Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1908-09-17
Curious Story Of the Haunted
Sentry Box.
LIGHT ON THE OLD LEGEND.
One of the Many Mysterious Disap-
pearances From Fort San Cristobal
Accounted For by the Revelation of
the Lost One Himself.

ACCOuftICQ TOR ny InG hSVGi~bloH W
the Lost One Himself.
Writing in the Journal of the Mill
tary Service Institution, Captain Ar
thur p. S. Hyde of the coast artillery
tells this curious story of 1.-The haunt
ed sentry box" Of Fort San Cristopal,
the ancient Spanish built fortress
which guards the entrance to San
Juan, Porto Rico:
"A number Of picturesque sentry
boxes built of masonry and appearing
like minarets are placed at points Of
vantage in and around the fort One
of these on the sea front, and reached
only through a long and dark tunnel
from the interior of the fort. is pop
ularly known as La Garita del Diablo,
or the devils sentry box. usually. al
though incorrectly, translated the
haunted sentry box. This name was
given to it by the Spanish soldiers for
the reason that number Of sentries
| stationed there disappeared in most
mysterious manner and We're never
/ again heard from.
"An American officer was once on
duty that took him into the remote in
terror of the island. and while spend
ing one night in a small settlement he
engaged in conversation with a num-
Der of the inhabitants of the place.
One old man. on learning that the of
ficer was stationed at Fort San Girls
/ tobal, became especially interested and
in the course of the conversation told
the following story:
"I used to be soldier in the Span
ish army and was stationed at Fort
San Cristobal. A number of soldiers
while on sentry duty had mysteriously
disappeared from the sentry box down
by the sea. and we had all become
convinced that 1t was haunted by the
devil, who. we thought, used to come
and steal the soldiers away.
lone stormy night it fell to my
lot to go on duty in the devils sentry
box, as we called it. at midnight. and
it was with some doubts and misgiv-
ings that l went with the corporal of
the guard and relieved the former SEN
try. When they left me listened to
the sound of their footballs reverberat-
ing from the walls and ceiling of the
dark and narrow passage, ever grow
ing fainter and fainter as they reced
ed until finally the noise of the storm
and the sea completely drowned it.
and I was left alone with the mad ele-
ments
"'It was a mad night and one we'll
calculated to add to the feeling of awe
that the devils sentry box always in
stilled into the man on duty there at
night.
Presently my attention was at
tracted by some lights in a small tav-
ern on the shore below the fort, where
many of us We're wont to go when off
duty for a glass of rum. Then l be-
gan to think that l might be able to
climb down over the rocks to the
shore, get glass Of rum at the tav-
ern and return to my post.
1.-The more thought Of it the more
determined I was to go. SO finally,
leaving my rife and belt in the sentry
box, l climbed over the wall and down
on to the rocks and so made my way
with great labor and difficulty and no
little danger to the little house, where
the occupants were making merry
with dancing and drinking. I soon
fell to and enjoyed myself with them.
"'When one is dancing with fair
senorita he sometimes forgetS the pas
sage of time, as l I'dd on that fatal
night, and not until long after / o'clock
did | begin to think of returning to
my post Then, realizing that the cor
poral had made his inspection and had
found me gone from my post and
with my rife and belt left behind. l
saw only a court martial and the gar
rote staring me in the face. for in
those days for a sentinel In the Span
ish army to quit his post meant sure
death. even in peace.
Ito go back was out Of the ques-
ton. There was only one thing left
for me to do, and that was to desert.
My heart sank within me. If should
be captured the same fate would be
meted out to me; but, l reasoned. if I
were to go back the fate would be a
certainty. whereas if | deserted at
least l had a chance Of keeping out
of sight of the authorities. l deserted
and before morning was out of the
city and on the way to the noun
tains
81 have lived in this little hamlet
for years and have never been back to
the capital since that day, nor have l /
ever told my story to single soul un-
til tonight, but now that the Spandrds /.
are gone | 10 longer fear for my life
"Thus we have the story of the dev- /
lis sentry box from one Of the very
men who SO mysteriously disappeared .
from it, and it would seem to be prob |
able that the other disappearances /
could be accounted for in a similar /
manner were the truth known. Quien |
sabe?"
Captain Hyde mentions an interest
ing fact that, although for centuries
Porto Rico was considered the legitl-
mate prey of freebooters and was at
tackled at various times by regularly
organized expeditions of the English
and the Dutch during times of war,
with more or less success, Fort El
Moro has never been captured by an
enemy. and its only surrender was to
the Americans, together with the sur
render of the whole island