The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-08-11
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Written for the HERALD

Written for the HERALD
Though American born, there is
good sprinkling of Spanish blood in my
veins, as well as Spanish "sound" in nv
name-lsabel Valdrez. There were only
two of our family left-my brother
Juan and |. In IS, Juan was offered a
good position in tobacco concern at
Havana. l was delighted with the
thoughts of new scenes and fresh ex.
elements, so we left our old home in
South Carolina for our new one in Ha.
vana, where we remained until after
the Spanish-American war.
Havana is Spanish and romantic loOks
ing. One of the most delightful drive
ways | know of, is through the main
streets of the city out to the villa Maria
seven miles away. | know every spot
of this road-every dilapidated farm
house, rice field, cypress stump, or pal
mettO swamp-or, rather, for palmetto |
should say tdtdnter, for the species
of palmetto which grows in the cypress
swamps around the city is known by
that name. 1t is of dark emerald
green, with large, fan.like leaves, a bout
the size of the head of II barrel, or larger,
| grOoved on the surface, the gooves ali
radiating from common center, and
deeply fringed at the end. These leaves
are of stiff, tough texture, and grow
upon short stems to the height of three
or four feet, in groups, like clusters of
fans, or wild, dark hands with the ting-
ers extended, reaching up ont of the
prairie. They give a most strange,
weird appearance to those parts of the
marshes where they grow. Interspersed
with low thickets and clusters of dwarf
elder and wild acacia, matted up in i'm
! penetrable nets of the wild honey suck
lie, or trumpet flower, and oVershadOwed
| here and there by numerous cypress
trunks, and occasional oak and pine
loaded down with moss, or embowered
in black berry bushes and wild grape
vine-they have a most wild, desolate,
and gloomy aspect, stretching out along
the sky, or resting against the pale,
misty blue of the distant cypress for
ests. Troops of black birds, or crows,
tlutter over these marshes, descending
sometimes upon the Stumps and branch.
es, to rise again in armies, as some horse
or carriage comes clattering along the
road. And here and there, through
these unlnVlting pastures, with their
feet immersed IN water up to their
knees, often, bands OF meager cattle or
rawbone horses may be seen pushing
their way through the bristling he'd yes,
and crushing the stiff pal lmetto in search
of stray leaf or blade of grass, hard in
deed to find in these barren meadows.
Invariably, as my eye stretched along
these tangled marshes, interested and
fascinated by the peculiar aspect of the
groups of JdtdRter, my thoughts revert
ed to the state of South Carolina and
her taller and more stately palm-doubt-
less kindred of this marsh plant of
Cuba. But, perhaps, the association
which Will always exist to an unac.
countabie degree, was made more thrill
ing and painful by the following strange
adventure:
On the Ind of October soon after the
fall of the Spanish power in Cuba, |
was riding with my brother along this
road, on our return from Maria. We
had started early and were returning
sOon-say about sunset, or little after
jogging along slowly, and conversing
in whispers of the surrender of the
Spanish, till we reached the dairy, situ-
ated on the verge of the palmetto swamp
about half of the distance from Maria
We always stopped there to get milk
On this occasion, Juan halted, as usual,
but after looking around carefully
shouting several times and even getting
out of the buggy and accommodating the
} premises, while | ventured to hold the
reins for few moments, the horse be-
ing very quiet one, failing to discover
any body stirring about the place, we
started again. In few moments we
had left the farmhouse behind, ana
were on the lOneliest part of the road
with the rice fields stretching out upon
, one side, and the palmetto swamps upon
the other. Herabouts, there is a large
acacia tree growing few yards beyond
/ the ditch which separates the road from
the swamp. AS we came near it, ask ed
Juan to stop and break one OF the
; bouglis, which were powdered to a eeI
golden yellow with the aromatic bios
: SONS, and after some grumbling anC
/ muttered calculations of "such bother,
blowers and such stuff" he got down
= and was about to leave me, when the
horse started slightly, and | called tC
him to take the reins and let me go. He
> did so, and gathering my skirts arounC
me, jumped the ditch, and entering
I among the tall and fan-like palmettoes
D picked my way from stump to stump
{ for it was wet under foot. When
f reached the acacia, | raised my arm
. and was about to break off a branch
J when, happening to cast my eyes to
ward the bottom of it, / uttered an eX
clamation of horror and terror, and
made sign for my brother to come tC
= me.
"What is it?" he asked, as he noticed
= my looks of extreme agitation. / was
a so frightened | could not get dOwI
from the stump to approach him, and
command my voice sufficiently to tel
him i'm whisper. 1t was the body of
Spanish officer extended at the foot o
the tree, evidently dead. He was lyinl
u, on his face. with his face and breast il
the water, one arm under him and tn
other extended Obliquely from hi
Il side across the roots of the tree. No
% far from him his military cap was yinl
, in the water, with its giIt edge turnet
(, upward, while the brown hair from
y which il had escaped, was spread on
. motionless upon the still waves OF tn
K marsh. Juan dropped the reins when
Il told him what il was, and, clearing tn
|. intervening space with a bound or two
:. was soon beside me.
q "As dead as a herring /" he said, stOOT
! ing down and turning him over on hi
:, side. There was a large hole in hi
u temple, above the outer corner OF hi
right eve, where he had evidently n
celved a ball from q pistol OF gun. Tn
q wound was clear, gaping wide an
! Ia ~ a have tnEUFfa