Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-08-06

sign that the commanding officer Of
the military was in thescity, and that
he must go and see him if he wanted
him to surrender. Ensign Curtin
said:
I'VE will not 60 to the military;
they must come to us.
Some of the people insisted that he
should go and see the general, as
they designated Col San Martin, but
Curtin said he would do nothing Of
the kind.
He asked how long it would take
to send word to the general. The
people said about halt an hour, but
added that there was telephone in
the custom house. Ensign Curtin
pulled his watch from his pocket, and
said to one of the spokesmen:
eco to the telephone aud tell the
general that say to him that, If he
is not here and surrendered in half an
hour, will lombard the town.
In the meantime there was great
excitement in the town. The Spanish
people were scared and the soldiers
were still uncertain what to do. The
foreign consuls continued to advise
them to get out This was the state
of affairs when Curtin's telephone
message was received. They had no
trouble then in deciding what to do
ard remarkable scene ensued.
The Spanish soldiers at once made
raid upon the stores and shops,
which they thoroughly looted. The
men S furnishing stores engaged most
of their attention. They grabbed
socks, shirts and articles of clothing,
wadded them together and stuck them
up their backs, in the seat of their
trousers and under their clothes
wherever they could find room for
them. They helped each other and
worked with frenzied haste to get
themselves armored against the dead
ly bullets which they expected from
the rear.
The police also took the fever and
jammed carriage cushions, pillows
and everything else they could find
up their backs until every rear was
armor- plated, and waited for the word
to start tor the hills. Some of this
was done in the public square, the
soldiers and police being assisted in
the padding process by such Spanish
citizens as were not in hiding.
The Spaniards lett $50 rifles and
I'd, 900 rounds of ammunition behind
them. The news of the surrender
had not reached Gems. Miles and Will
son, when they left Guanica, at 4
o'clock in the morning, with 1000
troops, which arrived from Charles
ton. 1t was expected that they would
have some fighting before they ar
rived at Ponce.
Lieut.. Haines, commanding the
marines OF the Dixie, went ashore and
hoisted the American flag over the
custom house at Port of Ponce amid
the cheers Of the people. After that
Lieut.. Murdoch and Surgeon Heiskel
got into carriage and drove to the
city proper, two miles distant, where
they received tremendous ovation.
The streets were lined with people,
white and black. Some of the men
dangled naked babies before the sol
diers. and other children in the neigh
borhood Of five years were running
about without a stitch Of clothing on
them. Everybody was dancing up
and down and yelling, Viva los
Americanos, viva Porto Rico
Libre."
The windows of the houses were all
filled with people and great crowds
were gathed upon the roofs. The
SLOISo WGlN oil OpSu anu WAChSNSA
the officers stopped gathered around
them. Upon these occasions red
shirted firemen, who were very num-
erous, cleared the way to the stores
so that the officers could 60 in if
they chose The storekeepers Of
fered their whole stock TO the officers
and declared that they would take no
pay for anything.
In the plaza of justice the people
tore down the wooden gilded crown
and would have trampled upon it il
the officers had not interfered and
saved it as souvenir. Lieut.. Muir
dock and Surgeon Heiskel stayed
about an hour driving about the city
and were received everywhere with
cheering crowds. When they sig
nified their intention TO return to the
beach they were escorted back by a
hundred firemen, who were attired in
u r -.