The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-11

N@.-
year 1899 the Spaniards saw the beauty oe
the spot and built the first rude walls, q
summer home for the captain general.
Year after year, as customary with all
their forts and castles, they strengthened
the place until last October, when they de-
parted, they left the kitchen, living apart
ments and dungeon protected from the
seaward by a solid masonry wall. Half a
century ago, in the fioarishing days Of
Spanish rule, San Geronimo saw some
brilliant society. But for more than 80
years past, according to tradition, the
walls have sheltered and protected, except
occasionally, only q solitary ghost The
nearest neighboFs, the negroes in the slab
huts on the military road, say the specter
was the returned spirit of a political pris-
oner tortured to death in thed dungeon cell.
Their story was proved true a few years
ago, they thought, by the mysterious death
of a temporary keeper. Yet, notwith-
standing the presence of such a ghost,
when wal came with the United States
the Spanish artillerymen placed six big
guns in position on top of the castle walls
in order to help sink Yankee men-of-war.
Two unmounted gun carriages werefound
by III troops on Oct. IS, 1898.
Major Day spent his first night in the
castle without eve an orderly. In the
early evening he sat ON the stone breast
work enjoying the cool sea breeze and
then went to his room, tired enough to
build castles in dreamland. Hardly had
he closed his eyelids in sleep before he
heard a span of horses on the bridge. He
muttered something about a funny time
for visitors and got up to meet his callers.
But when he looked out of the window
he could see neither horses nor visitors.
Such an occurrence naturally puzzled him,
for, although his ears, carefully trained
to hear the faintest noise of the enemy, on
the one hand, had told him of the APP
proaeh of a team, yet, on the other, his
eyes, which sighted 10 inch rifles precisely
on the masts of. battleships miles away,
could detect no sign of horse or man.
Therefore the artillery officer wondered if
he was awake. He pinched an arm, and
feeling the test once more retired for the
night. In the morning he decided to keep
his experience a secret, but, if the oppor-
tunity ever came again, to be more on the
alert the next time for his mysterious
visitors.
On the second night in San Geronimo
castle Major Day, therefore, did not fall
asleep at the usual hour; but, lying on
his cot wide awake, listened intently for
any unusual noise. Before half an hour
had passed, nearly at the same hour as on
the previous night, he detected the faint
rattle of a team on the highway. Soon he
recognized tlfe familiar chatter of a span
of horses on the bridge. He plainly heard
their hoofs strike the stone pavement.
Faster came the team, seemingly with
whirlwind speed, across. the bridge and
into the yard. Sure of his visitors, the
major could wait no longer; but, spring
ing from his bed, threw open the blinds,
and peering into the yard shouted in Span
ish, "Hello!" But he got no reply. Nor
could he sec horse or man. His phantom
team had disappeared as suddenly and
mysteriously as if it had driven right
through the solid castle walls into the
dungeon. He made a closer inspection Of
the yard. Yet in the bright moonlight,
strong enough to make newspaper print
readable, he could not find even a strange
shadow. And the instant he threw open
the blinds, moreover, the major heard
only the line of breakers far along the sea-
coast to San Cristobal fort.
On the third and last night when the
span of horses seemed to come across the
castle bridge Major Day sprang to the
Window aatAthrew open the blinds stfN
quicker than the night before. He went
SO fast, in fact, that he forgot to speak in
Spanish. But his team had already van
ished.