The Republican journal., 1903-01-15

will cure that foul breath.
with Armstrong mountain guns and a
few Gatlings Among the latter is one
passing mention During the great
revolution of the Conservative party
not the civil war lately concluded, but
the general overturning some years ago,
which included the church element and
was opposed to the so-called Liberal"
| government-the conservatives" re-
ceived information that Gatling gun,
which the government had bought long
before the revolution began, had arrived
at Barranquilla and was about to be
shipped up the river to Honda. The
insurgents were woefully short of mu-
nitions of warfare and had almost moth
ing for use in the interior; therefore
they determined to possess themselves
of that heaven-sent gun. But how to
do it was the Question-especially as it
must come through Honda, which at
| that time was the main stronghold of
the government forces. Finally they
hit upon plan which never could have
been carried out except in a country
like this, where mems minds are dense
ly clouded by superstition. The revo-
| lutionists sent secret dispatches to their
sympathiz rs on the coast: and these,
| having received the gun from the ocean
steamer. transferred it by night from
its original case to another big box of
different shape, which they labelled as
containing the image of a SAINT, design
ed for a church that was then in process
of construction at Manzanares. Thus
they shipped it up the Magdalena. On
| its arrival at Honda other unsuspected
rebel agents received 1t with solemn
religious ceremonies and carried it
through the streets to the cathedral,
where they deposited it in front of the
altar. There it lay all day, and was pub
! licly blessed and sprinkled with holy
water in the presence of an assembled
multitude, including a battalion of
government troops. Twelve strong men
took the box OH their shoulders, osten-
sibly to carry it over the hills to the new
! church. They bore it in piOuS triumph
little way up the central cordillera in
the direction of ManZanillo, but soon
| turned off toward the Conservative
camp, and shortly afterWard the gun
did terrible execution at the battle of
never have succeeded had not the priest
hood been in collusion with the insur-
gents. Had anybody demanded the
opening of the box, so that the sup
posed sanity figure might be sprinkled,
as we'll as the case, there would have
been another slaughter that day in the
| Plaza de los MartoiS, where SO many
political executions have taken place.
A little way from the barracks is one
of the most interesting structures in
Colombia - the old convent of San
Diego, which is now used as a charity
hospital. San Diego, San Jago, Santi-
ago. are one name, you know, and Span
ish for Saint James. This ancient pile
was the headquarters of the army which
defended Bogata in the war of 1860. 1t
was finally captured by Gen. Mosquera,
after great slaughter. In the convent
garden is an old stone crucifx, which
so says tradition-was used by the cruel
Spanish conquerors as a whipping post
for the subjugated Indians. For any
fault, real or imaginary the victim was
compelled to kneel at the foot of the
cross and clasp his his arms around it,
when his hands were securely tied on
the other side. Lashes were then ad-
ministered ON his bare back; and in the
intervals of the punishment, when his
tormentors stopped to rest, he was COM
pellled to repeat the creed and number
of prayers, after which the whipping
recommended. A fine way of inspiring
love of the cross and what it represents!
Many miserable Wretches were tortured
to death in this manner, and the stones
around the place have been slippery
with human blood. The most dismal
ghost stories pertain to the locality and
among the lower classes (who avoid the
place as if it were plague-haunted), a
belief prevails that shrieks, cries and
groans are heard at night, mingled with
the rattling of chains. A Protestant
school now occupies part of the huge
convent and what was once the Monks
garden-a space 15O yards squares
used for market-place.
FANNIE B. WARD.
SSNhinh do