The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-08
FEROCITY OF SPANIARDS
WHEN DUPONT ASKED FOR AN
ARMISTICE
Horrible Suf7erings Endured by Six
Thousand French Prisoners
Crueitics Inflicted by the Spanish
Peasantry - Soldiers Mutiiated,
Tortured and Sayyn Asunder-
Humane Act of Sir Charles Cotton


Humane Act of Sir Charles Cotton
| From the San Francisco Argonaut
Now that hostilities have actually
begun, it will be interesting to note
| the extreme ferocity which has been
shown by the Spaniards in wars so re-
cent as our own century. On July 10,
1903, Gen. Dupont, who had greatly dis
tinguished himself by his services in
Holland, Italy, Austria and Germany,
in command Of a French army corps
composed chiefly Of young conscripts
encountered near Baylen a Spanish
army under Reding, a Swiss general
and CaStanos, the general-in-ch chief. For
ten hours there was fierce fighting,
when Dupont asked for an armistice
He had been expecting reinforcements
from two French corps, which were in
the ne1ghborhood, one commanded by
! Dafour, the other by Vedel. Attracted
to the spot by the noise of artillery
Vedel made his appearance, and at
once prepared to charge the Spaniards
But Dupont forbade him to do so. They
had been surrounded by Castanos, and,
| when no. chance of escape was left,
| finally surrendered, and 10000 French
men aid seven generals became prison.
ers Ofwar. By the terms Of the capitt-
lat1on they were to be marched to Ca
diZ, and thence sent by sea to France
Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer, whose
father was at that time a lieutenant in
the royal navy, serving on one of the
English ships lying off Cadiz harbor
says that when the government Of
Spain refused to ratify the capitulation
these unfortunate prisoners were put
on board of hulks and kept in horribl
captivity. Her father used to describe
their march as zone Of the saddest
sights he ever saw, the mob hooting
and insulting them, pelting them with
stones. and rushing at them with
knives, the women splitting in their
faces, the children casting mud Of
their fate. she says:
From Cadiz, after about six months
5000 men Of the division of Vedel were
embarked in ships and sent-they hop
ed to France, but knew not whittier
At Palma, in the island of Majorca af-
ter a suspense of forty days, they
learned that their destination was the
desert island of Cabrera.
Horror Upon Horror.
| "At Cabrera the most tried courage
sank under the horrors of the situa-
| ton. Upon a pile of barren mountain
ridges and sharp rocks 5000 mon were
| landed, almost without clothes and
| before long many were absolutely
| naked. Scarcely third of their num-
| tSi, dllCI d ISSlQSuCc VI lHIScr years
| on the island, left its shores.
mo habitation was to be found there
| save the ruins of castle built by the
| Moors, nor had the French soldiers
any means of building more than a few
wretched huts Of branches, brought
with great labor from a few stunted
| trees that grew in a remote corner Of
the island. They had but bare suf-
ficiency Of water to sustain life, and
even that was a precarious supply.
Provisions were sent to them every four
days from Majorca, but were some
times delayed, either by Indifference
to their sufferings or by the weather.
Then hundreds. already weak. died of
famine. Their allowance at the best
was only six ounces of bread and a
handful Of dried beans"
The news Of the sufferings of these
men reached Sir Charles Cotton, the
English admiral at Minorca, and, al
though according to international law
It was no affair of his, he sent Mrs
Latimer's father, then in command of
the Minorca, sloop Of war, to make a
report to him on the subject She thus
describes their sufferings: almost all
of them were naked. Two French Of
ficers, a major and captain, swan
off to the ship as she approached the
landing place; they were taken on
board, fed, clothed, made comfortable,
and my father gave them passage to
Minorca, where Sir Charles soon after
arranged for their exchange. The sail
ors of the Minorca, struck with pity
and horror, subscribed three days ra-
lions for the sufferers
Swan for Food.
Sir Charles Cotton, on hearing the
report, at once had the Minorca's deck
loaded with black cattle, and sent her
back to land them at Cabrera. She
reached the island at one of those Pc
RODS when the bread boat had been
delayed, and. as the English ship APP
preached, every tack she made which
seemed to take her out of her course
was watched with the utmost agitation.
The sick and dying had been brought
down to the sea-shore by their de-
blitated comrades, and encouraged to
fix their eyes on her approach that
they might live till food arrived. She
let go her anchor within 200 yards of
the little beach, and in moment the
sea was alive with men swimming out
to her. Not only were the cattle land
ed, with supply of food for immedi-
ate use, but Stops were served out to
| many a wretch wholly destitute rf
clothing"
This horrible condition of affairs was
brought to the attention Of the govern
ment of Spain by England, and mat