The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-21
HISTORY OF
FOUL CRIME
Such is the Story Of the Harbor Of
Santiago Slavery, Conquest
and Piracy It's Record.

Two great rocks ON the Cuban coast
rise abruptly from the Caribbean sea.
The sea Of brilliant green waters and
changing colors, casts its 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 c~rumbling battlements
and the ivy crept over the queer little
turrets and about the grated windows;
little gray lizards have basked in the
sun on the great light Of stairs stretch
ing down to the water edge; nesting
birds gathered above the hugo battle
door and plumed themselves upon the
heavy guns Of La Batteria de la Estrel-
la, pointing out to sea. Not for hall a
century has the d~rawbridge 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 1884 unique battle was waged in
Santiago bay between the Aery Spaniard
Diego Perez and a French corsair. The
two vessels met and fought till sunset
Of the first day. Then q truce was
agreed upon, and the captains Eek
changed civilitics 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 ANN worthy Of gen.
tlemen-with lance and sword. Thus
they would prove their valor, and he
who won should have hts opponents
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-
merts 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 tho 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 dam watches Of the night,
the persistence of Diego Perez seemed
so ominous the Frenchman slipped his
cable in the darkness and quietly sailed
away. leaving Perez to mour his abb
sencc.
At nightfall in years past dark, low
hulled~ brigantines slipped cautiously in
from sea and were moored quickly as
near the shore ms 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 q lifeless form and some with
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 crampcd and swollen limbs,
mothers with newborn infants in their
arms-all these had known tho fearful
horrors Of the "middle passage"
The waves that ever besiege the cas-
tie rock have tunneled a great cave be-
meath the MORO, high, broad, deep and
unexplored. Strange legends are told Of
the things 1t hides and those who used
1t 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,
n upon the ramparts Of MORO, many
condemned patriots have been led. their
forms silhouetted against the clear sea
sky for q few seconds, Q last cry of
Cuba librel' then a rattle Of mus
kerry, and the swift falling bodies go
down into the sea.
Santiago is the see OK an archbishop,
che head Of the Catholic church in
Cuba, and from all the cities in the is
land people como to the great coremo-
with the professionals. The bells of the
cathedral chime the hours as they have
chimed for two centuries and moro 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 tho gray walls of the
city abattoir-ft place for such a 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 tho
Spanish soldiers. who finally discharged