Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-05-19
THE SPANISH In CUBA.
some OF THEIR FrEnoisH cRUElT.ES
CRONlClEp sY LAS CASAS.

Chief Ea.uey burned Alive to Brighten
the Indians - How Spanish Officer
Proved the Efficiency OF His Dagger.
Very Many Children Died Of Starvation.
The Spaniard will leave Cuba as he
entered it, cruel, savage. destroying
force. The national traits shown in the
| effort TO suppress the present rebellion
reveal the same characteristics which
marked tho Spaniard Of the fifteenth
century. The recnnCCntrados of today
are only repeating the suiTerings Of the
native inhabitants of the island of four
centuries ago, and the determination
policy which has been in force for two
years is the renewal OF policy which
was carried to its logical results in tho
middle Of the sixteenth century. And
the four centuries Of Spanish rule, now
| near "a close, arc not surpassed for cruel
ty, ,reachery and bascnoss i'll the history
Of the world
For 10 years after Columbus discov-
| cred Cuba the Spanish made little effort
TO occupy or govern the island. In 1511
Diego Columbus, son Of the discover
er, sent out an expedition of 500 men
under Diego Veiasquez to colonize the
island, and with this event the woes Of
Cuba began. The island was overrun
from end TO end, the inhabitants re-
duced to slavery, and every cruelty and
extortion which the most diabolical
i,, a ri ,,o.sop ocp1I opuooi,-a ~ --cc,,-s>-
ticed. The natives were q harmless race
of Indians, mild. generous and tracta-
| BILE. They could have been controlled
| easily and might have been trained to
usefulness had their conquerors SO wish
ed. The latter, however, decided uuon
policy of examination, which was
ruthlessly carritd out.
1t is doubtful if the full story of the
| outrages and inbumanities the Spanish
committed in Cuba and other West In
dia islands will ever lie told, for the
| history Las Casas wrote has never been
| printed and it probably never will be-
It reveals too much of Spanish charac.
| ter to be allowed TO see the light in full
Las Casas was known as 1.-THE Apos.
| tie of the Indies" a title he gained from
his efforts to check the inhuman cruel
| ties perpctratCd Oh the natives of the
| West Indies and TO persuade the Span
| ish government to do justice to the vic
tins Of its ruthless policy. He Journey
ed back and forth between Spain and
| America yainly trying to carry out his
errand of mercy, bat always seeing his
purpose foiled by the cupidity and heart,
lessness Of his countrymen.
Some inklinc Of the facts Las Casas
| recorded have leaked ont, and they de-
scribe scenes which would appear in
| credible were it not for the inhuman
| ingenuity the Spanish have shown dur
ing the present war IL Cuba. The chief
to whom the whole island paid homage
when tho Spaniard took possession was
named Hatuey. Ia order to strike terror
| into the hearts Of the native Indians
| this chief was burned alive with every
| revolving torture added tn the scene
On one occasion dozen Indians were
| ripped mp hy u Spanish officer 10 prove
| tho efficiency of his dagger. A dozen
more were beheadcd ut feast by Vclas.
qucZ III order shat ho might show his
dexterity before his guests. Out of pure
harbarism Indians were nailed to trees
and left to bo devoured by insects and
carrion birds or CHASED and torn TO
| pieces by b!oodhounds in order that the
efficiency and ie-ocity OF the dogs might
| be maintained.
| These are not all the fiendish cruel
ties chroniclcd by Las Casas. When the
| Spaniards were not torturing the ma.
tives, they were working them to death
on the plantations and i'll the mines.
The Indians had never been used to
hard labor, and the sUdden transition
from an easy life to working in the