Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-09-19

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
several hundred yards up the slope,
and these two were once connected
by covered stone stairway the ruins
of which still provide the easiest
means of ascending On the sum-
nit 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 it, Porto Bello might
well 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 a desperate fight
| captured and sacked the city, carry
ing off 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 a 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 Esduemel-
ing tells us, Captain Morgan began to
despair of the whole success of the
enterprise Finally he had a 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
, nd NV "a anfoFdarc hut "A
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 thai
! the English were forced to kill him
) Morgan remained In Porto Bello sev
, eral weeks. plundering the place ant
/ torturing the citizens to induce then
: to reveal the hiding places of theil
! riches.
a Though an important place in tn,
i transshipment of gold from the ives
!. coast of South America, Porto Bellt
' never was a large town, but for sew
/ eral weeks each year it was yer,
popuIous This was at the time 0
2 the annual fair, when the galleon
i from Spain were in the harbor wait
a ing for the mule trains to bring tn
L gold from Panama. Then merchant
8 and adventures from all that part O
!. the world gathered in the village an
: trade was brisk in the big buildin
n now called the custom house, who's
j ruined walls still are standing. Mel
chandising, drinking and fighting divit
a ed the time until the galleons set sal
l. for Spain with their golden cargoes