Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1903-11-13
JAMAICA'S MYSTERY.
THE FINGER OF FATE IN THE FALL
OF HER CAPITALS.

| History OF Her iSulned tlt1es-IWG
of Them Vanished Utterly From OF
the Face of the Earth.
There exists In Jamaica, in the Wes
Indies. a universal superstition that &
curse rests upon any town chosen TO be
its capital. Since 1909, when the frs
chief city was founded. 40 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 superstition:
| OF the cOlOnists, brooding over The
strange history Of their country, fear
that Kingston, the present capital, q
city of 10000 inhabitants, will share
the fate of its predecessors.
The first capital was Sevilla Nueya
(New SevilleJ, otherwise called Seville
d'Oro (the Golden Seville), on account
of its marvellous wealth. 1t was found
ed by Don Juan d'Esquivel and Diego
Il son OF Christopher Columbus. In q
few years 1t became the greatest Span
| ish city in the new world. Thither
| flocked the blue blooded but impecuni-
Gus mobiles Of CASTLE, eager TO rebuild
their family fortunes at the expense OF
| the poor Arawdk.
Cathedrals, palaces ard mOnasteries.
rivalng those of Spain in splendOr,
were erected. The marble streets were
crowded with gayly clad courtiers and
Indian slaves, who toiled for them and
brought them tribute from mine and
jungle.
Then, in q night. the city vanished,
and no one can tell today what hap
pened to 1t. 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
few broken columns and arches.
Nothing else remains OF the Golden
Seville, once so prosperous and splcn-
did, except a few contradictory ma
tive traditions. These traditions va
fiously ascribe the destruction OF the
city and its inhabitants to n mutiny Of
the oppressed Indians, an earthquake,
A 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 pershed. Even in
Jamaica few people know anything
about the Golden Seville.
The Spaniards made Saint Jago de la
Vega, now called Spanish Town, uclr
second capital. Time and again il was
devastated by hurricane and plague
harassed by Indian reyolts or ranSack
ed by adventurous picaroons. Gradu-
ally 1t sank from its high estate until
now it is merely a squalid village.
When the English conquered the IS
land they made Port Royal their real
capital. though Spanish Town remain
ed for some time the official seat OF
government. The emporium Of the In
dies and the Spanish main, the market
for the III gotten gains Of 10000 buc-
cancers. Port Royal soon became the
richest and wickedest city of the new
world. At the height Of its splendor
and its vice It was destroyed within
the space Of two minutes by an earth
quake.
"The ground opening in Several
Places at once" wrote an eyewitness
in 1862, u few days after the catastro-
phe, Swallowed up Multtudcs Of Peo-
pie together whole Streets sinking un-
der water with Men. Women and Chill
dren I'm them; and those Houses which
but just now appeared the Fairest and
Loftlest I'm these Parts and might vie
with the Finest Buildings in the World
were I'm moment Sunk I'm the Earth,
and nothing 90 be seen Of them; such
Crying. such Shrieking and Mourning
| never heard, nor could anything in
my Opinion appear more Terrible TO
the Eye OF Man. Here Company OF
People Swallowed UP at once; there a
whole Street tumbling down, and in
Another Place the Trembling Earth
opening her Ravenous Jaws, let In the
Mercilcss Sea. 50 that this Town Is be-
come Heap Of Ruins. Several Peo'
pie were Swallowed up Of the Earth,
when. the Sea breaking in before the
Earth could Close. they were washed
up again and Miraculously saved from
Perishing. Others the Earth received
UP to their Necks, and then Closed
upon them and squeezed them to
Death. with their Heads above Ground.
many of which the Dogs Eat; Multi.
tudes Of People Floating up and down.
having no Burial. The Burying Place
at the Palisades is quite Destroyed.
the Dead Bodies being washed out OF
their Graves, their Tombs beat to
Pieces and they floating mp and down.
II is sad TO think how we have Suf
fered.
''The Earth hath still fits of Shaking.
with very much Thunder and Light
ming, and dreadful Weather; yet this
had so little effect upon some People
here that the very same Night they
were at their Old Trade Of Drinking
and Swearing; breaking up Ware
houses: Pillaging and Stealing from
their NeighbOrs. 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 Ludest
i'm the Christian World, a sink OF all
filthiness. and a mere SOdom."
Old Port Royal lies buried beneath
the sea. The present town of Port
Royal. n place Of 10 Importance excepi
az a coaIine station. was built afte'
the earthquake. fire and n landsli,
having destroyed the few houses lea
standing
Kingston was not founded until theI
early part OF the eighteenth century
but II has already been thrice destroy
ell by fire and several times ravaged
by hurricanes. The inhabitants nat
uraIly wonder what catastrophe viii.
happen next.
Many men bave been capable OF DE-.