The citizen., 1913-09-19

Lsz4C12tec GIEzI2 Il
Panama. Z. PIT is not given to
many men 10 destroy a city so utterly
that it is never rebuilt. That is what
Capt. John Morgan, the master buc-
cancer, did in 1911. when he led his
band of cutthroats down from the
hills upon Panama After he had fin
ished with that big. fiourishing city
there was so little left of 1t that the
Spanish moved five miles west along
the coast and there built new Pan
ama-the Panama we know today.
Tie story OF Morgans justly famous
exploit, often told. never grows stale.
1t is a wonderful story of desperate
bravery, endurance. suffering and ruth
less cruelty, and as John Esquemeling
was the first to relate 1t in detail. so
he has been the best. Howard Pyle
has well said In the case of the
Esquemeling history. 1t should be de-
cidedly hands off. One touch of the
modern brush would destroy the
whole tone of dim colors of the past
made misty by the lapse of time
So wish had space TO quote the en-
tire story of Morgan and Panama as
Esquemeling. who was one of the
band, tells It. Some of it, at least.
must be given in his quaint language,
beginning with the capture by part
of Morgan's fleet OF Fort San Lorenzo
at the mouth of the Chagres river.
Says Esquemeling:
Captain Brodely being made COM
mander, in three days after his de-
parture from st. Catherlnes) ar
rived In sight OF the said castle OF
Chagre by the Spaniards called st.
Lawrence This castle is built on
high mountain at the entry of the
river. surrounded by strong palisades,
or wooden walls, filed with earth,
which secures them as well as the
best wall of stone or brick. The top
of this mountain is, in a manner, d.
vided into two parts. between which
is a ditch thirty feet deep. The castle
hath but one entry. and that by a
land it has four bastions. and to the
sea two more. The south part is to-
tally inaccessible, through the craggi-
ness of the mountain. The north Is
surrounded by the river. which here is
very broad At the foot of the castle,
or rather mountain, is a strong fort,
with eight great guns, commanding
the entry of the river. Not much low
er are two other batteries, each of six
pieces, to defend likewise the mouth
Of the river
mo sooner had the Spaniards per
ceived the pirates, but they fired in
cessantly at them with the biggest Of
their guns. They came to an anchor
In a small port about a league from
the castle. Next morning. very early,
they went ashore and marched
through the woods to attack tAe castle
on that side. This march lasted till
two of the clock In the afternoon, be-
fore they could reach the castle, by
reason of the difficulties of the way,
AMI It's mire and dirt; and though
their guides served them very exact
ly, yet they came so nigh the castle
at first that they lost many of their
men by its shot, they being in an open
place without covert"
The pirates bravely assaulted the
castle, sword in one hand and fire.
ball in the other, but were repulsed
with heavy loss. Renewing the at
tack under cover OF darkness, there
happened very remarkable accident
which occasioned their victory. One
Of the pirates being wounded with an
body through, he pulled it but boldly
at the side OF his breast. and winding
little cotton about 1t, he put 1t into
his musket, and shot 1t back to the
castle, but the cotton being kindled
by the powder. fired two or three
houses in the castle. being
thatched with palm leaves, which the
Spaniards perceived not SO soon as
was necessary; for this fire meeting
with a parcel of powder, blew it up,
thereby causing great ruin, and no
less CONSERVATION to the Spaniards,
who were not able to put stop to it."
Full advantage was taken of this by
the buccaneers and they set fire to
the palings and gained a foothold
within them, despite many flaming
pots full of combustible matter, and
odious smells. which destroyed many
of the English" All next morning
the fight ragged, but about noon the
English gained a breach through
which they fought their way to the
heart Of the castle. The Spaniards
who remained alive cast themselves
down from the castle into the sea,
choosing rather to die thus (few or
none surviving the fall than to ask
quarter for their lives. The governor
himself retreated TO the corps du
guard, before which were placed two
pieces of cannon; here he still de-
Tended himself not demanding any
quarter, till he was killed with a mus
ket shot in the head"
In few days Captain Morgan ar
rived with the rest of his fleet and or
ganized the expedition against Pana-
ma. He took his men by boat up the
Chagres as far as Cruces, now vii
lage not two miles from the canal, and
there landed them for the overland
march Leaving 100 men with the
boats, he started through the jungle
with about a thousand. For days they
struggled on. suffering intensely for