is said that.two Of these ships viii start
/ Immediately with their full armament. The
| return of Gen. Pando is generally consid-
/ cred to be due to a disagreement with Gen
! Weyler. He is not in ill-hea1th.