The times., 1898-12-25
The Press stin Gagged.


Thanks to strict censorship. the news
papers tell us little of the carnival of
crime that is going on in Cuba-of nightly
murders and robberies and outrages of
every description. The Spanish system OF
press control would hardly be tolerated
in any other country, even Russia: but
here 1t Is as rigid inexorable. They
assure US that correspondents are not co.
creed. but are free to write what they
like. True enough, they may write quires
and reams of too literal correctness to
please the powers that be, and when the
blue pencil gets done with II dozen lines
remain for the publisher. Yet it is said
that Don Carlos Moreno. the present press
censor. is much too lenient toward Ameri-
can correspondents, Therefore there IL
talk of dispiacing him in favor of Co
Girauta, secretary of the Spanish Com
mission of Evacuation-a second Congosto
or prompting Mephistopheles.
The worst menace to society is Gen.
Blanco's latest act of alleged mercy. This
was to bring back to Cuba the Mani
goes as they are called. under the pre-
tense of liberating political prisoners
They are really the worst criminals that
ever infested this unhappy island-while
thousands of real political prisoners.
men of standing and character. whose
only crime was love of liberty, yet Ian
guish in the dungeons OF Ceuta. The
Nanigoes are all negroes. or, at best. witt
but slight aduteration of Cuban blood
Before the war they formed regular or
ganization for the perpetration OF crimes,
with initiation rites. pass words and other
secret methods of communication. Candi-
dates for membership were first required
to drink the warm blood of a rooster. and
then to draw blindfolded, from a box
containing black white and yellow balls
If he drew a white ball he must go out
into the streets and stab a white man: if
black ball, a negro; or a yellow ball, a
mulatto And then the initiation was
complete and the new member entitled
to the protection of the society and a
share in its plunder. The murders and
| depredations committed by this class were
innumerable until the orden publico hunt
ed them down and the majority were sent
| to the penal settlements of Africa. Now
| that the police have in turn been deport-
| ed Spain sends back the Nanigoes and
| turns them loose upon a defenseless COM
munity. Ii is a matter of deep concern
| to the American Government. as well a.
| TO the people OF Cuba Our military com
| mission demonstrated only to receive the
polite but sneering reply that the Mani
goes are our friends, the Cubans. who's
| release from Spanish oppression the
| United States has desired.
| The other day 800 Nanigoes arrived in the
| shin Isla de Panay. None of them had a
cent Of money or anywhere to go. their
| only possessions being small bundles oi
dirty clothing. But they had evidently
retained their natural instinct of preyins
upon other people. They marched in q
! body to the Parque Central, where they
pre-empted an the benches, the citizens
hastily retiring, and then they sent q
delegation to the civil governor demanding
to know what provision he was going tc
| make for them. That worthy gentleman
| had no more idea than they. but he sent
| for his brother officers. with the result
that the Namgoes were temporarily quar-
| tered in Los Fosos-those sheds of horri
BILE memory where the reconcentrado:
starved to death by thousands.
| FANNIE BRIGHAM WARD