Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-06
FOR EVERY WOMAN
The Daily Story
Betrayed to the Spanish

III q CUBAN 1unRle-three men IN TaBBeu
uniforms and unkempt in appearance to
the last degree Two of them wore band
ages over fresh wounds, and the trio
looked gaunt and starved, and sleDt as
II sleep had not come to them for several
nights before. 1t was o'clock when they
threw themselves down among the land
! crabs, with the evening air swarmng
with mosquitoes, and it was an hour after
midnight when one of them awoke and
softly crawled over to another and whis-
pered in his ear:
"Diaz awake! II is time"
| is tho Yankee sound asleep?" asked
the other, as he sat up.
He sleeps like pig. Things could
not he better for us"
! The two moved away like serpents
| through the rank grass and Jungle until
! they had covered a hundred feet, and
then they stood up and made their way
| swiftly along in the direction Of the Span
| ish lines
There we're plenty OF American adven-
turers In the ranks of the patriots-men
! whose sympathies were on the right side
| and who ran the blockade and Joined the
! insurgents to fight for them as they had
| fought for the Union years before. Such
| men were at first given the hand of well
| come, but when their dash and bravery
| mad earned them promotion there were
| envy and jealousy to he reckoned with.
| The man left lying alone In the Jungle
| was Tom Warner good-natured, reckless
and careless. Here, where he had been
| iighting for six months, nearly always on
| scout duty, he was called Captain
| warner He had a commission from Gar
| ella, but the title was a barren one. He
had furnished his own weapons and
clothing. and had never drawn a penny
from what facetlously might be termed
the nsurgent treasury. He had won
praise and admiration for a time, and
then jealousy crept In to make certain
men hope in secret that the Spanish
might make him captive. They had heard
of the Yankee hghter-aye! and felt his
| blows-and they had said that they would
give him no quarter II they were lucky
enough to capture him He had sent
back a message of defiance and gone his
way, and ii never once entered his mind
that some of the men whose battles he
was assisting TO fight might betray him.
so YOU wish to surrender yourselves,
and Mt the same time put the Yankee into
my hands?" asked the colonel into whose
presence they were conducted from the
picket post.
Isl Senior Colonel We wish to fight
against our good friends the Spaniards
no longer, and in surrcndering. we place
In your hands one who has killed many
of your brave men. The reward shall be
what you will"
The colonel looked at them for n mo-
ment in contempt. The Spanard is blood
| thirsty and cruel in war time. but he also
has a code of honor. He might conde.
scend to play the spy. but he would not
condescend to betray for money.
Each one of the men was handed a
fve-dollar goldpece and ordered to re-
port to the officer of the day. and the
colonel wrote a few lines and dispatched
them by his orderly, and lay down to
sleep.
Two hours later he heard the sergeant's
squad that had been sent out coming
back with their prisoner, but he turned
over and slept again. 1t would he time
enough to settle with the Yankee in
tho morning. The squad had been guided
to the place where the captain still slum
bered and he had been made a prisoner
without resistance
And so, American. you are here.
fighting among the rebels against our
hng?" sneered the colonel. when he
had eaten his breakfast and the pris-
oner stood before him.
II am fighting for the independence of
Cuba" was the quiet reply
THE independence of a mob of dogs!
However, that makes no difference. You
are not one of them. You have no right
here You may have a commission. but |
do not recognize II. No rebel dog has |
authority to issue commissions. You
know your fate, senor?"
II believe YOU sent me word only a |
month ago that you would shoot me |
without trial If had the misfortune to
be captured.
And rest assured I shall do so. No; |
will not shoot you. I will hang you. |
You are a spy, and you shall die by the |
rope"
ION what day and hour?" was the calm
inquiry.
Days and hours!" thundered the colo
mel, as he showed his teeth at his prls-
oner. IT have no days and hours for the |
hD 1pfn nf uttRlN Un I Gtr rinpr hnn I'm
at my own convenience. At 10 o'clock
an hour and a half from now-you shall
dance on nothingl"
Very we'll, colonel" said Tom, as he
saluted and fell back, and was marched
away by his guard
"He Is brave man" unused the colonel |
later on, but he deied me- Yes, 1 will |
hang him, and I will make him afraid |
before he is swung off. When the dogs |
of renegades hear how he died. begging |
for his life, 1t will be a lesson to be |
needed. He is hungry and thirsty. but he |
shall neither eat nor drink before the exc |
cutiOn."
The force under the colonel comprised |
about 400 men. Orders were sent out to |
parade all but the sentinels under arms |
at 1915, and a corporal was detailed to |
see to the erection of gallows. His work !
was not arduous or lengthy. A small |
tree trunk was passed from the crotch |
of one tree to another and a noosed rope |
tied to its centre. The prisoner would be |
placed on a pork barrel-an American
pork barrel for the grim irony-and It
would be kicked from under him.
At the hour named by the colonel. the
troops were under arms and formed a
three-sided square around the gallows |
Then the prisoner was brought out, His
elbows were tied behind him. and in his
contempt for the Cubans, who had sold !
their officer, the colonel ordered the two
men to march with the condemned man
and act as his executioners. They had
sold man for money. but when II came
TO playing the part OF hangman they re-
belled. They hung back but the colonel |
ordered the lash applied,
When the prisoner was led under the |
noosed rope the colonel faced him and
made him a butt of ridlcule. He pointed |
at his rags, at his starved looks. at his |
unkempt appearance, and the soldiers In |
line laughed. From ridicule he turned to
sarcasm, and thence TO abuse and revile- |
ment and during the long half hour the |
prisoner faced him calmly without a |
word There were not 10 men in the |
lines who did not feel a secret admira- |
tion for him. The colonel had failed TO |
shake his nerve. and ehagrined and an
gered, he ordered one of the deserters TO |
place the barrel and the other to assist |
the prisoner TO mount.