The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-06-07
THE AWFUL PANIC AT CANEY
The Frenzied Inhabitants Thought They
Were to be Butchered.

The tFenZied Inhabitants Thought They
Were to be Butche-ed.
The scenes and actions in Caney
after the battle are in q measure ex-
planned by the impression that, fol-
lowing the taking Of the town, the in
yading force would loot, commit MUIR
der and rapine. Immediately after oc-
cupation Of the hill upon which the
fort is situated By our forces, the fren-
zied inhabitants began rushing up the
hill to make peace with the Victors.
I went down into the town with a
sergeant and eight men, with instruc-
tions from Capt Allen Of the calvary
to turn out all the Spanish Soldiers
could find and break up their arms and
send the soldiers up to the fort.
General orders had been issued for
bidding anyone except this small guard
to enter the town, as there was thought
to be q great amount Of fever, and al
so because it was still occupied by the
defeated Spanish under arms.As we
went down the trail across the river
we met a procession such as never
expect to see again Hysterical Won
en-, paralyzed with the fright Of the
whole long day; children Of all sizes
screaming with terror and clutching
their mothers skirts for protection
from men who had killed their fathers
or brothers, as far as they knew with
out cause. Some little ones, with eyes
wide open in mute Wonderment Of 1t
all; men Of all classes; soldiers who
walked indefinitely with no excuse,
while others declared they were forced.
into the Spanish ranks.
One poor frightened woman Of about
fifty years was carrying another, evi-s
dently her mother-a woman who must
have been eighty or more. She was
in her nightclothes, having just been
taken helpless from her bed. The.
younger woman was carrying, or real
ly dragging her, by holding her on her
back, having the arms over her shoul-
ders. The older woman was much tall
er and her bare feet dragged upon the
jagged rocks in the path while she
moaned and cried ineoherently. These
people were not Of the poorest class,
but evidently well to do. stopped a
couple Of Spanish soldiers and had the
women carried to their houses, and
come to them.
One young woman rushed franticauy
up to me, as came into the town, and
thrust jewel box into my hands, ard
as she did so she lifted the lid and
showed me that the contents was
really valuable, begging all the while
that I spare her life. When closed
the box and handed it back to her,
saying that did not want it, she look
ed at me in an inquiring way to see IL
she could make it out. She did not
understand that sort Of soldering, and
she fully expected to purchase her
safety It all would have been i'm
mensely funny had it not been so ex-g
tremely pitiful. One woman came up
very mysteriously, and after looking
about her most carefully, produced a,
murderous looking sheath knife from
under the folds Of her skirts, telling
me that it belonged to a Spanish sol
dier who had concealed himself in her
house, to which she led US.
started up side street, over some
trenches filed with Spanish dead,
when beautiful woman came rush.
Ing down moaning, and now and then
muttering a frenzied prayer as she
clasped a little crucidx. Her long
black hair was falling loosely about
her shoulders and she presented a pitt
full picture of despair. I tried to COM
fort her thinking that like the rest,
she was merely hysterical but little
by little I made out her story, and
it was sad indeed. Her husband, a
Spanish soldier, had been killed while
defending her honor from a drunken
officer, and she begged me to go with
her, and so I followed. I found a
pretty room, but in great disorder,
showing a terrible struggle, the table
overturned and the clothes pulled of
the bed; on the floor, clutching corner
Of blanket, was the dead body of a
Spanish soldier, who, from the dirt and
CRIME, had been in the trenches dur
ing the day. At his head was single
candle burning, placed there by his
devoted wife, and on his breast lay
| crucifx. The moment we entered the
room the woman dropped at the side Of
the body, moaning and praying. It
was pitiful.-James F. ]. Archibald
in Leslie's Weekly.