The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-02-06
EXECUTIONS IN CUBA.
They Take Place Every Morn
ing at ? O'clock.
SOME eREwsOME TO BEHOLD

The Putting 20 Death Of Antonio Cur
man and = Boy = BioodehiiiinR Az
falr-How The Mans wife and the
boys Mother Received the News Of
Their End.
NEW YoRK. Feb. "A special 10 The
World from Havana via Key West has
this TO say OF the executions At Havana
The sharp ring Of rife shots from the
gray walls Of the Cabanas fortress IL
heard daily at fam. with unfailing
regularity. This IL the hour Of eEocu'
tion. The mornings programme was
varied Monday by double execution,
with an added chapter Of cruelty and
horror. The condemned faen were En-
rique Helders osmA, q lad Of 10 years
and Antonio Perdome GuEman. They
were charged with rebellion and inoen'
diarism.
Oama, n verils. handsome youth, car
ried the true patriots heart In an en-
gagement the horse Of his chief, Perez,
was shot. osma, QUICK ~ thought, but
barely in time. gave his own horse 20
Perez. and the chief escaped. The lad,
BY desperate chance, also escaped. A
few weeks afterwards he and GuzmAn
were captured
An execution IL q semipublic show.
and people who cross the bay TO witness
IL are permitted 70 gather on the outer
walls Of the fortress. On Monday they
saw again the usual careless and even
jaunty preliminAries Of death.
A band. playing lively air. marched
choerily into the Enclosure Sin hun.
dred troops followed. and with the In
ner walls a. one Of the sides, formed
hollow square. Eight soldiers. sepa-
rated from the ranks. took stand on =
mound, forming q slight elevation In
the square. They had drawn the short
strAws the night before. and were TO be
the ezecutionerL
Six priests appeared IN double line.
Between them were young Osma and
his fellow prisoner. with their hands
tied behind their backs. They stumbled
and would have fallen but for the as
sistance Of the priests. They knelt 10
the ground with their faces 10 the wall
and their backs 10 the execuuoners. The
band ceased playing. A priest stepped
forward and gently stroking the boys
cheek whispered a few words Of hope
and retired 10 the lines.
The exooutioners moved 10 feet for.
ward. The rifles were raised, the CON-
mAnd was given. Sin shots rang out
and two bodies fell forward 10 the
ground.
But the boy was not dead. His left
arm twitched and vibrAied. Even the
soldiers, Injured 70 scenes Of execution.
turned their heAds. and a groan Of hoF'
rur went up from the spectators huddled
along the edge Of the great wall above.
Il was a grewsome. bloodehilling sight,
but Il was only for a moment Another
command was given and two Of the hr'
ing party. who were willing 10 giv'
mercy sho,s." stepped forward One
placed his rife almost at the boys bacl
and fred. I, was over At last
The spectators returned to the city
barely In time 10 see = crowd about
crying. hystericAl young woman. Min
Cling with the strains Of music wer'
walls Of despair and grief from Gus
mans wife The shots were still ring
ing in her ears when she read the nam
Of her husband In the awful daily bul
letin. "El C-pillA." which means, iii
the chapel Il rs publuhed In III
evening papers and IL = hss Of thos
who are 10 be executed ths next morn
Ing.
This grieistriokon woman had no
sect the hat until the sound Of the shot
told her tina another order Of death hal
been carried out Two little children
ignorant Of the cause Of grief, were q
their mothers side. when the crow
moved about and ascertAined the mean
ing Of her wild. incoherent erica
A few minutes later priest was de
livering letter TO an aged, white hAire'
old woman. Il was dated the night be
fore, and began Dearest Mother
Tomorrow I die. a pasrio. Cor the free
dom Of Cuba"
The old woman was the lads mother
she tainted without reading further, 70
Il was the first information that her 10
was 10 BE- put to death.