The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-11-27
JAMAICA'S MYSTERY.
THE FINGER OF FATE IN THE FALL
or HER CAPITALS.
Tragedies That Are written In the
History Of Her Ruined Cities-Tvo
of Them Vanished utterly From on
the Face Of the Earth.

iHhIlfS, HHINfIHHI supfISllllOu lihl IL
curse rests upon any town chosen 10 be
its capital. Since 1909, when the first
chief city was founded, no fewer than
three capitals have been ruined In mys-
tcrious and tragic ways Two have
vanished utterly from the face Of the
earth. Some Of the more supcrstitious
OF the cOlOnsts, brOOding over the
strange history Of their country, fear
that Kingston, the present capital,
city OF 10000 inhabitants, Will share
the fate OF It's predecessors.
The first capital was Scyilla Nueva
(Ncw ScvillcD, otherwise called Seville
dOro 0hc Golden Seville, on account
of lts marvellous wealth. IT was found
cd by Don Juan d'Esquivcl and Diego,
II son Of Christopher Columbus. In
few years II became the greatest Span
ish city In the new world. Thlthcr
Hooked the blue bloOdcd but impccunl-
Gus mobiles of CASTLE, eager 10 rebuild
their family fortunes at the expense Of
the poor Arawak.
Cnthcdrnls, palaces and mOnastcrics.
rivalIng those OF Spain in splcndor,
crowded with gayly clad courticrs and
Indian slaves, who toilcd for them and
brought them tribute from mine and
Jungle.
Then, in night. tn city vanished.
and no one can tell today what hap
pcned to ID. No survivors and no rec
ords were left behind To- tell the tale
st..I In trAf lgstll
Jungle, mile of marble pavement and
n few broken columns and arches
Nothing else remains of the Golden
Seville, once so prosperous ANA splcn'
did, except n few contradictory ma
tive traditions These traditions va
rously nscrihc the destruction of the
city and It's inhabitants 10 Il mutiny of
the oppressed Indians. an earthquake,
n sudden visitation of millions Of red
ants aud an attack 10y French buc-
cancers. The very memory of what
was once the greatest city of the new
world has almost persisted. Even I'm
Jamaica few people know anything
about the Golden Seville.
The Spaniards made Saint Jago dc la
Vega. now called Spanish Town, their
second capital. Time and again II was
devastated 10y hurricane and plague.
harasscd by Indian rcvOlts or ransack-
ed 10y adventurous picarOons. Gradu-
ally II sank from it's high estate until
now II Is merely squalid village.
When the English conquered the Is
land they made Port Royal their real
capital. though Spanish Town remain
cd for some time the official seat or
government. The emporium OF the In
dies and the Spanish main, the market
for the Ill gotten gains or 10000 buc-
cancers. Port Royal soon became the
richest and wickcdcSt city OF the new
world. At the height Of its splcndor
and It's vice II wns destroyed within
the space OF two minutes by an earth
quake
"Thc ground opening In Several
Places ut once" wrote nm eyewitness
I'm 1852. few days after the Catastro-
phe. Swallowed up Multitudcs OF Pco-
plc together. whole Streets sinking I'M
der water with Men. Women and Chill
drcn In them: and those Houses which
but just now appeared the Faircst ana
Lofticst I'm these Parts and might vie
with the Finest buildings In the World
were In n moment Sunk in the Earth,
and nothing TO hC seen of them; such
Crying. such Shricking and Mourning
| never heard, nor could anything III
my Opinion appear more Terrible to
the Eve OF Man. Here n Company of
People Swallowed up at once; there a
whole street tumhling down, ana in
Another Place the Trembling Earth
opening her RavCnous Jaws. let In the
McrCilcSs Sea. So that this Town is be-
come n Heap OF Ruins. Several Eco
pie were Swallowed up OF the Earth,
when. the Sea breaking I'm before the
Earth could Close. they were washed
up again and Miraculously saved from
pcrishing Others the Earth received
up to their NcCkS, and then Closed
upon them and squeezed them to
Death. with their Heads above Ground,
many of which the Dogs Eat; Multi
tudcs of People Floating UP and down.
having no Burial The Burying Place
NJ the pulisadocs Is quite Destroyed.
the Dead Bodies being washed out of
their Graves. their Tomhs beat to
pieces and they iloutiug up and down;
Il Is snd to think how We have Suf-
fcrcd
The Earth hath still fits OF Shaking.
with very much Thunder and Light
ming. and dreadful Weather; yet this
hoH ~ iittip pffyyt unpu some I'ppnlp
here that the very same Night they
were nj their old Trade of Drinking
and Swearing; breaking M Ware
houses rillagiue and stealing from
their height r.. even while the Earth
quake lasted. and several of them were
destroyed In the very Act; and indeed
this Place has been one OF the Iudest
. In the Christian World. a sink Of all
tilthiness. aud mere Sodom.'
old Fort Royal lies buried beneath
\ the sea. The present town OF Fort
Royal. n place OF no Importance except
rs coaling station, was built after
the earthquake. fire and landslide
having destroyed the few houses left
standing
Kingston was not founded until the
early part of the eighteenth century
hut IL h>s already hccu thrice destroy
cd 10y fire and several times ravagcd
4, nv hurricanes. The inhabitants nat
4 VrotiN xropf.r vrtat Nata strOplp will