The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-09

No citizen of the United States has q
kecner recollection of Spanish atrocities
than CAPTAIN j. j. Allies Of Celestine, Ills.
ssIn November, $780, says Captain
Allies, 81 went to New Orleans with q raft
of timber from the Yazoo swalnps. @ n
my arrival I found they were organizing
an expedition to assist the Cubans to thcir
freedom. Being young and anxious for
adventure, l joined them, as did also my
partner, Robert Wcathers of Tennessee.
General Narcisso Lopez was in command.
We were paid S25 each in Spanish gold,
and if we succeeded III freeing the island
we were to have o farm apiece. There
were 400 Of us, and we went into camp be-
tween tho United States barracks and the
jackson battle-ground. Lopez placed as
under regular military discipline, and We
were not permitted to go into the city
without a pass.
after We had carnped there for three
weeks President Fillmore issued a proc
l~anaation stating that the United States
was not at wal with Spain and those who
went to Cuba would not be protected by
the of the United States. He
issued special orders, l afterward learned,
for us to disband. We wcro not allowed to
know this. The Same night tho proela-
nation was issued an old ship was moored
for us. / believe her name was Ponlperio.
We were hurried aboard, and the next
morning we were 90 miles below New Or
and anchored in the gllf Of Mexico.
We staid there ten hours and then sailed
for the awful end tina awaited us. 1t
seemed that our officers wero afraid our
government would send vessels after us.
stAr 7 laomtol oftorsxvu-1 tho onVnpn-
ment had absolutely nothing to do with
tho expedition. It was simply a illibuster-
ing trip started by spectators from New
York, Philadelphia and other ccnters,
who were in Il land grabbing scheme with
the few Insurgents who were then rebel
lious. They had promised Lopez to or
ganize other companies, and we anchored
on the south of the gulf to await them,
but they did not show III promptly. Tho
officers were afraid of the government
overtaking them, so, as before stated, we
lifted anchor and sailed. We went around
the south of the gulf and were about to
land on Cuban soil ono fine morning
when O Spanish cruiser anne along, COB
bled us up bodily and towed us into Ha-
vaHa as prisoners. We were put into his
toric cid MORO Castle.
i tteltl4C4 ttlC tt2fe y OOA1tH 10y
hearing Of our misfortune. put back to sea
and ~disbanded. Our officers were all
Spaniards-rebels. My captains name
was Rodriguez. They told Us when we
enlisted that when we got to Cuba all
would DO our friends except a few aristo-
Gratis. | am sorry to say that in later
events we found the Cubans our worst
enemies. The descriptions which we have
had SO graphically in the press deal lightly
with Moro Castle. The reporters have
evidently mover explored the man consum-
ing bowels of the great monster. Men
cannot find in the English language
words that can picture the horrors of the
underground construction as it was in
1850, and l suppose it is worse today. The
first thing the Americans should do when
they tako Havana is to tear down the old
castle.
"The descriptions of the terrible Spanish
prisons at Ceuta on the north African
coast give faint ideas of the catacombs of
tho Moro. Tear down tho walls and
there, living in dark, damp, Nernlin filled
caves Americans will find people who have
not beileId the glories Of the sun for years.
/ cannot describe now how we tunneled
Underground to these little easements.
The one Wcathcrs and I, by most remark
able coincidence, were placed in was about
4 feet long, 4 feet wide and s feet high.
The water was constantly dripping on the
straw we had for q bed, and there was no
telling how long this straw had been
there. 1t was moldy and alive with YER
min. The odor was sickening. We were
left in continual dusk. The light from
the tunnel was tho only ray from the out
eide xxrorld raaebiar nc