Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-12-16

| garrison 10 surrender, lest tney SHOULD
every one be put to death. The Span
iards replied with a volley and the fight
began. In short time Morgan's men
had battered down the defenses and
were swarming through the castle. All
| the Spanish officers who were not slain
at once were shut up in one great room
and then the powder magazine was
fired. Not a Spaniard escaped.
But this was only one Of many
castles. The fighting continued from
dawn to noon Of the next day. The
/ Spaniards defended themselves GAL
lantly. When Morgan's men tried to
set fire to the doors Of their castles,
they hurled down great stones and
home made bombs, earthen jars packed
with powder. The governor Of the town
commanded the last castle that fell.
Morgan tried time and again to take
It; then he had great ladders built, so
| wide that three or four men could
| scale a ladder at once. These he forced
| the nuns and monks whom he had cap
/ Z
place against the wall He did not be-
lieve the Spanish governor would kill
these people. But the old Spanish gov
ernor was as lion-hearted a fighter as
Henry Morgan himself. He killed the
monks and nuns unhesitatingly, rather
than slack his defense. They called to
him piteously begging him to surren-
der and save their lives and his own. He
only ordered the firing to be redoubled.
But at last the ladders were placed,
with tumbled heaps Of priests and nuns
prone at their feet.
Then the pirates" runs an old ac-
count written by one of the pirates
himself, mounted in great number,
and with not less valor, having fire.
balls in their hands and earthern pots
full of powder; all which things, being
now at the top Of the walls, they kindl-
ed and cast in among the Spaniards.
This effort of the pirates was very
great, insomuch that the Spaniards
could no longer resist nor defend the
upon they all threw down their arms
and craved quarter for their lives; only
the governor of the city would crave no
mercy, but killed many Of the pirates
with his own hands, and not a few Of
his own soldiers, because they did not
stand to their arms. And, though the
pirates asked him If he would have
quarter, yet he constantly answered,
BY no means. had rather die as a
valiant soldier than be hanged as
coward They endeavored as much as
they could to take him prisoner, but he
defended himself so obstinately that
they were forced to kill him, notwith-
standing all the cries and tears Of his
own wife and daughter, who begged
him on their knees to demand quarter
and save his life"
Don c. Seitz has described his death
in "The Buccaneers"
With blade at throat and pistol at
heart
The proud old governor stands,
Rather to die than yield his sword
To such scoundrelly outlaw hands,
Wife at right and daughter at left,
Their pleadings are in vain
Mercy's not the buccaneers creed;
He tumbles with the slain.
And thus fell Porto Bello. The pi-
rates occupied the town for several
weeks, stripped 1t of every scrap of
loot and made the citizens pay ran
som Of 100000 pieces of eight before
they would leave. When the governor
of Panama sent out force Of Spanish
soldiers to drive Morgan and his men
away the pirates, instead of fleeing to
their ships, as every one supposed they
would, went out to meet the soldiers,
defeated them and drove them back to
Panama. Morgan sent word to the gov
ernor of Panama that he would pay his
town a visit within year.
AS matter of fact, it was three
years before he made good his boast.
The capture Of Panama was far more
remarkable achievement than that Of
Porto Bello For Morgan and his men
marched nine days through tropical
jungles before they reached the city.
Most of the time they had no food, for
the Spaniards, who knew they were
coming, drove every cow out Of the
country and burned or carried away
every sack of grain. So reduced were
~, hof CtrinG
rawhide bags, softening the leather by
The Spaniards had plentiful warning
moistening it and pounding it between
stones, then broiling it like bacon.
of their coming, and made elaborate
preparation for defense outside the city
of Panama; Indians aided them and
drove wild bulls against the English
buccaneers, thinking to break their
ranks. Morgan's men laughed and
killed the bulls, and were glad to have
their meat for food. John Esquemel-
ing, an old pirate who was with Nor
gan and who wrote book to which we
are indebted for most Of what we know
Of this prince of buccaneers, tells Of
| that feat.
The pirates hacked out great chunks
of meat and threw them into the camp
fire they had kindled; then, when the
meat was charred outside and still raw
within, they fished it out and devoured
it.
Such was their hunger" writes Es-
uueme!ing, las they more resembled
cannibals than Europeans; the blood
many times running down from their
boards to their waists
Thus nourished and encouraged they
swept into Panama, a ravening pack,
and scattered far such Of its defenders
as they did not slay. They stayed there
month, and burned the city and car
ried away everything movable, and
sent out ships to ravage the nearby
towns on the Pacific coast
Now, this attack had been made just
after England had concluded peace
with Spain, and as Morgan bore the
title, bestowed on him by the British