The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-31
CORTIJO COMPLAINS.
W eyler's Brother-in-Law Scandalizes
q. s. Prison at Ft. Mcpherson.

o. s. Prison at Ft. Mcpherson.
Washington. D. c., Aug. S1.-Co1.
Cortijo, brother-in-law of Gen. Weyler
and one of the first Spanish prisoners
of the Spanish-American war, being
captured on Spanish transport short
~ after the beginning of hOStiHtieS. and
held prisoner at Fort Mcpherson, Ga,
has written a letter which was publish
ed in Ell Impartial, Of Madrid, on the
10th of this month, in which he COM
plains bitterly of his treatment while a
prisoner in this country.
Col CortijO will be remembered as
naughty old man who was continually
Indignant about fancied wrongs and
what he imagined were implied insults
at the hands of his guardians, and who
made an Intellectual attempt to starve
himself to death while a prisoner. One
incident will illustrate his attitude dur
ing the entire time he was a prisoner,
and up to the moment he was ex-
changed he never bent in his manner
towards his captors. One day when he,
together with the other prisoners, was
seated in the mess hall at the fort,
the guards noticed that he refused to
eat and was sulking about something
This was directly after his attempt to
starve himself, and to humor the old
fellow gOOd-natured guard tried TO
find out the cause OF his dissatisfaction.
Col. Cortijo pointed majestically to the
fork beside his plate and careful ex-
animation revealed the fact that the
point had been broken off the middle
prong. A new fork was brought, but
the colonel still refused food, and went
for several meals without eating any
thing. He was afterWard humOred by
the guards and everything possible
done for his comfort. In speaking OF
his stay in the United States, Col Cor
TOTO says:
when we arrived at Atlanta the
prisoners were received with hOotings,
catcalIs and Kisses, and this was re-
peated upon our arrival at Fort Nc
PheTSOn- There searched,
our persons as well as our baggage,
and everything taken away from US.
They even took away from me a small
pocket case, containing scissors, pen
knife, mirror and needles. After they
had committed these Outrages," he con-
tinued, I'VE were put in an iron cage
with two compartments divided by an
iron plate, which contained no bed, and
we were compelled to sleep on the
ground. The ten officers were allowed
some soldiers cots, which were dirty
and full of insects.
"On the following day the twenty
prisoners were forced to use the same
towel. We were guarded by negroes,
who were put on a perfect equality with
US. We had to take our meals without
napkin or glass, and the food was
dirty and repugnant stuff. We were
given only one plate, one cup of coffee,
one fork and a knife that would not cut.
A mt1latto sergeant would form US ia
line by twOs to march to our meals be-
tween files of armed negro soldiers, and
at the place where our meals were
given US we were made the spectacle
for the curious, which to one of my
age and rank was not only a humilia-
ton, but a distinct nervous shock We
ate with a lot of soldiers, and no one
moved, stood up or showed any mark
of respect when we entered the hall.
MY rank in the regular army of a
civilized nation was nothing to them.
The United States government treated
me as a common soldier, and treated US
all with want of confidence and con-
tempt. All kinds or humiliatiOns were
visited upon US. We were paraded as
though we were shOwmen's exhibits,
and had no privacy The iron cage in
which we lived was made as cruel as
possible 1t was surrounded by a wall
of brick with high windows, and we
could only see part of the sky. This
prison was as a relic of some of the
horrible inquisitions. 1t was suffOcating
in summer, and must be terrible in win
ter. The sun shone in our faces and
burned US. In winter the temperature
must be icy and the dampness unbear-
able
Col Cortijo says he protested several
times to no purpose, and finally de-
cided to starve himself to death rather
than bear such treatment longer. He
was finally dissuaded from this by DR..
Julian He says further that it was
with difficulty that he saved $500
which one of the officers had to pay off
some troops, because the American gov
eminent wanted to cOnfiScate it. He
closes by saying that an American law
yer NJ. ROushah, offered his services |
to bring a suit for damages against
the government of the United states
for the inhuman treatment which the
Spanish prisoners at Atlanta had re-
ceived at it's hands.