Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-10-10


many men to destroy a city so utterly
that 1t is never rebuilt. That is what
Capt. John Morgan, the master buc-
cancer, did in 1871, 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 IT that the
Spanish moved five miles west along
the coast and there built a new Pan
ama-the Panama we know today.
The story of Morgan's 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 it in detail, so
he has been the best. Howard Pyle
has well said: I'm the case of the
Esquemeling history, it should be de-
cidedly hands of. 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 a part
of Morgan's feet 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. Catherine's) 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, filled with earth.
which secures them as we'll as the
best wall of stone or brick. The top
Of this mountain is. in a manner, di.
vided into two parts, between which
is ditch thirty feet deep. The castle
hath but one entry. and that by
drawbridge over this ditch. To the
land 1t 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 the 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 its 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 a very remarkable accident
which occasioned their victory. One
of the pirates being wounded with an
arrow in his back. which pierced his
body through, he pulled It out boldly
at the side of his breast, and winding
a little cotton about it, he put it 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
matched 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 flew or
none surviving the falD than to ask
quarter for their lives. The governor
himself retreated to the corps du
guard. before which we're 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 a few days Captain Morgan ar
rived with the rest of his feet and or
-ganized the expedition against Pana-
pa. He took his men by boat up the |
fhagres as far as Cruces, now a vii
age not two miles from the canal, and
there landed them for the overland |
march. Leaving 160 men with the |
boats, he started through the jungle !
with about a thousand. For days they |
struggled on. suffering intensely for
lack of food, for the Spaniards and
Indians had destroyed the villages and |
crops along the way. At one point
they found a number OF leathern bags. |