The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-01-13

pleasure to give our readers. Lieut.
COPELAND is a son of Mr.. and Mrs. }
D. Copeland, of Bamberg.)
How many readers OF The Herald
know that Uncle Sam is a tenant OF
the Cuban government? How many
school children, if asked the question
on examination: Name and give date
of ACQUISITION of all outlying posses
sions of the United States,' would in,
clude in their answer NAVAL Station
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, acquired by
lease from the republic of Cuba Oc-
tober 6, 1903, for a period of ninety
nine years at an annual rental OF
$4,000.
1T is safe to say that the. great ma
jority of readers would scorn the idea
of Uncle Sam being a tenant OF the
republic set up only few years ago,
and that still fewer school children
are aware that on the southeast
coast of Cuba, only fifty miles from
Santiago, known so we'll to all stu
dents of history, there is bit of land
forty-seven square miles in area
hardly one-tenth the size of Bamberg
county-where the stars and stripes
fly supreme. Would it interest you
to know something of this spot?
Discovery.
Guantanamo, or at least the bay
of that name, has been known from
the earliest days of western colonial
ton. The great harbor, with its mar
row entrance effectually keeping out
the terrific hurricanes and gales that
sweep the Caribbean sea, is a natural
haven. and it's broad expanse of deep
bl,1e sea affords an anchorage for the
fleets of the world. Early in the SIX
teenth century, a Spanish galleon,
richly laden with gold stolen by Pl-
zarro from the Incas of Peru, buffet
ed by wind and wave in the Carib-
bean, sought refuge in the bay, rent
ted and set sail for Spain. There the
stories of the wonderful harbor with
it's arid surroundings fell on the
eager ears, not of courtiers and con-
quistadores, but of pirates instead.
Pirates.
What could be more alluring for
sJolly Rovers of the Spanish Main
than a wide, deep harbor with arid
surroundings to tempt no colonist?
And, thus, while Habana, Santiago
and Cienfuegos were favored by the
crown and became wealthy Spanish
settlements, Guantanamo became the
rendezvous of the followers of the
ttSkull and Cross Bones flag. So
bold and daring did the pirates be-
come and so numerous the bands,
that the neighborhood was Stunned
by vessels of all nationalities. III
time, prizes at first so plentiful, be-
came fewer, and it was necessary for
the pirates to extend their cruises,
though none deserted their original
base. The neighboring settlements
of Jamaica, Haiti, Santo Domingo,
Martinique, Florida, and even the
English colonies on the North Amerl-
can coast, paid toll to their daring.
AS long as British shipping and
British colonists were not molested,
all went well, but the moment sail
ors under the protection of the flag
of st. George were forced to walk the
plank the British lion, roared. A
powerful British squadron was des-
patched to put an end to the depre-
dations of the pirates, and so effec-
lively did they do their work that the
rendezvous was completely broken
up. and, as a pirate centre, Guanta-
namo Bay does not again appear in
history.
French Colonists.
The British vessels remained long
er than the Spanish galleon, however,
and learned that instead of an arid
waste, to the northwest at the foot
of high mountain range, lay a rich
and fertile valley blessed by a climate
second to none. England, having
colonies enough of her own to de-
velop, and Spain being at the time
too eager to enrich herself at the
expense of the Peruvians and Mexi-
cans to bother with one small valley
the richness of the country might
have remained unknown had not just
then Dessalines gathered together the
slaves of Haiti and Santo Domingo
and, profiting by the troubles of the
French, managed to butcher every
white who did not escape on the eve
of the massacre Rich, accustomed
to every luxury and oppulent beyond