The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-02-22

Inc some of the prisoners twho had
been persuaded by their companions
To say they were the richest OF the
town.. charging them severcly-fo dis
cover where they had hidden their
riches and goods. But, not being able
to extort anything out of them. as
they were not the right persons WHO
possessed any wealth. they at last re-
solved to torture them. This they per-
formed with such cruelty that many
Of them died upon the rack or pres
emily AFTER"
For fifteen days the carnival of un-
utterable horror continued. "in which
space of time" so the writer naively
admits, they" 1.-THE captors) "had lost
many of their own men. both by un-
healthiness of the country and the
extravagant debaucheries they had
committed"
Meanwhile, Morgan was loading his
ships with pillage and victunling them
preliminary to his return to Cuba :
meanwhile. also, he was exchanging
messages under flags of truce with
the governor of Panama, 20 whom
sometimes Esquemling refers as the
president At first the latter threat
ened destruction upon the presump-
tuous little force which had invaded
the Central American mainland. But
when Morgan countered with threats
of razing Porto Bello to the ground
unless the Spaniards bought him Off
with fabulous ransoms. the governor
began to sing different tune.
Esquemling furnishes the sequel:
"The governor of Panama perceived
by this answer no means would serve
to modify the hearts of the pirates,
nor reduce them to reason. Hereupon
he determined to leave those of the
city, whom he came to relieve, IN
volved In the difficulties of making the
best agreement they could with their
enemies. Thus in a few days more the
miserable citizens gathered the con-
tribution wherein they were fined, and
brought the entire sum of 100000
pieces-of-eight unto the pirates. -. !.
But the president of Panama, by these
transactions, was brought into an ex-
treme admiration, considering that
four hundred men had been able to
take such a great city with so many
strong castles, especially seeing they
had no pieces of cannon nor other
great guns; and what was more
knowing that the citizens of Porto
Ill oIx IF
ing good soldiers themselves, and who
had never wanted courage in their
own defense.
Kept His Promise.
"This establishment was so great
that it occasioned him to send mes
sage unto Captain Morgan, desiring
him to send him some small pattern
of those arms wherewith he had taken
with such violence so great city.
Captain Morgan received this mes
senger very kindly and treated him
with great civility. Which being done,
he gave him a pistol and few small
bullets of lead to carry back unto the
president, his master, telling him
withal: He desired him to accept that
slender pattern of the arms where
with he had taken Porto Bello, and
keep them for twelvemonth; after
which time he promised to come to
Panama and fetch them away"
How that ironical promise was car
ried out and how within three years
Panama on still greater scale suf-
fered the fate of its lesser sister-city
makes one of the grimmest and goriest
chapters in the history of the New
world.
Esquemling, still concesltng his real
role under the spectators disguise,
concludes his tale of the first success
full expedition against the Latin
Americas with final bit of philoso-
phizing:
Captain Morgan, having provided
his fleet with all necessaries, and
taken with him the best guns of the
castle, set sail from Porto Bello with
all his ships. With these he arrived
in few days unto the island of Cuba,
where he sought out place wherein
with all quiet and repose he might
make the dividend of the spoils they
had gotten they sailed again
thence into their common place of
rendevouz, Jamaica. Being arrived.
they passed here some time. in all
sorts of vices and debauchery. accord
ing to their common manner of doing,
spending with huge prodigality what
others had gained with no small labor
and toll"