The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-08-13
IN SASTO DOMINGO.
QUEER SIGHTS--4 MORNING
 WALK
On Top of the Old City walIs-Tho Regulation of Things-Beauties and CuFIOsities.

cuFIOsities.
 Special Correspondence of the Journal
 and Courier)
 Santo Domingo, W. l., July 3. 1902.
 The regulation thing for the tourist in SantO Domingo to do is to arise wi the lark, or little before that early bird is stirring, and take three-mile stroll around the city on top of its ancient walls, to see the sun rise out of the eastern ocean. Beginning at the Bastion Concepcion-that portion of the wall nearest the hotel-you scram- ble up a sodded embankment to the wide level space on top, which was de- signed for the early defenders to stand upon with their cross-bows and carqUebuses, but is now much used by peaceful pedestrians. There are four teen of these qauint bastions-some de- signed for four-gun batteries, some for eight, each named in honor of some fa- vOrite Saint and fronted by ac hurch for the worship of the same. Most of the passions have been long disused, but this of Conception is of exceptional inn portance, as it guards one of the city gates, overlooking miles of open coun- try and four converging roads, and therefore mounts several formidable guns. The bare-footed negro sentinel, with gun on shoulder, sword at side and two pistols in belt, glares so sav- agely that you shake in your shoes. But there is really no cause for alarm. It is his business to look savage and for the faithful performance of that pariotic duty he receives the munificent salary of six dollars a month and finds himself. In times of peace no wellbehaved person can be denied the right to come and go within the hours of daylight, and you pass unchallenged In an hours ramble along this ele vated tow-path you pass half dozen bastions, each "San" something and with some distinguishing peculiarity that renders it interesting. The little sentry-box between them are almost obiliterated under their canopies of vines and creepers and the meat is choked with weeds.
 1 At last you arrive at the oldest fort of all, in the angle of the wall at the rivers mouth. The early engineers be- slowed their best efforts at this point, because it's prominent knoll is the key to the situation. washed by the ocean on one side and commanding the en- l trance to the river on the other. The same enclosure contains the ancient l signal-tower, the more modern bar racks and arsenal, and many antique cannon, cast in the days of the Louises and the oldest specimens of ordnance I have ever seen. La Forsza-the old est lowered fort which Orvando him. self built at the beginning of tha Span 1 ish conquest, occupies the extreme an- gle of the wall-a sombre memorial of days gone by. Nearly a century ago a 1 terrible earthquake rent the neighbor- ing cliffs and scattered them over the island in such gray boulders but left La Forsza uniniured. This is the very tower in whose gloomiest dungeon Col umbus, discoverer of the island, was kept in chains, in the year 1500, by his arch enemy Bobadilla To-day the mouldy, vermin-haunted room contains four political prisoners, incarcerated for the crime of having been on the losing side in the last so-called "revolution." |" Had their faction happened to win, the gentleman who is now president of | Santo Domingo might himself be en- toying the honor of occupying Colum- bus cell. But never mind! Another turn of fortunes uncertain wheel may place him here and toss the present prisoners on top on posts of honor-un- less the president is as wise in his ge1- eration as most of his predecessors have been and puts his enemies to death while he has the power and op- portunity,
 The garrison consists of few lazy looking negro soldiers, bare-fo1ted and in shiftless attempt at uniform, arm- ed with old Remington rifles which ap- pear to have never had a polishing But don't deceive yourself with the idea that these fellows are not fighters Lazy as they look and poorly attired as they are, they dress up literally "tc kilr on occasion. On all fete days they follow the city's brass band through the city's rough streets with untirina enthusiasm, and on the battle field they strip to the waist and fight like demons. General HeureauX whN, lik Diaz, of Mexico, held the presidency Of Santo Domingo for many years, is the bravest of fighters, and in battle al ways leads his troops, dressed, Co, rather undressed) like the meanest sol dier of his line-barefooted bare headed bare bodied to the waist, witf a naked saber in his hand.
 La Forsza tower is peppered witt marks of shot and shell, wounds in. flicted by Sir Francis Drake when ht bombarded the city, about three cen turies and a quarter ago, and by un numbered assailants of later dates They tell us that there used to be ar immense amount of ordnance here. anC that most of 1t was carried away b! the Engish-levied upon by them a. payment for assistance they voluntar fly rendered the Spaniards against tn
 French. In spite of it's thick. hiel walls and numerous fnrtalezas, wh'cl probably answered well enough at tn
 time of their building, Santo Domingt is distinct failure as fortified cit! in modern methods of warfare. It ii
 commanded by the hill, San Car'os, ant unless the latter was fortified with ad
 vance works, no amount Of m0ne, spent on these old walls could rende
 the city tenable. This fact was forci
 bly, illustrated by General Carmichael
 who posted his troops upon San Carlo
 hill and took the city without firing | chnt oF c11i ortoD TrVins