The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-02-11


 cayed GentiIity-Baiboa-Pi and EncIsco.
 i Especial Correspondence of the Journal and Courier)
 Carthagena, Colombia, Jan. ?, 1903. One of the most interesting places on
 the western hemisphere, and one of the
 least known or appreciated, is this old
 Carthagenia-a city hallowed by histo-
 ". romance and tragedy, but now wearing a pitiful air of recayed gentil- l ty. Consulting a map, you will find it
 near the Caribbean coast of Colombia, little way west from the mouth of the 1 Magdalena river and almost due east 1 from the Isthmian city of Colon. In 1 the days of Philip II Carthagena was 1 the most strongly fortified town in the 1 three Americas, the headquarters of the
 Spanish naval forces in the new world, | the great rendezvous of the galleons 1 that crossed the Atlantic for treasure:
 and until comparatively late day it remained the commercial metropolis of
 the vast region known as New Grena-
 da." Its prominence was partly due to
 the celebrated mines just back of the
 town, from which many ttons of gold
 were sent to Spain.
 ] Some idea of their richness may be
 obtained from reading the ancient rec ords that yet remain in the archives of i Carthagena. These faded documents i set forth the fact that the kings share i was one-fifth part of all the gold pro-
 duced, while another fifth went to the
 church; and during more than two
 hundred years the kings portion aver i aged eight million dollars per annum
 The royal galleons carried away tons 1 upon tons of treasure; and hard and l fast after the galleons followed the pi- rates for plunder. So much mischief 1 did the latter commit that the Spanish , sovereign thought it worth while to build a wall all around Carthagena, so
 wide and strong that forty horses could walk abreast on 1t, at an expense of
 more than ninety millions of dollars.
 These stupendous Notifications are still
 in tolerable condition, though no longer
 occupied. Their massive walls are to
 all appearance impregnable, and the subterranean passages leading from
 them may be distinctly traced
 Through one of these passages, which | leads outward to the foot of the noun | tains. communication with the interior
 used to be maintained in times of siege
 Another ran between the antique for tress on a nearby hill into the gloomy ! IY,,o 70 TENn atN1
 through it prisoners were conducted to punishments that make the blood run cold to contemplate. The Inquisition
 building still stands, but for many | years has not been used for the torment | of heretics. Terrible tales cling round
 the place, of men and women who here | suffered inconceivable tortures, ending
 in death by fire. After the power of Catholicism was broken in New Gre nada'' the huge building remained emp | ty nearly half a century, on account of l its fearful reputation for "hants' and 1 spooks; but to-day it serves the igno-
 ble purpose of tobacco factory.
 Even the stately old castle, like eve rything else about Carthagena, has i fallen into a mourilful condition Of de- cay, and is now utilized as a signal
 station, from which a flag Is run up by
 a man on guard soon as a vessel is
 seen to enter the harbor, thus notifying
 the captain of the port and merchants
 in the city of it's approach.
 There are several once magnificent
 but now dilapidated churches in Car
 thagena which are well worth visit,
 to say nothing of many decrepit pala-
 ces, indicating in their days of the sere
 and yellow leaf the grandeur of their l prime. Most of the former abodes of l Spain's proudest grandees have degene-
 rated into shabby tenement houses, and
 others have long been empty--the | haunts of scorpions, centipes, lizards and fever germs. The great cathedral,
 one of the largest and architecturally most beautiful to be found on the hem isphere, now contains nothing worth
 mentioning but the big marble pulpit
 and world of sacred traditions. The
 pulpit is 8 truly magnificent affair of purest Carrera marble covered with ex- 1 quisite carvings. Carthagenians think, not without reason, that there is noth- 1 ing like it under the sun. The story of
 its early vicissitudes adds to it's value
 and interest. About three hundred
 years ago the Pope of Rome, wishing to
 show especial favor to his devout sub iects in New Spain" ordered the con- struction of this marble pulpit for Car | thagena's cathedral. It was designed 1 and carved in the Eternal City by the 1 foremost artists of the day, and when
 properly consecrated was shipped with
 solemn ceremonies on board Spanish i galleon bound for the western world.
 While on it's way the vessel was over 1 hauled by pirates, who ripped open the 1 boxes containing the pulpit, and being
 angered at finding nothing but carved
 marble, for which they had no use, l they dumped the whole thing over I board in mid-ocean. But--donder of wonders-dy direct interposition of the
 saints, not one of those ponderous
 cakes of solid marble could be made to sink The buccaneers, frightened out of. their wits by this miracle, fled from the galleon, piousiy crossing them selves, and muttering prayers and curses. With great difficulty the Span ish sailors got the sacred cargo aboard | again and started for Carthagena. But they had not proceeded far before