The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-11-04

CAPTAIN THOMSON As A ROUGH RIDER.
ton. He said he liked me because | had
blue eyes. He took me to his home, but
I did not feel comfortable there and left.
Taken i'll again with fever, l was con-
fined to my bed for seven days. / begged
for money to pay my railroad fare to
Tunas. From there | walked to Havana,
reaching that place barefooted and with
my clothing torn to shreds.
General Williams gave me a job In the
American quartermaster's department. l
worked nine days, and everybody took
the yellow fever. My death notice was
printed in the New York Herald. Cen
eral Williams and IL Of his men died,
myself and e Kentuckian named Cald-
well being the only two in the depart
ment that survived.
: It was In Havana that | had the most
thrilling experience Of my life. My du-
ties were to check freight unloaded from
the schooners for starving Cubans. The
city was in q state Of anarchy, conse-
quent upon a mutiny Of the guarda civale
and orden publico. l was coming up a
dimly lighted street one evening about s
o'clock, when a young Spanish woman
who belonged to the upper class, as was
evidenced by her speech, dress and jew
els, hurriedly accosted me. She appear-
ed to be greatly excited and in much dis
tress.
"Oh, SIR" she entreated in Spanish,
throwing a black lace mantilla back
from a beautiful face, 81 am in deep
trouble, and I beg of you to help me! /
know you are an American soldier and a
gentleman and will not refuse me your
aid!'
Then she FASTENED ahead, and /, un-
willing to desert a woman in distress
after such an appeal to my chivalry, fol-
lowed her. Presently she turned to the
right and approached a two story house
with marble front and large mahogany
doors reaching from the second story to
the ground. A small door was set in the
panel of one of the large ones, and this
she opened with a key taken from her
pocket. We both entered. Passing
through a hall for about six feet, she
opened another door with iron bars, went
up winding marble stairs to the next
floor, all this time being in total dark
ness. AT the top OF the next floor she
showed me into another room, saying,
"Bastante, senior" ('sStop here, sir"e,
then disappeared.
I then realized that / had been q fool
to allow myself to be led into what
might easily be my death trap. But what
could be her object in ~feigniug distress?
The ensuing ten minutes seemed like
ten years. Removing my army brogans,
] crept about the marble foor to make
ont what my surroundings were. The
whole house had a silence as Of death
upon it, excepting for a strange, weird,
unearthIy sound that presently came to
nv ears. 1t was a steady. distinct. yet
family recurring sound. like the dripping
of water. and it made my flesh creep.
Finding the door through which !
had been thrust. / opened it. Before
me was a long D~assageway, at the end
of which a narrow stream of light came
from an apartment. On the right were
four doors. on the left an open court. |
crept down the passage, and something
stuck into my foot ! drew 1t out. II
was a small dagger, and / slipped 1t into
one Of my shoes which | was carrying
Then ! peered into the room from which
the light was streaming. The sight
saw seemed to freeze the blood about
my heart.
The room was furnished in the usual
Spanish style. From the ceiling hung q
handsome chandelier with some 60 jets
but the light came from a lamp with rub.
Der tubing on the center table, Sitting at
this table was an elderly man, dead. He