Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-12-09
JAMAICA'S MYSTERY.
TIE FINGER OF FATS IN The FALL
OF HER CAPITALS.

Tragedies That Are written In the
History OF Her RoIned CIties-Tvo
OF Them Vanished Utterly From on
the Face of the Earth.
There exists in Jamaica. In the West
Indies, a universal superstition that a
curse rests upon any town chosen To- be
les capital. Since 1909. when the first
chief city was founded. no fewer than
three capitals have been ruined I'm mys-
FERROUS and tragic ways. Two have
vanished utterly from the face OF the
earth. Some OF the more superstitious
OF the colonists. brooding over the
strange history OF their country, fear
that Kingston. the present capital. a
city OF 10000 inhabitants. will share
the fate OF its predecessors.
The first capital was Sevilla Nueva
CNew Seville). otherwise called Seville
dOro (the Golden Seville. on account
of its marvellous wealth. IL was found
ed by Don Juan dEsquivel and Diego.
a son of Christopher Columbus In a
few years IL became the greatest Span
ish city in the new world. Thither
focked the blue blooded but impecuni-
their family fortunes at the expense Of
the poor Arawak.
Cathedrals. palaces and monasteries.
rivaling those Of Spain i'm 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 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 10 tell the tale.
Today one can see. buried I'm tropical
jungle. a mile OF marble pavement and
few broken columns and arches.
Nothing else remains OF the Golden
Seville, once so prosperous and splen-
did, except a few contradictory ma
tive traditions. These traditions va
riously ascrlbe the destruction OF the
city and its inhabitants 20 mutiny Of
the oppressed Indians. an earthquake.
n sudden visitation OF millions OF red
ants and an attack 10y French buc-
cancers. The very memory OF what
was once the greatest city Of the new
world has almost persisted. Even in
Jamaica few people know anything
about the Golden Seville.
The Spaniards made Saint Jago de In
| Vega. now called Spanish Town. their
second capital Time and again it was
| devastated 10y hurricane and plague.
/ harassed by Indian revolts or ransack-
/ ca by adventurous picaroons. Gradu-
/ ally IL sank from its high estate until
j fe fr- Z
/ 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 OF
government The emporium OF the In
dies and the Spanish main. the market
for the ST. gotten gains OF 10000 buc-
cancers. Port Royal soon became the
richest and wickedest city OF the new
world At the height OF its splondol
and its vice IL was destroyed within
the space OF two minutes by IN earth
quake.
The ground opening I'm Severa
/ Places AT once" wrote an eyewitness:
In 1922. n few days after the catastro
phe, swallowed up Mulutudes OF PEG
| pie together. whole Streets sinking IN
der water with Men. Women and Chill
dren in them; and those Houses which
but just now appeared the Fairest anC
/ LOftiest In these Parts and might vi,
/ with the Finest Buildings Ia the World
/ were in n moment Sunk in the Earth
and nothing 10 be seen OF them; sucl
/ Crying, such Shrieking and MOURNING
/ l never heard, nor could anything IL
my Opinion appear more Terrible Il
/ the Eye OF Man. Here a Company Of
/ People Swallowed up at once; there q
whole Street tumbling down. and In
Another Place the Trembling Earth
( opening her Ravenous Jaws. let in the
/ MercilcSs Sea. SO that this Town is be
come q Heap Of Ruins. Several PEG
pie were Swallowed up OF the Earth
when. the Sea breaking in before the
Earth could Close. they We're washed
/ up again and MiraCulously saved from
! Perishing. Others the Earth received
/ up 10 their Necks, and then Closed
/ upon them and squeezed them Il
/ Death, with their Heads above Ground
many Of which the Dogs Eat; Multi
tudes Of People Floating mp and down
having no Burial The Burying Place
] 4
the Dead Bodies being washed out of
their Graves. their Tombs beat L
Pieces and they floating up and down
It IS sad 10 think how we have Suf
fered
The Earth hath still fitS of Shaking
with very much Thunder and Light
ming, and dreadful Weather: vet this
had 50 little effect upon some Peopl,
here that the very same Night they
were at their old Trade OF Drinking
and Swearing; breaking up Ware
houses; PnlaSinS and Stealing from
their NeighborS. even while the Earth
! quake lasted. and several Of them wer,
destroyed in the very Act; and indeed
this Place has been one OF the LudeS
in the Christian World, Il sink OF al
hlthiness, and mere Sodom"
old Port Royal lies buried beneath
the sea. The present town OF Por
Royal place of no Importance eXcep
as 4 coaling station. was built afte
the earthquake. q fire and a landslid,
having destroyed the few houses lef
standing
Kingston was not founded until III
early part Of the eighteenth century
but il has already been thrice destroy
eel by fire and several times ravage,
by hurricanes. The inhabitants nat
urally wonder what catastrophe vii
happen next