The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-02-15
LETTER FROM HAVANA.
Capt. r. b. Beer Tells of His Visit to
Moro Castle and Fort Cabanas.
CAMP COLUMBIA, HAVANA, CUBA.
Feb. 5, 1890

DEAR MOTHER'-1O our lettef Oh re-
cent date received. You asked me so
many questions that | don't know
whether will get them all answered
or not; but I'll tell you before I go any
farther that got vaccinated second
time and have been painfully aware OF
the fact for two weeks or longer, as |
have an extremely sore arm, and | be-
lieve II | had IL to do over again would
take chances on the smallpox. The
whole regiment has been vaccinated
and the hospitals are vaccinating every
Cuban they can get hold of.
was down town yesterday and took
in few Of the sights. This makes
first time | have been out OF camp
since we have been here, so you see |
am not throwing myself in way of dis
ease. visited Moro Castle and Fort
Cabannas yesterday: also rowed out into
the harbor and stepped off onto the
wreck Of the Maine. / didn't carry
away any relics from the wreck of the
Maine, because | didn't have sledge
hammer to knock anything loose with.
| Old Moro and Cabannas are not so ter
rible looking as one would imagine from
all that has been written and said about
them. Moro Castle proper would be
very easily knocked to pieces. 1t is
more of lookout than anything else.
Both Moro and Cabannas are hundreds
OF years behind the times. In travelling
around. through Moro, walking over
their now grass-grown draw-bridges,
across dry moats, which three hundred
years ago might have seemed impassi
BILE, but at present look ridiculous, and
II the Dons imagined themselves secure
In their prehistoric Notifications their
stretch Of imagination was certainly
very great. One can imagine himself
travelling through the old Castilian
kingdom and almost realize Washing
ton Irving's mythical stories OF Alham-
bra, etc., being absolutely true, finding
yourself challenged by tall warriors,
clad in heavy steel armor; but II you
allow yourself to be carried away by any
dreams OF your imagination you will be
halted, and it wont be by any mythical
knight, either. The guards are very
particular and you have to have a pass
from General Ludlow TO visit most OF
the forts. The guards manner of halt
ing one is usually so emphatic that you
will form an impression that that par
ticular guard has it In for you and
wanted to scare you into a fit by halloo-
ing "halt!" at you in as gruff a manner
as possible. However, that's a part of
their training and as long as you don't
attempt to advance without showing
your pass you will be treated all right.
Should you attempt to pass the guard
without recognizing his command, you
will find one Of those butcher knife bay
onets up against you and you undoubt-
edly won't feel nearly so brave as you
did before. But to continue about
Moro. There is large amount of very
dangerous ammunition stored there in
the way Of mines, gun cotton and differ
ent kinds OF explosives, which requires
a very careful guard. There are dun
geons and prison cells galore all over
both Cabannas and Moro, underground
passageways leading to different parts
OF the city, also to Cabannas and one OF
the newer forts close to Moro, which is
the most dangerous of all of the three
on account of having modern guns.
Most Of the guns OF Moro and Cabannas
are old and almost useless as means OF
defense against our modern guns. Moro
Castle proper is about seventy-fve feet
in height, a base of sixty feet and walls
from five to ten foot through. The
grounds and walls of the forts surround
ing it probably cover an acre. Caban-
mas is less than a quarter of mile from
Moro, covering about three acres of
land and having capacity OF cell room
for four to five thousand prisoners, some
OF the most horrible dungeons one can
imagine. Even travelling through
them with plenty OF light and genial
companions, the cold chills would creep
over me at the thoughts of being shut
up in such place. But hundreds of
Cubans spent their last hours of life in
those horrible holes. Cabannas was
the main Spanish prison of the island
and it was usually pretty well filled up
with the poor devils that would get
into the clutches of such military rulers
as General Weyler. There are many
too, that entered Cabannas who meyer
came out again to tell the story OF their
| brutal treatment.
There is portion of one of the walls
that is filled with bullets and bullet
holes. Along the wall is drawn large
black line. which is just about the
height of mans chest when standing;
it is called the dead line. 1t is where
the prisoners were placed to be shot,
| nra NJ Nayla,ss ,.,athnlo ~ ....f.<. o..