Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-15
LIVING UNDER MARTIAL LAW
An American Party in the Midst of Southern
Revolution.
Awaiting Orders at Cartagena-on the
Streets at s O'Clock p. VI.
Strict Discipline.

Living in city under martial law has
its drawbacks for Americans. as n marry
now in Cartagena, United States Of Colnm-
bia, has found. One Of the party is DIR. T.
Paul Gunion OF 927 street. who has gone
TO the Central American countries as pl,vsi-
clan 10 one section of the Isthmlan canal
commission and. at the last advices, had
been for two weeks awaiting orders at
Cartagena.
Everybody has to be of the streets nj
s o'clock IN the evening" DR. Gunion writes
to The Star, under date OF February Is
An hour later the fronts II all tn houses
have to be closed. Soldiers ara rarad!ne
the streets constantly. and there are all
the signs of a revolution except the actual
hehting. The twenty massive gates in the
great wall, which extends all around the
city. are closed early in the evening and
guard placed to watch the deep moat dug
just outside the forty-foot wall which
dates back to 1600. and is said to have
cost s15."'o.oe0.
Several night ago the revolutionists came
to within a short distance of the city and
conveyed away about fifty head Of cattle
which seemed TO be great surprise 10 the
government soldiers, who are a poor look
ing lot, even at their best. The time to
see them is in the afternoon just as the
chimes of the Cathedral Of San Domingo
sound o'clock. They have been gathering
from all directions for a half hour previous
but as the last echo of the chimes dies
away the military band strikes UP and
guard mount is in full swing. The soldiers
are small ana exceedingly insignificant look.
ing, 50 the ceremony is not imposing the
companies appearing slovenly and uneven.
Changed Conditions.
''f they were Americans 1t might be tina;
cal sun, for it is quite enough to wilt any,
body, but being natives they should be in
ured TO the heat sufficiently 10 stand the
one military form which they are called
upon to observe daily. There was a time
when the space in front OF the cathedral
would have been crowded with fair senori-
tas to watch the guard mount but there
Is none of this array now In fact. the
girls are seldom seen which is due to the
revolution. Occasionally a fair face is seen
peeping over a balcony, but IL Is not often,
and people here remark upon II and upon
the lack OF the military concerts which
were once given nearly every night in the
public park.
An evidence of the stormy times through
which Colombia has passed Is found in the
fortress of San Ffllippa. which stands on q
high hill just outside the city walls II
was built in 1857, and is somewhat simllaa
in appearance 10 Fort Washington on the
Potomac. In its day IL was no doubt inI-
pfeSnable, SO great and massive are its
walls and battlements. No army however
strong. could scale them. as they are high,
smooth and perpendicular Tho fortress is
undermined with scores OF winding pas
sages, one of which leads under the city
to the monastery OF La Poppa. while an
other leads to the cathedral II would GER
;ainly have been easy to make way with
political or revolutionary leaders by taking
them to the fortress as prisoners and then
conducting them to the monastery or the
cathedral, where they would be left to die
Indeed. beneath the great altar OF the
cathedral. and reached by trap door In
front Of the bishops throne, is a great
sepulcher whore hundreds of bodies have
been buried. Some of them have lately
been disinterred, and box in one corner
OF the cathedral is fun of a miscellaneous
assortment of bones, all iumhled together
without any regard to order or reverence
for the dead