The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-14
HORRORS OF CEUTA
CUBAN PRISONERS STILL HELD IN
THE SPANISH PENAL COLONY
In AFRICA
IMMURED IN DUNGEONS

IMMURED IN DUNGEONS
Cells Designed Hundreds Of Years
Ago by Nations From Whom
Spain Could Learn Things in the
Denied Even the Privilege of
Daylight-TaIe of Torture.
Hundreds Of Cuban patriot suspects
are rotting in Ceuta's underground dun
geons, and I shouldn't be surprised If
some Americans who disappeared mys-
teriously before or during the late war
were there too" writes an English travel
er, Hannibal Slcssom, just back from
Ceuta, the horrible Spanish penal colony
across the way from Gibraltar.
Slossom says he got the first inkling Of
his story from citizens and petty native
officials with whom he held friendly in
tercourse during his stay on the African
| peninsula. Having learned that much,
he set to work to sift the matter to the
bottom. That was not easy, for the
| Spanish authorities proved extremely cir
cumspect as to tho secrets of their
fortress. a horrible stationary gallery.
Slossom says that, while Ceuta citadel Is
connected with the outer world by a
drawbridge, its masters and garrison alb
solutely refuse to have anything to do
with the people Of the town, as they are
an ignorant, poverty stricken lot. To
them Mount Hacho Is forbidden ground
and the bishop. priests and monks only
are admitted freely within the chain of
Notifications. 49,
After, several unsuccessful attempts
Slossom at last found soft=hearted Do
minican who would talk. This Brother
Lorenzo acted as oVerseer of nurses In
the military hospitals Of the fortress ON
two occasions, and then and there learned
many Of the secrets.
The dungeons Of Mount Hacho still har-
Dor hundred or more Cuban and Philip
pine political prisoners, among them sew
eral women. brought to the colony before
and during the war.
4 Gave jewellers" these prisoners are
called, because they lie In dungeons
hewn into the rock, several stories below
the classmates. Their cells, as well as the
classmates and the greater part Of the
existing Notifications, were designed
hundreds Of years ago by nations from
whom even the Spaniards could learn a
thing two in the line Of merciless cruel
ty-the Goths, Vandals and Moors- all
Of whom used Ceuta as g. convenient
point for making raids on the coast Of
Europe and storing stolsn treasures and
their enemies. The Portuguese, coming
after them, added to the horrors Of Mount
Hacho. and the Spaniards did not lessen
them.
/ IMMURING PROCESS,
The dungeons have no doors, only an
opening on top, through which the pris-
oners are lowered on ropes, and which
afterward Is closed up save for q hole a
foot square, through which things are
passed into ana out of the cells.
|. This hole Is secured by an iron shut
ter. and may be opened ten to fifteen
5Tainutes every twelve hours, SO the pris-
oners get faint glimpses of daylight only
/ when their scant rations of snn-dried
beef and messy soup are sent down to be
torn with the teeth or Tapped up dog
| fashion.
'All this excess of cruelty" says Broth
er Lorenzo, might be explained, though
/ not excused, on the plea Of tradition,
I which each governor takes over from his
predecessor with the keys, but the jailer's
inhumanity to prisoners of state does not
end there. He chains the immured VIC
l.
| waist and by anklets that allow him free
dom to crawl only far enough from the
wa to reach the articles pushed through
| the opening above. Six weeks conf1ne-
ment in one of these silent torture cham
bers reduces a man to g skeleton and
bIeaches the hair Of the strongest
7 Brother Lorenzo agreed with Mr.. Slos-
SONS native informers that many OF tho
maltreated prisoners go insane after
i1A
of their subterranean graves only twice
Ia year, on King Alfonso's birthday and
ton the little majesty's name day, when
they must attend the "Te Deum."
Though Brother Lorenzo was supposed
to talk to the prisoners on religious sub
| jects only, he managed to gain informa-
ton from them What astonished him
most was that they had no idea that the
Spanish-American war ended a year ago.
that Spain had been defeated, that Cuba
was Free and that the Philippines were
under the American flag.
"These statements Of mine" said the
monk to Mr.. Slossom, were received by
my hearers with every indication of in
credulity. One man said: It's a lie In
vented by the governor to torture us. If
the Americans had BEEN victorious they
would have sent feet to Ceuta to lib
crate all suspects, and afterward level
| the fortress"
Intercourse between monk and prison
| ers was interrupted after that, the latter
being commanded to witness the eXecu-
| ton, which the Dominican described as
| an act of barbarism the like of which
| would not be tolerated in any other CIV
| ilized country"
'"The gallows," he said, lowered thirty
| feet above the ground. AS the victim
| mounted the ladder the Moorish execu-
| toner pricked him with knife to hurry
| his ascent, and, after placing the moose
| around his victims neck, he sat on his
| shoulders, holding the head between his
| legs, and fastening the poor devils death
| by his weight. Afterward the head was
| stuck on a pike and exhibited over the
| drawbridge, as Is customary in Fee"
| Previous to the cessation of hostilities
| there were many executions; in fact, ev-
| cry lost battle called the halter into requi-
| sition. In many cases the death war
| rants came from Madrid direct, and Of
| lenses against discipline or the safety
| of the fortress dictated others.
| One of the petty jail officials who after
| ward died told Lorenzo Of a conversation
| he overheard between two army officers
! who were talking about the probability
| that Spain would lose all her colonies.
| They agreed that in view Of this it would
| be criminal folly to liberate the prison.
| ers of state from those parts.
| eve Gagged them because they knew too
| much of our administration" they said,
"and to send them back would mean dis
| grace to our officials and water for the
| American mills. Spain can have no IN
| terest In making the task Of these Yam
KEGS easier-hence / can understand why
Madrid wishes all these revolutionists
| dead and buried"
| rarn ON NFJJTTNY