The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-11-20

the Face of the Earth.
There exists in Jamaica, in the West
Indies, a universal superstition that
curse rests upon any town chosen to be
its capital. Since 1909. when the first
chief city was founded, no fewer than
three capitals have been ruined in mys-
terious and tragic ways Two have
vanished utterly from the face of the
earth. Some of the more supcrstitious
Of the colonists, brooding over the
strange history of their country, fear
that Kingston. the present capital, n
city OF I0COO inhabitants, will share
the fate of its predecessors
The first capital was Sevilla Nueva
iNew Seviliej. otherwise called Seville
dOro (the Golden Sevillel, on account
of IFS marvellous wealth. 1t was found
ed by Don Juan IL Esqnivel and Diego,
a son OF Christopher Columbus. In a
few years il became the greatest Span
ish city in the new world. Thither
fiocked the blue blooded but impecuni-
Gus mobiles of CASTLE. eager to rebuild
their family fortunes at the expense OF
, the poor Arawak.
I
rivaiing those OF Spain in splendor,
were erected. The marble streets were
crowded with gayly clad courtiers and
IndIau slaves, who toiled for them and
brought them tribute from mine and
jungle.
Then. I'm A night. the city vanished.
and no one can tell today what hap
pened to it. No survivors and no rec
ords were left behind TO tell the tale.
Today one can see. buried in tropical
jungle, a mile OF marble pavement and
a few broken columns and arches.
Nothing else remains OF the Golden
Seville. once so prosperous and splen-
did. except a few contradictory na-
tive traditions. These traditions va
riously ascribe the destruction OF the
city and its inhabitants 10 u mutiny OF
the oppressed Indians. an earthquake.
sudden visitation OF millions OF red
ants and an attack by French buc-
cancers. The very memory OF what
was once the greatest city OF the new
world has almost perished. Even In
Jamaica few people know anything
about the Golden Seville.
The Spaniards made Saint Jago de Ia
Vega. now called Spanish Town. their
second capital. Time and again 1t was
devastated by hurricane ard plague,
harassed by Indian revolts or ransack-
ed by adventurous picaroons. Gradu'
ally it sank from its high estate until
now it is merely a squalid village.
/ When the English conquered the Is
4 land they made Port Royal their real
/ capital. though Spanish Town remain
i ed for some time the official seat OF
4 government. The emporium OF the In
dies and the Spanish main. the market
| for the I'll gotten gains of 10000 buc
/ cancers. Fort Royal soon became the
richest and wickedest city OF the new
world. At the height OF its spiendol
i and its vice Il was destroyed within
| the space Of two minutes by an earth
quake.
The ground opening in Several
Places at once" wrote an eyewitness
in 1892. few days after the catastro
phe. swallowed up Multitudes OF Peo
pie together. whole Streets sinking un
der water with Men. Women and Chill
dren in them: and those Houses which
but Just now appeared the Fairest ane
Ioftfest IN tiese Parts and might vi,
with the Finest Buildings in the Worit
were fn a moment Sunk in the Earth
and nothing 10 be seen OF them; sucl
Crying. such Sbrieking and Mournipi
/ never heard. nor could anything IL
my Opinion appear more Terrible 4
the Eye OF Man. Here Company o.
People Swallowed up at once. there ,
whole Street tumbiing down, and IL
Another Place the Trembling Eartl
opening her Ravenous Jaws. let In III
Merciless Sea- so that this Town Is be
come u Heap OF Ruins. Several Peo
pie were Swallowed up OF the Earth
chen. the Sea breaking in before tn
EartN could Close. they were washes
MP again end Miraculolsiy saved from
Perishing. Others the Earth receive,
M TO their Necks, and then Closes
upon them and squeezed them &
Death. with their Heads above ;irpnnd
many of which the Dogs Eati Mnltl
tudes OF People Fioating up and down
having no Burial. The BnFying P'ac
at the PallsadoeS i quite Destroyed
the Dead Bodies being washed out q
their Graves. their Tombs beat I
Pieces and they floating up and down
IL i sad to think how we have Sui
fered-
J The Earth hath still fits OF Shaking
with very much Thunder and Light
ming. and dreadful Weather: yet thi
iiad so little effect upon some Peopl
beFe that the very same Night the
were az their Old Trade of Drinkin
and Swearing; breaking up Ware
honses: Pillaging and Stealing fror
their Neigh.oFS even syhile the Eartl
quake lasted. and several cf them wer
destroyed I'm the very Act; aBd iRdee
, this Place has been one Of the Lude'
in the Christian World. n sink of u
6lthiuess. and mere SOdom."
OH Port Royal lies buried beneat
the sea, The present town OF Poi
4. Royal. n place Of no Importance exceI
as a coalins station, was built aft'
the earthquake. fiPe and Q landslid
= having destroyed the few houses le
standing.
Kingston was not founded until n
early part Of the eighteenth centur.
but IL has already been thrice destro.
e ed by firs and several times Tasgge
: by hurricanes. The inhabitants na
n nraliy wonder what catastrophe WI
happen next.
: Many mea have been capable OF d
4 ing a wise thing. but very few o gel
I; erous thing.-Pope.
All His EggS In One Basket.
ell Goodman E0urnuC-wa Hnnsf o.