The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-06-07
SANTIAGO.S CRUEL RECORD.

New York PreSsD

!: Was a. Santiago that Fry ard thir-
ty-si@ 81 the crew % the VirginIus were
outyAs-od. The vl-ginsus story has been
too over ard over again. since the muir
der OF Inc Names men brought our pa
thence wiki Spain TO an >nd.
TEis ship. flying the American flag. was
course. of the coast OF Jamaica. by the
Spanish cruiser Tornado. The virginius
was a f.ibuster: but. according 10 our
treaty with Spain, Americans arrested in
Spanish territory. or by Spanish autho-t-
y, had a right TO trial Denying them
this right, ~tnirty-seven men OF the crew
Including the captain. were wounded by
bullets, ard then butcherei while DIVING.
II cost Spain only SN.aa for this: but
Spain paid, and said. Come again" 4
quarter OF Il century from that black
year America came, and we are avengin-
now not only the Maine, but the Fry. IN.
Lopez. and countless other bu;cherIes
done by Christian Spain.
Ihe rest or the crew OF the Nirglnius
would have been murdered. too. had IL
not been for the determined stand OF Sir
Lambton Lorraine. commander OF a Brit
lsh war vessel. which arrived In the har-
Dor Just in time. The Briton. remember
ing the American Tatnall's aid to Eng
land on the other side of the globe. and
his words. Blood is thicker than water"
bOsN lut spanish authorities thlf II an
other man OF the V%irginius crew were
killed he would blow the city into the
sea.
Franklin Coffin. the second mate OF the
harbor Of Santiago de Cuba at the time
of the massacre OF the Virginius cap
tives, gave to Frank Leslie's sketches
and a description OF the events which he
witnessed. The following account was
printed on December %, 1873:
Second Mate Coffin stated that at about
. o'clock on a Monday morning the first
four, Ryan. Cespedes, Varona and Jesus
del Sol, were marched TO the slaughter
house. Ryan wore a blue flannel shirt
and light trousers and had a silver star
displayed upon his breast. He wake
firmly and behaved bravely to the last.
So. indeed. did all the others. all four
dying like patriots and philosophers.
The execution of Captain Fry and his
crew took place in the afternoon. The
mate had a conversation with Fry, in the
course of which the doomed captain
stated that at the time of the capture
the Nirginius was just eighteen miles
sou~th-southeaSt from Fort Morant on the
coast of Jamaica At the place OF exc
cution one of Mr.. Coffin's friends. Charles
Bell. gave Fry a glass of water. 1t was
the last act of kindnes he received from
any one. From the time of the capture
up to that Of the shooting. the Spaniards
treated Fry with great courtesy and con-
sideratIon. He was never pinioned from
first to last. In the supreme moment
VI "NNAAA a Ills siCtD~AoIIlti
composure, and acted like a Christian,
a gentleman. and an American.
His last thoughts were of the poor men
who were shot with him. After they had
knet down with their faces to the wall,
and their backs to the grim squad of
marines, the captain walked along the
line and babe each one good-by separate
~. NO one was sighted. not even the
colored men who sailed with the crew.
The last sounds they heard on earth,
barring the roar of the muskets which
belched forth the red death. We're the
kinds words spoken by the heroic Fry.
When this act Of gentleneSs was done he
knelt down with the rest. The men were
formed in a line about three feet from the
slaughter mouse wall. Three PAGES back
of them were the marines with their
muSketS at the shoulder. Just before the
volley was fired, Captain Fry took of his
hat and turned his face upward as if in
pause. one little ticking of the clock. and
then came the flame. the smoke and the
roar. As the cloudy curtain lifted. thirty
six of the thirty-seven men We're seen
writhing in the agonies of a partial death.
Poor Fry lay stone dead, a bullet in his
heart, and his calm face upturned to-
ward the beautiful tropical sky.
According to Mate Coffin the scene that
ensued was fearful. The bloodthirsty ma
rushed upon the wounded men. who
were crawling around in their blood. and
to dispatch them in the most in
human manner. s.. Barring Gould has |
oi'Ni 0y SoAiiS AAOI u IS vi lIlI /
wolves, but no picture that his gloomy !
pen has painted equals the reality at |
Thrusting the muzzles of mus |
into the mouths and ears of the dy- |
Ing men these fiends in human shape lit |
orally blew their heads off. The gore
victims sought to burst their |
bonds to seize the guns, but their strug- /
giles were in vain. Groans and shrieks. |
as we would imagine emanating |
from the horrid caves limned in Dante's |
Inferno" r~esounded from the place of |
slaughter. For full ten minutes the work
Of carnage progressed, and then all was
over. When the last writing body lay |
cold and stark, negroes came up with /
mule carts to carry off the dead. The /
1iSfigured headless corpseS were thrown |
nto the carts and driven some distance /
off to the burial spot. They were thrown
carelessly into rude holes, in some in
stances as many as a dozen bodies occu-
Dying the same grave. |
The next day the rest of the prisoners
were to have been executed. but the /
action of the captain OF an Eng
iSh warship stayed the tide of blood.
Mr.. p. Ketcham Of Pike City, Cal, |
"D,ripp NV hrofbar,c 1ofa cIoL- |