The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-09-19
Bx II. II. KNICKERBOCKER

ToUtr9 correspondent OF inter-
national NetDS SeTUice.)
BY II. r. KNICKERBOCKER
HUELVA GNSO.-We came to
this city today by automobile. I
wanted to get an idea Of what the
population down here thinks of
the war and compare it to what I
had been able to observe in six
weeks Of the war in the north of
Spain. Americans especially may
be interested in one observation in
the little town of Moguer. AL
this territory is Christopher
Columbus country.
Here, just up the river from
Huelva, Columbus started for
America, and they have next to a
colossal stone monument Of the
great man a life-size model of his
tiny Santa Maria" anchored by
the ferry. They are not so inter-
eSted in Columbus these days as
In the fact that the Port of
HuAva, one of the three controlled
by the Whites in the South, is an
important port of entry for sup
plies from abroad.
Nevertheless, Columbus has in
directly played a part in the pres
ent Spanish civil war. Students
Of history may remember that the
admiral Of Columbus little fleet
was Don Luis Hernandez Pinzon
y Alverez.
Still Lived There
Well, visited the house Of
Admiral Pinzon today, in the vii
lage Of Moguer. Up until a little
while ago it was still inhabited by
the old Admiral's direct descend
ant, the colonel Of cavalry, Don
Luis Pinzon, who because Of his
ancestry and position was quite
the most distinguished citizen Of
the town.
The house was a shrine Of
Columbus admirers and on its
walls was a bronze plaque put up
by the Columbus Society. Just
now the house is not habitable. 1t
has been half burned and plum
dered. On it's walls are now crossed
palm branches with the chalked
inscription "Tn Memory Of Colonel
Pinzon, victim Of the mad Marx
lists"
Then I was shown the place
where Colonel Pinzon died. It was
Just around the corner and the
bloodStains had not been washed
off the paving stones, but had
been sprinkled with flowers now
dry and brown.
On the night of the army's up
rising the local reds called on the
colonel, who lived in the historical
mansion with two sisters. The
colonel said he would go on one
condition. They asked what. The
colonel pulled one red aside and
whispered:
"That you do not shoot me
before my sisters; that you wait
ut any rate until we get to the
cOmmandancia. Give me your
word of honor"
"Okay," replied the colonel's
visitors. So they went out on the
street, the colonel walking between
his two sisters. AS they rounded
the corner the men pulled his two
sisters aside and let the colonel
have it in the back. Then they
left him with his sisters.
I went over from the colonel's
death place to the Church Of
Santa Maria de la Granada. Gen
eral Franco says that at least 1000
churches have been burned in
Spain during this civil war. I
learned from Santa Maria what
burned" means.
How they manage the Job tech
nically is beyond me. It looks as
If they must have used a ton Of
gasoline. This was a big church,
about 100 yards long and 80 wide,
early Fourteenth century. It was
burned so completely it was not
even black. The flames had been
so fierce they burned everything
quite clean white. The entire roof
had fallen in. Nothing but the
walls remained.
MurillO'S Paintings
I was told the church had con-
tanned four good paintings of MI
rillo, an original choir of the
knights Templars, a valuable Fiji
tenth century tryptych and a set
of sacred choir books said to be
unequalled in Spain. One hundred
and fifty churches, I was informed,
have been burned in the province
of Seville alone. This is quite
credible, for in every village and
town we passed there were two or
more churches Quilted, their bells
lying at the foot of the towers.
I asked Captain Julien De Onol,
my companion on the trip, philos-
opher as well as soldier, what could
me