The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-06
CAPTAIN CHRISTIE.

About eighteen months before the Unit
ed States declared war on Spain IN behalf
rived in Havana He was a man with very
much Of a past. He had fought three
dUels; he had been the warden of a prison
and had flogged several convicts to death;
he had been chief of police at Madrid and
was known rs cruel and relentless He
was big and buriy and Dullyishs but ne
was said to be the braVest man in Spain.
Gen. Weyler wanted a man after his
own heart. He wanted man who would
lead a small command against the Gu
bans in rebellion and kill every man as
fast as come to- He so arranged matters
that Christie came out as a captain and
was given a hundred men. They were
known as Christo's Devils. Any Cuban
canebreaks viii tell you that these Devils
were more dreaded than five times their
number of regular troops. Now and then
when the regulars captured bunch OF
prisoners they spared q few lives. That IS
they sent few rebels to prison to die of
be it two men or twenty, the men were
shot or cut down without mercy.
On one occasion, after Il Cubans had
held a sugar house against 80 Devils for
two days. and were still having the best
of it. Captain Christie came forward IN
der a flag of truce and asked for their
surrender. He didn't demand 1t, but ask
ed for it on the grounds that it was nee
essary to preserve prestige. 1t would
never do for 1t to go out that he had been
held at bay by such a small force. They
might march out with their guns and
their nag, and on the sacred honor OF a
Spanish soldier and gentleman they
should not be fired on. The Cubans dis
trusted him, but they had ammunition for
only one more day and It was finally de-
termined to accept the terms. Christie had
posted his men in ambush. and when the
Cubans appeared all but one were shot
At another time he surrounded sixteen
scout, and this scout had fallen into
ChFistO's hands He refused to give any
lh1ornl1 Soh until ms Ieet were toasted IN
campfire, and ne was otherwise tor
tured for an hour. Acting on his infor-
nation the thicket was surrounded It
was a capital place for defense. Christie
had only As men with him at the time
and the CubanS could have stood him off
for week When the rebels had killed
five Of his men and suffered no loss them
selves Christie resorted to flag OF truce
He promised that If surrender was made
to parole the Cubans and give each one
a present of $50 in cash. All were n rags
and half starved, and some had not seen
their homes Tor a year. The promise
dered and were marched q distance Of two
miles and then, meeting q Spanish force,
they were done to death They were shot in
succession. Every man was made to see
the others shot until the last one was
finally reached. For this deed a Spanish
club in Havana presented Captain Christie
with a gold watch and General Weyler
mentioned him with praise in his reports.
Three or four leaders ike Christie
working into the jungle with small forces
at their backs might have finally wrecked
the Cuban cause but there were no 9TH
ers to follow in his bloody footsteps. The
rebels dreaded him and thirsted for re-
venge. After many plans to capture him
had been laid and failed an American
soldier Of fortune serving with the Gu
bans as a sergeant came forward This
man, who was about thirty years old. was
known only as Hines. He gave no infOr-
nation about himself. and he was
tighter no questions were asked He asked
Tor four tried men to go with him. and
he took men whose courage he had seen
tested During an afternoon they march
friendly to the cause He informed them
that Christo's Devils were only a mile
away on an abandoned sugar plantation.
He had visited them that morning to car
~ in provisions. In marching through the
jungles three or four days before most OF
our Ivy. The Deon said that fully thirty
men were blind with this poison, and Of
the other sixty many could not handle
their muskets for their swollen hands.
The native had understood that Captain
Christie was to ride back to the Spanish
not be So He had seen the captain and
had been questioned by him, and he re-
ported the officer in sullen spirits. The
rebels PASSED the plantation that night
and went into ambush on the road be-
yOnd- It was taking & chance. If Spanish
IL Captain Christie rode for the lines they
hoped to capture him. They were in luck
At 9 o'clock next morning the captain, at
tended by an orderly, made his appear
ance. His horse was shot from under
him and his orderly killed. and the next
minute the leader of the Devils was a
Hines had sketehed out plan to be
followed in case of capture, and now Il
| was put into effect. Not one Of the f7ve
/ spoke to the captain. He first tried bluff
/ and threats. He would, he declared, be