The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-09-02
NATIVES REVENGE,
Porto Ricans After
the DOnS.

and the rough element still makes
nightly attacks upon the Spanish
cafes. A crowd Of roughs raided a
Spanish store on the Playa, but the
mob was quickly dispersed by Colonel
Clouse, who went into the thick of the
crowd with a drawn revolver and ar
rested two of rioters. The crowds are
easily handled, and 10 damage of any
kind has been done here.
The newspaper, La Estrella Solitaria,
has been suppressed for publishing an
article calling pon Porto Ricans to
avenge themselves. There is danger of
more trouble in the country districts.
Twenty-Five houses Of the town of
Coto were burned by Porto Ricaps. Two
other houses were torn down and the
bank and all Of the business houses
were looted. Coto is a small town five
miles from Ponce. Half of the popula-
ton are Spanish and the stores belonged
to them.
The night Waterman who was on
guard was held up at 5 o'clock in the
morning, by three Porto Ricans, who
pushed a revolver in his face and
threatened to kill him. The Waterman
ran away and the men then lighted
torches and began to destroy property.
They chopped in doors, tore off and
smashed in blinds and finally set fire
to one block of the finest buildings in
the town, owned by S~paniards and
80 Ill %I1 h,,ciNncc nf tho
place.
VILLAGERS TERROR1ZED.
The native villagers were terrorized
and at first Joined the assailants, who
began looting and burning buildings
and setting fire to others. A mule train
of the Nineteenth regular infantry
came along the road while the fire was
at it's height and was stopped by the
flames. The men Of the train could
do nothing but look on while the mob,
every minute growing larger by access
sions from the native villagers, went
from house to house, destroying every
thing it could get hold of.
The Spanish residents fled to the
woods, though the mob offered no harm
to their persons. The bank stood in the
middle of the business block. The moi
attacked the building with pickaxes and
shovels and succeeded in smashing in
the vault, but they got very lit
tie cash. After rifing the vault of it's
contents the mob set fire to the build
ing, the crowd cheering as the flames
rose in the air, M yelling Death to
Spain!' death to the Spanish" etc.
When the disorder was at it's height
Major Parkhill of General Wilson's staff
came along on his way from Ponce to
thirty-one men of the Eighteenth in
fantry, also came up. They started
in with fixed bayonets and corraled
thirty-three of the rioters.
Only two of the mob were armed, but
they did not offer to shoot. The men,
bers of the mob were good-natured.
They laughed at the soldiers and seemed
to think the whole affair a joke.
The Waterman was caught with the
rest. He said he knew two Of the men
who started the riot, and under threat
of death he gave their The SOL
diers are looking for them and have
captured a lot of suspects at Juana
Diaz. The town is guarded by soldiers.
The houses which were burned were
all owned by Spaniards. The outrages
is one of a series that has taken place
since the signing of the protocol.
The first was committed by ~Spaniards
in a little town in the western end
of the island, where a lot of Porto
Ricans were killed. The natives a
peer looking for vengeance ever since
and reports lave been received daily
from towns outlying Ponce of assaults
on Spanish persons and destruction of
their property by natives.
The military authorities are taking
violence, wen if shooting is necessary.
The warships Withdrawn from Ponce
were the Terror, Puritan, Amphitrite
and Wasp, which vent to Guanica.
The others have gone to Guantanamo.
The eason for the ships going to
Guanica is that the harbor there is
safe in case of a hurricane, while the
harbor at Ponce is not.
An explosion at the works of the
American Forcite company, Kenville,
N. j., injured three men Small loss to
buildings.
Jim Nicely, colored, a private in the
Twenty-ffSh infantry, was killed at
Macon, Ca, in a row which he started.