The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-02-19
The Santa Maria
Derelict
By M. QUAD
Copyright. -9l4. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

OF all the devilish. cold blooded
| things done by men you will have read
of few to equal what took place aboard
one of the Spanish merchantmen, the
Santa Maria, in the year 1862. 1t was
published In the papers at the time,
but only a partial account, and as we
had war and excitement at home the
incident was soon forgotten.
One of the oldest business houses in
Mexico up to the date above named
was that of the Spanish house of Ga
lera & Co., founded seventy-five years
previously The business of the house
was banking. mining. merchandising
and cattle raising. 1t had dozen
branches In Mexico. and 1t had deal
ings with half dozen countries. In
n financial sense it was stronger than
the government. and its yearly profits
footed up an enormous sum. A son
of the founder had succeeded to the
management, and when old age came
he turned over the active work to u
cousin named Alvarez. The new man.
ager was young man of twenty-five.
born in Spain of fine family and had
been educated for the priesthood. He
was a man without vice. Such was
his probity that he was called Holy
Alvarez" even In his youth. At an
enormous salary and with autocratic
powers young Alvarez took over the
management of affairs in Mexico. and
almost as soon as he stepped foot on
North American soil a change TOOK
Mace in his character. He began to
drink. gamble and play fast and loose
OF course there was gossip about the
new manager. and there we're those
who predicted that his extravagances
would ultimately bring ruin to the old
house. but there were no official com
plaints. He knew little or nothing OF
business, but he did know how to
spend money royalty, and in year
he had people guessing how much
longer 1t would take him to bankrupt
the house. 1t was after the balance
sheets had proved to him that he was
spending more than the profits Of the
house and was a debtor to an enor-
nous amount that he set about prepar-
ing a grand coup. The Spanish mer-
was loaded with consign-
ment of gold, silver. copper. furs and
dyestuffs for Spain and the cargo IN
sured TO the last cent Alvarez TOOK
into his confidence a young man named
Prado. and when the Santa Maria sail
ed his confederate went with her as
supercargo.
The ship was manned by crew Of
fourteen men. all >Spaniards. Thirty
days after her sailing h the southwark
the American bark Homeward left the
port of Valparaiso homewaEd bounf.
We had been out three days when We
ran into dead calm, with the weather
so terribly hot that the deck planks
smoked in the sun. As we lay heaving
on the ground swell a small boat drift
ed into view. 1t seemed to be empty.
and il had been in sight for two hours
and was not over half a mile away
when the captain decided to pick it up.
A boat was sent off. and when she re-
turned with the stranger we had sad
spectacle under our eyes There was a
lead man lying at full length under the
thwarts.
About two days later We came up |
with derelict from which the man I'm
The boat had no doubt escaped On
board horrible sight met us-the bod
es OF fourteen dead men.
The derelict was a great and to US |