The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-01-15
WOMEN WERE SLAIN.
Taken by Force and Subjected to
Horrible Torture.
A DANCE BROKEN UP BY SOLDIERS.
'hey Shot Down innocent Parties
and Carried Off Women.
BURIAL OF CORPSES REFUSED,
The Mutilated bodies OF Seven Girls
We're Found in n Cellar
by Their Friends.

Key West. Fla. January 14--Among the
Cubans who came over tonight from Ha-
vana was cigarmaker named .Jose Ro
| dero, who formerly lived at Guanabacoa
| the city where Major Fondevilla is socur-
| ing such an unenviable reputation as a
butcher. second only to Weyler." Rodero
| states that he was forced to leave there
on account of being a suspect. lie adds
'nat half the terrors of Fondevlla's reign
are untold. He tells of one terrible event
that happened last week that has not as
yet been made public, though known TO
hundreds In Havana The state of terror
ism there and at Guanabacoa is so great
That the people know that II they tell of
the murders happening they will suddenly
disappear" and everyone knows what that
means.
Rodero states that number OF Young
people at Guanabacoa of Cuban birth had
small social club comprising possibly
thirty members. young men and women.
They had dances and social meetings
once n month. At the December meeting
they had been troubled by the soldiers
pecring in at the wondows and insulting
them as they danced, but nothing further
was expected At the DANCE last week,
Monday at their hall. on Concepts
street, they Were suddenly surrounded at
about IL O'Clock at night by half n hun
dred soldiers, many of them pretending TO
be drunk. The doors were forced OPEN
and as they entered they fired several
shots. killing Antoine Perez, Jesus Miriam
da. Theresa Mathertiz and two others
names unknown, all under 20 years In
| stantly all was confusion. screams and
groans filing the air The people at
tempted to escape, but the soldiers piled
into the room and beat them back with
their cutlasses, inflcting many wounds.
The club leader, Chris Tomez was then
called for, and as he attempted to escape
from window. he was shot down in cold
blood. By this time many OF the young
| girls had tainted and the young men were
Frantic with fear and rage The SOL
| diers penned the young men in one cor
ner. and then another detachment seized
seven of the girls and. Notwithstanding
| their struggles, shreks and entreaties
carried them off. The men tried to res
cue them, but there being only a few
present. the soldiers with cooked rifles
and drawn swords held them at bay re-
Wiling them in the coarsest words posi-
BILE. telling them that they would be hung
| in the morning and thrown 70 the dogs.
AFTER nOlulng tncm imprisoned LOT an
hour they were let co. but were refused
| permission to take away the bodies of those
slain. The latter the Spaniards flung out
of the windows into the street, where they
remained for several hours, as none dared
to take them away until the soldiers had
gone. Complaint was made to Fondevilla s
officers the next day but the parties max
! ing the complaint We're openly inSulted and
threa tened with instant death If they dared
to make this outrage public. Quiet search
was made for the abducted girls by their
friends but nothing was known until three
days afterwards. when their mutilated
bodies were found in the cellar, or lower
| room, of deserted house near the city
limits, in section where there were few
houses The girls had been used most
| cruelty their bodies showing the marks Of
blows and cuts. One Of the bodies had been
af-way dismembered. while another had
the feet cut off other unmentionablc bar
harlties were nerpetrated on the bodies ais,
The bodies were taken out Thursday night
and hurled by the Cubans In place where
the Spanards could not find them. Ro-
dero stated that this was only one Of the
horrible outrages that could he mentioned,
all of them most inconceivable, but true.