The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-07-31

Spanish days will be woefully dis.
appointed by the town as it now is.
Romance, commerce, everything at.
tractive has fled long ago from that
place and Porto Bello is nothing but
dirty, immoral little village, full of
low cantinas, slatternly natives and
NANCY ours. At each side Of the
town is the ruin Of Spanish fort,
its picturesqueness marred by fisher
mems nets and the local washing
hung up to dry.
Thus the work of man has decayed,
but Nature Is as kind as ever to
Porto Bello. It's bottle-shaped har.
Dor is one of the prettiest to be
found, with promontories guarding the
entrance, beautiful hills on both
sides and enhancing little rivers
meandering down from the noun.
tains and through the jungle into
its upper end. One hill opposite the
town boasts the remains of three I'M
usually interesting Spanish forts.
One is at the waters edge. another
severa. hundred yards up the slope,
and these two we're once connected
by covered stone stairway the ruins
OF which still provide the easiest
means Of ascending. On the sum.
init Of the hill is the third fort,
mighty square tower surrounded by
a deep moat. The walls are almost
intact but the roof has fallen In and
the fortress Is full OF trees and shrub.
berry.
With these three forts, two others
protecting the harbor entrance, the
two at the ends Of the town and an.
other Just above 1t, Porto Bello might
we'll seem to have been impregnable,
yet it was taken twice by the Eng.
lish Sir Francis Drake planned to
capture 1t in 1896, but just as his
ships were about to begin the attack
Drake died and was buried in the
mouth OF the harbor. Dispirited by
the loss Of their leader. the English
sailed away, but Capt. William Parker
took up the project in 1902. With
two ships he got past the first forts
at night and after desperate fight
captured and sacked the city, carry
ing of 10000 ducts worth Of plumber.
The second taking of Porto Bello
was the first notable exploit of Henry
Morgan, the famous buccaneer, as an
Independent commander Of fleet.
Sailing into what is now Colon har.
Dor, he took his men up river in
canoes, landed at place called Els.
terra Tonga Lemos and marching
through the jungle, attacked the city
from the rear. First capturing the
castle above the town, he shut the
garrison in one room and blew them
and the fort to pieces with gunpow.
der. The governor, the citizens and
the rest Of the soldiers, surprised and
terror-stricken, were soon driven into
one of the other forts and for hours
they bravely withstood the assaults
Of the buccaneers until, as Esquemel.
ing tells us, Captain Morgan began to
despair of the whole success Of the
enterprise. Finally he had number
of ladders made and forced the
priests and nuns whom he had cap.
tured to set them up against the
walls. Many of these poor creatures
were killed by the defenders, but at
last the ladders were placed and the
buccaneers swarmed up them carrying
fireballs and pots of powder which
they kindled and hurled among the
Spaniards. The garrison surrendered
at discretion, but the gallant governor
defended himself so obstinately thxt
the English were forced to kill him.
Morgan remained in Porto Bello sew.
eral weeks, plundering tho place and
torturing the citizens to. induce them
to reveal the hiding places Of their
! riches. !;
Though an important place In the
transshipment Of gold from the west
coast Of South America, Porto Bello
never was q large town, but for sew.
eral weeks each year It was very
populous. This was at the time Of
the annual fair, when the galleons
from Spain were in the harbor wait.
ing for the mule trains to bring the
gold from Panama. Then merchants
and adventurers from all that part OF
the world gathered in the village and
trade was brisk in the big building
now called the custom house, whose
ruined walls still are standing. Nor
chandising. drinking and fighting divid-
ed the time until the galleons set sail
for Spain with their golden cargoes.