The record-union., 1898-08-21

who presided, ordered a Spanish gentle
man named Don Federico Capdevilla,
an infantry Captain in the regular
army, to defend the prisoners. The
patio or courtyard was thronged with
an excited crowd of volunteers, who
tried TO howl down Captain Capdevilla
When he spoke, and two old Spanish
Generals, who spoke some plying
words on the plight of the students, had
to take refuge in the prison hospital
No witnesses were called to this
strange court, there was no evidence
laid before it, except the declarations
of the prisoners, and the written state
ment of the priest. Captain Capdevilla
| rose for the defense, and in an eloquent
speech said: Gentlemen, where are the
witnesses to this charge? There are
none. And where are the charges? IL
lusions based on rumors. If you con-
denim these boys, it is conduct worse
than that of the Paris commune. and
| l implore you not to do so great an
| injustice. My duty as a Spaniard. my
sacred office as their advocate. my
honor as a gentleman and officer. com
pei me to protect these youths-ndeed,
| boys. Boys Who at their age leave no
/
| ness; they live in the epoch Of illusions.
| and now like butterflies roam from
| flower to flower What is their crime :?
and where are your witnesses? 1 have
listened to your Indictment where does
thelr crime come in? 1 find not a
| SHADOW OF crime in your plea. In the
streets l heard of their disrespect for
the law. of their act of sacrilege-where
do they exist? Not in fact but in the
| heated brains of the mob
Gentlemen, above ALL we are honor
able soldiers We are gentlemen; our
proud boast is always our honor. In
| Spain 1t is ever honor ever chivalry.
/ never passion, meanness, nor fear. The
| chlValrous soldier dies at his post.
| Wen, then, are we to assassinate? The
World would cry shame. 1 have spoken J"
| Ihls appeal was greeted with oaths
| and curses, one of the auditory at
| tempting to strike Capdevilla. who
| promptly drew his sword, when he was
hurried away and locked in the next
room for safety. The court then. by a
majority, brought in a verdict of guilty.
and the youths were sentenced under
the Spanish code for sacrilege to terms
Of imprisonment, and led back to the
cells and galleries.
| Meanwhile in the afternoon a great
review of the troops had been held,
when 10000 men filed past General
Crespo and his staff, amidst loud cries
or viva Espana, and more ominous ones
OF Death to the traitors" After the
review the cafes and restaurants were
| nlled with excited crowds, for the vague
! rumOrs had crystaliZed into undoubted
| facts, namely, that the students had
| Vlolated three inches, and flung out the
| cOfnnS; the crowds cOnverged to the
prison, which was soon surrounded with
| seething rabble of soldiers and volun-
| teers, with the scum of the populace,
| VINO surged up against the massive
gates, Valnly attempting to break them
/ open, While -hideous execrations broke
| on the night air. and the stars from the
| vault of blue looked down on hell let
| loose; the shouts and cries penetrated
to the gallery, where the young men,
as they said, stood as in a cage. sur
rounded by leaping tigers, as the fero-
clouS SHOUTS Of "Carne fresca, Carne
fresca! came to their ears-and worse.
| TO the ears of their mothers, as they
knelt in passionate prayer before the
| affairs. $40
General Crespo, shut up in his palace,
received deputation after deputation
from the infuriated mob that during the
night filled the streets, yelling for blood.
4 and as the morning of the 9th broke
in all the glory Of the splendor of the
| tropical dawn, the youths were sum-
moned before court composed of vol
| unteer officers and chiefs of the army;
| and at oGo'clock they We're led back to
the Plato, to be greeted with execra-
tions; the only kindly looks that met
their gaze were those Of the two vet
| eran Generals, who gazed in horror at
the scene. One by one they stood be-
| fore the Judges. and the only question
put to them was-Which of you wore
a diamond ring on the afternoon of the
| 22d, and when the last filed through
| the court promptly agreed that Alfonso
| Alvarez de la Campo should die, and
the rest be imprisoned. 1t had been
decided that the verdict should be an
nounced to the populace by a corner
player, who would play note-each
| note TO represent the number con-
demned to die, and when he stepped out
on the balcony, and one blast broke the
awful stiffness, fierce shouts arose of
Death to the council" Returning to
the patio with his report, the council
decided that five should die Alfonso and
four youths who confessed to racing
the little cart. Five notes then rang
on the ears of the crowd; again rose
the shouts of Death to the council, u
who hearing the angry roar, proceed
ed to cast lots for three other lives, and
one of the lots fell on lad who had
been in the country on the day of the
22d. Then eight cornet notes rang out
the eighth being drowned in the noise
of the tremendous cheering. One. Cap
tain Gener, then walked to the palace
and stepping from one of its windows
on to the balcony in calm tones, slowly
read the verdict. That in addition tC
!, the eight sentenced, whose names he
gave, eleven had been sentenced to six
years imprisonment, eighteen to -four
years imprisonment and four to six
months imprisonment; two were set al
liberty to show the clemency of the
Government. Meanwhile the students
had been conveyed back to the gallery
where, as they stood in silence, sur
rounded by terrible tumult, Captain
Gener entered, followed by the execu-
toner, who read the death warrants
| signed by General Crespo, when Genel
ordered the eight doomed lads to stand
. forth, and march to the chapel where
some priests We're waiting them "What
are you. thinking of now," they were
asked; they replied, Now, and until the
end, our thoughts will be of Cuba ant
, of our comrades.
Half an hour later with his hands