Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-05-27
SANTIAGO SET BACK
BY ROADS HOSTILITY.
BY William E. Curtis. Correspondent
Of the Chicago Record-He

BY WuIAm n. OurLs, SotiSnpohNch'
Of the Chicago Record-Herald-
Santiago de Cuba, April 17.-Sanh-
axo has not advanced like other Gu
ban cities since independence. 1t Is
very much cleaner than 1t used to be,
but there are no conspicuous improve
ments. Before the war 1t was one OF
the worst pest holes in the world,
hot-bed OF yellow fever and other cpl
demics and half buried under the hlth
of ages. General Wood cleaned 1t up,
exterminated microbes and mosquitoes
and made it possible for human be-
ings to live here. Today 1t is as
healthy as any city In the tropics. al
though 1t Is the hottest town In CUBA.
and has the worst climate, so that
ordinary people can live here In safety
and comfort
The chief objects OF interest that
have appeared since the war are
model school house built by General
Wood with funds furnished by Henry
l.. Hgginson OF Boston on a Mill over
looking the town, and memorial tab
let to commemorate the massacre oil
the crew Of the steamer virginius in
1865 They are attractive TO visitors
a. Hobson's prison and the old opera
house where Adeline Patti made her
debut. The model school house was
intended as an educational object les
son to the Cubans, but 1t has not ac-
complished its mission. Santiago is
not an educational center and there
Is very little to encourage hope oil
better things from the coming gen
Grafton, although the hrst school In
America was established here In 1b22
by order of Pope Adrian vi.
The virginius tragedy. as you re-
member. created profound sensation
at the time and came very near pro-
yoking war between the United States
and Spain thirty years ago. A party
OF American flibusters, under the COM
mAnd OF Captain Fry, were cruising
around Cuba, looking for a favorable
place to land. when they were over
hauled and captured by Spanish gun
boat. The Virginius was taken to
Santiago and, on Nov. A., 1868, forty
members OF the crew, including Cap
tain Fry. were shot In cold blood. The
Britieh government intervened and
mainder OF the party. who were finally
surrendered to the United States. That
was the beginning OF what Is known
as the ten years war against Span
ish authority in Cuba, but 1t was rot
until after the evacuation OF Santiago
and the occupation of that city by the
United States army that the Cuban
patriots could commemorate the mar
tyrdom of the Virginius party. AS
soon as possible, however. they erect
ed Q tablet on the wall OF a slaughter
house where the execution took place
with this significant inscription:
You who pass this place uncover
your head. This is consecrated ground.
For thirty years 1t has been blessed
by the blood of patriots sacrificed in
the cause OF freedom"
On the summit of San Juan hill and
at FL Caney granite shafts have been
erected. and the inscription reads:
I'm memory Of the officers and men
Of the United States army who were
killed In the assault and capture of
this ridge. July 1. 1898. and the siege
OF Santiago. July l to July 16. 1898.
War between Spain and the United
States.''
The battlefelds are now public
park .Ind are reached by an excellent
road from the city in a drive of half
an hour or SO. The ceiba tree, be-
meath which General Toral surrender
ed the city to General Shalter July II,
1898. Is protected by an iron railing.
SO that vandals cannot carry 1t on.
The guides who conduct parties OF
tourists to the battlefield tell very en-
tertaining stories of the events which
occurred there. They point out log
on which General Shafter sat when
negotiating the terms OF capitulation,
and they show the footprints left on
the sands OF tibe by Lieutenant Col
onel Roosevelt when he charged up
the steep slope to capture the Spanish
Notifications. Down on the coast OF
Peru 10 another remarkable phenome.
non. From the decks of passing ships
may be seen three enormous impress
sions In the surface Of rock pre-
cisely like those Of human foot, aud
pious natives will tell you that they
mark the place where the Apostle st.
James alighted when he came down
from heaven to rescue Pizarro and
his men from tight place into which
they were driven by the Incas. II
this story is true the Apostle James.
who Ia the patron saint of the Span
tArds. must have had very large foot
for the imprints measure nearly sixty
inches. The imprints left on the slopes
OF Ban Juan by the brogans of Lieu
tenant Colonel Roosevelt are not SO
mighty. but they are quite as import
ant
No one who knew the gallant and
genial General Joe Wheeler can ever
gaze upon that ceiba tree-"the tree
OF peace"-without recalling his
thoughtfulness In the midst Of tumul-
tuous war for the interest OF his con
stituents In the eighth district of Ala.
bama. He always carried with him a