The New York Herald Newspaper, December 21, 1873, Page 5

NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, DECEMBEK ZI, 1873—QUADRUPLE SHEKT. CUBA. The Surrender of the Virginius. WHAT WHISKERANDOS SWORE, Sneaking Out Like a Guilty Thing. THE HAVANA MOB COWED. The Proclamation from the New Presi- dent of Cuba Libre. CESPEDES’ FAREWELL. sft Description of tie Slaughter House at Santiago de Cuba, THE WAR FEVER AMONG THE DONS, Official Correspondence from the Mambies. TAKING OUT THE VIRGINIUS. Stealing Away Like a Guilty Thing Un- der Cover of Night—What the Captain of the Tornado Swore To Do—Impris- oned for Mutiny by the Captain Gen- eral—The Cause of All the Trouble Makes a Safe Exit—The Father of Lies in Havana—Mob Eefore the Palace of the Captain General Dispersed by Three Squadrons of Cavalry. HAVANA, Dec. 13, 1873. The atmosphere appears with clearer promise to-day. The Virginius, no longer in the harbor, is no longer a nightmare in the dreams of the com- munity. While she lay here before the gaze of the Spanish population, folded in the most hatetul as- sociations, a vile thing snared and captured, look- ing no Jeeling but that of execration, she was a more painiul irritant that the red rag flaunted in the eyes of a mad bull. Sue is gone, and the irri- tation for a moment becomes calmer. No Yankee man-of-war, with the Stars and Stripes flying at fore and peak, guns shotted and decks cleared for action, came in during the blaze of daylight to demand and take her away. All this was spared. She was stealthily moved of under cover of darkness and not 10 men in Havana saw the far-famed Virginius gliding softly through the still waters of the arbor and out into the ocean three hours before sunrise. Few knew the meaning of the LIGHT, RIPPLING TRUMPET NOTES that passed along the line of war vessels and over to the forts, Little did the few awakened sleepers think these airy trumpet signals meant “The Vir- finiusis going out the harbor; let her pass.” I saw her as she moved, a black shadow over the Btar-lit waters, creeping like a guilty thing in the “obscurity of night away from the gaze of human eyes and the taik of human tongues, out into the ocean wilderness. I watched her with imtense interest as she moved softly through the gloom, now disappearing 1n a maze o! vessels anchored in the " inner harbor and again emerging on her darkened , ment for his temerity. pathway a deep dlack shadow still, an ominous apparition suggestive of uneasy forebodings, The aky was clear above and the stars faintly illumined the aead calm waters below. The tugboat and her freight were the only moving objects in the harbor, while on shore the footsteps of the solitary watch- man at the ferry house alone broke the silence, save when a cornet of marines sent flying over sca and shore a few peculiar silvery notes from his trumpet. Soon the Virginius was encroaching on the mooring grounds of the Spanish men-of-war, She was quietly stealing up UNDER COVER OF THE TORNADO and coming directly abreast of the city and the Custom House. Now as never I thought her fate will be decided. Will the impulsive captain of the Tornado lying yonder allow the prize he captured after so many weary months of watching and waiting to be delivered up to the detested Yankee? Now is his time. His guns cover her. One shot, well aimed trom his forward starboard battery, and farewell to the Virginius forever. You see a light come and go at the bows of the Tornado. It is an uneasy lantern held in nervous hands. Its thin ray of light falls athwart the Virginius and dances fitfully over her. It is gone in & moment and instantly reappears and seems like the anticipated flash of the avenging gun. It waves in the air a few moments longer and all is darkness once more, But let me think—the cap- tain of the Tornado is reported under arrest. A few days before the surrender he flung certain in- sulting and mutinous expressions at the Captain General, and now the bold sea dog ts in confine- He did swear a mighty oath that should the Virginius by night or by day come abreast of his vessel he should sink her to the bottom for evermore. We two who are now look- ing on remind each other of this and a momentary feeling of disappointment comes over us, At first THAT DANCING LIGHT looked ominous in our eyes. They are gauging her position, we thought. Walt a moment, and the boom of the fateful gun will be heard and the des- tinies of one country at least will be altered for good or for evil.. It came not; and the remem- brance that the daring commander of the Tornado ‘was removed past the opportunity of gratifying his stern vengeance explained all. Why should we have felt disappointed ? Why not rejoiced and in ecstasies at the thought that, once outside the harbor, war and rain ana misery might be spared to millions of human creatures ! I said, however, the chagrin was but momentary, as when the spectator, without wishing the least particle of harm to the person of Monsieur Bilondin when he crosses the Niagara on a tight rope, yet feels some mysterious curiosity and desire to see him tumble off into the boliing rapids below. Minutes are precious now. Is there no boatload of armed and desperate men putting off from the shore to capture and sink her? What has become of all that WILD AND PASSIONATE BOASTING of a few nights ago, enough to shake the pyramids and bring tears of contrition to the eyes of the American eagle ? Would any other people on top of the earth utter such brave and terrible resolves, and yet perform nothing? Still they make no sign. True, the multitude are not aware of what 1s transpiring. They are asleep and dream not tnat the Virginius ts being noiselessly smuggled out of the harbor, But there are valiant members of the Casino, who swore in the stirring declamatory accents of Castiie that she should never be given up—no, never—who know that this night she is being borne away from them into the custody of the abhorred and despised enemy’ Where are they at this moment? A small boat, a few men if petroleum brand might finish her career in half an hour, apes | doing yet, The watchman sings out three o'clock, and SILENCE REIGNS AGAIN, She has passed the Tornado, and now we perceive the large form of the Isabella la Catolica, magni- fied in the gloom to twice her real proportions, swinging slowly around, What does this mean? Does the man-ol-war purpose to stop the way, is narrow, jor it is but a gtone’s throw to the stern of the English gun- boat Naiad? Round and round swings the 4sabella, and presentily the Virginius fails epreast of her and both appeared to remain ‘The faint sound of a tah some word tionary in a parallel line, nwuman Voice is heard. It is ‘of commpud {yom the masters 9; tyo Isabella to the | captain in charge of the Virginius. Very slowly, Pry afraid to awaken the slumbering ley and let loose its desperate passions, both vessels appear to move towards the opposite side of the harbor, towards the frowning fortress of the ih ‘There are a dozen vessels anchored about here. ‘The space 1s contracted and careful steering 18 evidently demanded. Once again the significant trumpet notes ring out on the languid air. is the parting signal, no doubt, It 18 a notice to the Morro that a certain momentous event is tran- spiring, tor the castle iivhtly responds, and you can almost interpret the shrill reply to mean “she may pass.” It is plain to see the Isabella 1s act- ing as CONVOY TO THE VIRGINIUS. They now seem to be closer together than be- fore, the Virginius, as it clinging to the great sides o! the Isabella ior protection, with an instinctive sense of danger. Tney have cleared the anchored vessels in the channel, and slowly, a8 before, are bearing out past the Morro into the great ocean. The watchman cries the hour oj four o’clock “All's well” (alerta). The city still slumbers. Now we see the Virginius and her escort but very aimly indeed, They are beneath the lights of the Morro, and in a few moments more they are on the wide, wide sea togetner. The suspense is over at last. Alter the sun has risen we stand an the high, ground of Forte) Principe, three miles from the point where belore dawn we saw the Virginius taken from her moorings, and far off on the dis- tant rim of thé ocean we can distinctly perceive THE TWO VESSELS WIDER APART than when we saw them last bearing away ina westerly direction, Next we learn that in the small port of Bahia Honda the Virginius, secure trom public observation, was left to await ‘the ar- rival of a United States man-ol-war; and the Isa- bella, atter performing her siinple duty, returned this morning to her old moorings in the harbor, When the Virginius leit here her condition was about the same as when she was captured off the island of Jamaica, if anytning, improved, for the leak with which she was then afflicted was suiti- ciently repaired to cause less alarm tor her safety when she put to sea again, MUZZLING THE TELEGRAPH, To you, who live in a free and enlightened Repub- lic, Where the press and the privilege of open speech are as little confined as the air you breathe, it will seem strange that a telegraphic despatch to the HERALD, simply announcing the departure of the Virginius trom the harbor under escort of the Isabella la Catolica, and a few additional words stating concisely a8 possiple that 1t occurred before sunrise and was attended without any breach of order, was refused transmission by the censor, Where is the profitable use of a costly cabie tele- graph wire from here to Florida that will not take the news which millions of people desire to hear. Appended to this despatch was anotner, simply giv- ing an extract from an evening edition of the Diario, containing a protest against the paragraph in Grant’s message concerning Cuba, Against this the main prohibition was levelled, as fi the HERALD could be deprived of it when these short sighted people might understand that in the course of a few days all the Spanish papers of Ha- vana would be in the HERALD oltice, to be used ad libitum or not at all, as the HERALD chose, PLEASED WITH A RATTLE, TICKLED WITH A STRAW. To extract sunbeams from cucumbers is given to the skill of very few philosophers, but the Span- iards of Havana, now that their hign flown indig- nation is being gradually appeased with small, delusive morsels of consolation, have accomplished something like this impos- sible feat. ‘There is a clause in the late protocol, which requires a salute to be given the American flag on the 25th of December. That little requirement was no less galling than the surrender of the Virginius; but see how guickiy those astute people perceive @ triumph of their diplomacy over the American. At the first blush they called the thing outrageous; but on reflection they began to feel tickled at the idea and fairly screamed over the way the Yankees were outwit- ted. ‘fhe 26th isa great Spanish holiday—Christ- mas Day—saluted on its advent by firing of great guns trom forts and ships-of-war, As the ships and Jorts keep firing hal! the day the salute jor the Yankee flag can be deftly slipped in with the joy- ous discharges Of artillery that salute the anniver- sary of the birth of Christ. HAVANA AS A CENTRE OF LIES, Washington 1s regarded as a prolific soil for rumors. More unblushing lies pass from hand to hand there, receive more ready acceptance and driit away more easily by mail and telegraph over the country than in any other city of the Union. Havana, as far as my experience goes, 18 ahead of Washington in this particular characteristic, Three things contribute to give it preeminence. There is a quality in the Spanish mina prone to take ideal 1orms of rhetoric for real things. When the vaiiant pen of @ mush-and-milk journalist writes, The honor of Spain is in our keeping, and we will die rather than disgrace if,’ the Spanish reader feels a glow -of patriotic fire, he sees a glamour of warlike devotion surround the writer, and he feels it a sacred duty to support him, to follow the editorial Richmond to the field. Castafion, when he edited the Voz de Cuba, talked like this and talked ina bitter tone of belligerent feeling against the Cubans, At Key West he was killed by one of the latter. His body was brought to Havana and interred with pomp by the volunteers, who placed a glass frame in the cavity of his tomb, Some few young and thought- less Cuban students one day disiigured this glass, and for that slight offence eight of them were shot, not to speak of the number of Qubans who were killed by the volunteers here and there along the streets the day they returned irom the funeral of the dead editor. Castafion’s toric was taken at a high premium. His figures of speech were accepted a8 facts, and thus it that in the absence of news—for the ypapars here fur- nish none but what suits themselves and the government—the editor's utterances are taken for gospel; what he urges 1s supposed to be the tmperative need of the hour; what he hints at is spelled out into most improbabie happenings; and when he pleases he can fill the air with rumors enough to make a winding sheet for the tather of lies, The next cause that contributes to the FABRICATION OF GROUNDLESS STORIES that pass current irom mouth to mouth is the active presence among us of that charming class, the Cuban laborantes, of whom you have heard in a former chapter. No sooner was tne Virginius outside the harbor than they circulated the report that the Arapiles, from New York, had rescued her and was bringing her back in triumph to Havana. The simple purpose of this was to renew the flush of Spanish excitement, to restore the war fever and get some overt act committed that might bring the Casino into se- rious trouble. The third cause that contributes to make the atmosphere reek with unhealthy and alarming rumors is the habit among all in authority of concealing the truth, even when it would pro- duce no harm to tell it, and substituting inven- tions of all kinds. MOB BEFORF THE PALACE. It need be no surprise, then, that last evening there should be so much commotion caused by the silly protest aac: Grant’s references to Cuba, whicu appeared in the Diario's evening edition, Here was a lot of bombast that turned cool heads crazy and added to the multitude of lies put in circulation about Grant giving carte Blanene to the filibusters of America to come here whatever way they might manage, the teeling among the lower ranks of Spaniards rose to lever heat. The captains and the coloneis of volunteers were reported to be at sixes and sevens—the former in opposition to the Captain General, the latter in Ms favor—while the ma- jority of the rank and file were supposed to side with the captains. Colonel Zueletta and Colonel Herrera were thought to be in a fair way of being annihilated by the mob for encouraging the Cap- tain General to deliver up the Virginius, and then comes the Diario with its inflammatory article to add fuel to the fame. The gist of the mob’s angry expression of feeling last evening was that with the surrender of the vessel disappears the LAST REMNANT OF SPANISH POWER, in the West Indies. It smote upon them like some great deprivation—like the loss of a jewel worn next the heart and prized beyond earthly means of purchase. Castelar had no iriends among the mob that filled the Plaza de Armas, nor had Adimt- ral Polo, of whom they said that he bad soid him- sell to the Yankees by becoming an American citi- zen and a Freemason. POOR CASTELAR, best and noblest son of Spain, who would fain lift her up to an honored place among the nations and brush away the rust and verdigris that are eating into her vitals! No one so poor in this wretched mob of darkened intellects as to do him reverence, What that mob might have done if they had had their way the Lord only knows; but it was a cowardly, bius- tering crowd, and when the firm, emphatic Captain General Jovellar gave orders to three squadrons of cavalry to charge the Plaza away they went in all directions homeward, thankful to get away with whole skins, Had Jovellar been here at the time, the students would never have been shot. HAVANA'S PROTEST. The Mob Fizzles Before the Guardia Civil—President Grant Anathema- tize€d—“The First Filibustercr of the United States.’’ HAVANA, Dec. 13, 1873, ‘The island of Caba belched forth smoke instead of flames—an expression the reverse of this will be recognized as having lately originated with General Burriel—when it came to the actual deliv. ery of the steamer Virginius. Your correspondent’s telegrams and letter of yesterday informed the HeraLp of the quiet and unobtrusive manner this steamer went to sea yesterday morning, or rather during the small hours of the night, convoyed by the Isabel la Catolica, and in none or the evening bulletins could any mention be found of the fact, not an un- usual occurrence in the Spanish Havana news- papers, which contain something or other from all points of the globe, but give not a single word about affairs uppermost in the minds of the people of their locality, All day long yesterday 4 sort of gloom seemed to have settled over the Spanish mind; the ‘oyals” looked melancholy and dejected, and discussed the departure of the bone of contention in their usual excited manner, A CROWD THAT FAILED TO FRIGHTEN THE CAPTAIN GENERAL, Between nine and ten o'clock in the evening a large crowd assempled og the Plaze d¢ Armas al im front of the Captain General’s palace. The crowd, mostly of volunteers, for the most part was composed of the cartmen, porters, shopkeepers, &c., who reside in the lower part of the city, with here and there a member in uniform; and the ob- ject of the gathering seemed to be, to judge from the several speeches made—notably by one shirt- sleeved, unwashed individual, perched on one of the pillars which support a lantern—to express @ sort of indignant resignation. A!lusions were made to their being deluded and cheated by the government while asleep, and sending out the Virginius at night to accede to the demands of the United States; the impossibility, however, of mak- ing resistance to the order from Spain and counsel- ling order and submission. Patriotism abounded exhaled and perfumed the air irom every frenzy pore of the brave defenders of national in- tegrity. ‘The crowd at no tine numbered over a thousand, and the presence of & A SQUADRON OF CAVALRY, several files of soldiers stationed at hand and a large posse of police probably was a datuper to its increase, and undoubtediy influenced the modera- tion of the speeches and checked violence. The shirt sleeved party already reierred to as clinging to the lantern on the pil- lar of @ entrance to the palace, and shading his eyes trom the glare of the gas light which ilumined his countenance, beaming over with patriotic ardor and resignation, soon ex- hausted his rude eloquence, Every Spaniard, since an English writer said so, presumes himself to be a natural born orator, and this common- looking customer gave utterance to quite a succes- sion of patriotic and resigned sentiments, which the crowd applauded and approved Of by saying, “Give him a thousand dollars!” About half-past ten the crowd broke up into numerous groups, the centre of which would be some one—generally wii the volunteer cockade—haranguing his com- rades, THE OCCUPANTS OF THE PALACE. The ‘Captain General, a number of gentlemen and tne ladies of his family could be distinguished on the balcony of the palace, rather amused spectators, After a number of | vivas for Spain, Jovellar, the volunteers, and groans for Castelar, the arrival of a squad of the Guardia Civil, mounted, with drawn swords, soca dispersed the crowd, although it is to be observed that no attempt was made in this direction uni’ ‘¢ had had its say. THE RUMORS CURRENT aniong them, produced by the excitement attend- ing the departure of the Virginius, were to the effect that Costilla, commander of the Tornado, Was under arrest, and that the Spanish Minister at Washington had sold himseif to the Yankees, and 100 other wild stories of that nature. The govern- ment is acquiring strength and firmness. The report that the volunteers desired to tender their arms was current, and it is a fact that recently their colonels nave been among them and inquired of each whether he was for the government or not, It is said of one INDIGNANT VOLUNTEER SENTRY at the Punta that when he saw the Virginius pass out of the harbor during the night in a burst ot in- dignation he threw his Remington into the sea, took off his cockade and threw that in, took off us other military accoutrements ana threw these in, took a svep and was probably about to throw himselt in, but being a volunteer he reflected, called the captain of the guard, and informed him that he was ready to receive cuatro tiros” (the death volley). This morning over 12 of the rioters of last night were sent under guard to the Punta and Cabafia. GRAND EXPIRING 8PLUITER OF THE DIARIO. The Diario made one grand expiring splutter in last evening’s edition. It was like the stag driven to bay, who, flourishing his antlers in the air, makes a rapid plunge at the ennroning hounds, and, burying his oniy weapon harmlessly in the ground, fails and expires. For the benefit of the HERALD readers in general, and President Grant in particular, I translate the great protest of the editor of the Diario, He relers to the President of the United States in rather naughty terms, and the shriek he utters towards the ciose of welcoming death a thonsand times sooner than dishonor 1s the grand climacteric of Spanish pride and chiv- alry, which now, alas and also, has tumbled trom its lofty pinnacle into what I am fearful is the very mud itself, THE PROTEST OF THF DIARIO. The person was d C ticularly communic: " dent Grant had expressed himself with moderation i his Message, with respect to or touching Spain. If it 18 true that the temp e of satisfaction and vanity is noted, and of the aspiration reached in what relates to the Virginius, it is not less so that the paragraph on Cuba merits the itle ot an infamous libel, which our appre- ciable colleague of the Cronist given to it. That par- agraph isa Compilation of injuries, of every calumny, and ali the vulgarities that have been published in Madrid, in Parisi London, in the United States, and even inthe city of Havana, against the loyal people Of this province—a compilation that for the first time the world has seen in an official document, which ought to be distinguished tor its correctness of phrase and the elevation of its ideas. The President of the United States fingers—that is the most graphic word— juestions of interior order in the spanish dominions, the march and solution of which belong exclusively to the constituted powers inside of the Spanish nation. The President of the federation of North America, takes to bimself a species of prote torate or guardianship which only weak spirits coui see with a blush of shi fh we repulse with manly vigor—we who to-day, as yesterday, prefer a thousand times death to dishonor.’ We, in the name of all the Spaniards in this island, protest azainst each and every word contained in that paragraph of President Grant's Message; and, if we were the only ones who think in this way, we would in the same manner pro- test, because we will never accommodate ourselves to the allowing of any foreign Power to have influence in the destiny of our country. We have nothing more to SECOND HAND GOSSIP. The Diario'’s New York correspondent seconds the editor’s motion and says, second hand, that President Grant, at heart, is the “first filibuster” in the United States; that his El Dorado is the an- nexation of Cuba during his administration; but to obtain this the Diarto’s correspondent says he told some Senator it was necessary to act with a great deal of finesse, with the object of surprising the Spaniards. The Diario’s correspondent puts the following from the lips of President Grant:— “Irt had known that the government of Madrid would have acceded to our demands in the ques- tion of the Virginius, more onerous terms would have been presented.’ THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE. Description of the Santiago Shambles—A Herald Correspondent Among the Labo- rantes. SANTIAGO DE CuBA, Dec. 6, 1873, Notwithstanding the presence of the Wyoming, the Kansas, the Juniata anda British vessel-of- war, it was not without many misgivings that I undertook to enter the precincts of bloody San tiago, from within whose walls the blood and ashes of the martyrs call loudly for vengeance. But though one cannot help feeling sad at the unhappy end of those who, in the cause of liberty, bravely faced the bullets of the assassins, still a thrill ot satisfaction rushes through one’s frame to witness the detestable cowardice, the abjection and nervous trepidation of those who but two weeks ago cheered on the volunteers to murder and roared and raved at the sight or human blood. Yes, you may gather some comfort from the fact that the vile reptiles, hitherto insolent and barbarous to foreigners of all nations, have had to knuckle down under the surveillance of American and British sailors, and now almost dread to approach strangers. It is a shame that these lovely waters, the beautiful hills and a lo- cality capable of producing all that ts needed to sustain human beings in luxury and peace, should be cursed by a set of Spanish blood suckers whose presence must contaminate and blight so long as they are permitted to remain. Your correspondent, pursuant to arrangement and instructions, left the point agreed upon on Tuesday afternoon, at three o'clock, and landed on the coast of the Ever Faithful Isle, about 20 miles to the east of Puerto Sevilla, at half-past five o'clock yesterday morning. The morning had just begun to break, At @ quarter past six, shaded by the thick shrubbery on the side of the hill, we com- mencea OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS THE TOWN, which appeared at a considerable distance to the northeast. The morning was delightfully clear and comparatively cool, and as we emerged into the woods we could still hear the roar of the water as it washed against the shore, The wild birds warbled and fluttered as we passed beneath the trees, while all nature seemed joyous and happy. The air seemed filled with the harmony of birds and insects. For nearly four hours we con- tinued in bypaths. Many of them, I fear, had not been passed over for months, for my friend intt- mated that few of the patriots cared to attempt the road singly or in twos, the only sale way ot reaching the town, The same rich fragrance, the same luxuriance of the trees, the same emerald verdure, were present during our whoie journey. THE FIRST VIEW. At avout ten o'clock we halted at the brow of a small hill, and, after considerable scrutiny, my guide drew his arm within my own and said in a low tone, “Look! Following the direction of his finger down the deciivity, | observed a tall, dull looking tower in the distance, and immediately afterwards I saw clouds of smoke rising from a Position below the tower. “The Cathedral and town of Santiago,” said my friend. Throwing away the walking sticks we had been carrying we emerged from amid the trees and shrubs, and I then saw We were on the northern extremity of the beau- tiful Bay of Santiago, We had passed several little huts; but by this time the sun was shining fiercely and we encountered but a few muchachos, who were apparently going home from school, having books and satchels, “Lap atleast 16 minutes before time,” sald my guide, consulting a silver watch; will be better to rest here awhile in this café,” We entered a little low dwelling, not more than two blocks from the Plaza, but to my surprise I saw neither tables, nor coffee, hor customers, but the instant the at- tendant saw my iriend he gave a signal similar to one I had noticed immediately preceding our land- ing in the morning, and the movement of hands and the slight rattle of paper following, ted me to believe that something more than words and winks had passed between them, 1 was then introduced toour newly found friend by a name that I then heard for the first time. Leaving us for about five minutes, the attendant returned with a smile and intimated that breakfast would be ready by the time we had undergone our morning ablutions, BREAKFAST, composed of coffee, rice, yams and salt ham, was spread on the top of a deai table m @ small inner apartment, and two of us sitting om a short, low stool together, the waiter standing, the frugal re- past was begun, “Aquien se humilla Dios le ensalza,” said my trustyfguide with a smile as he jooked at my broad- cloth and phylacteries, “¥ la esperanza de los tmptos perecera,’’ replied the attendant, bursting out into alaugh, for he saw that my appetite was in nowise diminished by his pious quotation any more more than the starch of my white choker made me believe I had taken holy orders. By the time breakfast was finished I began to understand the relationship of my acquaintance, as well as the real object of my guide’s visit; but “impene- trable en el secreto.”” 1 allowed them to have all the conversation. Our splendid journey was discussed, the probabilities of war, and the improbabilities also, the reason of the gathering of war ships in the harbor, the visit of an English Commodore, the attitude of America in relation to the Cuban murders, the effect of the diMecuity on Cuba Libre, finance, strategy, dis- guises—everything connected with the cause for which the noble men in the Eastern Department are fighting was passed in review by this assembly of two, But they were two earnest men, and but for their earnestness the HERALD would not be in possession of the iniormation [ am abont to give. As we were talking a caballero, whip in hand, en- tered the tront door and cailed for the attendant, who quickly responded, A hurried conversation ensued and the cabailero departed. NEWS FROM MANZANILLO, “More news,” said the man, a8 he entered our room. “What news ?? we asked. “Weil,” said he, “our forces surrounded and attacked Manzanillo, headed by Vincente Garcia, on the 10th of November, securing a large quantity of provisions and then set the Spanish quarters on fire in three places. They encountered the volun- teers beiore leaving, and, although sutfering losses themselves, the patriots lett nine Spaniards dead on the ground and wounded from 80 to 100 others. ‘The incursion was repeated next day, but no addi- tional fighting occurred. ‘The constant oppression ofthe Spanish soldiers is driving whole families of Cubans from their homes into exile, and my friend tells me that he saw some 80 women and children safely on their way to Jamaica only two days ago.’” Our host next suggested that we snould sleep for an hour or so. He placed a rude kind of ved on to the polished floor, and we both threw ourselves on it. We slept until tour o’cloeck, when I was in- formed a gentleman was waiting to conduct me over certain portions of the town, Appointing another meeting with my fellow traveller of the past four days, | took the arm of my new acquaintance, and in a few minutes WE STOOD IN THE PLAZA before the gubernatorial mansion and secretaria, a@ mean-looking, insignificant structure, painted or washed white. I had now an Opportunity of see- ing something of life in Santiago de Cuba. A couple of volunteers, in the white cap and turban, white jacket and zouave trousers and gaiters, walked listlessly about near the entrance, and reverently touched their hats to my guide. “It was from here,” said he, ‘that Burriel issued all his faming orders; it was here that he insulted your Acting Consul, Mr. Schmitt, and refused to allow him to see more than one of the prisoners. What a pity that Mr. Young was away; the Gov- ernor would not have dared to treat him so, Do you remember the case when Kamsden, the British Consul, saved the Iife of two of his countrymen, daring the volunteers to shoot, notwithstanding the men had been condemned to death? But in the present instance we had neither British nor American Consul here. It is especially a sad cir- cumstance that Mr. Ramsden was away, because he had to be represented by a Spaniard, formerly in Brooks’ store here, and it was not likely that the Governor would care much for any- thing he should say. Schmitt was plucky enough, but they cutoif his lines of communication with his government and his countrymen by placing an armed picket before his house and placing his de- spatches in the pigeon holes of the Censor. Call- inga kind of rough, covered wagon, we drove down Calle de la Marina to the Custom House depot, whence we walked to the quay, to the whart bearing the government crane tor the land- ing of guns, machinery, &c. An official, gorgeous in tinsel and blue, accosted my guide, and, eyeing me keenly, asked who 1 was. friend simply stated that! was aa yet® pupil, and had come down to wi eds y@nding of merchandise. Being told that no more would be landed that day we left again, but withont being able to discover the names of the steamer and bark then lying alongside. WHERE THE VICTIMS LANDED. “Tt was precisely at this spot where the officer addressed us,” continued my friend, “that my dear friends, Ryan and Varona, landed after they had been sentenced. 1 shail never forget the evening they landed. The news of the capture seemed to fill the people here with unutterable joy. A grand procession was formed, the church bells rang, the guns boomed from the forts, the volunteers turned out in force to receive the Governor, who harangued them and declared it was tne greatest victory Spain had achieved for years. Indeed, the houses were brilliantly illuminated for two evenings afterwards, and all the while the unhappy prison- ers were being condemned to an ignominious death. Now let us go up La Marina again to the jail. THE Salt 1g situated about four blocks from the landing place, or about the same distance as the HERALD office is from the foot of Vesey street. It 1s alow, ugly looking, two story brick building, with the threatening aspect usual with all such places used by the authorities in Cuba. We passed it hastily, 10 avoid the glances of the guara, but turned round an immediately to the leit into Calle de las ni madas, Now,’ continued my friend, ‘you have walked over the road by which the victims went to the jail. They returned, in going to the place of execution, by the same way until they reacved the corner at ‘fejada’s place (a large provision store), whence they were marched in procession, guarded by sol- diers with guns loaded and bayouets drawn, along Alley Reina to Concha, and then across the rau- road to the slaughter house.” Then we walked slowly over the same ground that the brave men had passed on the way to their violent death, and, though in silence, I shall never forget the impres- sion of the moment—of the manacied men, the hooting crowas of fools, who Wear out their lives much like their master’s ass, For naught but proyender ; the music, the sadness, the thoughts of the fathers and brothers who were so soon to make a holiday, to be offered up as unwilling sacrifices on the altars of strange gods. All criticism fails at such &@ moment. As we turned and crossed the rail- road track I saw for the first time that bloody pile, THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE. It stands at the foot of Concha alley, quite near to the upper angle o1 the bay, and facing the alley is the main door. The slaughter house itself stands in the centre of @ quadrangle, about 10 yards equi- distant from the tour walls forming the outer square. On this centra! building, consisting of a slanting tiled roof, are set immense beams of wood, which simply sustain the superstructure, but are not boarded in, so that it may properly be called a shed. Above the first slanting rooi is a small rude structure similar to the lookout towers of the old Norman castles, being also of wood and tiles, and having two holes in it facing the Concha and two facing the bay. The wails surrounding the shed and forming the real slaughter house—for it is in the yard that most of the cattle are slaughtered— are about two feet thick, of stone and orick, above each corner there being raised a hectangular illar, pes of at the top like a huge spear head, Between the quay next the bay and the rear wail there is quite a large space of ground; another iron door opening is here jor the reception of cattle, On the right, as you enter from the Concha, there is a sloping shed, used chiefly for horses, supported at the apex by the wall, and at the eaves by wooden posts, similar to, but lighter than those supporting the centre building, Leav- ing the yard by the doorin the rear and turning abruptly to the left, to the outside of the wall of the yard that ‘aces toward the entrance of the harbor, we came to THE “USUAL PLACE," the gory spot from which the spirits of the 53 human victims ascended, and where their blood still remains in dark, hard clots in the gutter, near the wal. Truly, this was the Tight place for such a deed! Near a place rendered disgusting by the constant shedding of blood, leaving that indescribable odor so well known to many of our own citizens up town, on the East side of New York, within gunshot of the putrid masses that float in the harbor, and as near to the woods, where flock thousands of buz- zard hawks and other animals of prey—surely the agsociations and the bloody deed must have been particularly gratifying to the Governor, Captain and subordinate butchers. “Here you see,” said my friend, “the st of the terribledrama—here fell the four—here fell the 12—here fell the 40, Would to God that this place were razed to the ground, and that it might be blotted out from the memory of mankind! It can only be @ plague spot as long as it stands, They were assassinated as though they had been mur- derers; their dead bodtes were thrown into carts and buried like cattle that had died of some ing fectious disease, without compassion, without cere- mony, without the last comforts, the last rites of the Church.” “Was it true,’ I asked, “that the beads of the first 1our Were carried around the town on pikes ?” THE BODIES NOT MUTILATED. “N@ no!’ he replied, “the lowest depths of degradation would not permit of that, Their lies were not mutilated, so tar as! know. [sit hot enough to satisfy the most brutal nature to unjustly shed a man’s blood, then leave it to stink in the sun @ stench in the nostrils of man, and, I nope, an offence to the susceptibilities of at least a por- ice oe our peopie #?? ly time having long elapsed and it being dark, Ireturned to the house trom which I nad started some three hours before, I cannot close this letter without expressing my gratification at the sudden change in affairs. Deputy Des Reas holds the reigns of power in the ab- sence of Burriel who, rumor gays, fled to Havana for protection. Beyond the inel- dent at the Crane wharf we Were in no way mo- lested, although many of the people must have known me to be a stranger. ‘Ihe Spaniards are either cowed for a while, or planning some new mis+ ehief, Although not far Irom Santiago at this writing, Ido not, as | said before, think the volun- lee 8 will trouble themselves for some time to come with either British or American subjects, For the present I cannot record our movements in detail, but Thone tobe able in a few days to give you ad.itional tuiormation from this town. The en. closures will jully explain my visit, which I have directed to be forwarded to you under the sea! of a government official, SPANISH FEELING IN SANTIAGO. Hostility of the Voluntcers—The Dons, Recovered from Their Fright, Throw Up Intrenchments—Levying War Con- tributions—Prociamation of the Pre: dent of Cuba Libre—Cespedes’ Farewell, SANTIAGO DE CuBA, Dec. 7, 1873, The Santiago authorities, having the fear of British cannon before their eyes, determined not to Temove the prisoners pointed out by Commodore d’Horsey as subjects of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Should the object of the American and British com- manders be to retake the prisoners it is feared here that the Captain of the Bazan will threaten to kill them should a shot be fired or any force used, and hence that the game will continue in the hands of the Spaniards. In any case the lives of vhe men are in jeopardy, Inow come to chapter second. In my letter of yesterday I stated that the arrogant hildagos seemed at length to have either reeeived a severe check by the demonstrations of the United States government—that they were hanging down their heads like cowards—or else they were planning new schemes of terrorism and outrage. . I aun now compelied to believe that the Jatter was the more probable. In order to mislead the people and foreign representatives they professed a certain contrition, Let usinquire into the probable cause. Only yesterday an order was promulgated for the immediate tortifying of the harbor on the opposite side of the bay from the village of Socapa at the entrance, nearly opposite the Morro, to the Cobra Railroad (Punta del Sol) depot, opposite Punta Blanca. Flor de aqua, or waterside batteries, are to be thrown up with the least possible deiay, while a chain, a> before stated, is to be stretched across the mouth of the harbor. The guard at the Morro and White Point forts has been doubled, Krupp guns, long dismounted, are being remounted and placed in position and, in general, preparations for a state of siege are in progress. They have adopted strange means for securing the materials for these ramparts. The police have been visiting the inhabitants and col- lecting empty boxes, casks, timber or whatever else they can levy upon by “order of the Gover- nor.” Thus the United States Navy may expect a formidable array of boxes and tinder to attack when they get inside the harbor from the Oshing village (Socapa) to Punta del Sol. I will promise, however, that Santiago will tall, if attacked systematically, in afew hours, In the first place, the Morro contains nothing in the shape of arma- ment that could withstand a few broadsides from the guns of such vessels as the Juniata, not to speak of the ironclads, It is true that the entrance to the harbor is so extremely narrow that if the Morro were in anything like good condition it would be dificult for the best ships to get a butt atthe boom. But it is a notoriously dilapidated old fort, fit only for the confinement and slow tor- ture of unfortunate political prisoners. The Estrella is even in a worse condition, not having been used for years. The saluting fort (Punta Blanca) is perhaps the best of the three, but poor will be the best; and altogether no one believes it would take asmall United States force more than 12 hours to bombard and reduce the town. LEVYING FOR MONEY AND PROVISIONS. In addition to the many outrages and indigni- ties inflicted by this volunteer despotism that of forcibly levying for money and provisions has com- menced. It is not generaily known that the country is indebted to the army and navy tothe extent of four months’ pay. in order to paya part of tunis at once, it is supposed, and to put the soldiers and sailors ina better mood for defending the isiand, all the merchants were notified that as $150,000 was the suin wanted immediately they must each pay to the collectors the amount set opposite their names, The amounts demanded, as a ruie, were not very large, but too large for the majority to find at a moment's notice, and so, instead of securing the full amount by the barbarous system of blackmail, they only succeeded in raising $50,000. Wherever the produce merchants professed an smability to provide the cash demanded the intelligent officers ofthe “Spanish Republic’ (so called) considered it a duty to seize provisions; “for,” said they, “provisions in times of strife answer all the pur- poses of money.”’ Going into the store of Messrs. Shelton & Co,, they made the formal request for money, but not getting just what they wanted in that direction they condemned and seized 1,000 barrels of flour. Everything was fish that came to the net. Coffee, sugar, tobacco, wines— all were seized in the name of the government, in about the same manner. I regret tosay that the Church appeared to delight over the questionable report of proselytizing a dozen of unhappy men who were unjustly assassinated in public, the in- justice being better knuwn to the clergy than to most of the people. DETAINING THE MEN AND EXILING WOMAN. The natural result of all these warlike demon- strations was the unusual number of applications for passports. Some were granted as a blind, but it isnow known that there ts a secret order in the hands of the Commandante of Marines that no male capable of hearing arms, either Spanish or Cuban, between the ages of 4 and 40, shall be permitted to leave the island at pre. sent, as it is believed the compnisory rule of service in the army will be enforced in case the rumor of a declaration of war having been de- clared should prove true, To retain unwilling sol- diers must operate like the compulsory stay of a scorpion on @ man’s breast. No sooner wili the de- tonation of the first discharge of artillery have died away than a general rising will take place in nearly all the cities of the Eastern Department, and between the insurgents, the enemy and the unknown operators the would-be destroyers of Cu- ban liberty must come to a terrible settlement. “Within three months of the day you shed my blood,” said Varona to the mock council, blood of the Spanirds shall run like water," There wouid be but little necessity for the United States te fightin the East. If arms and munitions of war were landed on points not 30 miles from Santiago within one week—I believe I am strictly within the lines of truth—40,000 armed insurgents would be in Santiago, and at the same time the other large towns must give in. The only fear is lest the retribution of the Cubans, so long suffering from tyranny, oppression and deeds of violence, might be even too terrible even for these God-forsaken, murderous volunteers. But five years of hardship, hunger and exile, the loss ol the best blood, the confiscation of the richest estates, the indignities remorselessiy heaped upon male and female, young and aged, of the most re- spectable families in the Pearl of the Antilles, have inspired a deep feeling of revenge in the hearts of the Cubans, and it is probable that the utmost precautions of civilization will scarcely prevent the revenge so long sought. Now, the Journal here bas the audacity to hint that, for the preservation of the integrity of the national terri- tory, all home differences shoula be buried ina general reunion for defence against a common enemy, leaving to more auspicious times the solu- tion of the problem that has separated the best of men irom society and caused the interior of this lovely island to stink with human remains and ho- This 18 & specimen of the deceit, the and brutal instincts of the leading agi- tators here, “But,” my companion remarked a few minutes since, ‘may God forsake us and our children if we fail to continue in the work of establishing liberty of speech and conscience, and to drive out these inhuman ‘brothers,’ who do not hesitate to burn our estates, Outrage our Wives and daughters, a8 at Santiago this year, and butcher our nelpless sick and wounded wherever caught. They are cowards and hypocrites, When poor Fry and his companions were marching two and two, tied, each one to the arm of his neighbor, and sur- rotnded by soldiers, the police actually went and incited the Africans to produce their ‘gongs and tom-toms’ so as to mortify and degrade the doomed men; but even these were driven away from the alaueier-bouse walk $$ _———_—___ further dishonor the mutilated corpses that had re- ceived the combined discharge Jrom 150 rifles, they were thrown into four dirt carts, driven by the presidiartos—jail birds—and thus consigned to the earth in the cemetery in the Camino dei Ysla, with- out coffins, without the service of the Church; aa dogs they were thrown in and ‘covered up,’ Be- fore the bodies were removed the 700 volunteers and the 200 marines who assisted at this feast of blood were marched past the mangled heap, with the captains of companies ordering the men to ‘View to the right’ and ‘View to the lett,’ accord- ing to the side they marched past. Can we, then, join the ASSASSINS OF OUR BELOVED BROTHERS in the holy cause of freedom? No.’? With all these disadvantages to-day the Span- tards are again clamoring ior war, in the belief that America cannot possibly beat Spain, The sulky quiet of two da\s ago has been turned into Ugerish fury, and God only knows to what ex- tremes they will go with all who have been in any Way snspected of assisting the insurrectionists, This place is full of American business men, and if the next steamer from Havana is not too heavily laden down with Spanish officers, in all probability a number of women and children Will be sent on to the United States, 1 understand that _u French merchant steamer leaves this port for Kingston in a few days—tiat is, if she can get in—and that several hundreds of Cubans, mostly Jemales, are booked to leave for Jamaica, where despatches have been sent asking friends to pro- vide house room a»d accommodations for them, Before closing the history of the executions I Must mention that the reported efforts of Spanish soldiers to save the lives of Varona and Cespedes is. not true. Ryan asked once that Cespedes, who was advanced in years, poor and with a large family, might be spared; but no notice was taken of his request. Neither was there as much effort to save little Quesada as at first stated. With ref- erence to the youth, Artura Molo, however, some 11 men, struck with the youthful innocence of the lad, petitioned Burriel lor his reiease, the only answer being the tearing up of the petition in the presence of the deputation delivering it, THE INTERIOR—CESPEDES DEVOSED, While we have been witnessing the stirring events on all sides in connection with the Virginius, there have beex radical changes made in the revolutionary government. At a general meeting, consisting of 4,000 troops and the full number of the House of Representatives at Bijagual, between Santiago and Jiguani, on the 27th of October last, ©, Manuel Cespedes was removed from the head of the government, and Salvador de Cisneros (Marquis de Santa Lucia), President of the House of Repre- entatives, was appointed President pro tem. of the Republic. At present General Aguilera should be at the head of alfairs, he being Vite President, according to the constitution, but as he will prob- ably remain in New York until the present troubles are settled in some way, Cisttggos will remain as Chief Executive. Lieutenant “Tsosados and two other Spanish officers captured with a mber of men near Holguin last month, but who were rejeased for special reascygs, assure us that there was not the slightest trouble over the change, General Calixto Garcia was next ap- pointed Secretary of War and Pedro Maseo Secretary of State, The following proclamation, which more fully explains the change than any- thing I can add, I have translated froin an origmal copy for the HERAL! CISNEROS’ PROCLAMATION, Rustping Anxoap:— Ns—In the midst of a disturbance contine ent ona war with @ desperate enemy, who, in agony, fias made great efforts for the. violent possession of oUF loved country, the insurgents have shown to the world, by the political events of the 27th of Uctober, the consol- ig spectacie of intreducing into the high administration of the land a change required by circumstance, and that, like brothers of one family, they have accepted the mod> ification in the domestic ‘arrangements, and received with friendly feelings and regard for the common wel- fare the solution of difficulties which in other countries have been the occasion ot internal dissensions and blood- shed, leaving behind a lasting enmity in the breasts of political associates. hope that this will never be the case among the sons of Cuba now co-operating with us in the triumph and independence of the country and the final establishment of her complete liberty as declarea in the tundamental code of April 10, 1369. The civic virtues by which you distinguish yourselves and your assurance are a guarantee that the guauee which has taken place will serve as a guide to you in the attainment of additional strength to unite and consoli- date abroad that which your brothers in arms do in the ficld tor the country. Young Cuba, springing into the light of liberty, has no need to acquire a severe political education to Hilin the republican life the position which, has been en- trusted to her and to realize that democratic vernment tyral always the concomitants of despotism, can have no pai iu the free ear. And you who torm partof Cuban must sustain the new principles, must, by your unio abroad, tortity and strengthen those in the inte- rior, Who, without flinching one iota, have gone on in the Servi a have imposed by the contribution of your substance to aid in the detnite triumph of justice. Invested with the character, vrotem., of President of which Span- the Republic, [hope that the Cuban tamil ish hate has divided and driven trom: its birthright will give me continual fervent support. Here, in the bloody battlefield of the country, you have i ‘our sons, relations, frietids or tellow citizens who claim suerifices and your love. The governme the national representatives, will take care contributions, either individually or collectively, arrive: intact into the thankful hanas of the soldiers of the 8 untry, Without distrust, whica is the death of all confi- ence. Only one more effort is required to terminate the work of emancipation, and this is corroborated by the recent triumohs of our armies, ‘Ihe demoralized army of the enemy take retuge in the towns along the coast, where they are likewise vanquished by our forces, The rude and repeated blows of the revolutionary torce have Dro- duced public discontent and dissatistaction, even in the Spanish Courts; within the judicial sphere we find the national integrity tottering, which ere long must bring down the edifice and leyel it to the ground, Renounce,, then, for the country’s sake, the ill will which the past may’ have engendered in’ your breasts between each other; unite your walls, and, with your eyes fixed on the future, remeinber that the generations to come will curse the evil sons of Cuba, while the faithtul will deserve and receive the immortal gratitude of the country and will serve as an-example to the men of all nations who have struggled for the glorious principles of independence and liverty. = Cubarius— Viva la Union! SALVADOR CISNEROS, El Presidente interino de la Republica, Buacnat, Oct. 28, 1873, . CESPEDES’ FAREWELL ADDRESS, To THE PEOPLE AND ARMY OF CUBA:— Fxi.ow Citizens—The Chamber ot Representatives in its session of October 27, 1873, resolved to depose me from y charge as President of the Republic. ‘This determina- tion, already foreshadowed in my manifesto of the 4th inst. (a doctiment put torth in explanation of certain ap- pointments, contrary it seems to the wishes ot some members of the government), it removes trom my shoulders the weight of the affairs of State and exon- erates me in the 1uture of all responsibility. In this disagreement, unfortunately—and it being tm- possible for me to renounce my post without being the object of its unfavorable eriticism—I thought it my duty to define what have always been considered my prinel- Ples—the requirements of the situation, the indepen- dence of the executive power, the respect of the consti- the sover- thought it ig tution, the strict observance of the law eignty of the people. In that definition I my duty to exhibit all the inflexibility of my charac ‘The Chamber has used its pre: has completely subdued the most and there 1s now nothing left for the ruling and obey the mandate mi aforesaid fundamental code, which, I flatter myself I fer vently revere, and consequently have given immediate and iull submission to the decision of that respected body, which has acted well within the sphere of its func- ions, As before, so now, and so always,I am cousecrated to the cause of Cuban liberty and independence. With my whole heart I shall give my teeble support to any Jegiumate government haying this object in view. In so saying aud doing I hope to remain at your side, Cubans. 1 have the satistaction of leaving the revolution ina prosperotts condition, I sincerely hope that the pres- ent government will in a short time complete the work begun at Yara on October 18, 1863, confirmed by a record five years’ incessant labor. People and Army of Cuba—You have done your duty with firmness and patriotism. Iv now remains for me to fender you my most gratetul acknowledgments for the regard and resp ich in general you. Country and hbert' . M. DE CESPEDES, Lomanta, Oct. $1, 1873. Your Countryman. ATTEMPT TO BURN THE VIRGINIUS, csi bse7: LAN n The Incendiary a Prisoner and Speedily Released, ‘The following letter gives an account of a scan- daious attempt that was made by acertain Dr, Gallardo to burn the steamship Virginius, while at anchor in the bay of Havana:— Havana, Dec. 12, 1873, During the night of the 7th inst, Dr. Don Angel Gallardo set fire to the steamer Virginius in this bay. Fortunately the seamen of the ship extin- guished the fire and apprehended the barbarous incendiary, who was made a prisoner of and sent to the jail, from which he has been unconditionally released by the influence of those Spaniards who are called the fathers of the country, as Don Julian Zulueta and other stupid people, We are very sorry that the authorities have not been up to the level of their duties in punishing the criminal, who, when they were taking him be- fore the justice, said he would have done the same to Castelar, and that he would have nailed him to the heart with a dagger. The Doctor took vials of alcoholic mixtures on board the Virginius, Yours sincerely, P.O. OBSEQUIES OF MR. DENT AT ST, LOUIS Sr. Louts, Mo., Dec. 20, 1873. The remains of Frederick Dent, father-in-law of President Grant, arrived here early this morning, accompanied by the President, General Bancock, Marshal Sharpe, Colonel Casey, Frederick Dent and Colonel Frederick D. Grant. Quite a number of the old friends of the deceased and intimate ac- quaintances of the President received the remains at East St. Louis and accompanied them as @ guard of honor to the residence of Colonel John C, Dent, son of deceased, where a great number of old citizens, friends and former neighbors of the Dent family, had assembled. General John Pope, several other military officers, and a number of freedmen, formerly slaves of deceased, were also present, ‘The funeral ceremonies, performed at ten o’cloc! were very brief, Rey. John H. Brooks, of the Pres- byterian Church, South, read the services, and Rev. Dr. Morris, formerly Bishop of the Methodist Church, North, offered the cloaing prayer. The re- mains were then conveyed to Bellelontaine Ceme- tery, Where they will rest beside those of Mra. Dent. The funeral cortége was quite long, The pall bearers were selected from among our oldest citizens, friends of deceased. to_} per cant below the REDUCTION OF RAILROAD FARES, CINCINNATI, Dec. 20, 1873, The officers of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in this city are advised that after next Monday the passenger rates from Baltimore to Cincinnati and other Western cities will be reduced Jrom 20 to 3% resent rates,