The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-06-12
kREALP PIRATE ISLAND
1t Was Once the Stronghold of
Morgan, the Buccaneer.

1t Was Once the Stronghold OF
Morgan, the Buceaneer.
s TINY COUNTRY TO ITSELF.
Old Providence, an Uncanny Spot N
the Caribbean Sea, and the La"lesS'
Reckless, Murderous Gre" nat NO"
Claim 1t as Their Own.
Sailing upon that almost unknown
CO. which GIBBS and flows upon the
Noso1lito Coast. the line Of the horizon
is broken by two faint points. As the
vessel approaches nearer g strange
sight meets the vision. The points
have become two jaws looming against
the clearness Of the sky and water. 1t
is as if an enormous mouth had been
suddenly thrust out Of the sea with
distended Jaws pointed skyward.
Truly the sight is uncanny, but the
jaws mark an uncanny spot in the
| Caribbean. Once these waters were
not so deserted by man. Upon their
bosom passed stately galleons, tne
plate ships loaded with treasure from
the new Spain When their captains
saw those black jaws they may have
said an Ave as, altering their course,
they sailed away from them. for this
bit Of dry spot in the ocean was then
known. as it is today, as pirate is
| land.
Old Providence. as the map maker
calls it, is in truth cot on the waters.
Not over four miles from end to END
in its longest direction and half as
much in width, good walker can en-
circle it by the little coast path the ma
tives call highway in half day. The
human beings who call it home are
confined to its outer edge. for the SUD-
marine volcano which ut some time III
the past ages gave birth to Old ProVl-
dence in one of its convulSlons. topped
| it off with a miniature mountain range
stretching above the center Of the Is
land. It is one Of these mountains that
forms the black gaping jaws so plainly
seen long before the graceful cocoanut
palms marking the shore line are vlsl-
Bile. In whimsical display OF It's
| power the volcano cut great wedge
in one Of the peaks-a wedge fuliv a
hundred feet across at the top ana
tapering to score or so at the bottom.
Today, as centuries ago, Old ProTl-
dence is 4 tiny country to ITSELF har
out Of the modern ocean highway, IN
one of the least frequented parts OF the
Caribbean. the steamship OF sailing
ship has no occasion to pass near 1t
unless driven there by storm. There IS
no postofice, for the reason that there
| is no mail service. True, it is. claimed
By some country just as every point
that sticks out of the sea is claimed.
Colombia calls Old Providence q part
of its republic but not man lives
upon it to act as governor, Judge or
even agent. So its people kill, steal
and commit other crimes utterly re-
cardless of any authority save force
and the little influence Of the solitary
white man who has cast his lot among
| them.
st. Catherine, as it was mocklngly
called in the old days, was the strong
hold Of Henry Morgan. For nearly 2oo
wears the blood of his followers has
flowed in the veins Of its people, but
before the freebooters sailed into its
harbor the Spanish governor Of Costa
Rica had made it an island prison for
criminals he thought too dangerous TO
keen on the mainland. When Morgan
defeated the garrison he placed as
guards of his captives 100 Of these con-
victs, released on their promise to JOIN
| has band-literally human dregs OF
new Spain Again the Spanlards cap
tured the island and turned it into
penal colony until Morgan's flag was
raised above it in 1910 and the struggle
for it's possession ended. Since then
most Of those who have lived upon 1t
have been descendants Of the white
outlaws. their convict allies and the
black women who went there from the
! West Indies on Morgan's ship.
The blood Of the islanders is the
blood of English, Irish and Scotch, but
adulterated with that of the negro. To
dav fully 1000 persons live upon this
islet-a thousand human beings who
have degenerated in mind until the
majority of them are little better than
beasts. Murder is common; theft is not
a crime: marriage is unknown. Only
| the fear Of 4 stronger keeps many
man from taking life for trifie.
Most Of the cocoanuts are traded tor
! clothing. liquor. firearms. knives and
| trinkets. After a vessel has loaded
and departed, for days the island may
be the scene Of a drunken debauch,
which brings to mind stories written
about the carousaIs Of the buccaneers
after the capture Of y prize, but here
is no captain or discipline Of the sea:
The weaker are the prey OF the,
stronger. and robbery and killing pass
unnoticed. II is the testimony Of Fa-
| ther st. John, the brave priest who
| alone is endeavoring to do something
to improve the condition Of these peo-
pie, that scarcely Q week passes WITH
| out murdcr.
With only handful out Of the 1000
population acknowledging any form OF
Christianity. it is not strange that the
belief in feticheS, even voodoolsm,
should be widespread. Witch doctors
and sellers of charms for good and
evil are numerous. Most Of the Wo-
mer wear next to the skin tuft Of
hair, piece of rag smeared with
| blood or some other amulet which is
intended to cast 4 spell over their enc
mics or to keep off Satin. in which all
believe.
| H.: 81 fhn~n II.