The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1898-07-07
HISTORY Of FOUL CRIME
Such Is the Story of the Harbor
of Santiago de Cuba.
SOME HORRORS OF IT'S PAST.

The Great Cave Beneath the Morro-A
Unique Battle wassd In Santiago Bay.
Day of Reckoning Comes.
Two great rocks on the Cuban coast
rise abruptly from the Caribbean sea-
The sea, of brilliant green waters and
changing colors, casts it's beautiful
shells to the shore for toll and slips an
arm in between the great rocks that
draw apart for it reluctantly and stand
sentinels of the harbor Of Santiago de
Cuba.
From the brown rock ON the right the
antique yellow walls, the Moorish tow
ers and turrets of MORO Castle have
looked across the sea for over two CEN
turtles and a half. The moses have
grown over the crumbling battlements
and the ivy crept over the queer little
turrets ana about the grated windows
little gray lizards have basked in the
sun on the great flight of stairs stretch
ing down to the water edge; nesting
birds gathered above the huge battle
door and plumed themselves upon the
heavy guns of La Batteria de la Estrel-
la, pointing out to sea. Not for half a
century has the drawbridge over the
deep moat been lifted-not since the
pirates swarmed along the coast and
met in their chosen and sheltered port
of Guantanamo.
In 1888 a unique battle was waged in
Santiago bay between the fiery Spaniard
Diego Perez and French corsair The
two vessels met and fought till sunset
Of the first day. Then a truce. was
agreed upon. and the captains sex
changed civilities and sent each other
presents of fruit and wine" Further
more, they decided to fight only by day
They agreed that artillery was an in
vention of towards, and they would
fight in the only manner worthy Of ger
tlemen-with lance and sword. Thus
they would prove their valor, and he
who won should have his opponent S
ship So fought these doughty pirates
the second day till sunset. Then again,
in spite of many slain and wounded on
each side, they exchanged the compli-
ments Of the day, refreshing themselves
with each others fruit and wine But
the Spanish captain sent to the people
of the city asking them in return for
his services in case he was defeated to
compensate him for the loss of his ship,
that being his only property The au-
thorities refused to pledge themselves
in any way. So, unaided, the valorous
Perez fought his adversary the third
day and the fourth. On the evening of
the fourth, during the courteous inter-
lude, the Frenchman promised to fight
again on the morrow. But, thinking it
over in the dim watches of the night,
the persistence of Diego Perez seemed
SO ominous the Fl nchman slipped his
cable i'll the darkness and quietly sailed
away, leaving Perez to mourn his alb
sence
At nightfall in years past dark, low
hulled brigantines slipped cautiously in
from sea and were moored quickly as
near the shore as possible. Over the
hastily laid gangways long lines of dark
forms were hurried from the slaveships,
shackled two by two at the wrist Now
and again lifeless form and some with
breath still in their bodies would be
passed up from below and dropped into
the sea that told no tales-these the
more fortunate ones. The others were
hurried inland, staggering as they went
naked, with cramped and swollen limbs
mothers with newborn infants in their
arms-all these had known the fearful
horrors Of the middle passage.
The waves that ever besiege the cas-
tie rock have tunneled great cave be-
meath the Moro, high, broad deep and
unexplored. Strange legends are told of
the things it hides and those who used
it in years gone by, and the veriest
guajiro knows well that he who at
tempts to penetrate its secrets will new
er return. Only the waves, murmuring
as they go, creep into the black, lofty
portal open to the sea. Above the cave,
out upon the ramparts of MORO, many
condemned patriots have been led, their
fornAs silhouetted against the clear sea
sky for few seconds, last cry Of
CUBA librer" then rattle of mus,
kerry, and the swift falling bodies go
down into the sea.
Santiago is the see of an archbishop,
the head of the Catholic church in
Cuba, and from all the cities in the is
land people come to the great ceremo-
MES, and the narrow streets are brilliant
with the professionals. The bells Of the
cathedral chime the hours as they have
chimed for two centuries and more and
call to mass and vespers.
Nearly % years ago, one November
afternoon, past the American consulate
marched the officers and crew of the
Virginius, condemned men. They
marched in tours, saluting the Amer
lean consulate, its flagstaff significantly
bare, and before the gray walls of the
city abattoir-fit place for such deed !
-53 members of the expedition, many
of them Americans, knelt with their
backs to the firing squadron and fell
wounded before the clumsy firing of the
Spanish soldiers, who finally discharged
their rifles in the mouths of the victims