The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-04-09
TALES OF PIRATES ON THE SPANISH MAIN;
WHEN MORGAN CRUiSED OFF VENEZUELA.

and took the fort. His entire COM
mand entered the building and were
! making merry with some wine which
the garrison had left, when Morgan
stepped outside to take a view of the
place.
The city was deserted, but Morgan
sent 100 men into the woods to hunt
up the fugitives, who, with their
wealth, were secreted In the forests
roundabout.
They returned with thirty men and
women. This was kept up for days,
and the most inhuman tortures were
employed to force these unfortunates
to confess where they had hidden their
wealth. Some were broken on the rack,
while others were tied and burning
torches placed between their fingers.
Weary Of scenes of blOOdshed and
suffering, Morgan finally sailed away,
but, to the dismay of his crew, found
the entrance to the harbor blocked by
three Spanish warships in the same
manner that the fleet of Cervera was
blockaded in Santiago harbor. They
had also rebuilt the fort at the mouth
of the harbor.
Undismayed, Morgan coolly removed
the plumber and prisoners from his
largest vessel to the smaller ships of
his fleet, and filled it with all the gum
powder, pitch, tar, rOsin, and other
combustibles that he could find in Mar
acaibO. Then he mounted wooden cam
non about the vessel and covered the
decks with posts dressed to resemble
men. Having finished all this, he sent
word to the Spanish commander, stat
ing that unless he paid heavy ran
som for Maracaibo he would burn the
place to the ground.
The Spanish admiral replied that I'M
less he surrendered in three days he
would enter the harbor and pay the
ransom in lead.
This brought matters to head, and
next morning Morgan sailed down the
harbOr, single file, after the manner OF
Cervera leaving Santiago harbor, the
dummy ship leading, in charge or few
resolute men, who, at signal from
Morgan, were to apply the match to
the fuses and escape in a small boat to
the other ships.
Outwitted the Spaniards.
When the Spanish admiral saw the
first vessel of Morgan's squadron
coming out of the harbor and heading
directly toward HIN he Sdll0U III W
meet him, graphing and making fast
to the vessels sides for what he ex-
pected would be hand-to-hand con-
test.
Then the matches were applied and
pandemonium followed. The Spanish
admiral could not unfasten the chains
AMI clamps with which he had fasten-
ed his own vessel to what he thought
was Morgan's flagship, and in few
minutes his own ship was ablaZe from
stem to stern.
He and the members of the crew
jumped overheard to drown rather
than to fall into the hands of Morgan,
while the two remaining vessels of his
| fleet were run aground and abandoned
by the officers and crews, who fed to
the woods.
The fort, further down the harbor,
had still to be passed, but Morgan exc
cuted a maneuver which threw the gar
rison into a state of alarm, causing
them to expect an attack in the rear,
and to meet this threatened onslaught
they removed their cannon to a point
some distance from the fort When this
was done Morgan sailed out of the har-
Dor, his sailors jeering at the Spanish
garrison, who were unable to bring
their ordnance back to fire on the bold
and reSOurceful pirate