The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-12


From the St. Louis Globe-Demoerat.
The troubles that the Spaniards are
having in Cuba naturally recall previous
experiences of the same nation in the
West Indies. In view of the nature of
Spanish rule, no one can be surprised to
learn that the Spaniards have always had
trouble, not only in the West Indies, bat
in fact, with every colony that Spain has
founded in any part of the world Spanish
arrogance, greed. and oppression have al
ways produced legitimate results in insur-
rection, domestic, and foreign war, conse-
quently the history of Spain in America,
from the discovery TO the present year
may be written in lines of blood. There
has scarcely been a year from the time
of the occupation that the Spaniards were
not fighting somebody, or somebody was
not fighting the Spaniards. and when ex-
ternal conflict failed the dominant nation
kept things moving by civil wars, rival
officers striving for ascendency.
When the Spanish occupied the West In
dies they set up claim not only to the
ownership of the American continent, but
also to all commerce with the new world,
and in attempting to maintain their pro-
prietorship they sought to exclude the
ships and traders of every other nation.
The English, Dutch, and French of those
days were enterprising men, and as their
ships were forbidden to come openly to
the Spanish ports i'm the West Indies small
fleet vessels were fitted out to do SNUG
Cling business. Manned by daring crews,
we'll armed and carving a few cannon.
they were able to resist the patrol boats
and revenue cutters of the Spanish Gus
toms service, having fine sailing qualities
they could run away with ease from the
large Spanish -of-war, ana with cap
tains and pilots familiar with every cor
ner of the West Indies they could easily
evade Spanish vigilance, and land their
goods almost anywhere they pleased. Thus
an enormous smuggling trade grew up be-
tween these three nations and the West
India islands, a trade destined to produce
momentous consequences.
The Spanish policy of determination of
the natives had depopulated most of the is
lands, and Hispaniola in particular, al
most destitute of Inhabitants furnished a
number of comparatively safe harbors
which could be used as distributing points,
and which were reSorted to by the Span
sh merchants who found in the smuggled
goods a source of profit as great as that
which fell to the share of the smugglers.
The plains of Hspaniola were over-run by
herds of wild cattle, the descendants of the
few beasts which had escaped from the
Spaniards, and the smugglers found in
these animals an additional source of pro-
fit for the hides sold in Europe al exceed
ngly remunerative rates. AS Hispaniola
became the center of the smuggling trade,
1t became also a supply depot for
the smugglers, and the business of killing
cattle, preserving the flesh, and baling
hides for transport to Europe grew side
by side with the smuggling. Hence the
name of buccaneer, the jerSed or sun-dried
beef, called boucan. giving its name first
to the men who killed the animals and pre-
pared their flesh, and then to a race of
hardy adventures who for 200 years prov
ed the scourge of the Spaniards in Amer
lea
The buccaneers might have remained
hunters and smugglers had it not been for
the cruel policy of the Spanish govern
ment, which, unable to suppress SNUG
Cling or hunting, determined to cut off the
source of supply, SO landed in Hispaniola
a large force of men, killed all the wild
oxen in the island, and thus drove the buc-
cancers from the land to the sea. There
they were REINFORCED by men from every
nation in Europe; runaway seamen. de-
serters from armies, refugees from large
cities, whose only bond of union was ha-
tired of the Spaniards and desire for plum
der. The buccaneer war lasted off and on
for nearly 200 years, and among these row.
ers of the sea were many leaders who, I'M
der a civilized government, would have
risen to high rank as military commanders.
for some of them displayed a degree of
talent not surpassed by that of the ia
nous generals whose names appear as
models of skill.
Among the most notable of these leaders
was the famous Henry Morgan, whose
name was a terror word in Spanish-Amer-
lea. Morgan was a Welshman, born about
1887, the son of a wealthy farmer AS a
boy his Imagination was inspired by the
stories told by returned sailors of the wars
with the Spaniards in the West Indies, and
he determined at the earliest possible day
to leave home and seek fortune in the new
world. Before he was II years old he ran
away and shipped as g cabin boy. What
adventures he underwent between u and
IS are not recorded, but at the latter age
he turned up in Jamaica as the leader of
a band of buccaneers, who, conscious of
his natural ability, had selected him for
their captain. A year or two later he had
ship of his own. was picking up Span
ish prizes wherever he could and care
fully laying up his share OF the prize
money in Jamaica, as the foundation of
fortune and TO serve as means for greater
enterprises in future.
Morgan soon commended himself by his
a Well-konWn buccaneer leader who had
a fleet of his own, and associated the
young Weshman with him in its com
mand. After the death of Mansfield. Nor
gan took charge of the fleet and exhibited
both force of character and tact In con-
trolling his turbulent associates. Finding
himself in command of a body of over GOO
men, he determined upon an enterprise
more important than that of plundering
an occasional ship, and proceeded to or
ganize an expedition against a Spanish
city His companions at first objected 60
the holiness of the plan. They were ac-
customed 10 predatory forays but we're
not prepared for regular expeditions. Nor
gan, however, overcame their objections.
and after several months of preparation
his expedition sailed from Hispaniola and
landed on the south coast of Cuba His
objective point was Puerto Principe. a city
about twenty miles in the interior. and
supposed by its population to be protected
from buccaneer depredatons not only bv
its Notifications, but by its distance from
the sea, as the rovers seldom ventured
upon the land. The buccaneers landed late
in the afternoon marched during the en-
tire night and attack the city early next
Hafagffncr b2