THE STORY OF MARTI, THE SMUGGLER.
One of the most successful villains whose story will be written in
history, is a man named Marti, as well known in Cuba as the person of
the governor-general himself. Formerly he was notorious as a smuggler
and half pirate on the coast of the island, being a daring and
accomplished leader of reckless men. At one time he bore the title of
King of the Isle of Pines, where was his principal rendezvous, and from
whence he despatched his vessels, small, fleet crafts, to operate in the
neighboring waters.
His story, well known in Cuba and to the home government, bears
intimately upon our subject.
When Tacon landed on the island, and became governor-general, he found
the revenue laws in a sad condition, as well as the internal regulations
of the island; and, with a spirit of mingled justice and oppression, he
determined to do something in the way of reform.[27] The Spanish marine
sent out to regulate the maritime matters of the island, lay idly in
port, the officers passing their time on shore, or in giving balls and
dances on the decks of their vessels. Tacon saw that one of the first
moves for him to make was to suppress the smuggling upon the coast, at
all hazards; and to this end he set himself directly to work. The
maritime force at his command was at once detailed upon this service,
and they coasted night and day, but without the least success against
the smugglers. In vain were all the vigilance and activity of Tacon and
his agents--they accomplished nothing.
At last, finding that all his expeditions against them failed, partly
from the adroitness and bravery of the smugglers, and partly from the
want of pilots among the shoals and rocks that they frequented, a large
and tempting reward was offered to any one of them who would desert from
his comrades and act in this capacity in behalf of the government. At
the same time, a double sum, most princely in amount, was offered for
the person of one Marti, dead or alive, who was known to be the leader
of the lawless rovers who thus defied the government. These rewards were
freely promulgated, and posted so as to reach the ears and eyes of those
whom they concerned; but even these seemed to produce no effect, and the
government officers were at a loss how to proceed in the matter.
It was a dark, cloudy night in Havana, some three or four months
subsequent to the issuing of these placards announcing the rewards as
referred to, when two sentinels were pacing backwards and forwards
before the main entrance to the governor's palace, just opposite the
grand plaza. A little before midnight, a man, wrapped in a cloak, was
watching them from behind the statue of Ferdinand, near the fountain,
and, after observing that the two soldiers acting as sentinels paced
their brief walk so as to meet each other, and then turn their backs as
they separated, leaving a brief moment in the interval when the eyes of
both were turned away from the entrance they were placed to guard,
seemed to calculate upon passing them unobserved. It was an exceedingly
delicate manoeuvre, and required great care and dexterity to effect
it; but, at last, it was adroitly done, and the stranger sprang lightly
through the entrance, secreting himself behind one of the pillars in the
inner court of the palace. The sentinels paced on undisturbed.
The figure which had thus stealthily effected an entrance, now sought
the broad stairs that led to the governor's suit of apartments, with a
confidence that evinced a perfect knowledge of the place. A second
guard-post was to be passed at the head of the stairs; but, assuming an
air of authority, the stranger offered a cold military salute and
pressed forward, as though there was not the most distant question of
his right so to do; and thus avoiding all suspicion in the guard's mind,
he boldly entered the governor's reception room unchallenged, and closed
the door behind him. In a large easy chair sat the commander-in-chief,
busily engaged in writing, but alone. An expression of undisguised
satisfaction passed across the weather-beaten countenance of the new
comer at this state of affairs, as he coolly cast off his cloak and
tossed it over his arm, and then proceeded to wipe the perspiration from
his face. The governor, looking up with surprise, fixed his keen eyes
upon the intruder,--
"Who enters here, unannounced, at this hour?" he asked, sternly, while
he regarded the stranger earnestly.
"One who has information of value for the governor-general. You are
Tacon, I suppose?"
"I am. What would you with me? or, rather, how did you pass my guard
unchallenged?"
"Of that anon. Excellency, you have offered a handsome reward for
information concerning the rovers of the gulf?"
"Ha! yes. What of them?" said Tacon, with undisguised interest.
"Excellency, I must speak with caution," continued the new comer;
"otherwise I may condemn and sacrifice myself."
"You have naught to fear on that head. The offer of reward for evidence
against the scapegraces also vouchsafes a pardon to the informant. You
may speak on, without fear for yourself, even though you may be one of
the very confederation itself."
"You offer a reward, also, in addition, for the discovery of
Marti,--Captain Marti, of the smugglers,--do you not?"
"We do, and will gladly make good the promise of reward for any and all
information upon the subject," replied Tacon.
"First, Excellency, do you give me your knightly word that you will
grant a free pardon to _me_, if I reveal all that you require to know,
even embracing the most secret hiding-places of the rovers?"
"I pledge you my word of honor," said the commander.
"No matter how heinous in the sight of the law my offences may have
been, still you will pardon me, under the king's seal?"
"I will, if you reveal truly and to any good purpose," answered Tacon,
weighing in his mind the purpose of all this precaution.
"Even if I were a leader among the rovers, myself?"
The governor hesitated for a moment, canvassing in a single glance the
subject before him, and then said:
"Even then, be you whom you may; if you are able and will honestly pilot
our ships and reveal the secrets of Marti and his followers, you shall
be rewarded as our proffer sets forth, and yourself receive a free
pardon."
"Excellency, I think I know your character well enough to trust you,
else I should not have ventured here."
"Speak, then; my time is precious," was the impatient reply of Tacon.
"Then, Excellency, the man for whom you have offered the largest reward,
dead or alive, is now before you!"
"And you are--"
"Marti!"
The governor-general drew back in astonishment, and cast his eyes
towards a brace of pistols that lay within reach of his right hand; but
it was only for a single moment, when he again assumed entire
self-control, and said, "I shall keep my promise, sir, provided you are
faithful, though the laws call loudly for your punishment, and even now
you are in my power. To insure your faithfulness, you must remain at
present under guard." Saying which, he rang a silver bell by his side,
and issued a verbal order to the attendant who answered it. Immediately
after, the officer of the watch entered, and Marti was placed in
confinement, with orders to render him comfortable until he was sent
for. His name remained a secret with the commander; and thus the night
scene closed.
On the following day, one of the men-of-war that lay idly beneath the
guns of Moro Castle suddenly became the scene of the utmost activity,
and, before noon, had weighed her anchor, and was standing out into the
gulf stream. Marti, the smuggler, was on board, as her pilot; and
faithfully did he guide the ship, on the discharge of his treacherous
business, among the shoals and bays of the coast for nearly a month,
revealing every secret haunt of the rovers, exposing their most valuable
depots and well-selected rendezvous; and many a smuggling craft was
taken and destroyed. The amount of money and property thus secured was
very great; and Marti returned with the ship to claim his reward from
the governor-general, who, well satisfied with the manner in which the
rascal had fulfilled his agreement, and betrayed those comrades who were
too faithful to be tempted to treachery themselves, summoned Marti
before him.
"As you have faithfully performed your part of our agreement," said the
governor-general, "I am now prepared to comply with the articles on my
part. In this package you will find a free and unconditional pardon for
all your past offences against the laws. And here is an order on the
treasury for--"
"Excellency, excuse me. The pardon I gladly receive. As to the sum of
money you propose to give to me, let me make you a proposition. Retain
the money; and, in place of it, guarantee to me the right to fish in the
neighborhood of the city, and declare the trade in fish contraband to
all except my agents. This will richly repay me, and I will erect a
public market of stone at my own expense, which shall be an ornament to
the city, and which at the expiration of a specified number of years
shall revert to the government, with all right and title to the
fishery."
Tacon was pleased at the idea of a superb fish-market, which should
eventually revert to the government, and also at the idea of saving the
large sum of money covered by the promised reward. The singular
proposition of the smuggler was duly considered and acceded to, and
Marti was declared in legal form to possess for the future sole right to
fish in the neighborhood of the city, or to sell the article in any
form, and he at once assumed the rights that the order guaranteed to
him. Having in his roving life learned all the best fishing-grounds, he
furnished the city bountifully with the article, and reaped yearly an
immense profit, until, at the close of the period for which the monopoly
was granted, he was the richest man on the island. According to the
agreement, the fine market and its privilege reverted to the government
at the time specified, and the monopoly has ever since been rigorously
enforced.
Marti, now possessed of immense wealth, looked about him, to see in what
way he could most profitably invest it to insure a handsome and sure
return. The idea struck him if he could obtain the monopoly of
theatricals in Havana on some such conditions as he had done that of the
right to fish off its shores, he could still further increase his
ill-gotten wealth. He obtained the monopoly, on condition that he should
erect one of the largest and finest theatres in the world, which he did,
as herein described, locating the same just outside the city walls. With
the conditions of the monopoly, the writer is not conversant.
Many romantic stories are told of Marti; but the one we have here
related is the only one that is authenticated, and which has any bearing
upon the present work.
FOOTNOTES:
[27] Tacon governed Cuba four years, from 1834 to 1838.