, i , ' 1 , ':* < .'-, ' 8 V 1 S .? >x t : ' .' : - ; ., :-;;.:: j.-i< i k^ ! . DEADLY ENCOUNTER WITH THE SWORD AND THE MACHETE. The Machete, to which constant references are made, is the implement used in cutting sugarcane. The weapon, however, is longer and narrower than the ordinary machete, and is very deadly in the hands of tae insurgents. ,:-/'/. *-.- 5//f>'- 0*c ' ^ . v ' vt &'*'; UUBAN PATRIOTS FIGHTING FROM THE TREE TOPS. Concealing themselves in the tops of Palm trees, the insurgents make attacks as represented in the engraving. This mode of warfare is adopted for the purpose of concealment from the enemy, and with practised rifle- men is must destructive. THE WAR IN CUBA BEING A FULL ACCOUNT OF HER GREAT STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM CONTAINING A COMPLETE RECORD OF SPANISH TYRANNY AND OPPRESSION; SCENES OF VIOLENCE AND BLOODSHED; FREQUENT UPRISINGS OF A GALLANT AND LONG SUFFERING PEOPLE; REVOLUTIONS OF 1868, '95 '96. Daring Deeds of Cuban Heroes and Patriots THRILLING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT; AMERICAN AID FOR HE CAUSE OF CUBA; SECRET EXPEDITIONS; INSIDE FACTS OP THE WAR, ETC., ETC. TOGETHER WITH A FULL DESCRIPTION OF CUBA, ITS GREAT RESOURCES; PRODUCTS AND SCENERY OF THE "QUEEN OF THE ANTILLES;" MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE, ETC., ETC. BY Senor GONZALO de QUESADA Charge d' Affaires of the Republic of Cuba, at Washington, D. C AND HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP The well-known author Embellished with a large number of Beautiful Phototype and Wood Engravings CHICAGO, ILL: WABASH PUBLISHING HOUSE, 324 DEARBORN STREET. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1896, by W. R. VANSANT, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. All Rights Reserved. TO THE ARMY OF CUBAN PATRIOTS, WHO ARE SACRIFICING THEIR LIVES IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM, THIS VOLUME is DEDICATED WITH THE HOPE AND BELIEF THAT THEIR GREAT STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE WILL BE CROWNED WITH SUCCESS, APPEAL TO AMERICANS. By a Lieutenant fi;om the Cuban Army. \\ (L YM. -JiM -/K ILhhA/f rVTMftrfttft/A l\A,c)WC lit iv^ 4? if * ? / * j c vnVi/o.C/u -P "VVl ^ Oyy\,cl , y ik ouvul . I 7 If Vrw, fW tvi MV CxrVYvrlA ^ (1 v / AA/U JrVv,.eMG>o/ "Vo^Ui CVvUJ \ (T. . a O^rt tr 7 , 4t WvirCA. o J/ AV. PREFACE. THE eyes of the whole world are turned toward Cuba, eagerly watching her Great Struggle for Freedom. The American people recall the long and gory conflict that made this a free and independent nation. Their hearts beat high and their blood grows warm as they read of Cuba's gallant fight for Independence. The Cuban people have the same reason for their Great Revolu- tion that America had when she threw off the yoke of oppression. For long ages the beautiful " Queen of the Antilles " has suffered under the curse of Spanish tyranny and injustice. She has been robbed and impoverished. Just rights have been denied to her peo- ple. Repeatedly and gallantly she has fought to be free and has poured out her blood. The whole tragic story is contained in this very comprehensive volume. The reader follows the silver-starred flag of the Cuban Patriots which waves from one end of the Island to the other. He sees an army of heroes fighting as Spartans fought at Thermopylae, as sturdy Scots fought at Bannockburn, as the brave souls in our own Revolution fought at Bunker Hill and Yorktown. PART I. treats of the Great Insurrection. Spanish brutality and injustice are pictured as they really are, and the reader fully under- stands why Cuba demands Independence from the atrocious rule of the haughty Castilian. In a speech on the Cuban question, Congressman Robert R Hitt, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, used the following stirring words : " Americans, who are descendants of those who iii iv PREFACE. struggled through a contest against tyranny like that now being waged in Cuba, cannot be false to the memory of their fathers nor to the traditions and spirit of their history." In this volume the opening scenes in the beginning of the war are vividly depicted. Then comes General Campos from Spain, with his Army of 75,000 troops. All the stirring incidents of the conflict are pictured in glowing colors the successes of the Patriot Army, the downfall of General Campos, the arrival of General Weyler, secret expeditions, and pathetic stories of the war. PART II. contains the complete History of Cuba from its discovery by Columbus to the present time. Striking portraits are given of the early Spanish rulers, and all the great events are vividly depicted. The story of Marti, the conspiracy of Lopez, the slaughter of the crew of the " Virginius," are told in all their thrilling details. PART III. gives a picturesque description of Cuba, one of the love- liest gardens of the Tropics. This, like every other part of the work, has a peculiar charm to all readers. They behold the natural scenery of the far-famed Island ; they see the people in their native homes ; they learn all the manners, customs, peculiarities and charac- teristics of the Cubans, and find at the close of this most instructive volume that they have made a journey through every part of the " Queen of the Antilles." This work stirs anew the sympathy of the American people for the brave Cuban Patriots who have resolved to free their beautiful Island from the oppression under which it has long suffered and bled. The conflict has been waged before, but never with such grim resolu- tion and heroic bravery. The day of victory is not far distant. " Freedom's battle once begun, Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son, Though baffled oft, is always won." CONTENTS. PART I. The Great Insurrection in Cuba. CHAPTER I. PAGE THE LONG STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE 17 CHAPTER II. SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE 28 CHAPTER III. WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT 42 CHAPTER IV. BEGINNING OF THE WAR 57 CHAPTER V. INSURGENT CAMPAIGN IN WESTERN CUBA 66 CHAPTER VI. DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS 73 CHAPTER VII. GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA 85 CHAPTER VIII. HORRIBLE STORY OF BARBARITY 96 vii viii CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. FACH MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA 103 CHAPTER X. IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES 114 CHAPTER XI. FREEDOM FOR CUBA 127 CHAPTER XII. SPANISH INSULTS TO THE AMERICAN FLAG 136 CHAPTER XIII. HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE 142 CHAPTER XIV. STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT 15] CHAPTER XV. PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR 166 CHAPTER XVI. SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS 177 CHAPTER XVII. PEN-PICTURES OF THE WAR 187 CHAPTER XVIII. SIDE-LIGHTS UPON THE STRUGGLE 209 CHAPTER XIX. THE UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE .233 CONTENTS. PART II. History of Cuba and Spanish Misrule. CHAPTER XX. PAGB EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS 257 CHAPTER XXI. WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN 277 CHAPTER XXII. THE TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN 296 CHAPTER XXIII. A WILY OLD GENERAL 306 CHAPTER XXIV. RECORD OF .ATROCIOUS DEEDS 317 CHAPTER XXV. STORY OF MARTI, THE SMUGGLER 334 CHAPTER XXVI. THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ 340 CHAPTER XXVII. THE BITTER TEN YEARS' WAR 867 CHAPTER XXVIII. BUTCHERY OF THE CREW OF THE VIRGINIUS" 887 x CONTENTS. PART III. Picturesque Cuba: Manners and Customs of the People. CHAPTER XXIX. PAGB FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ISLAND 378 CHAPTER XXX. CURIOUS SIGHTS IN HAVANA , . 889 CHAPTER XXXI. FAMOUS LOCALITIES AND BUILDINGS 400 CHAPTER XXXII. CELEBRATED AVENUES AND GARDENS 413 CHAPTER XXXIII. SUGAR-MAKING IN CUBA 426 CHAPTER XXXIV. DESCRIPTION OF FAR-FAMED MATANZAS 439 CHAPTER XXXV. A QUAINT OLD TOWN 455 CHAPTER XXXVI. HERE AND THERE IN CUBA 466 CHAPTER XXXVII. LIFE IN THE COFFEE MOUNTAINS 479 CHAPTER XXXVIII. RURAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS , f . 497 DISTINGUISHED CUBAN PATRIOTS 513 APPENDIX OF LATEST EVENTS IN CUBA . 545 WAR-SONG OF THE CUBAN PATRIOTS. HIMNO BAYAMES. IV -* - t b! K? 2 - .4^ corn-bat - te co-rred ba - ya-me - - ses; Que la To the com - bat rush on - ward Cu - ban - - os, That our L .. rt * 4ta rd p-= 4"- 1 *" 1 5: z^- pa - tria os com - tem-pla or - gullo land may with pride look up - on , 1- L - ;=!: sos; No te you. Fear in =fc=: ~.~ zr^ -U a t u na mi^er - te glo - rio death naught that is glo - ri set Que mo - ous ; For to HIMNO BAVAMES. Concluded. K41 ? cnp ^= rir por la pa-triaet vivir. En ca-de-nas vi-vir es-mo- die for one's country's to live ; Life in chains is naught else but i -- *- i -P-* f f - +F Jjts*T *- 9= /L'b '\ * i _P i* _ B If n ' * JV 1 -* P- tf VI-' fl ' m K ra ^n o - pro bio y ra- ^ /ren -ta 6'M - de ah; In what shame and in-suit are we not j^A* 4 tf ^^ ^ W p i ^w U^S *- i -f i E --* -JS- i==E hum do, /)e^ eta - n'w es - cu-chad el so - bled, Now the bu - gle, Hear you not the i -P- : *- Jt- I : ^j 1 -$= %~~ g==l =FJ= \^7-b -P-- ~B~ II :^=^: EBE ~^ ^ . | y :t:^tr~^=: m - do, ^4 tas ar - mas va-f.ien - tcs co-rred. call, Then to arms val-iently and to field. ! J -:-- *- f -^ r J izirm^zi L. '^-4 PARTL The Great Insurrection in Cuba CHAPTER I. The Long Struggle for Independence. THE most glowing pages of history are thore that record the proud achievements of patriots and heroes to gain national liberty and independence. Sparta had her Thermopylae. Scotland had her Bannockburn and immortal Bruce. America had her Revolution, her Bunker Hill and Yorktown. Cuba has her patriot army, resolved that her fertile plains shall no longer be tram- pled under the heel of Spanish tyranny, and the warm sea that laves her rocky shores shall sing the anthem of the free. "Queen of the Antilles !" Beautiful Cuba! For ages she has writhed under the oppression of the haughty Castilian. Spain, now in hopeless decline, once the mightiest nation of the globe, has had many of the richest of her colonial possessions, one after another, wrenched from her cruel grasp, and with desperate resolve sends the flower of her army to beat back the insurgent hosts and strengthen her hold upon this fairest gem of the West Indies. The American people are alive to the situation. They recall the gory conflict that made themselves a free and independent nation. Their hearts beat high and their blood grows warm as they read the thrilling story of struggling Cuba and the brave deeds of her patriotic souls. To give here a complete history and description of Cuba's grand uprising, is all the advocacy that her sacred cause requires. It will be of interest to the reader to have, in the first place, a com- 2 17 18 STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. prehensive sketch of the Spanish oppressions under which the people of Cuba have struggled for ages, together with their heroic efforts to obtain their freedom and independence. The history will be given later in detail, but from this general outline, a correct idea can be ob- tained of the causes which have led to the latest and greatest revolu- tion. Since the beginning of the present century Cuba has been the scene of revolutions or uprisings of one kind or another. The direct aim of most, if not all, of these has been to free the island from Span- ish control. The armed natives of the cities, joined by bands of stragglers and aided by filibusters, have struggled without organiza- tion against drilled, uniformed and comparatively well-equipped reg- ular troops representing Spain. Glowing Record of Brave Deeds. For a long time insurrection was the term applied to these upris- ings. At first, and indeed, until recently, it may be doubted if these uprisings had the genuine sympathy of the Cubans as a body, and consequently, they were foredoomed to be failures. But the history of these struggles is replete with brave deeds and exhibitions of personal courage and strategy that would do credit to a body of men familiar with the science of warfare and accustomed to facing danger on the battlefield. The Spanish colonies, Cuba excepted, gained their independence in 1820-21. Bolivar was their successful leader, and when he had fired the other provinces of Spain he turned his attention particularly to Cuba. But for a time his project failed ; some Cuban revolution- ists allege that it was the refusal of the United States to countenance such efforts which prevented their success. Be that as it may, the efforts of the islanders to throw off the Spanish yoke came to nothing material. But Bolivar and his fellow-conspirators were determined, and sought by every means in their power to stir up rebellion in the Island. Commissioners were sent to Cuba to create sentiment favor- able to revolution. They were soon seized by the Spanish authori- ties and executed. Bolivar's plan came to a dismal end. STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 1 Revolution was in the blood of many of the Cubans, however, and not many years later it had manifestation. From 1848 to 1854 small and ill-planned uprisings took place. Certain elements in the South- ern States assisted in encouraging these insurrections. There was for some time in Southern circles a project looking to the annexation of Cuba to the United States, and its division into four States, each of which, of course, would have been entitled to representation in Congress, giving the South, perhaps, eight Senators and sixteen Representatives, and so throwing the balance of power here into the hands of the slavery advocates. Captured and Put to Death. The most important of these movements was that headed by Nar- ciso Lopez, who had served in the Spanish army as a general of divi- sion, but who, on going to Cuba, espoused the cause of the revolu- tionists. He, with Crittenden, the Kentuckian, with a force of 400 Americans and 200 Cubans, set out from New Orleans, landed at Cardenas, on the north coast of Cuba, and captured it by assault. The victory was a hollow one, for the time had been ill-advised and the country did not rise. Finding themselves without support, and seeing that without aid from the Cubans, they must be captured or driven into the sea, the invaders returned to Key West. The Cubans on that occasion regarded the movement as one solely in the interests of slavery, and believed its projectors to be inspired by mercenary motives. But Lopez was not to be cast down by one failure. He made a second attempt, and landed at Bahia Honda. There he encountered a force of Spanish troops, under General Henna, and put them to rout. The Spanish commander was killed, and for the time the star of Lopez was in the ascendant. Still the country did not rise. Lopez, in the western end of the Island, where Spanish troops were strongest and the revolutionary spirit weakest, soon found himself surrounded and overpowered. Crittenden, who was to have joined him, remained on the coast, and finally attempted to escape by taking to the open sea in boats. He was captured, with fifty of his men, 20 STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. and all were put to death in Havana. The execution was marked by atrocities, the news of which rang through the civilized world. The forces of Lopez, overpowered by Spanish troops, were dis- persed with ease. The com- mander himself was garro- ted. The Island was quiet for a time then, but not for long. Other attempts to arouse the country up to 1854 were those of Pinto, a Spaniard of revolutionist tendencies ; Es- trampes and Aguero, the last-named of whom freed all his slaves before he raised the rebel standard. He was the first outspoken abolitionist in Cuba. He and the other leaders were captured after a brief struggle and executed. There were some unim- portant risings after that, but none of note until after the American civil war. This conflict abolished slavery. Then the Southern States had no further object in meddling with Cuba. The filibustering movements died out. It remained for Cuba to attempt to work its own salvation. In 1868 came the hour which thousands of patriots hailed as the dawn of deliverance, for on October 10 of that year Cespedes raised the five-barred flag at Yara. He was a lawyer and logical above all things, so to begin with he freed his two hundred slaves, and they followed him to battle to a man. The entire eastern end of the Island rose against the Spaniards at the call of Cespedes, but the men were without arms or discipline. Their spirit was unquestioned, but they were of little utility against well-armed and disciplined forces. Their leaders were Maximo Gomez, who is now commander-in- chief of the revolutionary forces ; Marmol and Figueredo. GENERAL MAXIMO GOMEZ, Commander-in-Chief, Cuban Army. STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 21 The centre of the Island, called Camaguey, flocked to the standard of the Marques de Sta Lucia and the Agramontes in November, and as enthusiasm and confidence came with numbers the beginning of 1868 saw Las Villas in rebellion with 14,000 men, among whom there were not more than 100 armed with effective firearms. To oppose these unarmed and undisciplined enthusiasts there were 15,000 regu- lars. The western end of the Island proved cold, but even there small uprisings were fomented. They were put down without difficulty. Aid from without was not wanting. In December, 1868, General Quesada land- ed with the first expedition from Nassau, bringing the first consignment of arms and munitions of war. The revolution- ist cause prospered, and on April 10, 1869, a new government was constituted atJ a House of Assembly established. Cespedes was President of the provi- sional government, and Quesada com- mander-in-chief of the forces. T-u v u U J 1-1.4.1 u CUBAN COAT OF ARMS. The government, which had little be- yond its name, issued a proclamation giving freedom to all the ne- groes in the island a matter which gave great offence to the Span- iards, even those of liberal tendencies. Ten years of desultory warfare followed. The revolutionists held the centre of the Island and the mountains, but were unable to obtain atiy standing in the seaports, as their flag was not recognized there by the great powers, although it was duly saluted from time to time by the South American Republics. The United States did not recognize the revolutionists, despite the efforts of General Rawlings and Senator Sherman to that end. Every effort was made to send arms to the insurgents. There were continual attempts at blockade-running. Some of these expe- ditions evaded capture, but others were taken by Spanish troops and the leaders were promptly executed. The most notable was that ol 22 STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. the " Virginius," under Captain Fry. The " Virginius " put out from Kingston, Jamaica. The capture of the "Virginius" and the summary execution of American citizens by the Spanish authorities so excited this nation at the time that war with Spain seemed certain. This was one of the most notable incidents in Cuban history, at least in point of American interest. Had the popular voice been heeded at that time a peaceful solu- tion of the difficulty would have been impossible. Feeling ran so high throughout the country that public meetings were held all over the country denouncing the execution as a butchery, and warlike preparations were begun in many cities. In some cases ships were prepared to go to sea in anticipation of an immediate declaration of war. Tragic End of the Expedition. The voyage of the "Virginius" was begun in November of 1873. The steamer was pursued by the Spanish warship "Tornado/' and cap- tured within sight of the Morant Point Lighthouse, at the east end of Jamaica. She was to\\ *d at once into Santiago de Cuba, despite the fact that she was flying the Stars and Stripes and was in British waters. Fifty-three of her men were shot in a public square in San- tiago, in some instances after they had been given a trial lasting only ten minutes. Among them was Captain Joseph Fry, who commanded the ship ; Bernade Varona, W. A. C. Ryan, Jesus del Sol and Pedro Cespedes. There was no United States cruiser within reach of Santiago, but the British man-of-war " Niobe" arrived in time to prevent further slaugh- ter of American and English subjects. Her commander, Sir Lam- bon Lorraine, acted with quickness and determination. " Shoot another Englishman or American," he said, " and the Niobe will bombard the city." Then the slaughter ceased. Both the United States and England protested through their representatives, and sent men-of-war to pro- tect the other prisoners. The survivors were delivered up to the rescuing ships and brought to New York, and the " Virginius," with a hole in her bottom, sank off Frying Pan Shoals. STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 23 The return of the survivors and an accurate knowledge of the details of the shooting only served to fan into fierce blaze the fire of popular indignation. The general voice was for war with Spain, and General Sickles, then American Minister in Madrid, had already asked to be recalled, and was preparing to leave the capital. Finally, however, the matter was adjusted diplomatically. The Span- ish Government paid an indemnity for the American subjects shot with General Ryan and Thomas Ryan, and the war cloud blew over. But in Cuba the revolutionsts continued their fight for supremacy. For five years until 1878 they strove against terrible odds in the centre of the Island and in the mountains. At last they saw that the lack of arms and supplies and of money to purchase either had made the struggle a hopeless one, and they decided to make peace. Promises of Reform by Spain. A treaty was signed, by which Spain granted the native Cubans certain liberties, promised to reform their administration in some measure, and recognized the freedom of all the slaves who had fought in the Cuban army. It had been a long and desperate fight. Quesada had been succeeded as General-in-chief by General Thomas Jordan, formerly General Beauregard's chief of staff and a West Pointer He lent much strength to the cause, but abandoned it as hopeless after a year's campaigning in the face of overwhelming odds, and with a few arms and scant supplies. After him came Agramonte, but he died in a year, and then, when the rebel cause seemed to be prospering, General Gomez took command. He invaded the western part of the Island and almost reached Matanzas, but he, too, saw that he could not gain ground with unarmed men and withdrew his forces. That was in 1876, and from that time the revolution waned until the treaty of El Zanjon in February, 1878. Still there was not entire quiet. In the east end of Cuba General Maceo refused to recognize the treaty, and continued to fight for eleven months, only to fail in the end and be driven from Cuban soil. The treaty concessions were by no means liberal enough to maintain order for any length of time. In 1880 General Garcia tried again. STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 25 He was captured in 1875, but before surrendering shot himself under the chin, the bullet passing out at the forehead. He was sent to a fortress in Spain, and when he recovered made his escape to the United States. Here he and Jose Marti planned another expedition to Cu- ba. They landed and held their ground for six months, only to find that the country was not ripe for revolt. The Cubans, weary of continual turmoil and bloodshed, longed for quiet. At last Garcia was captured and sent once more to Spain. From this time dates the autonomist party, started by a group of men who maintained that experience would not justify - further attempts to gain freedom for Cuba by force of arms, and that the Island's hope lay in peace- ful measures alohe. The party gained a footing very rapidly ; in- deed, its existence and doctrine had much to do with the failure of General Garcia and the Cuban party of freedom. Despite the efforts of the peace party, however, there were revolu- tionist leaders who were ready to try again. In 1884 Generals Gomez and Maceo visited the United States and Central America with a view of preparing for another invasion. The movement was opposed bitterly by the home-rule party in Cuba, and was abandoned. Small and ill-advised attempts at revolution followed from time to time after that, notably those headed by Limbano Sanchez, Benitez and Aguero. The home-rulers, in the meantime, were attempting to get what con- cessions they could from Spain by peaceful means. In 1890 they be- came restless again. The peace policy did not prosper. Cuba was growing uneasy again. The concessions, small and unsatisfactory at all JOSE MARTI, Late President of the Revolutionary Party. 26 STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. times, began to be regarded as sops which Spain distributed to main- rain peace. They gave no promise of more liberal treatment in future. Men began to say that the native Cubans were cheated at the polls, and in time their representatives went to the Cortes no more. For fourteen years the home-rulers, led by such men as Govin Montoro, Figueroa, Fernandez de Castro and Giberga, had made most vigorous fights at the polls, and, notwithstanding conservative frauds, had sent their best orators to the Spanish Parliament. It was to no purpose. The home-rulers spoke to empty benches in Spain, and no party there recognized them. They succeeded, nevertheless, in forcing the conservatives in Cuba to modify their policy and aided manfully to complete the emancipation of the negro, following the Cuban Constitution, which declared that " all men are free." With the economic party they forced the government to celebrate the Spanish-American treaty, without which the fate of the Island was sealed. Divided on Important Questions. The conservatives divided into two groups, one leaning toward union with the Cubans on economic questions and hoping secretly for the annexation of Cuba by the United States. They were demoral- ized by the refusal of the liberals to go to the polls, the autonomists having declared that unless the obnoxious suffrage laws which gave the Spaniards a sure majority at the polls and disfranchised the Cuban rural population were abolished, they would never go to the legisla- tive assembly again. The Spanish liberals really formed the economist party, to obtain commercial concessions and secure a treaty with the United States, and by joining hands with the Cubans they forced Spain's hand in the matter. But this, like the other efforts to restore quiet and content, proved a failure. The Cubans complained that in return for the treaty and its benefits to the Island Spain imposed new taxes, which more than counterbalanced all the good that had been done. Representa- tives were sent to the Spanish Parliament again, the home-rule con- tingent demanding, as of old, electoral reform sufficient to guarantee just representation. STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE. 2? It was then that the Cuban revolutionary party began to gain prominence the party which has drawn the sword in the latest revo- lution and asserted boldly that peaceful measures, looking to freedom and equality, had failed, and that Cuba must take up arms again and drive the Spanish soldiers into the sea. Such talk was dangerous on Cuban soil. Leaders of the party who were not already in exile left Cuba and began to plan from the outside, to raise money, to stir up the native population by secret agents in a word to prepare the Island for one grand united effort to be free. While this sentiment was being nursed at home and outside of Cuba the peace party was still at work on its own lines. In 1894 the reform wing of the Spaniards joined the Cubans in their fight against the Spanish conservatives. They secured some reforms, but these, the Cubans say, are a mere farce, as the proposition is the establishment of a council in Cuba in which the Spanish element will predominate. This council was to consist of thirty members, of which fifteen were to be appointed by the crown, and the remainder elected. The method of electing, the Cubans contend, would insure a majority for the Spaniards, and in any event the council might be dissolved at pleasure by the Captain-General, whoever he might be. The Cubans want universal suffrage, and have been unable to secure it, as the Spaniards have insisted upon certain property qualifications. CHAPTER II. Spanish Tyranny and Injustice. BY agreement that is practically unanimous outside of Spain, the people of Cuba have just cause for complaint. They have been the victims of extortion. They have been systematically robbed and hence impoverished. Time after time they have sought redress, and the answer has been a Spanish army, landed on their shores. They have asked for representation in the Spanish Cortes, and this has been granted so grudgingly that it has amounted to very little. They have plead long and earnestly for the correction of abuses, only to find that the chains which bound them were riveted tighter. Under such outrages it is no wonder that the people of Cuba have risen repeatedly to throw off the yoke of the tyrant, and in their gallant struggles have had the sympathy of nearly the whole civilized world. War is a dire necessity. But when a people has exhausted all human means of persuasion to obtain from an unjust oppressor a remedy for its ills, if it appeals as a last resource to force in order to repel the persistent aggression which constitutes tyranny, this people is justified before its own conscience and before the tribunal of nations. Such is the case of Cuba in its wars against Spain. No nation has ever been harsher or more obstinately harassing; none has ever despoiled a colony with more greediness and less foresight than Spain. No colony has ever been more prudent, more long-suffering, more cautious, more persevering than Cuba in its purpose of asking for its rights by appealing to the lessons of experience and political wisdom. Only driven by desperation have the people of Cuba taken up arms, and having done so, they display as much heroism in the hour of danger as they had shown good judgment in the hour of deliberation. 28 SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. 29 The history of Cuba during the present century is a long series of rebellions; but every one of these was preceded by a peaceful struggle for its rights a fruitless struggle because of the obstinate blindness of Spain. Cubans were deprived of the little show of political intervention they had in public affairs. By a simple Royal Decree in 1837 the small representation of Cuba in the Spanish Cortes was suppressed, and all the powers of the government were concentrated in the hands of the Captain General, on whom authority was conferred to act as the governor of a city in a state of siege. This implied that the Captain General, residing in Havana, was master of the life and property of every inhabitant of the Island of Cuba. This meant that Spain declared a permanent state of war against a peaceful and defenceless people. Wandering Exiles. Cuba saw its most illustrious sons, such as Heredia and Saco, wander in exile throughout the- free American Continent. Cuba saw as many of the Cubans as dared to love liberty and declare it by act or word, die on the scaffold, such as Joaquin de Aguero and Placido. Cuba saw the product of its people's labor confiscated by iniquitous laws imposed by its masters from afar. Cuba saw the administration of justice in the hands of foreign magistrates, who acted at the will or the whim of its rulers. Cuba suffered all the outrages that can humiliate a conquered people, in the name and by the work of a government that sarcastic- ally calls itself paternal. Is it to be wondered then that an uninter- rupted era of conspiracies and uprisings should have been inaugu- rated ? Cuba in its despair took up arms in 1850 and 185 1, conspired again in 1855, waged war in 1868, in 1879, in 1885, and has been fighting since the 24th of February, 1895. But at the same time Cuba has never ceased to ask for justice and redress. Its people, before shouldering the rifle, pleaded for their rights. Before the pronunciamento of Aguero and the invasions of Lopez, Saco, in exile, exposed the dangers of Cuba to the Spanish statesmen, and pointed to the remedy. Other far-sighted men 30 SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. 3J seconded him in the Colony. They denounced the cancer of slavery, the horrors of the traffic in slaves, the corruption of the office-holders, the abuses of the government, the discontent of the people with their forced state of political tutelage. No attention was given to them, and this brought on the first armed conflicts. Before the formidable insurrection of 1868, which lasted ten years, the reform party, which included the most enlightened, wealthy and influential Cubans, exhausted all the resources within their reach to induce Spain to initiate a healthy change in the Cuban policy. The party started the publication of periodicals in Madrid and in the Island, addressed petitions, maintained a great agitation throughout the country, and having succeeded in leading the Spanish Govern- ment to make an inquiry into the economical, political and social condition of Cuba, they presented a complete plan of government which satisfied public requirements as well as the aspirations of the people. The Spanish Government disdainfully cast aside the propo- sition as useless, increased taxation, and proceeded to its exaction with extreme severity. Outbreak of the Long War. It was then that the ten-year war broke out. Cuba, almost a pigmy compared with Spain, fought like a giant. Blood ran in tor- rents. Public wealth disappeared in a bottomless abyss. Spain lost 200,000 men. Whole districts of Cuba were left almost entirely without their male population. Seven hundred millions were spent to feed that conflagration a conflagration that tested Cuban heroism, but which could not touch the hardened heart of Spain. The latter could not subdue the bleeding Colony, which had no longer strength to prolong the struggle with any prospect of success. Spain pro- posed a compact, which was a snare and a deceit. She granted to Cuba the liberties of Puerto Rico, which enjoyed none. On this deceitful ground was laid the new situation, throughout which has run a current of falsehood and hypocrisy. Spain, whose mind had not changed, hastened to change the name of things. The Captain General was called Governor General. The royal decrees 32 SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. took the name of authorizations. The commercial monopoly of Spain was named coasting trade. The right of banishment was transformed into the law of vagrancy. The abolition of constitu- tional guarantees became the law of public order. Taxation without the consent or knowledge of the Cuban people was changed into the law of estimates (budget) voted by the representatives of Spain, that is, of European Spain. The painful lesson of the ten-year war had been entirely lost on Spain. Instead of inaugurating a redeeming policy that would heal the recent wounds, allay public anxiety, and quench the thirst for justice felt by the people, who were desirous to enjoy their natural rights, the Spanish Government, while lavish in promises of reform, persisted in carrying on unchanged its old and crafty system, the groundwork of which continues to be the same, namely : To exclude every native Cuban from every office that could give him any effective influence and intervention in public affairs ; the ungovernable exploitation of the colonists' labor for the benefit of Spanish commerce and Spanish bureaucracy, both civil and military. To carry out the latter pur- pose it was necessary to maintain the former at any cost. Systematic Robbery of Cuba. What use the Spanish Government has made of its power is apparent in the threefold spoliation to which it has submitted the Island of Cuba. Spain has not, in fact, a colonial policy. In the distant lands she has subdued by force, Spain has sought nothing but immediate riches, and these it has wrung by might from the compul- sory labor of the natives. For this reason Spain to-day in Cuba is only a parasite. Spain robs the Island of Cuba through its fiscal regime, through its commercial regime and through its bureaucratic regime. These are the three forms of official spoliation ; but they are not the only forms of spoliation. When the war of 1878 came to an end, two-thirds of the Island were completely ruined. The other third, the population of which had remained peaceful, was abundantly productive ; but it had to face the great economical change involved in the impending abolition SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. 33 of slavery. Slavery had received its death-blow at the hands of the insurrection, and Cuban insurrectionists succeeded at the close of the war in securing its eventual abolition. Evidently it would have been a wholesome and provident policy to lighten the fiscal burdens of a country in such a condition. Spain was only bent on making Cuba pay the cost of the war. The Government overwhelmed the Colony with enormous budgets, reach- ing as high a figure as forty-six million dollars, and this only to cover the obligations of the State ; or, rather, to fill up the unfathom- able gulf left by the wastefulness and plunder of the civil and military administration during the years of war, and to meet the expenses of the military occupation of the country. Oppressive Taxation. The economical organization of Cuba is of the simplest kind. It produces to export, and imports almost everything it consumes. In view of this, it is evident that all Cuba required from the State was that it should not hamper its work with excessive burdens, nor hinder its commercial relations ; so that it could buy cheap v/here it suited her, and sell her products with profit. Spain has done all the contrary. She has treated the tobacco as an enemy ; she has loaded the sugar with excessive imposts ; she has shackled with excessive and abusive excise duties the cattle- raising industry ; and with her legislative doings and undoings she has thrown obstacles in the way of the mining industry. And, to cap the climax, she has tightly bound Cuba in the network of a monstrous tariff and a commereial legislation which subjects the Colony, at the end of the nineteenth century, to the ruinous monopoly of the producers and merchants of certain regions of Spain, as in the halcyon days of the colonial compact. If Spain were a flourishing industrial country, and produced the principal articles required by Cuba for the consumption of its people, or for developing and fostering its industries, the evil, although always great, would be a lesser one. But everybody knows the backwardness of the Spanish industries, and the inability gf Spain to SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. 35 supply Cuba with the products she requires for her consumption and industries. The Cubans have to consume or use Spanish articles of inferior quality, or pay exorbitant prices for foreign goods. The "panish merchants have found, moreover, a new source of fraud in the application of these antiquated and iniquitous laws ; it consists in nationalizing foreign products for importation into Cuba. As the mainspring of this senseless commercial policy is to sup- port the monopoly of Spanish commerce, when Spain has been com- pelled to deviate from it, to a certain extent, by an international treaty, it has done so reluctantly, and in the anxious expectation of an opportunity to nullify its own promises. This explains the acci- dental history of the Reciprocity Treaty with the United States, which was received with joy by Cuba, obstructed by the Spanish administration, and prematurely abolished by the Spanish Govern- ment as soon as it saw an opportunity. Seeds of Discontent and Dissension. The injury done to Cuba, and the evil effects produced by this commercial legislation, are beyond calculation ; its effects have been material losses which have engendered profound discontent. The " Circulo de Hacendados y Agricultores," the wealthiest corporation of the Island, in 1894, passed judgment on these commercial laws in the following severe terms : " It would be impossible to explain, should the attempt be made, what is the signification of the present commercial laws, as regards any economical or political plan or system ; because, economically, they aim at the destruction of public wealth, and, politically, they are the cause of inextinguishable discontent, and contain the germs of grave dissensions" But Spain has not taken heed of this ; her only care has been to keep the producers and merchants of such rebellious provinces as Catalonia contented, and to satisfy its military men and bureaucrats. For the latter is reserved the best part of the booty taken from Cuba. High salaries and the power of extortion for the office- holders sent to the Colony ; regular tributes for the politicians who 36 SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. uphold them in the Metropolis. The Governor General is paid a salary of $50,000, in addition to a palace, a country house as a sum- mer resort, servants, coaches and a fund for secret expenses at his disposal. The Director General of the Treasury receives a salary of $18,500. The Archbishop of Santiago and the Bishop of Havana, $18,000 each. The Commander General of the " Apostadero " (naval station), $16,392. Fat Salaries of Spanish Officials. The General Segundo Cabo (second in command of the Island), and the President of the " Audiencia," $15,000 each; the Governor of Havana and the Secretary of the General Government, $8,000 each; the Postmaster General, $5,000; the Collector of the Havana Custom House, $4,000 ; the Manager of Lotteries, the same salary. The Chief Clerks of Administration of the first class receive $5,000 each, those of the second class $4,000, and those of the third class $3,000 each- The major generals are paid $7,500, the brigadier generals $4,500, and, when in command, $5,000; the colonels $3,450, and this salary is increased when they are in command of a regiment. The captains of " navio " (the largest men-of-war) receive $6,300 ; the captains of frigates, $4,560; the lieutenants of "navio" of the first class, $3,370. All these functionaries are entitled to free lodgings and domestic servants. Then follows the numberless crowd of minor officials, all well provided for, and with great facilities better to pro- vide for themselves. In August of 1887, General Marin entered the custom-house of Havana at the head of a military force, besieged and occupied it, investigated the operations carried on there, and discharged every employee. The act caused a great stir, but not a single one of the officials was indicted, or suffered a further punishment. There were, in 1891, three hundred and fifty officials indicted in Cuba for commit- ting fraud ; not one of them was punished. But how could they be punished ? Every official who comes to Cuba has an influential patron in the Court of Madrid, for whose pro- tection he pays with regularity. " This is a public secret, General 2-3 be n t SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. 37 Salamanca gave it out in plain words, and before and after General Salamanca all Spain knew and knows it. The political leaders are well known who draw the highest income from the office-holders of Cuba, who are, as a matter of course, the most fervent advocates of the necessity of Spanish rule in Cuba. But Spanish bureaucracy is, moreover, so deep-rooted in Spain that it has succeeded in shielding itself even against the action of the courts of justice. There is a royal decree (that of 1882) in force in Cuba, which provides that the ordinary courts cannot take cognizance of such offences as defalcation, abstraction or malversation of public funds, forgery, etc., committed by officials of the administration, if their guilt is not first established by an administrative investigation. The administration is, therefore, its own judge. What further security does the corrupt office-holder need ? Why Cuba is Ruined. The cause of the ruin of Cuba, despite her sugar output of one million tons and her vast tobacco fields, can be easily explained. Cuba does not capitalize, and it does not capitalize because the fiscal regime imposed upon the country does not permit it. The money derived from its large exportations does not return either in the form of importations of goods or of cash. , It remains abroad to pay the interest of its huge debt, to cover the incessant remittances of funds by the Spaniards who hasten to send their earnings out of the coun- try, to pay from Cuban money the pensioners who live in Spain, and to meet the drafts forwarded by every mail from Cuba by the Span- iards as a tribute to their political patrons in the Metropolis, and to help their families. In exchange for all that Spaniards withhold from Cuba, they say that they have given her her liberties. This is a mockery. The lib- erties are written in the Constitution, but obliterated in its practical application. Before and after its promulgation the public press has been rigorously persecuted in Cuba. Many journalists, such as Senores Cepeda and Lopes Brinas, have been banished from the country without the formality of a trial. In November of 1891 38 SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. Don Manuel A. Balmaceda was tried by court martial for having published an editorial paragraph relative to the shooting of medical students. The newspapers have been allowed to discuss public affairs theo- retically ; but the moment they denounce any abuse or the conduct of any official they feel the hand of their rulers laid upon them. The official organ of the home-rule party, " El Pais," has undergone more than one trial for having pointed in measured terms to some infractions of the law en the part of officials, naming the transgress- ors. In 1887 that periodical was subjected to criminal proceedings simply because it had stated that a son of the president of the Havana " Audiencia " was holding a certain office contrary to law. Right of Public Meeting Denied. They say that in Cuba the people are at liberty to hold public meetings, but every time the inhabitants assemble, previous notifica- tion must be given to the authorities, and a functionary is appointed to be present, with power to suspend the meeting whenever he deems such a measure advisable. The meetings of the " Circulo de Trabajadores " (an association of workingmen) were forbidden by the authorities under the pretext that the building where they were to be held was not sufficiently safe. In 1895 the members of the " Cir- culo de Hacendados" (association of planters) invited their fellow- members throughout the country to get up a great demonstration to demand a remedy which the critical state of their affairs required. The government found means to prevent their meeting. One of the most significant events that have occurred in Cuba, and one which throws a flood of light upon its political regime, was the failure of the "Junta Magna" (an extraordinary meeting) projected by the " Circulo de Hacendados." This corporation solicited the co-operation of the tl Sociedad Economica " and of the " Junta Gen- eral de Comercio " to hold a meeting for the purpose of sending to Madrid the complaints which the precarious situation of the country inspired. The work of preparation. was already far advanced, when a friend of the government, Senor Rodriguez Correa, stated that the SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. 39 Governor-General looked with displeasure upon and forbade the hold- ing of the great meeting. This was sufficient to frighten the " Cir- culo " and to secure the failure of the project. It is then evident that the inhabitants of Cuba can have meetings only when the govern- ment thinks it advisable to permit them. Against this political regime, which is a sarcasm, and in which deception is added to the most absolute contempt for right, the Cubans have unceasingly protested since it was implanted in 1878. It would be difficult to enumerate the representations made in Spain, the protests voiced by the representatives of Cuba, the commissions that have crossed the ocean to try to impress upon the exploiters of Cuba what the fatal consequences of their obstinacy would be. A Bold Manifesto. The exasperation prevailing in the country was such that the " Junta Central " of the home-rule party issued in 1892 a manifesto in which it foreshadowed that the moment might shortly arrive when the country would resort to " extreme measures, the responsibility of which would fall on those who, led by arrogance and priding them- selves on their power, hold prudence in contempt, worship force and shield themselves with their impunity." This manifesto, which foreboded the mournful hours of the present war, was unheeded by Spain, and not until a division took place in the Spanish party, which threatened to turn into an armed struggle, did the statesmen of Spain think that the moment had arrived to try a new farce, and to make a false show of reform in the administrative regime of Cuba. Then was Minister Maura's plan broached, to be modified before its birth by Minister Abarzusa. This project, to which the Spaniards have endeavored to give cap- ital importance in order to condemn the revolution as the work of impatience and anarchism, leaves intact the political regime of Cuba. It does not alter the electoral law. It does not curtail the power of the bureaucracy. It increases the power of the general government. It leaves the same burdens upon the Cuban tax-payer, and does not give him the right to participate in the formation of the budgets. 40 SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. The reform is confined to the changing of the Council of Admmus tration (now in existence in the Island, and the members of which are appointed by the government) into a partially elective body. One-half of its members are to be appointed by the government, and the other half to be elected by the qualified electors, that is, who are assessed and pay a certain amount of taxes. The Governor Gen- eral has the right to veto all its resolutions, and to suspend at will the elective members. This Council is to make up a kind of special budget embracing the items included now in the general budget of Cuba under the head of " Fomento." The State reserves for itself all the rest. Treated as a Subjugated People. Thus the Council can dispose of 2.75 per cent, of the revenues of Cuba, while the government distributes, as at present, 97.25 per cent, for its expenses, in the form we have explained. The general budget will as heretofore be made up in Spain; the tariff laws will be enacted by Spain. The debt, militarism and bureaucracy will continue to devour Cuba, and the Cubans will continue to be treated as a subju- gated people. All power is to continue in the hands of the Spanish government and its delegates in Cuba, and all the influence with the Spanish residents. This is the self-government which Spain has promised to Cuba, and which it is announcing to the world, in exchange for its colonial system. A far better form of government is enjoyed by the Bahama or the Turks Islands. The Cubans would have been wanting not only in self-respect, but even in the instincts of self-preservation, if they could have endured such a degrading and destructive regime. Their grievances are of such a nature that no people, no human community capable of valu- ing its honor and of aspiring to better its condition, could bear them without degrading and condemning itself to utter nullity and annihi- lation. Sptin denies to the Cubans all effective powers in their own country. Spain condemns the Cubans to a political inferiority in the land where they are born. SPANISH TYRANNY AND INJUSTICE. 41 Spain confiscates the product of the Cubans' labor, without giving them in return either safety, prosperity or education. Spain has shown itself utterly incapable of governing Cuba. Spain impoverishes and demoralizes Cuba. To maintain by force of arms this monstrous regime, which brings ruin on a country rich by nature and degrades a vigorous and intelli- gent population, a population filled with noble aspirations, is what Spain calls to defend its honor and to preserve the prestige of its social functions as a civilizing power of America. Rebellion against Oppression. The Cubans, not in anger, but in despair, have appealed to arms in order to defend their rights and to vindicate an eternal principle, a principle without which every community, however robust in appear- ance, is in danger the principle of justice. Nobody has the right of oppression. Spain oppresses Cuba. In rebelling against oppres- sion, Cuba defends a right. In serving her own cause she serves thb cause of mankind. She has not counted the number of her enemies; she has not measured their strength. She has cast up the account of her griev- ances. She has weighed the mass of injustice that crushes her, and with uplifted heart she has risen to seek redress and to uphold her rights. She may find ruin and death a few steps ahead. So be it. If the world is so indifferent to her cause, so much the worse for all. A new iniquity shall have been consummated. The principle of human solidarity shall have suffered a defeat. The sum of good existing in the world, and which the world needs to purify its moral atmosphere, shall have been lessened. The people of Cuba require only liberty and independence 1o become a factor of prosperity and progress in the community of civil- ized nations. At present Cuba is a factor of intranquillity, disturb- ance and ruin. The fault lies entirely with Spain. Cuba is not the offender; it is the defender of its rights. Let America, let the world decide where rest justice and right. CHAPTER III. Why Cuba Demands Self- Government. WE have already seen that there have been in Cuba repeated uprisings and the most heroic and self-sacrificing efforts to obtain independence. Every intelligent reader will con- clude that there must have been grave and serious causes for this chronic state of discontent and revolution. We will here allow a prominent, distinguished Cuban, whose in- telligence and discernment are not to be questioned, state the case in his own clear and convincing manner. This gentleman is Tomas Estrada Palma, Delegate and Minister Plenipotentiary " Republica de Cuba." This gentleman says : The cause of the present revolution in Cuba, briefly stated, may be said to be taxation without representation, a phrase certainly familiar to American ears and emphasized by the most important event in the history of the nation, the War for Independence. Is it not quite natural, especially in this progressive age, that an intelli- gent and spirited people like the Cubans should demand the right to govern themselves, especially in view of the fact that they have always suffered from misgovernment at the hands of their rulers ? For three hundred years, in the early history of Cuba, Spain almost forgot the existence of the Pearl of the Antilles, her attention being turned to Peru and Mexico, the countries of gold and silver. It is said that some of the Spanish officials even forgot the namj of the Island, directing their dispatches to the Isla de la Habana. All the laws for Cuba are made in Spain. The annual budget af the Island, that is, the annual estimate of revenue and expenditure, is made in Spain ; all the employes in the governmental service on the Island come from Spain. The Spaniards decide just how much money shall be raised by taxes and all the Cubans have to do is, to 42 WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. 43 c.se an Americanism, " step up to the captain's office and settle." The annual taxation amounts to between $24,000,000 and $26,000,- OOO. Among the items of expenditure are $10,500,000 for interest on the national debt of Spain, nearly $7,000,000 for the army and navy, about $4,000,000 salaries for civil employes, $2,000,000 for pensions to retired military, civil and judicial officials or their widows, nearly $ i ,000,000 for the Judicial and $700,000 for the Trea- sury Department. No money is appropriated to primary public education, and only an insignificant sum to works of public utility and higher education. The municipalities provide for primary education as best they can, though their means are very limited, all the available methods of raising revenue having been exhausted by the General Government. This taxation, for a country of 1,600,000 inhabitants, is an enormous burden, but does not represent the real amount of money taken from the people. For every dollar raised by taxation another dollar is stolen by the Spanish officials sent to the Island by the paternal Government. Driven to take up Arms. Under these circumstances it is not surprising that the Cubans should demand the right to self-government. It must be remem- bered that they have not resorted to physical force until peaceable methods to secure redress of their wrongs have failed. The people have vainly applied to the Spanish Cortes for the right of self-govern- ment, not only at a comparatively recent date, but for the past seventy years they have vainly endeavored to secure their rights by legislative means and have hoped to avoid a war. The Spanish law-makers have invariably refused to grant them any real redress. I say real redress because the Cortes, about a year before the present revolution, offered a scheme of reform which would not have remedied any of the evils complained of, and was only intended as a sop to blind the eyes of the Cubans and keep them patient under the yoke of their masters. It did not, in any sense, provide for the self-government of Cuba. The Cubans would still be compelled to pay their enormous taxes, all the officials on 44 WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. the Island would still come from Spain as they have been coming from time immemorial. The budget would still be made in Spain to suit the ideas of the rulers there, and the Cubans would have just as little as ever to say about the management of affairs on their beauti- ful Island. Criminals Protected. The Spanish Government always protects its officials in Cuba when they have been discovered in any crime. It is very rarely that they are ever convicted of a crime, because the court officials are Spaniards and protect them in every possible way. Once in a great while, however, a Spanish official may be found guilty ; but, when he is sent to Spain where he is to receive his punishment, he is invari- ably pardoned. He uses the money which he has stolen from the Cubans to secure his release from serving any sentence. Mr. Edward A. Gilmore, an American, who was employed on a sugar plantation in Cuba for several years, gave the following illus- tration of Spanish justice in Cuba in one of the New York dailies. Mr. Gilmore says that there was an estate for sale in a town not far from Havana. One of the Superior Judges wanted the estate and began negotiating for it. At the same time a young Cuban lawyer decided that the estate was a property that would suit him. He went to the owner, closed a contract with him, and the deed was made out. When the Spanish judge heard that he had lost the estate he determined to secure it, notwithstanding it had been sold to another party. He made a charge of fraud or some kind ox illegality against the young lawyer, had the case tried before himself, promptly decided against the young lawyer, throwing him into prison for an alleged violation of the law, and confiscated the estate. Mr. Gilmore closes his recital of this incident by saying that this case is only one of a score of other cases of which he has personal knowledge. " The arrogance and injustice of the Spanish rulers," he says, '-and the long-suffering spirit, the humility of the Cubans under the outrage- ous oppression from which they suffer, are simply incredible to one who does not know the facts. " WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. 45 The attempt on the part of the Spanish Cortes to deceive, to hum- bug the Cubans into the idea that they were going to give them home rule, when they had no intention of so doing, certainly hastened the present uprising. After suffering so many years from the injus- tice of their rulers, showing their discontent by several uprisings, notably the war of 1868 which lasted for ten years, the Cubans thought that Spain might finally reform the terrible abuses under which they had suffered so long. But Spain gave them nothing. Now, Cuba is fighting for the reforms which she vainly tried to secure by peaceable means. Hypocritical Promises. Spain talked about giving Cuba home rule, but there was not the slightest intention of giving to Cuba even the kind of home rule that Canada enjoys. Canada has her own Legislature, makes her own laws, and has her own government employes appointed from among her own people ; and England, the mother country, only sends there a Governor-General. But that is not the case with Cuba, and Spain would never give that kind of government to the Cubans, if they wanted it, which they do not. There is really occasion for but very little commercial intercourse between Spain and Cuba, because the United States sends to the Island about everything that its inhabitants need, while, on the other hand, the United States is Cuba's great market for sugar. Spain cannot buy her sugar. Spain cannot supply her with flour. The flour that reaches Cuba is first sent to Spain, and from there to Cuba, so that the Spaniards may collect a duty from the Islanders. In that way the Culjan pays very dear for his flour, whereas he could obtain it very cheap if complete commercial intercourse existed between the two countries. The great advantage which Spain has in Cuba, and will hold on to until it is forcibly wrested from her, is that she has her own officer on the Island to make up the budget, so that it will be to the profit of Spain without regard to the benefit of the Cubans. She wants the Island to pay for her army and navy, consular expenses, and the 46 WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. salaries of the Spanish officials sent to Cuba, who steal from the people as much again as they are paid for their services. Oh no; Spain will never grant home rule in any sense of the word to Cuba, from which she derives such a large revenue for her lazy and venal officials. The present uprising is, in every sense of the word, a real revolu- tion, because it comes from the whole people. The previous struggles for Cuban independence have generally been inspired by a few men occupying high posi- tions. At such times the mass of the people were not conscious of their rights, but, in the present great struggle, which we firmly believe will result in giving self- government to Cuba, the whole people, the lower as well as the higher classes, have engaged their sympathies in the movement, and, as far as they are able to do so, they give their aid. They have had their eyes opened to the leg- islative policy of Spain and her false promises of righting the wrongs of Cuba. They are indignant at the treatment they have received at her hands, both at home and in the Cortes, and they are thoroughly aroused to fight for the rights that they have been vainly demanding for the past seventy years. . It is not the fault of the Cubans that they have appealed to arms. They would be only too glad to secure their liberty without the aid of war; but it has been plainly and repeatedly demonstrated to them that they cannot obtain their rights without a physical struggle. ' Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow." And so it is that in all orders of Cuban society, from the ignorant Negro to the SALVADOR CISNEROS, President of the Cuban Republic. WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. 47 intelligent merchant and the educated man of letters, all are inspired with one thought, all are animated with one resolve the indepen- dence of Cuba. The revolutionists in Cuba fight according to two methods, one is the guerrilla method, and the other is by massing their troops and fighting the Spanish forces in the open field. Whenever they can secure an advantageous position to meet the enemy in the open field they mass two or three thousand or more men, and battle with the Spaniards ; then they divide their forces into bands of two or three hundred each and engage in guerrilla warfare. They are glad to meet the enemy face to face, and do so when they can secure an opportunity. The revolution has extended from the eastern part very far into the western end of the land. I should say that the revolution extends over four-fifths of the Island. Arms and Ammunition. It is not possible for the insurgents to fight in the towns along the coast, because they are guarded by Spanish war ships, still we have troops on the coast, and we are able to protect the landing of new- comers who are going to join our army, and also to land the arms and ammunition, which are continually being sent to the troops. Many of the firearms used by the insurgents have been captured by them from their enemies. Fourteen thousand rounds of ammunition were captured in one engagement alone. I think there are some Cubans who are anxious that their Island shall be annexed to the United States as soon as possible ; but there are many more, in fact a vast majority, who believe that the question of annexation is a long way off, and is not to be considered until the Cubans themselves have tried an independent government. This last-named class see no necessity for annexing Cuba politically to the United States, because she is already annexed to this country com- mercially. They see no reason why Cuba should form a part of the United States. When Cuba once secures her independence the Cuban people will then, through the exercise of the suffrage, decide Ihe kind of government they v-'U have. 48 WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. It may possibly be that a majority of the people will decide that they want the Island annexed to the United States, or the vote may show a desire on the part of the Cubans to be an independent nation. That question is only to be decided after independence has been secured. The first and foremost thing before us now is to get rid of the Spanish Government When once that has been done and Cuban independence has been secured the question of annexation can be de- cided. We are now printing a pamphlet which will recite the causes of the war ' the man y g rievances fr m which Cuba has suffered so long at the hands of Spain, and her determi- nation to rid herself of the Span- ish yoke. This history of Spanish rule in Cuba will be laid before our members of Congress. This will help them in their consideration of the Cuban question, and prove con- clusively that our cause is as just as was the cause of the Americans in the Revolution. There will be no argument about annexation. What we demand, what we must have first of all is independence. It is too late now to consider any scheme of home-rule, however feasible such a sugges- tion may have been in the past. " Independence " is the watchword of the Cuban, first, last and all the time. On the twenty-fourth of February, 1895, the delegates of the revo- lution adopted their Constitution, solemnly declaring the separation of Cuba from the Spanish monarchy and the constitution of Cuba, as a free and independent State, under the name of the Republica de Cuba. The officials of the New Republic were chosen as follows : Presi dent, Salvador Cisneros Betancqurtj Marquis of Santa. Lucia ; Vice- BARTOLOME MASSO, Vice- President of the Cuban Republic. WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. 49 President, Bartolome Masso ; Secretary of War, Carlos Roloff ; Dele- gate and Minister Plenipotentiary, Tomas Estrada Palma ; General- in-Chief of the Army, Maximo Gomez ; Lieutenant-General, Antonio Maceo ; Major-Generals, Serafin Sanchez, Francisco M. Carrillo. From the united voice of the American press, from resolutions offered in Congress, and every other possible source, there were expressions of sympathy for the " Queen of the Antilles " in her gallant struggle for liberty. The following poem aptly voices the feeling of the American people : For Cuba. BY MAURICE THOMPSON. Have you heard the call from Cuba Coming northward on the breeze ? Ha-"e you seen the dark cloud hanging To the southward o'er the seas ? It is a gasp for liberty, That shudders on the air ; Spain has relit her torture-fires, And men are writhing there. Oppression's tempest gathers force, Its tidal wave rolls high ; Old Europe's shadow dims the stars We kindled in the sky. The time is come for action, Now let the right prevail ; Shall all our boasted sympathy With slaves downtrodden fail ? Shall we be mockers of the faith By which our course was set ? Shall we deny what we received From men like Lafayette ? Help ! help ! the swarthy patriots cry, While Spaniards beat them down, Because they will not bend the knee To one who wears a crown. 30 WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. The hoary, mediaeval lie, That robes the power of kings, And rivets chains on bleeding hands, Once more its logic brings. At subtle diplomatic pleas Let free-born statesmen scoff ; Poor, drowning Cuba grips our skirt, Shall Freedom shake her off? Oh no ! fling out the fleet and flag. To shield her from the storm, And let that splendid Island feel The clasp of Freedom's arm. Early it became evident that there was a strong feeling throughout America, extending to our lawmakers at Washington, in favor of the Cuban cause. Senator Frye of Maine said : " If Spain, by her actions at any time, justified us in so doing, I would seize and hold Cuba against the world. This Island has been nothing but a sponge to be squeezed by Spain, utterly regardless of the interests of the people living there. Annexed to our country it would soon become a paradise-. As the residents are entirely fit for American citizenship, I regard the acquisition of Cuba, as impera- tively demanded, commercially and politically." The revolution in Cuba was tUe subject of a good deal of anxious conversation among public men in Washington. The fact that the previous rebellion lasted for ten years, and cost such a large sum of money to Spain, which, however, she has since shouldered on Cuba, led many of the public men to believe that the present outbreak would be much more serious. It started out under much better con- ditions than the last rebellion, and the fact that Spain was sending such a large body of troops to Cuba conclusively demonstrated to the mind of the public that the revolution was a very serious affair. While there was no disposition to act unfriendly to Spain, the sym- pathies of the public men in Washington were all with the Cubans. It was recognized that the Island had been outrageously treated by Spain and that the financial burdens imposed on it were more than WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. 61 the people could bear. Every fresh trouble would add to the burdens of Cuba because Spain makes Cuba pay the cost of putting down the revolution, and bear every item of expense incurred by Spain in be- half of Cuba. A prominent Senator remarked that sooner or later Cuba would be a part of the United States, and that while people might smile over the outspoken words of Senator Frye and Senator Call on the sub- ject, yet nine out of every ten members agreed with Mr. Frye and Mr. Call on this subject. LAND VIEW OF MORRO CASTLE. Owned by the United States, Cuba would be tremendously pros- perous and would save this country from importing from any other nation sugar, tobacco, oranges and other things now largely im- ported. This feeling would lead to a good deal of aid being given indirectly to the revolutionists. It was agreed that the Government would enforce the neutrality laws in every manner possible, but it would be absolutely impossible to prevent small expeditions from reaching Cuba from the coast of Florida. The Spanish Minister complained because munitions of war were allowed to be shipped from the United States to Central Ameri- 62 WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. can States, when the Minister maintained that they were intended for Cuban revolutionists. But there is no law whatever to stop the sale of munitions of war during a time of peace, even to Cubans, and according to Spain, Cuba was now in a state of peace. Even custom- house officers were under a false impression in regard to this matter. If Spain should declare a state of war in Cuba then the circumstances would be different. Minister Murauga notified this Government that a torpedo boat was being fitted out in the United States for West Indian waters, and asked that its departure be prevented. If this boat tried to leave the United States in a completed condition it might be seized, as a neutral government is bound to restrain the fitting out or sailing of armed cruisers of belligerents, as determined in the Alabama case. But in 1 879 . Secretary Evarts ruled in reply to an inquiry from Secretary Sherman, that " a torpedo launch, in five sections, ready to be set up, though contraband of war, may be exported from the United Spates without breach of neutrality." Prom an Eminent American. Our Consul General, Ramon Williams, of Havana, sent to the State Department a remarkable argument against the continuance of Span- ish rule in Cuba and in favor of tariff independence. Reporting under date of February 5, 1895, regarding the American flour market in the Island, he wrote : " Spain is the only country beside the United States that now sends flour to the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico. But its importation from Spain is done in violation of the natural economic law and at the expense of Cuba by lessening the purchasing power of her exports in their exchange for her imports ; for there is scarcely a vestige of natural economic tie remaining between these colonies and their mother country, statistics proving, particularly in the case of Cuba, that they have to send nearly all their exports for outlet to the (Jnited States, the beet sugar of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Russia and other countries having excluded the cane sugars of all the West India Islands as well as those of Brazil and the GENERAL MAXIMO GOMEZ. This is the portrait of the renowned Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Army. He conies from a distinguished family, to which frequent reference is made in Spanish history. His great ability as a general is equalled only by his ardent devotion to the cause of Cuban freedom. General Gomez is over seventy years of age, an I is proud to devote his last days to the cause he has served so long. GENERAL ANTONIO MACEO. This famous General is the second in command of the Cuban Army. He has had long experience iu the ranks of Cuban Patriots, is well educated, and is considered a very able commander. His achievements have given renown to the cause of the insurgents. WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. 53 Hawaiian Islands from the markets of Europe, leaving them depen- dent on that of the United States. For the effects are tantamount to a second bounty wrought by Spanish legislation in favor of all other sugar-producing countries against Cuba and Puerto Rico." Consul General Williams closed his report by instituting a com- parison between the present economic policy of Great Britain toward her sugar-producing West Indian possessions and that of Spain toward Cuba, greatly to the disparagement of Spain. Mr. Williams enclosed translations of articles published in leading newspapers of Cuba, and said : " These publications will likewise convey to the department samples of the public discontent prevailing here against the commercial sub- jection in which the island is still held by the mother country." Thousands of Troops. Patriotic Cuban circles were much excited over the coming of General Martinez Campos with a couple of million dollars in cash, a lot of troops and a large personal prestige. It was the same old story of thousands of troops sent by the mother country to suppress Cuban insurrection. Without inquiring for the causes of the rebel- lious feeling, and seeking a lasting remedy, one in keeping with justice and humanity, the answer to Cuba's revolution was guns and General Campos. When he arrived he issued from Santiago de Cuba a proclamation offering pardon to all insurgents, with the ex- ception of the leaders, who would lay down their arms and surren- der. He made preparations to immediately pursue the members o. r the bands who refused to come in under the proclamation, and the warfare against them was to be waged vigorously. Governor General Campos pledged himself to carry out all the promised political and economical reforms for the Island if he was supported. He thought the rebellion would soon be crushed, but that the entire pacification of the Island would require a long time Campos warned the planters in the interior against aiding the insurgents. A newspaper correspondent had an interview with the new Captain- 54 WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF GOVERNMENT. General of Cuba before he embarked for Manzanillo. He remained in Santiago de Cuba only two days, and nearly every moment of the time was occupied in making changes of military commanders, receiving deputations and holding consultations with subordinates. General Campos said he understood that the press of the United States had sent several representatives to Cuba to study the situation. He felt gratified that there was a desire to obtain facts, and he wel- comed such investigation. Asked if he proposed to take the field. A REVOLUTIONARY OUTPOST. he replied : " I expect to go everywhere. I intend to direct the movements of the army, and to conduct operations that will tend to secure law and order throughout the island." " Shall you remain here or go to Havana ?" The Marshal replied indirectly ; said he expected to leave Santiago that evening, but would return. " Are you taking any step in the " Allianca " affair? " The Captain-General shook his head slightly in a deprecating manner, and said the subject was being considered by Senor Dupuy de Lome, Spain's new Minister to Washington. " Senor Lome i* a WHY CUBA DEMANDS SELF-GOVERNMENT. 55 diplomat," the General remarked, " and the question is for the diplo- mats of Spain and the United States to consider. Spain desires to be at peace with the United States and with all other nations." He was asked how many revolutionists are in the field. " There is no army," was the reply. " Small guerrilla bands are scattered about the interior at the eastern end of the Island. The country is thinly settled, and very difficult for an army to operate in. A few men who know the paths can roam about in the chapparal, and their capture is difficult. The United States had much trouble with guerrilla bands during the Civil War." He was asked what disposition would be made of the members of Maceo's party, imprisoned at Guantanamo. The Marshal shook his head emphatically, and said rather quickly : " They are in the hands of the law." Then he added : " I do not propose to be severe with- out reason. When those in arms put them aside and submit, they will be well received." " How about the leaders ? " The Marshal answered by referring to his proclamation, in which amnesty was made the reward for sur- render, but the leaders were not included. The Captain-General, at the close of the interview, declined to issue to the correspondent a special permit to travel in the interior, but said : " The country is before you ; go and see for yourself. Your passport as a citizen of the United States will protect you in legitimate travel." CHAPTER IV. Beginning of the War. BETWEEN April ist and I2th, 1895, Marti and Gomez, the Cuban exiles, with a handful of companions, landed at Baracoa., on the eastern coast of Cuba, and proclaimed the republic. The effect of this bold move was instantaneous. The news spread from end to end of the Island, and although the friends of Cuba thought the movement ill-timed, hundreds of sympathizers flocked to the patriot standard. Like a prairie fire before a brisk breeze, the single spark of insurrection fired the dry tinder of the oppressed Cubans, and the rebellion grew in volume as it flew westward. This is not Spain's first experience of the temper of her colony. For the past seventy years conspiracy, insurrection, rebellion and red war have followed one another in endless progression. A few words will suffice to explain the causes leading up to the latest revolution. Cuba became a possession of Spain by the right of discovery on Columbus' second voyage. He named it Juana, after the son of Ferdinand and Isabella, and it has successively been known as Juana, Fernandina, Santiago, Ave Maria and Cuba, the latter being the native name of the " Queen of the Antilles." It was colonized by Spain, and its early history is a series of sacks and ravages by Euro- pean foes. Not until the rule of Captain-General Las Casas, begin- ning 1790, did prosperity begin. Under his guidance agriculture and commerce flourished, and the condition of the native population was ameliorated. The effect of his sagacious rule was felt for over thirty years, and when Napoleon deposed the royal family of Spain every member of the local govern- ment took oath to preserve the Island for their monarchy, and, going even further, they declared war against the French conqueror. This much to shew the instinctive feeling of the colony toward the mother country. 56 BEGINNING OF THE WAR. 57 Spanish coffers were empty with the restoration of the Bourbons in the person of Ferdinand VII., and Spain's mistress looked with hungry eyes upon the rich Island with her 1800 miles of sea coast, gemmed with prosperous ports, and her plantations of indigo, sugar, tobacco and fruit. It was Fortunata's purse wherein Spain might dip her fingers, and forever find it full to overflowing. With this discovery came oppressive taxation. With the gradual impoverish- ment of Spain came added demands. Then the deprivation of all civil, political and religious liberty, and the exclusion of Cubans from all public stations, and in order to enforce this the Cubans were taxed to support a standing army and navy their jailors. Conspiracy of the " Black Eagle." With their oppression came their desire for liberty. In 1829 the Black Eagle conspiracy arose, the purpose of which was to throw off the Spanish yoke. It was suppressed, but was followed in 1840 by an insurrection of the colored population. After smouldering and blazing for a while the fires of insurrection were smothered only to break out eight years later in a genuine conspiracy of the Cubans under the leadership of Narcisso Lopez. This rebellion was quelled and Lopez fled. In 1850 he landed in Cuba with 600 men from the United States. He made a third attempt in 1851, and together with most of his companions was captured and executed by the Spanish authorities. The Reformist party, which sprang up at this time, succeeded in getting an inquiry of the abuses at Madrid, with the result, however, of increased taxation. In 1868 the Advance party in Cuba rose in the district of Bayamo, and on October 10, 1868, signed a declaration of independence at Manzanillo. Their first successes were so great that almost all the Spanish- American republics recognized the insur- gents as belligerents. After a war of ten years, that was confined to the mountainous regions east of the town of Puerto Principe, the rebellion was put down. To confine it to that locality the Spanish troops built a great fortified trench, known as La Trocha, across the entire width of the island, in the western portion of the State of 58 BEGINNING OF THE WAR. Puerto Principe. It was here that Captain-General Campos, the commander of the Spanish army, drew up his forces in the summer of 1895, to prevent the eastward march of the insurgents, who were now heavily reinforced. All during the summer of 1895 the insurgents leaders were organ- izing their forces and receiving supplies of arms and ammunition. The people were flocking to the standard of revolt, and during Octo- ber, 1895, Gomez and Maceo with ease penetrated the lines of the Spanish captain-general, crossing La Trocha, and causing the regular troops to *all back to a line just east of Remedios. The insurgents still pushing on, this was followed by a retreat of Campos to Sant? Clara, in the province of Santa Clara, still further west. Two Cuban Generals. Gomez and Maceo were now in supreme authority, for Marti the great leader of the^ revolutionary party, died just as the command started west. This blow to the insurgent cause was more than offset by the character of the people among which they found themselves. Of all the provinces of Cuba, Santa Clara is the most outspoken and loyal to the cause of liberty. The ranks of Gomez and Maceo were increased by thousands of volunteers of an intelligence and physical strength superior even to those of Santiago. Horses were procured in abundance, and the bulk of the insurgent army was formed into a speedy and well-equipped cavalry. They were armed with rifles, and carried with them an abundance of ammunition. Each man also carried a machete, which is a long, heavily-weighted iron knife, used by the sugar-planters to cut the cane, and by all travelers to open up paths through the heavy tropical underbrush. They are terrible weapons in the hands of the Cubans, and the Spanish troops fear them more than the rifles. The insurgents took no supply train with them. A stray pig or fowl supplied them with supper, while an ox meant dinner for a company. Thus prepared, they turned their aces toward the setting sun and Havana. All this while Campos, the Spanish general, was " concentrating/' according to the official dispatches. In other words, he was drawing BEGINNING OF THE WAR. 59 dead- lines across the Island at points where he announced that he would bring the insurgents to a pitched battle. Each successive dead line was further west than the one preceding it. And each time the insurgents slipped by the troops, leaving a harried country behind them. Railroads, bridges and roads destroyed, plantations burned and store-houses empty. The troops, under the spur of necessity, followed as rapidly as possible, leaving the insurgents in possession of the country to the east. Landing of Expeditions. In this way not only did the Cubans make this remarkable march westward, but they garrisoned it. In Santiago the insurgents kept the Spanish forces in the fortified cities, and in a short time two large expeditions successfully landed at that end of the island. One, armed with cannon, fired upon and crippled the " Nueva Espana," of the Spanish navy, while such leaders as Rabi, Martinez and Aguirre were fighting as valiantly there as were Gomez and Maceo in the province of Matanzas. Similar reports came from Puerto Principe and Santa Clara, show- ing that the insurgents had complete control of the interior of these provinces. But Campos claimed that it was his plan to get the insurgents between his forces and Havana and crush them as a nut is crushed in a nut-cracker. Then came decisive attacks by the insurgents. Campos was driven from pillar to post, changing his headquarters from Santa Clara to Cienfuegos, from Cienfuegos to Palmillas, from Palmillas to Colon, from Colon to Jovcllanos, from Jovellanos to Limonare, from Limon- are to Guanabana, and from Guanabana to Havana, where he was feted as a conqueror by the Spanish authorities, and where he received telegrams of congratulation from the Queen Regent of Spain and her Prime Minister. Just prior to this noisy welcome, namely, on December 24, 1895, General Maximo Gomez, at the head of 1 2,000 men, by a feint turned the flank of the Spanish commander at Colon, and, passing the sleepy old seaport of Matanzas, marched straight on to a point only 60 BEGINNING OF THE WAR. fifty miles from Havana, Campos, with all his 80,000 picked Spanish troops, to the contrary notwithstanding. Christmas and New Year were passed, and the insurgents ivere still there, marching and coun- termarching in three columns, holding Spain at bay, and waiting for additional supplies of ammunition and arms before pushing on. The grave question now was what the insurgents would do ? Havana was in an agony of suspense and preparing for a siege. The loyalty of the citizens was unquestionable, as well as that of the Grande Civil or local militia. Campos and all his troops seemed unable to cope with the situation. It was believed that should the insurgents push on and take Havana, the defeat of Spain and the liberty of Cuba would arrive. A Concise History of the Struggle. These, in outline, are the main facts of Cuba's war during the first year of its progress. The reader will be interested in another account from a war correspondent in Cuba, who had ample opportunity for observation, and the accuracy of whose statements are unquestioned. Writing late in January, 1896, he says : " The question of the United States recognizing the belligerent rights of the new Cuban republic is now receiving so much attention that a dispassionate and unbiased account of the state of affairs in Cuba may help some to a better understanding of the situation. In view of the misleading information and exaggeration of facts given out, on one hand, by Cubans in America, and, on the other, of the mis- representation and concealment of truth by the representatives of the Spanish side, facts gathered from the scenes of the war and the seal of its causes may throw light upon doubts which are entertained as to the wisdom of America's policy up to this time. " The Cuban revolution is now within a few days of having turneo its first year. It has passed all the bounds of previous insurrection. It has passed from the stage of organized rioting into actual war. It is no longer limited to a conflict between classes, or confined to any section of the Island. It has become a war between two peoples who are distinct in all the characteristics which mark the differences GENERAL CALIXTO GARCIA. This renowned Commander has long been a conspicuous figure in Cuban insurrections. Itt the latter part of 1895 he was imprisoned at Madrid. Being liberated, he returned at once to the United States, and was instrumental in organizing a formidable expedition to aid the Cuban Patriots. He is considered one of the ablest and most coura- geous Commauders among the Insurgents. GEN. MARTTNKZ CAMPOS BEGINNING OF THE WAR. 61 between nations. The recent successes have resulted in the best blood of Cuba's native-born population joining or aiding Gomez's armies, and have brought the issue to a point which means that the price of Spanish victory would be almost inevitably the extermination of some great families and the utter devastation of the Island. " Such a victory would carry with it the accumulation of a war debt which would impoverish Cuba for two generations, and leave her a burden rather than a precious possession for the so-called mother country, Without the benefits which would come to the Cubans as the result of such recognition as they ask from the United States it is impossible for the revolutionists to hasten the issue of the war, and as Spain cannot drive them unwillingly into battles, only some event now entirely unforeseen can prevent the prolonging of the war for possibly a year or more. The Two Armies. " Both sides are weak, so weak that the question of which can hold out the longer is as important as the result of battles, perhaps more important than the result of the insignificant engagements which now monopolize all the reports from the field. On the side of Spain is an army drawn from a native population of 16,000,000. On the side of Cuba is an army drawn from a native population of 1,600,000. Deal- ing with the mere numbers one reason is apparent why Gomez avoids battles into which he might throw his forces with a certainty of victor}'. It is hard for him to replace his losses. Unless the killed were nearly sixteen to one the ease with which Spain could fill the gap in her ranks where they were nearer equal would be his weakness and practically turn his victories into disasters. " Spain's army is made up of conscripts, unpaid, poverty-stricken, most of them too ignorant of military training to march in step at guard mount, and so youthful that regiment after regiment would not have an average age of above nineteen years ; half-fed, with no com- missary department or surgical service available after battles; so tender to the climate that ten die of disease to one in conflict, and so neglected in the hospitals that the wounded generally die of yellow fever contracted in the pest-houses to which they have been taken 62 BEGINNING OF THE WAR. from the field, numbering with the Spanish Cuban volunteers recruited in the Island about 200,000 men ; 120,000 of these have come from Spain ; the other 80,000 are from the Island. Of them all, less than 500 are cavalry, and of this 500 at least one-half are only mounted infantry. They are all well armed. In commanders, Spaniards and Cubans, in proportion to the numbers, are equally supplied with veterans. Fifty Thousand Native Cubans. " The Cuban army numbers 50,000, half of whom are in small divisions, under captains or colonels, acting upon orders and in cam- paigns devised by Gomez and Maceo. At least 25,000 of them are mounted, but only 25,000 of them, according to the most trustworthy information, are supplied with modern arms. But the whole 50,000 are native Cubans, inured to the climate, safe in the fever season and unaffected by any hardship of march or exposure. Every farm estate and hut is their hospital. Every Cuban woman is a nurse for the wounded. Every farm and plantation is a source of food supply. Every Cuban is their guide and informant, prepared the next moment to lie like a Turk to a .Spanish column. These 50,000 men are flushed with a year of almost uninterrupted successes, which have resulted in the downfall of one of Europe's greatest generals. " Now, at the end of only one'year, they have the whole Island at their command, except its city strongholds, with the Spanish armies cut off from communication with each other except by couriers on horses or protected steamers along the coast. Every railroad is paralyzed. The following year's revenues to Spain have been prac- tically wiped out by the ruin of business and the destruction of the sugar cane. Havana itself has been declared by the captain-general to be in a state of siege. Gomez, with his army, has slept within sight of the city. " The events which have led up to all this make a simple chapter of Spanish disaster and of Cuban successes, with occasional reverses, during which the more or less guerrilla warfare conducted in the early stages has developed into scientific campaigns, and also in the birth, on the i6th of September, 1895, of the Republic of Cuba. The BEGINNING OF THE WAR. 63 war was started through the failure of Spain to put into force reforms in the government of Cuba which had been granted by the Spanish Cortes, after a tremendous effort on the part of the Island to procure relief from intolerable evils. It is generally believed that the Cortes did not act in good faith, but from a pressure to prevent a revolt from what was simple tyranny, and that there was never any intention to permit the reforms to go into operation. " Calleja was then the Captain-General of the Island. He made a faint resistance when the first evidences ot the preparation Cuba had been making for insurrection came to the surface in Santiago de Cuba, the extreme eastern province of the Island, and the stronghold of former revolutions. It is a rough country, where it was supposed the trouble would be confined. He declared the province and that of Puerto Principe, adjoining, to be under martial law. Grand Uprising of Patriots. "Between April I and April 12, Generals Gomez, Antonio Maceo, Jose Maceo, Cebreco, Crombet, Guerra, Marti and Borrero landed with men and arms, and they were joined by thousands of Cubans, who brought out from hiding-places arms and ammunition which they had been collecting and concealing for years. It was already apparent to Spain that the insurrection was to be serious, and by this time General Campos, then her greatest military chief, was already on his way to the Island with 10,000 men. He landed on April 1 6, 1895, at Santiago de Cuba, and made the mistake which has cost Spain the war and may in the end cost her all Cuba. " He did not at once put the reforms in force, but announced that ' after peace was restored ' he would ' do all in his power to see that the reforms which had been granted by the Cortes were put in force. 1 It is true that already another and greater object was inspiring the Cubans the liberty they now demand ; but, if Campos had then, instead of waiting three months, till the insurrection had gone beyond his control, granted the relief to Cuba which the Cortes had author- ized, it would have almost inevitably resulted, notwithstanding what may be said outside of Cuba to-day to f he contrary, in the restoration 64 BEGINNING OF THE WAR. of peace, probably only temporary ; but his course precipitated into the conflict all the elements which he might have used to prevent it. "At the end of three months Gomez and Maceo had all Santiago and Puerto Principe in a state of insurrection. They started out with comparatively a handful of men. The most reliable sources agree that there were not more than 300. Thousands of Cubans joined them, furnishing their own horses and arms. Campos had declared that Puerto Principe would never rise against Spain, and he proposed at once a plan to make it doubly sure. He procured special concessions from Madrid for the foreign railroads, permitting them to import iron bridges to replace their wooden structures, and pledged them $20,000 a month until they had extended their lines and made connections to complete a continuous road through the country, using the money to employ the natives. This was to insure the peace of Puerto Principe and Santa Clara, both considered con- servative, and to prevent the people joining the revolutionary party. War's Dire Destruction. " After the plan was announced the revolutionists burned out the wooden bridges, tore up the tracks in many places, and the roads have been, for all practical purposes, in their hands ever since. Campos, meantime, to prevent Gomez moving eastward, placed 10,000 troops on the border between the provinces of Santiago and Puerto Principe, but Gomez crossed the line on May 19, after a battle at Boca del Dos Rios, where a loss was suffered in the death of Gen. Marti, which was so great a blow to Cuba that Campos announced that the ' death blow to the bandits ' had been struck. " In Puerto Principe Gomez captured every town he attempted to take, among them Alta Gracia, San Jeronimo and Coscorro. He took Fort El Mulato, and in all the places secured large quantities of ammunition. So enthusiastic was his reception in the provinces of Puerto Principe and Santa Clara that in the latter 400 Spanish volunteers joined him with their arms. Places in this province that fell in rapid succession were Las Veras, Cantabria, Fort Taguaso, Guenia de Miranda and Cayo Espino. BEGINNING OF THE WAR. 65 " The most important battle of the summer occurred at Bayamo in July, just as Gomez was near the Spanish line between Santa Clara and Puerto Principe. Campos decided to relieve the distress of the garrison at Bayamo and left Manzanillo, intending, after entering the town, to move quickly westward, driving Gomez into the Spanish line, while three other columns were to surround Maceo. Botb bands were to be exterminated at once. On his way to Bayamc Campos was met by Maceo and Rabi at Peralajos, and in a twelve hours' battle, in which about 3,000 men were engaged on either side, Campos was completely routed. " From that time on through the summer and far into the autumn, every day was marked by skirmishes, the taking of important places and the threatening of the larger towns. It kept the Spanish columns moving constantly, and the exposure in the rainy season killed thou- sands. It was, doubtless, Gomez's purpose to conduct his summer campaign to produce that effect, suffering nothing by it himself. He was then planning the great campaign of the winter, the execution of which resulted in the shutting up of Havana. He had accom- plished the destruction of all methods of communication in the interior, to the east, and had issued his order against the grinding of sugar cane, for the purpose of cutting off Spain's revenues, and had announced that he would take his army clear through into the Matanzas province to insure obedience to his order. " Amazing as this declaration was, it was fairly good evidence of Gomez's modesty. He had not only overrun Matanzas, but Havana province as well, burning plantations within sight of the city, where the owners disobeyed him, and finally subjugating the province of Pinar del Rio, in the extreme west" CHAPTER V. Insurgent Campaign in Western Cuba. REFERENCE was made at the close of the preceding chapter to the spirited warlike operations of the insurgents in West- ern Cuba. Carrying the war into this section was simply threatening Havana, and this was one object of the insurgent leaders. Gomez and Maceo. Enough of the history of the insurrection has been given to show the manner in which it was carried on during the first few months subsequent to the arrival of the Spanish General Campos and his army. All his boasts of conquest failed of fulfillment. He was slow to bring the insurgents to the point of battle, or if he did succeed in doing this, he failed utterly to accomplish his purpose of so vanquish- ing them as to stamp out what he was pleased to call the " Rebel- lion," and bring the country into a state of peace and quietude. It is more than probable that some of the skirmishes in which the Spanish troops claimed success were conducted by the insurgents more for the purpose of harassing Campos and his scattered forces than with the idea of obtaining any great substantial victory. General Gomez and his commanding officers had a full knowledge of the country, knew all the strategic points, also knew that they were greatly outnumbered by the Spanish forces, and that they had only to hold their ground without being completely overthrown, and the proud army of Spain would be, partially at least, defeated by dis- ease and the disastrous effects of the climate, to which they were not accustomed. Certain it is that after the operations of General Campos had been carried on for months, the insurgents were as strong and well-disciplined as ever, while in the provinces which they occupied they constantly received recruits from those dissatisfied spirits who were ready to join the patriot army in its daring and determined effort to throw off the Spanish yoke. 66 INSURGENT.- CAMPAIGN IN WESTERN CUBA. 67 In order to understand the progress of events, it is necessary to describe the campaign of the insurgents in the province of Pinar del Rio. When Gomez retired from this province he left Maceo there, and took up a position east of the Spanish line, where he remained near but refused to give battle to the Spanish. He had been waiting for Maceo's work to be finished. All this time he has been within ten miles of Havana, and never more than twenty-five miles away. The highest officers in command of the field operations of the Spanish, commenting upon the strength of the new " wall of men," said that " if only Gomez were in so tight a place as Maceo, both would soon be wiped out, as they were hopelessly separated, Maceo burdened with wounded men, and Gomez between lines rapidly converging." A March of Repeated Victories. The truth is that they had not endeavored to meet, but Maceo had gone to the extreme end of Cuba, occupying its most western city, driving the garrison of that town down to the shore, where they fought on the sand-beach, under the fire of a Spanish cruiser out at sea. Maceo's march had been one of repeated victories. Towns surrendered without resistance; around others there were some slight encounters. Portions of several Spanish garrisons joined the revolu- tionists with their arms. More than 2,000 recruits were made. The new government was established in the cities and towns of Mantua, San Cristobal, Remates, Palacios, Paso Real de San Diego, Guane, Consolacion del Sur, Pilotos, Alonso de Rojas, San Luis, San Juan y Martinez, and other less important places. The capital of the province, Pinar del Rio City, was the one place of great importance that held out, but it was cut off from communi, cation with its port, Colon, and was short of provisions. One supply sent by the Spanish for its relief, 100,000 rations, fell into Maceo's hands. Maceo's march began as soon as he had left Gcn.e.-?, near the lower border, between Havana and Pinar del Rio provinces He had 2,000 68 INSURGENT CAMPAIGN IN WESTERN CUBA. mounted men, all armed, in divisions under Gens. Zayas, Varuna, Vivo and Gomez Rubio. Almost immediately the forces were divided, Maceo, with the main body, moving southwest, and a small division, under Varona, taking a western course through the northern country, to reunite with Maceo at the western extremity of the pro- vince. In this way it was designed to cover at once the sides of a great loop, embracing every important point in the province. The Spanish Forces Scattered. Gomez's retreat had been misunderstood by the Spanish, and when Maceo moved, the Spanish forces were scattered and unprepared to check him, being to the east, where they supposed the centre of operations was to remain, near Gomez. With trifling losses, and the wounding of but a handful of his men, Maceo entered Candelaria and San Cristobal on the same day, the third of his march. In San Cristobal the Spanish flag on the government building was replaced by the emblem of the new republic, a mayor and city officials were appointed, resolutions were adopted by the new authorities, and, after all the arms in the town had been collected, and forty or fifty mounted recruits had been made, Maceo remained a day to rest his men and horses, and moved on the following morning at daybreak toward Palacios, just north of which lies Banos de San Diego. He took both these places, and the same scenes were repeated, the people decorating their houses and flying white flags from every roof as a token of their allegiance to the cause. By this time the Spanish saw the trend of Maceo's plans, and Generals Nevarro and Luque were ordered to pursue the insurgent army, reinforcements at the same time being ordered to Pinar del Rio City. The garrison at Guanajay was strengthened, and an additional force was dispatched from Havana to proceed on a steamer along the south coast to Columa, to reach Pinar del Rio, if possible, before Maceo had arrived. Nevarro made all haste, but was not out of sight of Guanajay, where he had left the terminus of the railroad, before he came upon burning cane fields, whose owners had disobeyed Gomez's prociama- INSURGENT CAMPAIGN IN WESTERN CUBA. 69 tion against grinding. Navarro and Luque had together 5,000 infantry, 2OO cavalry and 1 1 pieces of artillery. They found that the cattle had been gathered up by insurgents or hidden by their owners ; but, learning that Maceo was at least two days' march ahead, they were able to move with freedom, and by forced marches came to the San Juan del Rio sugar estate, where the next day General Navarro met General Arizon's command, which had encountered Maceo's rear guard the previous day. Arizon had lost, as nearly as can be learned, five men, and had several wounded, and was waiting there to join Navarro's division. General Navarro had sent a detachment after the smaller body of insurgents moving on the north, but further than a few encounters with some small bands, which may have been either skirmish lines or independent companies of insurgents, their pursuit was fruitless, and they arrived at Cabanas, on the north coast, the day after the insur- gents had taken the place, disarmed the volunteer garrison, secured 11,000 rounds of ammunition, and retired with the loss of two men. This loss was confirmed by the Spanish official reports. Fled in Disorder. To come back to General Navarro, after being joined at the San Juan estate by Arizon's command, he moved on toward Quivera Hacha, and near there came up to Maceo, who had meantime estab- lished the insurgent government in Consolacion and Rio Hondo, and was preparing to move upon Pinar del Rio City. Near Quivera Hacha Navarro's skirmishers encountered a small band of mounted insurgents. There was rapid firing, and almost instantly 400 of the insurgents rode down upon Navarro's extreme vanguard, under Lieu- tenant La Torre, and came within fifty yards, shouting " Machete," firing but few shots and retiring without attacking. The cry of " Machete," the name of the half-sword-like weapons which the Cubans use with such deadly effect in much of their fighting, terrified the Spanish, and considerable disorder followed. Fearing that all Maceo's army was at hand, lines of battle were quickly formed, the main body being well protected by a cactus 70 INSURGENT CAMPAIGN iN VvESTERN CUBA. fence. Two divisions were deployed right and left in cane fields, part of which had been burned. About 1,000 of Maceo's men were on higher ground, and although firing lasted twenty minutes, the losses on either side were not serious when the insurgents withdrew. None of Nevarro's cavalry or artillery took part in the action. The Spanish followed them, prepared for an ambush at any moment, as the cane and underbrush were dense, but reached the Begona sugar estate safely, where, coming out into the open, they were within sight of 1000 of Maceo's men, two miles southwest, moving away. The Spanish during the day lost, according to the best information from both sides, about twenty-five men killed and wounded. Regarding Maceo's losses the Spanish report said: "The rebels must have lost several men." Gen. Maceo at the Front. The Cubans say they did not lose a man, and no dead were found on the field. At the Begona estate Gen. Navarro learned that he had been engaged with only a small part of Maceo's forces, and that the main command was at the Armendares estate. The seat of operations at once changed to the vicinity of Pinar del Rio, Gen. Luque succeeding Gen. Navarro in command of the aggres- sive movements against Maceo, who, learning of the relief being sent to the city, tried to intercept it, probably in expectation of the valu- able capture which he subsequently made. His rapid progress with his cavalry, the Spanish following on foot, of course resulted in several days passing without an engagement. The first encounter took place on January 17, 1896, about five miles south of the city. It was nothing more than a skirmish, neither side suffering, and that night Gen. Luque left part of his forces at the village of St. Luis, through which Maceo had passed two hours ahead of him. He took his main body to Pinar del Rio. During the night he learned that Maceo had taken a position at Tirado, commanding the road to Coloma, between Pinar del Rio and the coast. It was over this road that the wagon train from the coast was to bring up the supplies to Pinar del Rio. General Luque INSURGENT CAMPAIGN IN WESTERN CUBA. 71 hastened at daylight to drive the insurgents back, but found Maceo strongly entrenched within three miles of the city. This was the morning of the i8th. Luque came upon Maceo's vanguard under Colonel Velasco, but the moment the attack was made he found himself under fire from the tops of two low hills on both sides of the road, where the insur- gents were well protected. They were in such an advantageous posi- tion that Luque sustained severe losses without inflicting much injury upon the enemy. So hot was the encounter that Luque withdrew and prepared to charge upon two points where the enemy were mak- ing a stand. With the San Quintin battalion he held the road, send- ing Colonel Hernandez to the right, while another division advanced on the left. The attack was successful. The Spanish made a magni- ficent effort under the withering fire, but both divisions swept Maceo's forces before them, not, however, until thty had left the field scattered with their own dead and wounded. The Spanish General Surprised. For some reason the cavalry had not been used. The artillery was just coming up when the action had reached this point. The Spanish found that the enemy had, instead of being routed, simply fallen back and taken a position on another hill, and scattered firing went on for a considerable time, while Luque prepared to attack again. Then, against two thousand of Maceo's men, was directed all of Luque's command, over four thousand infantry, two hundred cavalry and eleven pieces of artillery. At least half of Maceo's army, certainly not less than two thousand cavalry, had been moving to Luque's rear and came upon him, sur- prising him just as this second attack was being made. For a time it was a question whether Luque's command would not be wiped out. They were practically surrounded by Maceo's men, and for fully an hour and a half the fighting was desperate. It is impossible to unravel the stories of both sides so as to arrive at a clear idea of the encounter. Hernandez's right wing had been weakened by the withdrawal of part of the San Quintin battalion, 72 INSURGENT CAMPAIGN IN WESTERN CUBA. and when five companies of the insurgents fell upon him he suffered so quickly that Luque sent two battalions to his assistance. Her- nandez then succeeded in gaining the hill, where one division of the insurgents was stationed, but not until a cavalry charge had been repelled and seven pieces of the artillery had been turned upon it. When the cannonading ceased four companies of infantry charged up the hill and occupied it before the insurgents, who had been driven out by the artillery, could regain it. Shortly the hill on the left of the road was taken in the same way, and Luque, although at a great loss, had repelled Maceo's attack from the rear. The insurgent forces then withdrew to a piece of woods and made another stand about a quarter of a mile from the field where the fight had taken place. General Luque, however, withdrew his shattered forces to Pinar del Rio. The battle had lasted from 9.15 to 11.30. Maceo had about forty of his men wounded and left four dead on the field, taking away ten others. Twenty or more of his horses were killed. The Spanish reported that he had 1,000 killed ; the next day reduced the number to 300, and finally to the statement that " the enemy's losses .must have been enormous " the usual phrase when the true number is humiliating. Luque's loss has never been officially reported. It is variously estimated between fifty and one hundred men, but his defeat was severest in the failure to save the supply train. Seventeen loaded wagons and twenty pack mules carrying 100,000 rations and perhaps 10,000 rounds of ammunition were in Maceo's ha/>// // t!,e end of the fight. CHAPTER VI. Downfall of General Campos. WHEN the Spanish government sent tens of thousands of troops to Cuba, it evidently imagined the revolution would soon be smothered. General Campos had shown his prowess and military skill on many occasions and was considered the ablest commander in the Spanish army. It was thought that he would soon be able to overtake the insurrection and quench its fires. We have arrived now at a point where his complete failure must be recorded. It was made plain that he had a larger contract on hand than he was able with all his hosts to carry out. Repeated dispatches had been sent abroad telling of his military movements and successes, but after he had been nine months in Cuba, the stubborn fact still remained that he did not hold the Island, and the fires of the revolu- tion were burning higher and brighter than ever. The insurgents roamed over many parts of the Island at their own sweet will. Their leaders had not been captured and the promised era of peace had not come. Secret expeditions from the United States had landed on the Cuban shores in spite of all the vigilance of Spanish ships on the sea and armed bodies of troops on land. Such aid was likely to be furnished to an unlimited extent. The sympathy of high officials in our government with the cause of Cuba was pronounced and emphatic. Arms and ammunition in some mysterious way were constantly shipped, and the spirit of revolution was fanned by the national senti- ment of the United States. General Campos could not do impossi- bilities. The stars in their courses were fighting against him. The government at Madrid became dissatisfied, censorious, and was ready to recall its favorite general as unequal to the situation. The old 73 74 DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. Spanish element in Cuba, sympathizing with the mother country, became restless and turbulent. The war was costing immense sums of money and nothing apparently was being gained. Heavier taxes would have to be imposed upon the people of Cuba, and this, together with the destruction caused by the movements of both the Spanish and the Cuban armies, frightened the people in the large towns and caused them almost to rise in rebellion, not merely against the insur- gents, but against the home government. About the middle of January, 1896, there was, at Havana, a strong feeling of distrust. On the Exchange the anti-Spanish sentiment was shown in something like seditious utterances. Several colonels and officers of volunteers who were present made speeches against Cap- tain-General Campos, and a general protest was expressed against his military inactivity and over-humane policy Proposition to Lynch the Cd/ptain-G-eneral. One major of volunteers proposed that Campos be either forced to resign or be lynched, and the speech was met by cheers from various Spanish merchants. The majority of the representatives of Spanish business houses present signed a petition to close the Exchange, and many favored closing the stores as a protest against ^Campos' perman- ence in the Island. A delegation from the volunteer corps' officers was. named to wait on Campos and insist that Pando be called and given full military command and that Campos either radically change his political policy or else resign the governorship. The Spanish sentiment against him was increasing hourly, and trouble was feared. Several foreign ves- sels in the port, by the direction of their consignees, suspended the discharge of their cargoes, awaiting the outcome of the affair. Lieutenant-General Marin was hurriedly called from Mat?nzas, and had a consultation with the Captain-General. Campos depended upon the regular forces and upon the fleet to support him in the event of trouble, but there were few troops in Havana, most of the columns being out after Gomez and Maceo, and, unfortunately, all the warships were away cruising up and down the coast, DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. 75 A significant editorial appeared in the " Diario de Marino," the organ of the Reformist party, saying that the country and business circles could not longer stand the crisis, and openly intimating that if Campos could neither crush the revolution nor effect immediate peace the time had come for a new trial, as no time must be lost in the face of the growing strength of the rebel movement. The next news was that Director-General Martinez Campos had decided to retire from the command of the Spanish forces in Cuba and from the direction of the campaign against the insurgents. This decision was arrived at after his conference with representatives of the three political parties in Cuba, when he found that two out of the three were unalterably opposed to him and his methods. General Martinez Campos did not tell the committee immediately of his decision, but it was understood that he was positive about it, and that his successor would probably assume command of the Spanish army as military governor of Cuba in a short time. The General's Decision. It was understood that at the conference General Campos asked each of the leaders his opinion. The leader representing the Auton- omist party expressed complete satisfaction with the conduct of the campaign, but the leaders of the Reformists and Conservatives ex- pressed contrary opinions. General Campos at the conclusion of the conference, informed the committee of his decision to consult the government at Madrid. A more detailed account of the Spanish General's failure was given under date of Jan. i6th, as follows : " More grave, every hour, is the state of affairs here, if the feeling of the people is a true barometer. Events now occurring are caus- ing a loud protest against Campos' method in carrying on the war, and since Gomez has escaped from what Spain believed was a trap in which his downfall was inevitable he is spreading uninterrupted ruin wherever he goes. Spaniards are both angry and discouraged. And the Cubans in Havana are more cautious in their conversation not to say too much to reveal their interest in the insurgent victories, 76 DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. " A demonstration was made in Havana yesterday, whi^h the censorship has not yet permitted to be published in the local papers or sent out on the cable. A newspaper, the ' Diario de la Marina,' the most conservative organ, notwithstanding the Spanish control of all publications, published a strong editorial criticising as bitterly as the most diplomatic phrases could express, the fruitless results of the methods being used to ' suppress the rebels/ and, pointing to the gravity of the situation, declared, reservedly, that public opinion had reached such a stage that it could no longer refrain from giving ex- pression to the general conviction that heroic measures should be adopted at once. Bold Move by Spanish Merchants. " This was followed later in the day by a meeting of the Produce Exchanges, in which, though its session was supposed to be ex- ecutive, it is said a number of the merchants of the city participated. Some lively scenes occurred, and the body reached the point of pass- ing resolutions condemning the methods of Campos, when they were side-tracked by a proposition that the merchants, in a body, should surrender their houses to the government and close their places of business as a more effective expression of their dissatisfaction. Busi- ness is being ruined. Prices are at war figures. " Money is scarce, and to make clearer what may have forced others to join in the protests it may be mentioned that the bonds of the railroads are practically abandoned by the companies owning them, sold recently above par, and to-day, when offered by a man forced to sell, found no bidder at 50. The meeting of the merchants, however, adjourned without action after it was decided to make no further manifestation of displeasure for the moment than to compli- ment the newspaper mentioned for the stand it had taken. " Only two weeks ago, when Campos returned from his unsuccess- ful- pursuit of the rebels, the same merchants joined a great de- monstration on the streets of the city, expressing the confidence of all parties in the wise methods of the Government and the ultimate successful crushing out of the revolution, That indicates the change DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. 77 of public sentiment and the increasing gravity of affairs. The majority, however bitter the criticism, seem to hesitate in demanding the retirement of Campos from the leadership, but express their desire that he shall change his methods and aggressively force an issue with the insurgents. " A significant thing about it is that they do not offer one sugges- tion. If Campos, exercising the authority he possesses, command- ing a besieged city, were to call these men before him and say, ' What shall I do ? ' they would retire as much at sea as they de- clare him to be. Chasing cavalry with poor infantry, when the troops are as well mounted as Gomez's forces, and as skillful in separating into several divisions, which flee in as many directions, to congregate later in a country they know so perfectly, is what Campos has been doing for a long time. And he has not met with marked success. Indignant Protests. "'The protests are arising from the representative merchants of Havana. There are some of the richest and most prominent men of the Island in their number. All three parties, rigid as are their lines in other matters, are united on this point. They are old Conserva- tives who have long stood for almost anything, provided Spain was uppermost ; the Reformists who demand more and want certain liberties for Cuba, and the Autonomists, who claim that they would retain Spanish sovereignty, but want Cuba to largely govern herself with an autonomy in reality, which Spain has in the past promised, but never fulfilled. These protests may move Campos to change his methods, even if he can devise any change that is promising, but it is probable that if any concerted effort is made to close the business places of Havana, he will deal summarily with the men who engage in it. " He has manifested a disposition to do this already. When the railroad companies decided to suspend operations, he called the general manager before him. In a stormy interview which occurred, Campos, it is declared, said, ' If you attempt to do so, I'll seize all your property and use it for our own facilities.' The reply is said to 7b DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. have been : ' We wish you would if it will end the war. But the Government has not protected us ; many of our engines are wrecked, our cars burned or destroyed in derailments, viaducts and tracks torn up, we can go no further alone without being ruined.' " Thus it will be seen that there was widespread dissatisfaction with General Campos. To add to the general discontent, news came of another success gained by the insurgents. The details of the taking of the seaport Cabanas, on the north coast, west of Havana, were now coming in and being discussed in the city with more than usual interest. Of course it indicated that nearly all that was heard at first was more or less untrue. The burning of so many buildings in the large town of Bejucal, almost in sight of Havana, was given less importance now than the Cabanas incident, because Cabanas is a sea- port, and the contention from the beginning was that the rebels had never taken a seaport, or at least one of any importance. Wild Charge of Cavalry. Gomez, it was now known, descended upon the town and demanded its surrender. The garrison refused. The gunboat " Alerta " was in the bay, and there were marines on shore for their assistance. Gomez's lieutenant, a dashing young fellow of about thirty, was fired on when he approached with the message, but he retired jeering at the soldiers who fired so wildly that not one shot took effect. Gomez's cavalry, it is said about 2,000 strong, descended with a rush on the city, and, invading the streets, drove the Spanish troops into the church. The firing was resumed from the roof and tower of the church, but Gomez's men succeeded in setting fire to the structure, and the regu- lars were forced to surrender. Meanwhile the gunboat also retired. It stopped farther out in the bay, and, according to the Spanish reports, " placed several perfectly directed shells into the city, doing terrible execution." Gomez retired after he had sacked the town and burned a part of it, having taken 11,000 rounds of ammunition and a considerable quantity of arms. Despite the demonstration made over the marksmanship displayed by their gunboat, the gov- DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. 79 ernment reported that only two rebels had been killed. No mention was made in the official reports about the loss on the Spanish side. These details were not reassuring in Havana, because it was said by one of the leading Spanish residents of the city : " Gomez began by simply burning some cane fields in the far eastern end of the Island. Then he began to destroy great estates. Then he moved all over the Island. He began to burn little villages, and now he is not only taking such places as Bejucal, with 8,000 inhabitants, but has captured a seaport, occupied it as long as he wished and retired with rich booty. It is bad and growing worse. Great things must be done at once." Another Important Capture. In addition to this, word came into the city that another important town of 3,000 population had been taken and burned. Although Gomez was supposed to be still east of Havana, since his escape through " the wall " of men across the narrow part of the island, the town was San Jose de la Yeargas, west of Havana, in the province of Pinar del Rio, which Gomez invaded when his capture was planned. The report was even admitted as a " rumor " by some of the Spanish, whose admission that a rumor is circulating does not generally occur until after the exaggerated reports which the Cubans have been spreading have pretty generally been accepted as carrying more or less fact. It was said that the town was partially destroyed after the garrison had been driven out, and that the loss of life on both sides was small. The truth about Gomez's successful operations within sight, almost, of Havana had not been permitted to go out by cable. He had been so successful that amazement hardly expressed the feeling of the Spanish. About ten days before this the statement reached the world that Campos had Gomez trapped ; that the rebels had left the mountains at last and entered the open country in the narrow western province of Havana, on their way into the extreme western province of Pinar del Rio ; that Campos had thrown " a wall of men " suddenly across the Island west of Havana from near Guanajay to the south coast and had hemmed in Gomez and his " band of raiders/' cutting 80 DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. them off from their eastern strongholds, so that it was only a question of days before the whole outfit would be shot down or the residue marched into Havana with a bayonet at every man's back. It was not made clear why Campos was in Havana when Gomez was crossing the open country back of the city. The Spanish said he stayed in the city because it was necessary to the laying of the trap. The Cubans pointed to the reason in the short campaign which Campos made some days before. His generals had been receiving his daily instructions to " go out and find the rebels ; hunt them up and make them fight." They had been coming home empty-handed so long that he became dissatisfied and went out, saying : " I'll show you how." He went eastward with a considerable column and met Gomez himself at Mai Tiempo. There was not a pitched battle, but some severe fighting occurred with the rear-guard, Gomez avoiding a decisive issue by his peculiar tactics in battle. At any rate Campos moved his headquarters next night toward Havana " fell back," the Cubans called it. Campos called it an " advantageous change in the base of operations." Pell Back to Havana. The rebels continued their skirmishing and there were encounters where a couple of thousand men on each side were engaged, and the next night Campos fell back again. The next day came no change. It began to look as if Campos experienced less trouble than his generals in finding rebels, and for the third time Campos moved his quarters back nearer Havana. The next day he arrived in the city. The Cubans said that Campos on his arrival was unstrung, that he declared the situation graver than he had before believed it to be. Some who were in the streets watching the return of the troops con- firmed this, or refused to discuss it. And the Spanish said that Campos returned because he believed that Havana was to be attacked by the insurgents, and the defense of only 20,000 troops made it necessary for him to throw his column into the city at once. The Cubans called this a retreat. It was when Campos was in the city, whatever the real cause may DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. 81 have been, that Gomez came within a dozen miles of Havana, burning villages and plantations right and left, cutting the railroad lines as he had been doing further out, and driving out after disarming the gar- risons he found defending them. When Gomez got into the west he found the whole country ready to receive him. He was soon joined by more of his troops, and while all accounts vary it is fairly probable that he had 4,000 cavalry with him when Campos threw the " wall of men " across the island, and the censor permitted it to be announced to the world that the trap had been sprung. The Garrison Surrenders. The trap was still set, but Gomez passed "the wall," captured Bejucal, a town of 8,000 people only twelve miles south of the city, and was again east of Havana. Various reports were coming in about the taking of the city, most of them agreeing only that Campos left a strong garrison there, that it surrendered with slight resistance, and that the railroad station in the centre of the city, with thirty-five buildings, was burned. There was not the slightest doubt in Havana after the capture of Bejucal and the new move of Gomez occurred, that information of the movements of Gomez's generals indicated the gathering of ten or twelve thousand insurgent cavalry within the provinces of Matanzas and Havana. The Spanish, in the information which they permitted Havana to receive, but cut off from the rest of the world, made no concealment of tfieir alarm, although they would not of course permit any ex- pression of just what they feared would occur. Yet they declared that they wished for nothing so much as a chance for a decisive battle. Meanwhile, divisions of the Cuban army were apparently hurrying eastward to join Gomez. That they were doing so for some other purpose than to rescue Gomez was apparent from the nature of their progress. Gomez had no difficulty in carrying to a successful issue his western campaign and went back through "the wall" out of the trap without even one battle. Now, the troops he left behind had been ordered to join Maceo, and the first of them reached Matanzas under General Cespedes. They were less than one hundred and fifty miles 6 82 DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. from Havana. Generals Jose Maceo and Rabi, with other divisions between Puerto Principe and Santa Clara, moved all in the same direction toward Gomez, but their progress was not made as if they had in mind at any time a fear for Gomez's safety while west of Havana. The Cubans said 25,000 mounted men were in these divisions. They may have had 10,000, but the insurgents were almost without exception finely mounted. Furthermore, they controlled all the railroads in Cuba. They cut up the lines, burned bridges, destroyed rolling-stock, and ruined the business of the roads. Within a few hours they notified the engi- neers and conductors of the trains still moving on a few sections that they would be shot if they carried Spanish troops again. No Protection from the Government. The Spanish troops might man their own trains ; but the first event to follow the new order was the announcement that the rail- road companies would no longer attempt to repair their tracks or viaducts. They lost all their traffic and spent thousands upon thousands of dollars in repairing breaks, but the Spanish Govern- ment neither protected them nor gave them even a Spanish promise to pay the loss. Of course, considering the claim that the Cubans were rioters and raiders, and that actual war did not exist, the com- pany expected the protection of the State from rioters. From this time on the railroads were solely in the hands of ^the Spanish Government, theoretically; of the insurgents, practically. This action of the companies, which are largely owned by foreign investors, is received in Havana as significant of more than the mere deserting of a losing enterprise. With affairs at this point the question at once arose whether the event for which all the world was waiting, the capture of Havana, was possible for Gomez, and whether Gomez would make the attempt Gomez, in all probability, could have taken Havana. It is just as certain that Gomez knew the chances of his success in an attack. The question to be settled was whether he wished to do so. He had done about everything he had said he would do since the DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. 83 first wave of the revolution gathered itself at the eastern end of the Island in February, 1895, for the sweep it had just finished in the western extremity. Yet he did not hold one large city. One hun- dred and thirteen thousand Spanish soldiers from abroad and 80,000 volunteers from the Island (according to the Spanish official figures) were holding the cities and towns of greater importance in every province. Gomez had not made serious efforts to capture any of the strongly garrisoned places. He filled the very streets and houses of the cities, however, with smoke from the blazing plantations outside, and passed and repassed with his troops in sight of the Spanish colors, but the Spanish defended the cities successfully, they said. A Most Successful Advance. Gomez has never attacked, them. He may have exhibited great wisdom in not doing so. The Spanish say he did. Gomez always disappointed Campos. His progress from Cape Maysi to Cape San Antonio had been so successful, so skillful in tactics, so resourceful in avenues of retreat when they were temporarily necessary, and his objects were so uniformly attained, that it will be one of the greatest chapters in a new nation's history of its birth. The ease and apparent lack of seriousness with which he walked into Campos' trap and then walked out again is but one of a score of instances showing how his generalship proved to be more suitable to the exigencies of Cuban warfare than that of his enemies. Therefore no reason exists for accepting the supposition of the Spanish that Havana was secure from attack so long as all the other cities on the Island were safe in Spanish possession. And a part of the alarm which was felt in Havana following the unexpected massing of Gomez's armies was due to the suspicion that he would possibly again execute exactly the opposite move from what the Spanish generals anticipated. The foregoing facts and circumstances will give the reader a clear idea of the reasons which led to the recall of General Campos. He was unable to suppress the revolution, which had taken a firm hold on a large part of the Island. The more insurgents he condemned 84 DOWNFALL OF GENERAL CAMPOS. and executed, the more came forward to fill their places and risk everything in the cause of freedom. In many instances when he suc- ceeded in getting into close quarters with his foes, they eluded him and slipped from his grasp. The home government grew impatient and began openly to proclaim his incompetency. Realizing this and feeling that he was unequal to the task assigned him, General Campos signified his willingness to retire from the field. The government at Madrid believed that his measures were not sufficiently severe and thorough. It was much easier three thousand miles away to imagine how a war should be carried on than it was to win the battles on the ground. With a public demonstra- tion and a show of regret General Campos left the Island. CHAPTER VII. General Weyler in Cuba. THERE was a good deal of consternation in Cuban circles when it was announced that General Weyler was to be made Captain- General, and would soon appear to take charge of the Spanish army, and would suppress the revolution with a strong hand. He had been in Cuba before. He was there during the ten years' war, beginning in 1868. He gained the reputation of being an active, spirited commander. He also gained the reputation of being a butcher. His bloody acts followed him. It was believed that hi reputation for wholesale butchery was the sole reason for his being sent to Cuba at this time. But where were all the loud boasts of General Campos and Spanish officials that the fires of the revolution would soon be quenched and it would require but a few months to restore the Island to peace and tranquillity ? It was plain that the insurrection was working mightily in the blood of the people. The sense of v/rong, the memory of cruel deeds, a long and wearying oppression, the im- poverished condition of the Island had stirred the spirit of Cuban patriots. So, at the end of a year's conflict, Cuba was still in armsi fighting for independence. The steamer "Alfonso XIII." arrived at Havana, Feb. 10, 1896, having on board General Valeriano Weyler, the new Captain-General of Cuba ; and Generals Enrique, Barges, Federico, Ochando, Miguel Melguiso, Marquis Ahumada, Luis Castellvi, Sanchez Bernal and Juan Arolas, the latter being the well-known hero of Jolo, Philippine Islands. The entire city was brilliantly decorated in honor of the occasion, and the bay was a splendid sight, all the warships and merchant craft present being decorated with bunting. The wharfs were crowded 85 GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. 87 with people at an early hour, and all the steamers and tugs were loaded with sight-seers. The Chamber of Commerce, the Bourse, all the big commercial houses and Government Departments, the Canar- ian Association, General Weyler's countrymen and others, crowded upon the chartered steamers or about the landing-place. The troops and volunteers were turned out to a man, together with the fire department and police, and for a long time io suda brilliant display had been witnessed in Havana. Among the high military officers present were Generals Suarez Valdez, Pando, Marin and Nevarro, Admiral Yanas and staff, Colonel Castanedo, Major Moriano and many others. Enthusiastic Welcome. General Weyler was welcomed by the City Council on board the " Alfonso XIII." He was presented with an address of welcome and assurance of loyalty. At 1 1 o'clock the Captain-General came ashore, and was received by General Marin and staff. The streets were packed with people, who displayed the greatest enthusiasm. In fact, rarely has a distinguished person been received so warmly as was General Weyler when he landed. There is no doubt that con- siderable real enthusiasm was manifested, in addition to the greet- ings which would naturally be bestowed upon the representative of Spain. The balconies in all the streets about the water-front and in the vicinity of the Palace were full of ladies in holiday attire, and they showered flowers upon the new commander as he passed. Besides, numerous floral offerings of the most beautiful description, prin- cipally in the shape of crowns, were presented to the General, who expressed his thanks in each case in a few brief words. He seemed to be much pleased with his reception, and upon arriving at the Palace formally took over the duties of the captain-generalship, tak- ing the oath of fealty over a crucifix and upon a Bible. General Marin administered the oath of office, and soon afterward he received the local military and civil authorities, the different corporations and the bishops and priests. The German warships which were in the harbor saluted tf 8S GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. arrival of General Weyler, as did all the Spanish warships in port and the forts ashore. The Loyalists, of course, were out in the strongest force possible ; but it may be said that the entire popula- tion of Havana turned out, and hardly a representative of the ship- ping or business interests of the city failed to make the day a holiday. After the reception of the local military and civil authori- ties, corporations and clergy was completed, General Weyler ap- peared upon the balcony of the Palace and reviewed the troops. His appearance before the public was the signal for a long outburst of the most enthusiastic cheering, the firing of cannon and the sound of martial music, all the bands in the city being stationed at different points. In addition to the inhabitants of the city proper thousands of people flocked into the city from all directions before daybreak. Restrictions upon the Press. Accompanying General Weyler were Captains Gelaber and Lin- ares, who are known as " military editors." They were to have charge of the press censorship, and it was rumored that there would be considerably more difficulty experienced in this connection by the correspondents in the future. The press regulations had been con- siderably relaxed, and not much difficulty had been experienced in getting average matter upon the cable. But, it was thought the new Captain-General would be very severe with correspondents who sent false accounts of Cuban successes or in any way brought about the pub- lication of false news. By this it was not meant that General Weyler intended to interfere with the proper liberty which the press can be allowed in war-time. It really meant only that he would do every- thing possible to prevent the sending out of news undoubtedly false. A disinterested observer of the situation wrote as follows under date of Feb. 10, 1896: " So far as the general situation is concerned, there is not much change. Indeed, no change of importance is expected for some days. General Weyler will first devote himself to a complete review of the operations already undertaken, and he will then figure out the situation as it actually exists. For this purpose, almost immediately GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. 89 after taking the oath of fealty, he caused orders to be sent to all the commanders in the field to draw up promptly and forward to head- quarters here complete returns of the condition of their commands, together with the state of railroads, telegraphs and public thorough- fares and the probable location and strength of the enemy in their neighborhoods. Weyler Seeks to Learn the Situation. " This action upon the part of General Weyler is supplementary to the regular report and returns which were handed over to him by General Marin after the new Captain-General had been sworn in. While it is no reflection upon General Marin or the other Spanish commanders here or in other parts of Cuba, the Captain-General took this step in order thoroughly to go over the ground himself, and possibly in view of the sensational reports which have been cir- culated by agents of the insurgents and others to the effect that large quantities of stores, arms and ammunition are missing from the dif- ferent depots and have found their way into the hands of the insur- gents. Between this and the tales of wholesale dishonesty circulated here and elsewhere there is quite a difference, and nobody here believes that there has been any treachery of importance. " General Marin, who has been appointed Captain-General of Porto Rico, is expected to leave for his new post to-morrow. The exact plan of campaign of General Weyler is not known, but it is believed that it will be a very different one from that of Campos. He is likely to call in all of the small detachments of troops, which have from the first had such a weakening effect upon the Spanish operations, and will try to drive the insurgents into a position from which they cannot escape without a pitched battle. General Weyler will also do everything possible to muster as strong a force of cavalry as he can. Considerable reinforcements of this branch of the service have already arrived here, and more are expected during the week. " Some reports credit the insurgents with desiring to concentrate all their scattered detachments and columns into one body, and so bring the insurrection to a direct issue. But Spaniards here who are 90 GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. well posted on the situation say that there is no truth in the report th.it the insurgents will make any effort to risk a pitched battle." Captain-General Weyler clearly defined the policy he intended to pursue in the conduct of the campaign for the suppression of the insurrection. Before he had been at Havana many hours he issued the following proclamation : "To the People of Cuba: Honored by Her Majesty, the Queen, and her Government, with the command of this Island, under the difficult circumstances now prevailing, I take charge of it with the determination that it shall never be given up by me, and that I shall keep it in the possession of Spain, willing as she is to carry out whatever sacrifice shall be required to succeed, as she has been in the past. " I rely upon the gallantry and discipline of the army and navy, upon the patriotism, never to be subdued, of the volunteer corps, and more especially upon the support that I should be given by the loyal inhabitants, born here or in Spain. " It is not necessary to say that I shall be generous with the sub- dued and to all of those doing any service to the Spanish cause. But I will not lack in the decision and energy of my character to punish with all the rigor that the law enacts those who in any way shall help the enemy, or shall calumniate the prestige of our name. " Putting aside at present any idea of politics, my mission is the honorable one of finishing the war, and I only see in you the loyal Spaniards who are to assist me to defeat the insurgents. But her Majesty's Government is aware of what you are and of what you are worthy, and the status of peace that these provinces may obtain. It will grant you, when it is deemed suitable to do so, the reforms the Government may think most proper, with tne love of a mother to her children. " Inhabitants of Cuba, lend me your co-operation and in that way you will defend your interests, which are those of the country. " Long live Spanish Cuba ! " Your General and Governor, "VALERIANO WEYLER, " Marquis of Teneriffe." GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. 91 To the Volunteers and Firemen. General Weyler also offered the following address : " Volunteers and Firemen : Being again at your head, I see in you the successors of the volunteers and firemen who fought with me in the previous war, and, with their bravery, energy and patriotism, brought about peace, defended the towns and cities and contributed most powerfully to save Cuba for Spain. Remember these virtues brighten your spirits, and, relying on my whole attention, my decisive support and my utmost confidence, lend me the same help and co- operation, and with the same ambition, save the prestige of your name and the honor of our flag, which, forever victorious, should fly over this Island. " Soldiers of the army, I greet you in the name of Her Majesty, the Queen, and of the Government. Having the honor of being at your head, I trust that at my command you will continue to show the bravery in face of hardships proper for the Spanish soldier, and that you will confer new wreaths to add to those already attained under the command of my predecessors, Generals Martinez Campos and Sabas Marin. " On my part, answering to the great sacrifice made by the nation and using the efforts of all arms and bodies in the work entrusted to each of the organic units, I will not omit anything to place you in the condition for obtaining the victory and the return of peace to this Island, which is what she longs for. " Sailors, I have again the satisfaction to be at your side, and I again trust that, as in Mindanao recently, you will lend me your powerful co-operation- to bring peace to this Island. Thus I expect surely that you will afford me a new chance to express my thanks and my enthusiasm to the Spanish navy." To the Military Officers. The following circular of General Weyler was addressed to the military officers : " I have addressed my previous proclamations at the moment of 92 GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. my landing to the loyal inhabitants, to the volunteers and nremen, and to the army and navy. " I may give you a slight idea of the intentions I have and the measures I shall follow as Governor-General-in-Chief, in accordance with the general desire of Spain and with the decided aim of Her Majesty's Government to furnish all the means required to control and crush this rebellion. " Knowing this, and knowing my character, I may perhaps need to say no more to make you understand what is the conduct that I am to follow. But with the idea of avoiding all kinds of doubt, even keeping (as you are to keep) the circulars to be published, I deem it necessary to make some remarks. Determined to Aid the Local Governments. " It is not unknown by you that the state in which the rebellion has come and the raid made by the principal leaders recently, which could not be stopped even by the active pursuit of the columns, is due to the indifference, the fear or the disheartenment of the inhabi- tants. Since it cannot be doubted that some, seeing the burning of their property without opposition, and that others, who have been born in Spain, should sympathize with the insurgents, it is necessary at all hazards to better this state of things and to brighten the spirit of the inhabitants, making them aware that I am determined to lend all my assistance to the local inhabitants. So I am determined to have the law fall with all its weight upon all those in any way helping the enemy, or praising them, or in any way detracting from the prestige of Spain, of its army, or of its volunteers. It is necessary for those by our side to show their intentions with deeds, and their behavior should prove that they are Spanish. " Since the defence of the country demands the sacrifice of her children, it is necessary that the towns should look to their defence, and that no precautions in the way of scouts should be lacking to give news concerning the enemy, and whether it is in their neighbor- hood, and so that it may not happen that the enemy ihoMld be better informed than we. GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. 93 " The energy and vigor of the enemy will be strained to trace the course of our line, and in all cases you will arrest and place at my disposal to deliver to the courts those who in any way shall show their sympathy or support for the rebels. " The public spirit being heatened, you must not forget to enlist the volunteers and guerrillas in your district, this not preventing at the same time the organization, as opportunity offers, of a guerrilla band of twenty-five citizens for each battalion of the army. " I propose that you shall make the dispositions you think most proper for the carrying out of the plan I wish, but this shall not authorize you to determine anything not foreseen in the instructions, unless the urgency of some circumstances should demand it. " I expect that, confining yourself to these instructions, you will lend me your worthy support towards the carrying out of my plan for the good of the Spanish cause. WEYLER." The People Alarmed. It was considered that General Weyler's Proclamation was poorly adapted to quiet the storm of revolution. When it was announced that he was coming, an alarm amounting almost to terror spread among the Cubans in the provinces, and every day that brought his landing nearer increased the panic. In two days fifteen hundred peo- ple fled to Matanzas from the country south. Others came into Havana from all directions. In Sabanilla, after the Spanish garrison had killed the men to whom amnesty had been granted, in revenge for their losses and defeat by the insurgents, a reign of terror began in the city. Women dared not leave their homes. In many cases they were dragged out by the Spanish and by the drunken rabble of the town, who had license given to them at the same time that protection was withdrawn from the homes. The whole matter was laid before the Captain-General, but he took no measure of relief. A committee of citizens came to Havana from Jovellanos, another place where the same sort of murdering had been going on. It was composed of both Spanish and Cubans. They had no sooner returned 94 GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. unsuccessful in their mission to General Marin than the inhabitants began to leave, and more than half the population deserted the city. The alarm spread to other places, and not without cause. Arrests ot ' suspects " were made in every town where there was a Spanish garrison. In Havana " suspects " were taken every day. Of a sus- pect's fate only one thing could be learned from the officials " He was incommunicado." That meant that he was buried from the world. No one but the Spanish officers were then permitted to see him, and unless his arrest was observed by some one who knew him, not one word ever reached a friend or family to explain the cause of his disappearance. The military executions are not public unless the victim is a " rebel chief" or a cause exists for a display. To be a " suspect " it is only necessary to be a " sympathizer," and " sympathy " is not defined. In a published statement made by Weyler just before he embarked for Cuba he is quoted as saying : " I will be inexorable toward spies and sympathizers," and he also omitted to draw the line. In Cuba it does not mean to extend aid or comfort. Large Number of Arrests. In five days there were forty-seven arrests in Pinar del Rio " on suspicion." From Jovellanos in Matanzas Province six hundred peo- ple fled because thirty-six " suspects " were arrested in two days. Some of these refugees reached Havana, and their story was that six of the prisoners were marched out of the city at night, that firing was heard, and that the guard returned without them. The friends of the victims were too much terrified to manifest their sympathy or attempt to recover the bodies, for fear of being themselves apprehended as suspects. From Santiago people came to Havana with the same reports. At Hoyo Colorado, between Havana and Guanajay, the Spanish garrison took seventy-nine suspects within a few days. This town was peace- ably held by the Cuban army for several days, and while the insur- gents were there they hung some of the dissolute characters in the place, who had used their presence as an excuse for crime. After GENERAL WEYLER IN CUBA. 95 their retirement the Spanish moved in, and the wholesale arrests began. Before General Weyler set out from Spain a cablegram from Madrid was published in the Havana newspapers quoting him as saying: " I desire the insurgents to remain in Havana and Pinar del Rio, because there the ground is suitable for wiping them out. I believe that suspects are quite right in fleeing from Havana, and when I arrive many more will go." It is significant that the newspapers of Havana in which the military censor caused this to be printed dis- played the statement in black full-face type. It is noteworthy that when Weyler was named as a possible suc- cessor to Captain-General Arias in 1894, Campos, who was not a can- didate for the office the choice lying between Weyler and Calleja said : " If Weyler is nominated even the dead would rise from their graves to protest." Calleja was appointed because affairs in Cuba were already becoming unsettled, and the Spanish Ministry feared that Weyler's name alone would be dangerous to all interests. When- ever such methods were urged upon Campos, while he was in Cuba, he steadfastly resisted, and declared that humanity had a call upon any nation's acts in warfare. CHAPTER VIII. Horrible Story of Barbarity. JUST previous to General Weyler's arrival some startling fact:, came out concerning the battle at Paso Real, between General Luque and General Maceo's division under Bermudez, Zayas ana Chileno. From an official Spanish source and also from citizens of Paso Real, who were eye-witnesses of the battle, it was learned that the hospital was invaded, the wounded rebels killed, some of them in their beds, and that when the thirty-seven Spanish prisoners, taken in the battle outside the town, were about to be taken away, Bermudez, in retaliation for the butchery of his sick, ordered a line to be formed, and the thirty-seven were pinioned and shot. The Cubans told a horrifying tale of the fight, and declared that the hospital was the real scene of which Luque wrote in his report : " I had the satisfaction of seeing at the end of the day sixty-two rebels dead." Paso Real had been used for seventeen days as the insurgent hospital. Maceo had left all his wounded there when he moved into Havana province to operate with Gomez. The surrounding country was free, practically, from Spanish forces, except Luque's command in Pinar del Rio City. Maceo counted upon reaching the people with protection if they were threatened, and when word came to him that Luque had left for Paso Real, he sent Bermudez with 1,000 cavalry to hold the town. Luque, as he said in his report, marched twenty-seven hours, almost continuously, and when he reached Paso Real, he found only a small garrison there. His report says : " The rebels made a strong defense, firing from the tops of houses and along the fences around the city. The Spanish vanguard, under Colonel Hernandez, attacked the vanguard, centre and rear-guard of the rebels in the central streets of the town, driving them with con- 96 98 HORRIBLE STORY OF BARBARITY. tinuous volleys and fierce cavalry charges into the outskirts of the town." And all this is true. Then General Luque says specifically that " up to this point we had killed ten insurgents." And there the citizens of Paso Real say that the report is also true, but that, having driven the insurgents out, the hospital was attacked, and twenty-eight men, or thirty-two (the accounts vary between these two figures), were killed. They declare that shots were fired through the windows upon men lying in cots, and that, when the doors were broken down, the rest were killed with the bayonet. A Spirited Fight. General Luque's report continues : " As Colonel Hernandez was pursuing them (the insurgents) out of the city, he encountered 1,000 cavalry drawn up in line of battle ready to attack him." This was Bermudez and his cavalry, who had come up at that moment. A Spanish officer who was in this fight said : " It was as hot as any fight we have ever had in this war. It seemed twice as if they were piling all over us. We just kept on firing, and I could see men going down on both sides. Sometimes we couldn't see anything for the smoke, but when it cleared the men only dropped so much faster that we wanted it back again. I came away at once when the fight was over, and I don't know what the losses were, but they must have been very large on both sides." Of this the report says : " The Spanish forces advanced from one position to another, firing volleys. They were met by the enemy, whose cavalry charged, coming as far as the bayonet points of the Spanish soldiers. The first time we repelled them in straight lines, the second time in circular groups." From anything but a Spanish standpoint this peculiar progression of tactics would indicate that the Spanish straight lines were very seriously broken, and that the " cir- cular groups " which followed were either accident or necessity, but General Luque says that it really meant that " the rebels were thus utterly dispersed and retreated in the direction of Palacios." This part of the day's conflict was where the thirty-seven HORRIBLE STORY OF BARBARITY. 99 Spanish were made prisoners. It was after the fight that Bermudez learned what had occurred in the town, and then he shot them and left their bodies on the ground, where they were buried that night by the Spanish, all in one grave. General Luque reported this fight as a great victory. There are Spanish school histories which say Nelson's fleet was defeated at Trafalgar. The Spanish newspapers at Havana were still referring to " the most glorious victory at Los Arrovos," where in the early fall one of their strong forces was utterly defeated, and the official Spanish report of Campos' defeat and retreat from Mai Tiempo still reads, " Our side had but seventeen killed." A Disastrous Campaign. Under date of February 8th, we have an account of the operations of the Spanish General Sabas Marin, who left Havana a short time before. His campaign in search of General Gomez was disastrous, and the official reports of Spanish victories were misleading. There were losses on both sides, but Marin accomplished absolutely nothing of what he intended to achieve. The first misfortune which overtook the Spaniards was the rout of Carnellas, on the very day on which Marin left Havana. Canellas left Guanajay in the morning with 1,500 infantry. His rout was known to Gomez, who sent Pedro Diaz with 400 infantry and 1,000 cavalry to engage him at the Saladrigas plantation, while the main army moved safely eastward, a few miles to the south. It was Gomez's intention to come up in the rear of Marin between the Captain-General's forces and the Spanish line. Diaz reached Saladrigas early in the morning. Near the road the land is cut into small sections by stone fences, and a high fence fronted by a ditch faces the road. Just beyond this point is a sharp hill, around which the road turns. Behind the hill Diaz waited in concealment with the 1,000 cavalry for the sound of firing from the 400 infantry who were hidden behind the fence where Canellas was to pass. Nearly three hours they were lying there, when the head of the Spanish column appeared. The advance guard was allowed to pass, and the main body was completely in the trap when volleys 100 HORRIBLE STORY OF BARBARITY. were poured into them, fairly mowing them down. Canellas made a brave stand and attempted to dislodge the rebels, but his men were panic-stricken, and some of them had fled before he had his force under control. As the first charge was being made Diaz came down upon his THE OLD FORT HAVANA. flank and rear with the thousand cavalry. The onslaught was irre- sistible. Half of Diaz's men never fired a shot, but howling " Machete ! " they rode furiously upon the Spanish lines, cutting their way through with the ugly weapon of which they are such masters. Diaz had not placed enough men behind the wall to hold it, and the Spanish succeeded in gaining it after a hot struggle. They were but little better off, however, as the insurgents took cover behind another fence on the opposite side of the field. Again they were dislodged and forced back, while from the first position about half of Canellas' force withstood the cavalry. Diaz, sheltered in under- brush and woods, kept up a scattered firing for over two hours, and then withdrew. That night Canellas remained on the battle-ground. As soon as HORRIBLE STORY OF BARBARITY. 101 Diaz was gone, picket lines were thrown out and the burying of the dead began. It was midnight when Canellas resumed his march toward San Antonio, and when he brought in what was left of his command Marin hastened back with all his force, to the main line and went down to Quivican. No official report of this battle was issued by the Spanish. So far as the record shows it never occurred. A Spanish general admitted that Carnellas lost 200 men. An eye-witness of the fight, who reached Havana that night, said the loss was greater. Gomez's march was thus saved from interruption by Marin. The next day, while Marin was at Quivican, Gomez's forces were near Guira, in the Havana province. Gomez himself was that day at the Mirosa plan- tation, east of the Spanish line, with about 400 men. He had come down from the Bahia Honda district, through the same country Maceo was traversing. Capture of a Railroad Train. Next day, while Marin was moving trains loaded with men out over the branch road toward Guira for another move upon Gomez, occurred the second and by far the most serious of the Spanish disas- ters. It was nothing less. Diaz, until now unheard of as a rebel leader, came in behind Marin and captured a railroad train of twenty- nine cars directly on the trocha, two miles south of San Felipe. He took 1,000 Mauser rifles, 200,000 cartridges, two rapid-fire cannon and killed or captured the whole Spanish escort with the train. Then Marin returned again in all haste to Quivican. This event has been embodied in an official report, but the report agrees neither with what the Spanish permitted to be printed in the Havana papers nor with the facts which were collected down the line. The rebels tore up the rails for a space of 300 yards. They were unmolested, as the Spanish had no idea that they would venture " into the face of death," as they say when referring to the trocha. Furthermore, Marin was out toward Guira, again engaged in sur- rounding Gomez. Diaz, with 400 men, waited for the train in comparative security 102 HORRIBLE STORY OF BARBARITY. until 5 o'clock in the afternoon. It was guarded by only forty-two Spanish soldiers, and they were part in an armored car and part scat- tered along the top of the train. The engine ran on to the broken track and rolled over into the ditch. As soon as it struck, the rebels fired on the train, killing Major Lopez Tovezulla, who was in com- mand, a lieutenant, a sergeant and fourteen of the soldiers. Then the rest surrendered their arms and the insurgents demanded the number of the car in which the rapid-fire cannon were stored. The soldiers declared they were left behind, and then the looting of the train began. When all that the 400 men could carry had been loaded on their horses, and some mules taken from the train had been hitched to the cannon, Gen. Linares, who had heard the firing at San Felipe, came up with 2,000 infantry. The insurgents retired in the direction of Guira without waiting to engage with his force. Linares' men managed to save eight of the cars with part of their freight. The other twenty-two were burned, having been fired by the rebels. The train had one of the richest freights which had gone down the road in a long time. It was to be put on a steamer and sent to several ports on the south coast. The insurgents not only knew the exact time of its passing, but of its contents, and the " Diario de la Marina," the Spanish newspaper in Havana, gravely requested in its leading editorial that Gen. Marin investigate to discover how the insurgents became informed and take precautions to prevent the repetition of such an unseemly occur- rence. The Spanish official report said that the Spanish guard did not surrender, and that they retained their arms. The only arms Gen. Linares brought back to San Felipe which he did not take out were some old shot-guns, muskets and muzzle-loading rifles. The Cubans declare that these were thrown away by the rebels when they secured the Mausers, and they are strong evidence that this Cuban version is the true one. CHAPTER IX. Men and Arms for Cuba. FROM the beginning of the Cuban uprising constant attempts have been made to supply the insurgents with arms and ammunition from our own country. Secret agents were at work in many places, and Spanish spies were equally active. It was well understood that several expeditions had succeeded in effecting a landing in Cuba, and the supplies thus furnished had been of material help to General Gomez and his troops. Our government officials, while sympathizing with the cause of Cuba, were nevertheless active in preventing the shipment of arms. But a sea-coast as long as ours, with a great number of ports, has afforded ample opportunity for expeditions to be fitted out secretly, and it seems impossible for Spanish gunboats to prevent entirely the Cuban army from obtaining supplies from outside sources. The following account of the seizure of a vessel will be of interest to the reader : The iron steamer " Bermuda," flying the British flag, was boarded and seized by New York revenue officers off Liberty Island late on the night of Feb. 24. The " Bermuda " had been under the watch of Spanish spies for some time. They had reason to believe that she had been bought by Cuban revolutionists and was fitting out as a filibuster. She had been anchored off Liberty Island for several days, and there was evidence that she was preparing for sea. At 1 1 P. M., just after a large party of Cubans had gone aboard, the revenue cutter " Hudson " steamed alongside, and a boarding party arrested all on the " Bermuda." At midnight the revenue cutter " Chandler " started down the bay to catch a lighter loaded with ammunition and look for another party of Cubans who had started to board the " Bermuda." The " Bermuda " was an English-built steamer formerly running in 103 104 MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. the Outerbridge Line. She was purchased by a firm suspected of being in league with the revolutionary party. She was recently taken to the coal docks at Port Liberty, and there coaled up. Then she went to the Liberty Island anchorage. When the tug ran along- side the marshals and Pinkerton men swarmed aboard. No resistance was offered by the frightened crew and Cubans, who had just come aboard. Every man was seized. Among the captives were General Garcia and several other prominent Cubans. Several bags of gold were seized by the marshals and a quantity of ammunition. Revolutionists Arrested. General Calixto Garcia and about sixty other of the leading spirits in the Cuban revolutionary cause were brought to the Federal Building. The warrant upon which the 200 Cuban revolutionists were taken into custody was drawn in accordance with the section of the Federal Revised Statutes, which is a portion of what is known as the " Neutrality Act." A great many of the prisoners found on the " Bermuda " and the two tug-boats were survivors of the expedition which left the New Haven river a month before on the " J. W. Hawkins," which sunk off the south shore of Long Island, a number of men going down with the wreck. Afterward the filibusters were watched by spies employed by the Spanish and United States governments. The surveillance led to the discovery that General Garcia and his followers had pur- chased the " Bermuda " to take a large company of insurgents to Cuba, with arms and ammunition. The " Bermuda," which had been granted clearance papers at the custom house to Santa Martha, United States of Colombia, was making ready to leave port when United States Marshals McCarthy and Kennedy made their raid. The steam lighter " Stranahan," which had left one of the Brooklyn piers, was seized, the ammunition in boxes, which was concealed beneath piles of cord-wood, and on the " Bermuda " were found several bags of gold coin. The prisoners were released because their arrest was in violation of the instructions sent out from Washington by Attorney-General MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. 105 Harmon, that suspicion merely was not sufficient ground for arrest, but that evidence of intention to violate the neutrality laws was required. The trial of Captain Wiborg, First Mate Petersen and Second Mate Johansen, of the steamship " Horsa," on the charge of begin- ning a military expedition, to carry men and arms to Cuba, to aid ff MARINE WHARF HAVANA. the insurrection against Spain, was held in Philadelphia in the latter part of February, before Judge Butler in the United States District Court. In the course of the proceedings, District Attorney Ingham called for the production by Captain Wiborg of the charter under which the " Horsa " made the trip from Philadelphia to Port Antonio, during which the alleged offence was said to have been committed. Mr. Ker, counsel for the defence, contended that if the " Horsa " was more than three miles out from the shore at Barnegat, when the men and ammunition were taken on board, the alleged offence did not come within the jurisdiction of the United States. The Judge said that if it was proven that the defendants did not 106 MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. know where the men were going he would affirm the point. In reply District Attorney Ingham said that he did not rest the United States' case on that question. He relied on the testimony which was heard to show that there was an organization, and that it took place in the United States, and that under it men and arms were taken to Cuba. Testimony of a Fireman. The examination began with Oscar Svensen, one of the " Horsa's " firemen. The witness related that portions of the ship were repainted, and then, coming down to the time when the thirty or forty men were taken on board to be conveyed to Cuba, he said that he told the chief engineer that he did not wish to go along, and desired to go ashore. The witness said that the chief replied that his life was as dear to him as the lives of the witness and the men complaining with him were to them, and that the captain had said it was all right. Svensen said he had taken five trips on the "Horsa;" that he knew Firemen Armstrong and Fredericksen of the vessel ; also that nothing about money was said by the captain when the witness and the men with him had raised objections to going along. Svensen said that some of the men taken on board on one occasion had an exercise. He had heard the cannon fired and saw the smoke. Regarding the boxes said to have contained ammunition, the witness said that a fellow from Jamaica had opened them. The pay of Svensen was $25 per month. To the question when he had first told his story and to whom, the witness answered by the statement that it was two weeks ago, and to a Pinkerton Agency man. The pay he received for giving information and his detention here was $2 per day and board. After some further questioning by counsel, the witness, in answer to a question by the Judge, said that he shipped in Philadelphia, but that he did not know whether the other firemen were employed here or not. Svensen was shown a number of swords and machetes, some of which he designated as " banana snipes." The next witness was Ludwig Gustav Jensen, who was also a fire- man on the " Horsa." Jensen said that he had wanted extra pay to MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. 107 go on the ship, after the thirty or forty men were taken aboard, and spoke to the chief engineer about it. The latter had said that if anybody was to get hung it would be him, the chief engineer, and not the crew. In reply to questions from the Judge, the witness described the cartridge boxes, said he saw six of the men taken on board drill, and described the rifles and guns. The Captain on the Stand. Edward N. Taxis and Herbert Ker testified that the machetes car- ried by the men were to be seen strapped to the w;;i.-,ts or slung over the shoulders of nearly every inhabitant of the West Indies. Mr. Ker also testified that he had taken a trip to Africa on the " Horsa " last March, and was thoroughly familiar with the vessel. He said it was customary to paint the funnels and other portions of the vessel at sea, and he had often seen it done. During his trip to Africa he on one occasion happened to particularly notice the name on the stern of the vessel, and he testified that the name was in brass letters about six or eight inches high, and were raised about one inch. Captain Wiborg was then called as a witness in his own behalf. Before beginning his examination Mr. Ker stated to the court that the mere making of an affidavit by any one in the court-room, who might hear this witness' testimony, would result in his life being for- feited should he ever set foot in Spanish dominion, and he thought it his duty, in order to protect his client as far as possible, to ask the court to forbid the publication of his testimony or to exclude every one from the court-room while he was being examined. Judge Butler said the court was there to try the case according to the evidence, and had nothing to do with the risk the witness took in giving his testimony. He was not compelled to testify, and what- ever evidence he gave would be voluntary, with the full knowledge on the part of the witness of the responsibility he was taking. Captain Wiborg testified that he had been captain of the steamer " Horsa" two years. On the evening of November 9, 1895, he left Philadelphia for Jamaica between 7 and 8 o'clock. Before leaving port the name of the vessel was scraped off the side of the vessel on 108 MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. account of iron rust. He had regular clearance papers. The name of the vessel was also on the stern of the vessel in brass letters or composition. He had two boats and two horses, and a lot of empty boxes and barrels. He received a message to go opposite Barnegat and await orders, which he did. He anchored four or five miles from shore. He anchored because the chief engineer told him part of the machinery was not working properly, and he should keep the ship in smooth water. While there anchored he received a message by tug telling him to take the men and boats on board and deliver the boats to the men when they called for them. The men walked through the port between decks when they boarded his vessel. He then proceeded southward and passed Waterland Island towards Jamaica. This route is called Crooked Island passage. OS the Cuban Coast. In taking this route to Jamaica, the captain said, it was necessary to sail along the coast of Cuba for about six hours. It was when his vessel was about six miles off the Cuban coast that a colored man, who was said to be a pilot, told him to stop the vessel and let the men off. He did so, and the men got into the boats, taking as many boxes as they could carry, and then asked him to tow them in towards shore a bit, which he did. In answer to questions, the witness said that the men did not have the appearance of soldiers, and he had no knowledge that they were going to take part in the war in Cuba. In giving them passage he had obeyed orders, and had no right to refuse them. All told, he said, there were 39 men transferred to the " Horsa/' and they brought a lot of boxes with them. They did not call upon him for meals, but brought their own food with them in the boxes, some of which con- tained canned goods and hardtack. He said the men had guns, but he did not think anything of that, as he had often seen passengers carry guns on his vessel. He saw the cannon which they brought, and at first he thought it was one of his own, as it was very much like them. The captain said that he had two cannons on the " Horsa," MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. 109 one a small brass one, which was used in firing salutes, and the other of considerable size. The following was Judge Butler's charge: " The defendants being, or rather having been at the time in question, officers of the ship, the first as captain, and the others as mates, are indicted jointly and also separately, in which indictments it is charged that ' they, within the territory and jurisdiction of the United States, did begin, set on foot, and provide and prepare the means for a certain military expe- dition and enterprise to be carried on from thence against the terri- tory and dominions of a foreign prince, to wit: Against the Island of Cuba, the said Island being then and there the territory and domin- ions of the King of Spain, the said United States being at peace with the said king, contrary to the Act of Congress in' such case made and provided.' Was it a Military Expedition? "The evidence heard would not justify a conviction of anything more than providing the means for or aiding such military expedition, as by furnishing transportation for the men, their arms, baggage, etc. To convict them you must be fully satisfied by the evidence that a military expedition was organized in this country to be carried out as, and with the object, charged in the bill ; and that the defendants with knowledge of this provided means for its assistance and assisted it as before stated." In commenting on the Judge's decisions, counsel for the defence said : " It has been decided that, ' it is no offence against the laws of the United States to transport arms, ammunition and munitions of war from this country to any foreign country, nor is it any offence to transport persons intending to enlist in foreign armies, and arms and munitions of war on the same ship. In such cases the persons trans- ported and the shipper run the risk of seizure and capture by the foreign power, against whom the arms were to be used.' "The Judge further charges that the putting out of lights and the taking on and transferring of passengers and boxes of arms on the high seas are acts which are perfectly lawful, in order to prevent cap- ture by a Spanish man-of-war. 110 MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA, " If the Spaniards want to stop the landing of arms in Cuba, let them close the ports of the Island. This, of course, they won't do." When the case was given to the jury, they deliberated twelve hours, then brought in a verdict of guilty against Captain Wiborg and his officers, who were sentenced to fines and imprisonment from one year to fifteen months. An appeal was taken, and the men were liberated on bail. What Became of the "Bermuda?" It is necessary at this point to anticipate a little the order of events and state what became of the steamer " Bermuda," referred to in the first part of this chapter. The quiet, easy-going people of Somers Point, N. J., Ocean* City, Beesley's Point and Tuckahoe suddenly awakened, on March 17, to the fact that a big Cuban filibustering expedition has just cleared from their midst without one of them for a moment suspecting what the strange movements of the large body of swarthy-skinned visitors meant. The steamer " Atlantic City " took the Cuban patriots, who reached Tuckahoe on the night of the i6th, out to the famous "Bermuda," which at 6 o'clock sharp gave five shrill signal whistles, announcing that she was awaiting them just off the Great Egg Harbor bar. Three hours afterwards the " Atlantic City " returned to her winter berth at Tuckahoe, having safely transferred her passengers to the " Ber- muda," which promptly steamed away southward. The party con- sisted of General Garcia and his 32 compatriots, who left Philadelphia on the 1 5th, and about 30 other volunteers for Cuban freedom, who joined them in some mysterious way afterward. In a clever manner the Cubans eluded the spies in the employ of Spain, who followed their tug down the Delaware on the night of the 1 5th. The tug started ostensibly for Cape Henlopen, where it was supposed the filibusters were to be put aboard the " Bermuda." The tug led the Spanish spies a merry chase about the Delaware Bay, and then, under cover of a heavy fog, slipped back up the Delaware, unsuspected and unnoticed, reaching Kaighn's Point, Camden, at an early hour on Monday evening, the i6th. Here a special train on MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. Ill the Reading Railroad awaited them, and the Cuban patriots were swiftly borne to Tuckahoe, which is only about eight miles from Great Egg Harbor Bay. When the big party, which was said to have numbered fully 60, arrived at the little Jersey town, they began looking about for some- thing to eat. There was no hotel of any consequence at the place, and, to make matters worse, no stimulants of any kind could be pro- cured. Finally two handsome young Tuckahoe girls, who were on their way home from an evening sociable on the outskirts of the town, attracted the attention of the Cubans, and two of the best look- ing men of the party were delegated to interview them on the " grub " question. Supper for Patriots. The girls readily agreed to prepare supper for them, and were handed $50 each to stimulate them in their efforts to get a hurried meal for the hungry patriots. They were warned not to make any stir over the matter, and to say not a word to their neighbors until the party had left the place. The Cubans ate their late supper in squads, and after liberally complimenting the accommodating girls left the house in the best of humor and quietly boarded the steamer " Atlantic City," which was lying at the wharf, above the drawbridge. The crew of the steamer were asleep at their homes in Tuckahoe, they having no knowledge whatever of the human freight which was taken aboard during their absence by Captain Reuben Young, of the " Atlantic City." Meantime a man claiming to be Captain J. F. R. Gandy, of the steamer " Atlantic City," had journeyed from Tuckahoe to Somers Point, where he called on Deputy Customs Collector James Scull, and made application to have the certificate of inspection of the " Atlantic City" changed, so as to permit that boat to navigate anywhere along the coast within ten miles of the shore. The boat had been in service at the Inlet at Atlantic City in the summer of 1895, being one of the fleet of the Atlantic Coast Steamboat Company, an Atlantic City organization. 112 MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. Captain Gandy informed Deputy Scull that he was in a big hurry to get the papers, and was willing to pay handsomely to have them hurried down to Tuckahoe. On being asked where he was going, he said he was engaged to take a party south, and would leave as soon as the weather would permit. It was still foggy when Captain Gandy reached Somers Point, on Monday morning, and he appeared to be very much irritated at the atmospheric outlook. He made a diligent search for the metropolitan morning papers, and paid any price asked for them. He started back to Tuckahoe by way of Beesley's Point. The inspection papers were mailed on Monday afternoon by Deputy Scull, and could not possibly have reached Tuckahoe before Tuesday morning. General Garcia on Shore. Captain Gandy had inquired if he could not sail without the papers, but was warned by Mr. Scull to wait until they reached him or he might get into trouble. The " Atlantic City " left Tuckahoe however, at 6 o'clock on Tuesday morning, long before the morning mail arrived there. She steamed to Ocean City, which is about five miles off, and anchored in the Ocean City channel. Here the sloop-yacht " Black Ball," Captain S imuel B. Scull, put out to the " Atlantic City " and took a man, who has since been identi- fied as General Garcia, ashore. The General remained on the little wharf, while the sloop carried out several loads of provisions for the consumption of the Cuban patriots aboard the steamer. The fact that Ocean City is a temperance town was a source of serious dis- appointment to the "Atlantic City's" passengers, almost all of whom were shivering with the cold after their cheerless night on the Tuckahoe River. All Tuesday afternoon and night General Garcia and his men anxiously awaited a signal from the " Bermuda," which had left New York on Saturday morning. The cramped quarters aboard the "Atlantic City," and their desire to get away before suspicion was aroused as to the character and destination of the expedition, kept the Cubans in an uneasy state of mind. Not one of them, save MEN AND ARMS FOR CUBA. ng General Garcia, appeared above deck while the " Atlantic City " was anchored in the bay, and no one, not even Captain Scull, of the busy " Black Ball," was allowed aboard. When at last the shrill screeches of the " Bermuda's " whistle resounded over the bay, a stifled cheer came from the impatient Cubans below deck, and all was activity aboard the little pleasure- steamer. The anchor was hastily weighed, and the " Atlantic City " swiftly headed for the open sea. As she cleared the Great Egg Harbor bar the men swarmed on deck, and cheer after cheer went up as they sighted the black hull of the " Bermuda " at a distance. Then, and not till then, did the people of shore towns suspect the true character of the mysterious party of Southern excursionists, as they had been frequently referred to. Previous to that it had been industriously noised about that the *' Atlantic City " had been chartered to take a party of laborers to Cor- son's Inlet, where, it was said, work was to be begun on the proposed new branch of the South Jersey Railroad to Ocean City. The whole details for the transfer of the Cubans from Tuckahoe had evidently been arranged on Saturday, about the time the " Bermuda" left New York. The charter of the Philadelphia tug was a clever ruse to throw the Spanish spies off the track, and evidently worked perfectly in every detail. CHAPTER X. i Imprisonments and Massacres. EARLY in March the prisons of Cuba were groaning with the burden of thousands of innocents. " Suspect " was a terrify- ing word throughout the whole Island. Every -town, village and city, from one end of the country to the other, was witnessing scenes that were heart-rending in their cruelty, but upon which it was impossible to look with anything except hopeless pity. Men who had escaped were helpless to aid the victims, and to- morrow they might be in chains in the same cell. It required only an anonymous letter of denunciation addressed to the Spanish com- mander of the forces garrisoned in the town or at the nearest post. It might have been written by a debtor, an enemy, a spy whose ser- vices were valuable according to the number of his prey, or by some one whose designs might be furthered by removing the protection of women ; but it needed only to be written, and a guard of soldiers were at hand, taking a man out of his bed at midnight, or from his table or his office, whence he was dragged to a military prison, chained into a gang of victims like himself, deprived of communication with any one, and, after a few days, a case having been manufactured against him, he was sent to Havana and thence to Africa, to spend in a living grave the brief period that he could survive the notorious horrors of the penal colony at Ceuta. The extent to which this thing was being carried is almost incredi- ble. There was no respect of persons, unless it was that the best men of the towns were a majority of the victims. To be simply a " suspect " meant, in nine cases out of ten, conviction and sentence to death or life servitude. In one instance twenty men were released just as they were about to be put aboard the steamer for deportation, because it had been discovered that the author of their " denuncia- 114 IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. 115 mento " was a sixteen-year-old boy, who had written an anonymous letter, probably inspired by the similarity between their names and those of some insurgent leaders. And these men were all merchants and otherwise prominent citizens of Santiago. Not a day passed without several companies of these prisoners reaching Havana. Crowded Dungeons. Morro Castle was overcrowded. There, in the dungeons which have accumulated the poisons of three centuries, the poor wretches were crowded like sheep in slaughter-pens ten, fifteen or twenty being crowded into a single cell, where the only light or air reaching them was through a grating which was not more than six inches high from the floor. Unless some one could bribe a guard to give a blanket to a prisoner, the man was left to make the best that he could of bare stones. An American correspondent who was in Morro but two days con- tracted a fever, although he was treated with exceptional considera- tion, as-exceptions go in Morro. But the herd, the natives who were being taken away in this manner in greater numbers than the armies lose in battles, the suspects to whom conviction had come without what Americans would recognize as a trial, these were mercilessly, inhumanly treated. In Jaruco, Maceo, in raiding the town, forced the prison gates, and liberated thirty prisoners, who represented some of the best families of the surrounding country. In Cienfuegos there were over fifty " suspects " held as political prisoners. In Matanzas there were at one time eighty such men, and some of them were afterward brought to Havana. From Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, Santiago, Candelaria, Marianao and numerous other places, the same reports were coming. There was hardly an hour of the day that women were not besieging the gates of the Palace with petitions. It was a wife pleading for husband, or mother for son, or children for father, but it was always the same plea, not for trial, nor to offer evi- dence of their innocence, but for mercy, always for mercy. There seemed to be a blind conviction that there were no such things as trials or evidence, and no ground for hope in either of the 116 IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. shadowy forms that represent them. These wretched women reached the city, perhaps having walked for days, or may be they had horses or found some conveyance, but in any way they nearly all made a wearisome journey, having left all their worldly possessions or sold them to get means for reaching the city, since there were no railroad trains left to carry them. Haggard and Frightened. They were hollow-eyed, haggard and frightened, but in desperate earnest. They stood outside the gates or in the corridors of the Palace for hours. They made no scenes, as might be expected. They simply waited, waited, waited ; put off on one pretext after another, hour after hour, till the day had passed. Another day and another, they were there, patient and waiting and pleading, but to no pur- pose. Some morning a familiar face in the crowd would be missing, and that day she might be seen with others down at the shore, watch- ing the small boats loading with prisoners and going out to the great steamers about to leave with convicts for Africa. Possibly there was one last look, but no embrace or word of farewell. After that she was seen no more at the Palace. It happened one day that one of these prisoners slipped off the steps while getting into the boat with the others and fell into the water. His arms were pinioned behind him and he was helpless, but he managed to struggle to the surface. As he raised his head none of the guard reached out to save him. The other prisoners were also pinioned and could not. He floated for a few seconds at the side of the boat, and then one of the soldiers pointed his rifle down into the man's face and shot him through the head. It was simply a murder. Nothing was done about it excepting to report that he was " shot while attempting to escape." On Feb. 22nd there was a brutal massacre at Guatao, and the poor wretches made prisoners at the time were still confined in Morro Castle, while the government was investigating the slaughter of the eighteen citizens. There was no battle in or near Guatao at the time these prisoners were made, and that is the other side of the story of IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. 117 Spain's prisoners of war. There were no prisoners made in battles. They were suspects, or, like the Guatao people, escaped from massacre. Official reports of engagements almost never made men- tion of a prisoner taken. Of twenty encounters reported not one return of a captive was recorded. It was always, " The enemy left five dead on the field," or some other number. It may be that the Cubans were skillful enough to avoid capture, but it was very common to have reports of captured Spanish soldiers. No Spanish soldiers were ever " left dead on the field," but it was admitted by the Spanish generally, and it occasionally crept into a report, that Spanish prisoners had simply been stripped of arms and let go unmolested out of the rebel camp. High-sounding Proclamation. But General Weyler had seen the enormity of the abuses which brutal and ambitious officers had been guilty of, and went so far as to issue a proclamation against such wholesale arrests as followed his first decree. On March 6th he gave out the following notice : " My attention has been called to the frequency with which civil and military authorities and commanders of forces in the country and towns are proceeding to detain civilians, who are afterward placed at my disposal to be deported from the Island, without the said commanders duly justifying the foundation which counseled such determination." That was the Spanish way of saying that arrests had not been made upon official evidence. Then General Weyler urged that citizens who write anonymous letters should sign their names and testify freely, knowing that they would receive ample protection, and closed his decree with this warning: " I will exact most strict responsibility from commanders who pro- pose to me matters of this sort without accompanying them withjthe elements of justification already expressed." General Weyler would not personally assume the responsibility of any man's execution or banishment without clear evidence of his guilt. It would not be possible to find a man who would more merci- 118 IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. lessly execute the penalty of the law than Gen. Weyler, but he was honest. If he had had men in the field whose motives could have been trusted, innocent men's lives might have been safer than they were ; but take such brutes as murdered sick men and beat women into insensibility at Guatao, who referred to their bloody work in a report saying : " Glory and infinite applause to our valiant men ; worthy of all praise is the comportment of this column ; all merit the consideration of your Excellency; their efforts made exceed all praise," and arm the leader of such a mob of assassins with a decree making men enemies who sympathize " in thought, word or action " with the insurgents, and it is doubtful if even the iron hand of General Weyler could hold them in check. Shot for Raising a Flag. A Frenchman was raising a French flag on his estate when a Spanish column came up, shot him dead, captured the flag and made off with it. This is another instance of Gen. Weyler's difficulty in controlling the irresponsibles, who made prisoners of . " suspects," killed innocent people or committed other outrages, and left it to the government to square the matter. These were not isolated in- stances, but daily occurrences in all parts of the Island. The shoot- ing of this French citizen occurred at the Olayita estate, near San Domingo. The Cuban commanders, Quintin Bandera, Guerra and Seraphim Sanchez were near the town, and passed so close that they were observed to have about 1,000 cavalry. They were going in the direction of the Olayita plantation. Lieut.-Col. Arce and Major Rogelio Anino, with 450 men, followed them, leaving Guines. An encounter took place in a strip of woods on the edge of the estate, but it amounted to little. The insurgents had not enough ammunition to give battle, and the Spanish could do nothing but worry them with so continuous a fire with Mausers from a distance. The insurgents replied with a few shots, and then broke into two detachments and left the woods, one force taking possession of the battery, and standing off the Spanish for two hours. There was a hot fight at this point. IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. The insurgents had a sheltered position in the buildings, and nursed their precious supply of cartridges until they were where their only alternatives were to retreat or to suffer a heavy loss of life if they remained till the Spanish could get in upon them. Then the order was given and they rode out, setting fire to the cane field over which they passed in order to make it impossible for the Spanish to follow them through the smoke and flames. When they left, the manager of the estate, Bernardo Duarte, ran out of the house with a French flag and was about to raise it, when he was shot dead. Curious Spanish Reports. A Spanish officer took the flag and carried it away. Duarte's body was left where he fell. He had taken no part in the fight. When the fight was going on Duarte was in the great stone house which was the owner's residence. The heavy walls were ample pro- tection, and with all the inmates he was apparently safe, for he came out when the insurgents left to exhibit the sign of his neutrality. Here a curious thing was revealed by the Spanish report of the engagement, which said briefly, " We found also a woman and the seven farm hands dead." There were really thirteen dead. The bodies were buried by workmen from an adjoining plantation. There was no one left to tell whether they were killed by the Spanish or the rebels. Even the Frenchman, Duarte, was shot with his flag in his hands, and the Spanish admitted killing him. The hundreds of refugees coming into Havana declared that the Spanish were shooting the men who were on any estate where they could find that a rebel band was camped. Several owners of large estates within this province and Matanzas stated that this was un- doubtedly true, and that some of their own men, who worked for them, had disappeared after a fight had been reported near their properties. Others deserted the places and came into the city, refu- sing to remain on account of the killing of people near them who were likewise caring for abandoned properties, On March 5 Gen. Melquizo went out from Jaruco with two battal- 120 IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. ions of cavalry and infantry, and found some of Maceo's forces at the sugar estate Morales, near Casiguas, between Bainoa and Guines. The estate was occupied by a man named Jose Gregoria Delgado, said to be an American. His son, Jose Manuel Delgado, a doctor, was with him at the time the insurgents and Spanish came together. As usual, the insurgents made a stand in the buildings, because they afford excellent defense. Gen. Melquizo reported after the battle or skirmish, or whatever did actually occur, that " we found eighteen dead on the field." It has developed since that fourteen of these dead men were the owner, Delgado, his son and their twelve workmen. Not a man was left alive on the estate. If this did not seem on its face to bear con- siderable evidence of a deliberate killing of these men, such an act would seem to be probable when the Spanish loss is mentioned. The Spanish official report said of this engagement that the Spanish had only two men wounded, none being killed. No One Left Alive. If the Spanish, entirely exposed, charged upon the insurgents, who were occupying protected positions in stone-walled buildings, and succeeded in dislodging them, and did so with no loss whatevei there seems to be some reason for doubting that the fighting was severe enough to cause eighteen dead to the insurgents in actual combat. There was no one left on this estate alive, nor was there any one else from whom it would be possible to learn just what did occur, or why it was that not one man on the whole estate escaped death. Not one of them was wounded. They were all lying there dead when people from the surrounding country went there and identified the bodies. It is a suspicious circumstance that they were not shot, but all were cut to pieces with swords. It is easy to understand the alarm that spread over the whole Island as the consequence of such things as these. The stories of the refugees who were fleeing from every quarter into the cities, and chiefly into Havana, gave a dozen such instances. They were not tales of frightened negroes. Neither were they coffee-house fabrica- IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. 121 tions of Cubans. A bookful of these tales could be collected. It was the men who had estates of their own, whose losses in one year alone amounted to anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000, who held on and exhausted every resource to save themselves and their properties, but who were compelled at last to give up and let everything go. They were not men who pack up what few valuables they can cany away and then bring their families and servants long distances across the country to Havana, just for the pastime or amusement of lying about their reasons for coming. Where alarm had not driven out the poorer classes, destitution had done so. Forty-two cities and towns had already been burned and destroyed. Great Scarcity of Provisions. This does not indicate the homes of hundreds of others which have gone up in the flames of burning sugar estates. After the armies of both Spanish and insurgents consumed all the fruit and vegetables, and the railroads ceased carrying freight, food was almost beyond the reach of the poor. Great was the suffering in conse- quence of the scarcity of provisions, but a new system was put in operation which deprived even those who had a few dollars left from buying what they needed unless they stood in favor of the Spanish commanders of towns. This was a hard matter for people in a country where everybody was an insurgent, or of a family with repre- sentatives in the insurgent army. If a man went to a store in any town outside of Havana he was compelled first to make out a statement of what he wished to pur- chase. He was limited to two cents' worth of salt, five cents' worth of flour, one pound of meat, one pound of rice and five cents' worth of coffee, and so on ; but he was not permitted to buy oil, candles, medicines, or a multitude of other things. After the list was com- pleted, the storekeeper and the customer had to appear before the Mayor of the town and swear that the articles were for the consump- tion of the purchaser, and not for the aid and comfort of any in- surgent or sympathizer with the insurrection. When this was done the whole formality cleared the way for the 122 IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. purchase of about one scanty meal for four persons. This, with the apprehension of suspects, was driving the country people out of their homes until whole districts were depopulated. Paso Real, Mantua, Baja, Guane, Tapaste, San Cristobal, and, in fact, nearly all the towns of Pinar del Rio Province, were admitted by the Spanish reports to be practically deserted. In Havana and Matanzas provinces the same state of affairs ex- isted. One man who passed through Guatao and Punta Brava said that where there had been 2,200 people all together a month before, less than loo remained. Women came out and begged that he would give them food. They were crying, he said, and pleaded for relief to be sent out to them. There were a few children left in the places, and the desolation he described was something pitiful. The widows made by the massacre were chiefly those who remained. When asked why they did not get away, and so possibly find a place where they could get some relief, they replied that they could not make the journey. Not a Rebel in the Place. The government was investigating the massacre, and the method of the investigation indicated that a denial was in course of prepara- tion. Here is a significant fact. The " Diario de la Marina," the government's most staunch supporter, published an item which said, " The Mayor of Guatao swears and forswears to Captain Calvo that at the time of the events in Guatao not a solitary rebel was in the place. Two days after the event this Mayor again met Calvo, who asked him if he had seen any insurgents there. He replied he had not. Notwithstanding, five minutes afterward Captain Calvo saw a group of eight men mounted, who ran away." This was clearly to discredit the Mayor of Guatao. He confirmed the story of all the citizens, and swore that no insurgents were in the town when the massacre occurred. It also indicated that Captain Calvo, who was in command of the troops who committed the mas- sacre, was conducting the investigation. It would not be in keeping with the way all this was being done if the " Diario's " story were not declared by somebody to be untrue. IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. 123 The gentleman above referred to was in Guatao at the time Captain Calvo was talking with the Mayor. He describes what occurred this way : " I saw they were holding an excited debate about something, so I held up my driver till it was over. Then I talked to the Alcalde, and asked what occasioned all the fireworks between himself and the officer. He replied, ' I have just been asked about the rebels. I said I had seen four ; he tells me, " You lie, you have seen a hundred." I have only seen four, and they are down that road now.' " Charges Proved Untrue. If the Mayor told the story just as it had occurred between him- self and the officer a moment before, the account of it in the news- paper, was an apparent attempt to clear the way for almost any sort of a report on the massacre. It would be easier after proving the chief witness unreliable to dispose of the stories of the women as attempts to shield their husbands. The government also took the ground that the insurgents were concealed in the church. This made it necessary to abandon the original charge that they were in the little thatched houses. The authorities of Guatao opened the church and showed the officers, who went there to inspect it, that no horses or men could possibly have gotten into it. When this inspection was finished, the keeper of the church handed over the key, and the Mayor joined him in beseeching the Spanish officers to carry it away, so that what- ever might happen again they would be relieved of the responsibility for keeping the structure free from invasion. Ten more prisoners were taken at the time this investigation, as it is called, was going on. A Spanish column came into Punta Brava from the east. At the same moment another came into the place from the west. The second one picked up ten men working in tobacco fields on the outskirts of the town. A storekeeper, recog- nizing them y went up to the lieutenant commanding, and said that the arrests were unjust, as the men were " pacificados," or peaceful citizens. 124 IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. 125 Then the lieutenant arrested the storekeeper. The two columns were at opposite ends of the main street, their officers disputing as to which was properly in possession of the place, as their orders were slightly conflicting, when a third column arrived with a captain in charge. He settled the difficulty by occupying the town himself, and after learning of the arrest o/ the ten tobacco-workers he liber- ated them all. Heavy Guard of Soldiers. The demonstrations against Americans in Havana were confined to individual encounters, where there were no serious results. A heavy guard of soldiers was quartered in a building near the Consul's office, and the patrolling of the streets was kept up with vigilance day and night. Where more than four men got together a soldier was at hand to scatter them. In the Plaza, when the military was playing, the crowds were constantly kept moving. An effort to get up a students' demonstration fell flat, because a majority of the students were in sympathy with the Americans. There never was a time when the students were to be feared, on that account. The source of danger was the volunteers. A corre- spondent relates that he was talking with a hotel waiter after he had been away for a day. He said he was out doing duty as a volun- teer. He was a little sawed-off ignoramus, and the correspondent was curious enough to ask him how his companions felt toward Uncle Sam. " Muera Senor Sam," he hissed, bringing his fist down with a whack on the table. " Death to Mr. Sam ?" I repeated. " Why so ?" " He is going to help the insurrectors. We'll have to kill them all." " But I'm an American ; would you kill me, too ?" He seemed to be confronted by a situation for a moment only, when he said, sadly but earnestly : " I am your friend, Senor, but I should have to kill you." At that moment another Spaniard came up. " Senor, allow me to present my friend . As I was just telling this American gentle- 126 IMPRISONMENTS AND MASSACRES. man, Spain will find every loyal son shoulder to shoulder, fighting till the last drop of blood is shed to avenge such an insult to our national honor as this uncalled-for interference of America." This is not half-hearted hypocrisy. It is the way men talk who have been ruined by the collapse of every kind of business in the Island, and who want peace and prosperity restored at any cost. They are Spaniards, but they have been so long in commercial inter- course with the United States that their sentimental attachment to the theory of Spain's right to Cuba has been blunted by a period of successful business. All Cuba's enterprises are practically insepara- ble from the States, while Spain stands by as a third party, consum- ing half the profits that would naturally accrue to the other two. At such a price sentiment comes too high to maintain a secure position among hard-headed merchants. The Cienfuegos houses resolved to boycott the United States, and proposed to do so by cancelling all their purchasing orders and refu- sing to sell to American buyers. This was considerable of a joke in its way. They would have to buy from Havana instead, and Havana would continue to buy direct from the States until war or something as serious should prevent. The merchants at Havana held a meeting to discuss retaliation of the same sort, but when it was pointed out to them that American houses would merely send out their own agents to sell their products they saw the danger ahead and con- tented themselves with resolutions praising the Cienfuegos merchants. They could afford to do that, as their commissions were being helped by the necessity of Cienfuegos buying here. Two nephews of the Queen, the Princes of Caserta, were in an engagement in Sagua on March 3. The insurgents were led by Serafin Sanchez, Nunez and Alvarez. All that has ever been printed about the fight here was contained in a ten-line item, in which the insurgents lost thirty dead and forty wounded. The Queen cabled congratulations to General Weyler upon the glorious victory, and yesterday the insurgent loss was changed to read " 60 dead and 1 50 wounded." It is impossible to learn anything else here about the battle. CHAPTER XI Freedom for Cuba. THE sympathy in Congress for the cause of Cuba received formal expression on February 28th. On that date the meet- ing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations resulted in action of a more vigorous character than the most ardent friend of the cause of Cuba was justified in expecting. The committee de- cided, after some debate, that it would not accept the wording of a resolution already adopted by the House Committee, but would cling to one of its own, which was looked upon as even stronger than any yet seriously considered stronger because the committee capit- ulated to the sentiment represented in the resolution of Mr. Cameron declaring for the independence of the Cuban Republic. It was agreed that when the question reached the voting stage Mr. Sherman, for the commiteee, was to recommend and urge the passage of the following, which was the language of the substitute reported by Mr. Morgan : " Resolved, by the Senate (the House of Representatives concur- ring), That, in the opinion of Congress, a condition of public war exists between the government of Spain and the government pro- claimed and for some time maintained by force of arms by the peo- ple of Cuba ; and that the United States of America should maintain a strict neutrality between the contending powers, according to each all the rights of belligerents in the ports and territory of the United States." As the day wore on in the Senate the crowds in the galleries and on the floor increased. The diplomatic gallery, for once, was well filled. Nearly every member of the House Foreign Affairs Commit- tee was on the Senate floor, and they listened to the speeches with the greatest interest. 127 128 FREEDOM FOR CUBA. Mr. Lindsay, of Kentucky, addressed the Senate. He did not think that, in the present emergency, the subject ought to be con- trolled, in any way, by the past conduct of Spain to the United States. It was, in one sense, a question of humanity. War was being carried on at the very doors of the United States between the people of Cuba and the Spanish Government, and it would result either in the independence of Cuba or in the utter destruction of her people. Sympathy for Cuban People. Expressions of sympathy would avail nothing to the Cuban insur- rectionists. If the United States intended to take any step to bring about a condition of affairs in Cuba different from that which had existed during the last seventy years, that step should be in the direction of the ultimate independence of Cuba. It might be true it was true that affairs had not yet reacheu a point that would justify the United States in acknowledging the inde- pendence of Cuba. There was a state of things in Cuba that would justify the Government of the United States in considering a proposi- tion for active interference in the struggle, for the reason that it seemed highly probable that, without such interference, either public order could never be restored in Cuba, or could only be restored after such suffering by humanity and such injuries to surrounding States, as would obviously overbalance the general evil of all inter- ference from without. But the pending resolution proposed no such active interference. It proposed only that the good offices of the United States should be offered to Spain to bring about, not merely a cessation of hostilities, but an ultimate peace on the basis of Cuban independence the only basis on which good government could ever be secured to the people of Cuba. Spain owed to Cuba as much as Turkey owed to Armenia, a. c much as the United States owed to Venezuela. If Spain did not pay the obligations resting on her, and if her necessities prevented her doing so, then the time had come for steps to be initiated ; and they could be properly initiated only by the government of the United States. Overtures should be made to Spain for the sale of the FREEDOM FOR CUBA. 129 Islnd to the Cubans, the United States to guarantee the payment of the sum to be agreed upon. Mr. Sherman, chairman of. the Committee on Foreign Relations, addressed the Senate. He said that he did not disguise from himself the danger and possibility of hostile movements following the action of Congress. Spain was a sensitive, proud and gallant nation, and would not submit to what she considered an injustice. At the same time, his convictions were strong made stronger every day that the condition of affairs in Cuba was such that the intervention of the United States must be given, sooner or later, to put an end to crimes almost beyond description. Called a Murderer and Criminal- He quoted from a pamphlet written, he said, in a temperate style, to show what the Cubans had done in the way of establishing a gov- ernment and carrying on the war, and containing an order of Gen, Maximo Gomez, as to the humane treatment of prisoners that might fall into the hands of the insurgents. And yet, he said, this man Gomez had been denounced as a murderer and barbarous criminal, like the one he would speak of after a while Capt.-Gen. Weyler. Speaking of the insurgent Gen. Gomez, Mr. Sherman said that he was a man of standing and character probably an idealist. But he ought to be, and would probably soon be, considered a patriot. Mr. Sherman went on to say that he was not in favor of the annexation of Cuba to the United States. He did not desire to con- quer Cuba, or to have any influence in her local autonomy. In his judgment Cuba should be attached to Mexico, because Cubans and Mexicans spoke the same language, had the same origin, the same antecedents, and many of the same circumstances. Mr. Sherman sent to the clerk's desk, and had read extracts from a Spanish book, printed in a New York newspaper, reciting horrible cruelties charged against Weyler, some of the incidents being so bad that he directed the clerk to omit them. He spoke of these deeds as barbarous atrocities, and as inhuman cruelties, and said that Weyler was a demon rather than a general. 9 130 FREEDOM FOR CUBA. He denounced the idea of putting such a man in command of a hundred thousand troops, to ride rough-shod, kill and slaughter a feeble body of people ; and he declared that if this kind of policy is pursued by Spain in Cuba, and if the people of the United States be informed of it, there is no earthly power that will prevent the people of the United States from going over to that Island, running all over its length and breadth, and driving out from it those robbers and imi- tators of the worst men that ever lived in the world. This statement was greeted by an outburst of applause from the crowded galleries, which showed the intense feeling awakened by the discussion of the subject of Cuban independence. Belligerent Rights. When the final vote on Mr. Sherman's resolution was taken in the Senate it was passed by a large majority, but there was an evident desire on the part of many in both Houses to grant belligerent rights to the Cubans, who had already maintained a state of war on the Island for over a year. Concerning this last proposition an eminent New York jurist expressed the following opinion : " The mere recognition of belligerent rights on the part of the Cubans would not involve us in any complication with Spain. It is a different thing from recognizing the independence of the Cubans. " The recognition of belligerent rights is merely the declaration of our opinion that the insurgents have established a stable government and are entitled to all the rights of war. This was what was done by Great Britain during our late war. " Such a recognition, however, would not relieve the United States of its obligations toward Spain in the way of preventing the sending out of privateers or filibustering expeditions in aid of the insurgents from our ports. We established this proposition in the 'Alabama' arbitration against Great Britain. " Furthermore, such recognition of a state of war between Spain and the insurgents in Cuba would give Spain the right to search our merchant vessels for goods contraband of war. This is the only FREEDOM FOR CUBA. 131 respect in which our relations with Spain would be particularly altered by such recognition, as far as I can see." " What would be our relations in case Congress should recognize the independence of Cuba ? " was asked. " That recognition might be treated by Spain as an unfriendly act, although I should hardly think that Spain would so regard it. It would not amount to a declaration on our part that we proposed to aid Cuba in the maintenance of its independence, and hence it would not necessarily be a casus belli (cause of war) as between us and Spain. " Still it might involve us in serious complications, as we would be bound to regard the insurgent government as the only lawful govern- ment in the Island of Cuba, and to act accordingly and to disregard the rights of Spain. And such conduct on our part might lead to controversies with Spain which might furnish a casus belli. I do not personally believe, however, that such a result will follow in any event." Probability of Bloodshed. It was thought by many in Washington that if the Cuban insurgents were not quickly recognized as belligerents, and General Weyler maintained the reputation he had already acquired, it was not stretch- ing speculation too far to assume that there was a probabiltty of the bloody scenes of 1869 being re-enacted, when, under the orders of Gen. Burriel, American citizens were put to death in Santiago de Cuba. The Captain-General of Cuba had issued a decree in which he said that all vessels which might be captured in Spanish waters, and which had on board men and munitions, and whose design was to give aid or comfort to the revolutionists, should be regarded as pirates, and that all on board, regardless of number, should be immediately executed. Secretary Fish, then Secretary of State, made a protest against the butchery of the Americans, and maintained the right of the citizens of the United States to carry merchandise to the enemies of Spain, except such articles as were contraband of war, and which might be seized upon the high seas. Secretary Fish said the government ^ould not assent to the punishment by Spain of any citizen of this 132 FREEDOM FOR CUBA. country, except under the laws and treaties existing between Spain and the United States. According to Halleck, one of the accepted authorities on laws between nations, " there is no law or regulation which forbids any person or government, whether the political designation be real or assumed, from purchasing arms from citizens of the United States and shipping them at the risk of the purchaser." The same authority says further : " Neutrals may establish themselves for the purposes of trade in ports convenient to either belligerent, and may sell or transport to either such articles as they may wish to buy, subject to risks of capture for violation of blockade or for the conveyance of contraband to belligerent ports." Exceptions to the Rule. " A belligerent cannot send out privateers from neutral ports. Neutrals in their own country may sell to belligerents whatever belligerents choose to buy. The principal exceptions to this rule are that neutrals must not sell to one belligerent what they refuse to sell to another, and must not furnish soldiers or sailors to either, nor pre- pare nor suffer to be prepared within their territory armed ships or military or naval expeditions against the other." The position in which the United States would be placed by the recognition of the belligerency of the Cubans is clearly and tersely expressed by Justice Harlan, of the Supreme Court of the United States, in an opinion in the case of Ford vs. Surget. It is based on a careful and exhaustive study of the comity of nations, and the parts that appear applicable to the present situation are as follows : " If the foreign State recognizes belligerency in the insurgents it releases the parent State for whatever may be done by the insurgents, or not done by the parent State, where the insurgent power extends. " If it is a war, the commissioned cruisers of both sides may stop, search and capture the foreign merchant vessel, and that vessel must make no resistance and must submit to adjudication by a prize court 4 . if it is not war, the cruisers of neither party can stop or search the foreign merchant vessel, and that vessel may resist all attempts in FREEDOM FOR CUBA. 133 that direction, and the ships of war of the foreign State may attack and capture any cruiser persisting in the attempt ; if it is war, the insurgent cruisers are to be treated by foreign citizens and officials, at sea and in port, as lawful belligerents ; if it is a war, the rules and risks respecting carrying contraband or dispatches or military persons, come into play. " The insurgents gain the great advantage of a recognized status (when belligerent rights are accorded), and the opportunity to employ commissioned cruisers at sea, and to exert all the powers known to maritime warfare, with the sanction of foreign -nations. They can obtain abroad loans, military and naval materials, as against every- thing but neutrality laws. What Rights are Acquired. " Their flag and commissions are acknowledged, their revenue laws are respected, and they acquire a quasi-politica4 recognition. On the other hand, the parent government is relieved from responsibility for acts done in the insurgent territory ; its blockade of its own ports is respected, and it acquires a right to exert against neutral commerce all the powers of a party to a maritime war." It was thought altogether probable that Spain would immediately enter a protest, if the belligerency of the insurgents was recognized, just as the United States did in the early days of the civil war, when France took that action. The then Secretary of State, William H. Seward, acknowledged the right of France to take such a step in these words : " The President (Mr. Lincoln) does not deny on the contrary, he maintains that every sovereign power decides for itself, on its respon- sibility, the question whether or not it will at a given time accord the status of belligerency to the insurgent subjects of another power, as also the larger question of the independence of such subjects and their accession to the family of sovereign States." As to the contention by Spain that war did not exist in Cuba ; that there was a revolt against constituted authority, by a mob of rioters, this was pretty thoroughly disposed of by the opinion of the 134 FREEDOM FOR CUBA. Supreme Court of the United States about twenty years ago. It has never been changed or abridged. " A civil war," said Judge Grier, giving the opinion in what is known as the Prize Cases, " is never solemnly declared ; it becomes such by its accidents, the number, power and organization of the persons who originate and carry it on. When the party in rebellion occupy and hold in a hostile manner a certain portion of territory ; have declared their independence; have cast off their allegiance; have organized armies ; have commenced hostilities, the world acknowl- edges them as belligerents, and the contest a war." The Resolutions Adopted. After much discussion in Congress concerning the form that the resolutions should take, making the action of the two Houses con- current, on April 6th, 1896, by the decisive and emphatic vote of 244 yeas to 27 nays the House of Representatives passed the Senate concurrent resolutions declaring that public war exists in Cuba, and granting belligerent rights to the insurgents. Public interest in the Cuban question was manifested by the people of Washington, and long before the noon hour the Capitol corridors were thronged. When the House of Representatives was called to order there was standing-room only in the galleries, and long lines of waiting people filled the corridors before the entrance doors. There were no proceedings of unusual moment on the floor of the House. There was no debate and no opposition to the proceedings. Congressman Hitt, of Illinois, Chairman of the Committee on For- eign Affairs, arose and demanded the regular order, and Speaker Reed put the question on the adoption of the conference report. The great, swelling chorus of ayes was followed by a feeble, scatter- ing negative vote, and the Speaker was about to declare the motion carried when Mr. Hitt asked for the yeas and nays. Yielding to the appeals of many members, however, he withdrew it ; but Mr. Tucker, of Virginia, demanded a record-making vote, and so the roll was called. When Speaker Reed announced that " The yeas are 244 and the FREEDOM FOR CUBA. 135 nays 27, and the resolutions are adopted," the applause upon the floor of the House and in the galleries was roof-shaking in its inten- sity and continuity. By its action the House agreed to the Senate resolutions, and disposed of the Cuban question. These resolutions are as follows : Resolved, That, in the opinion of Congress, a condition of public war exists between the Government of Spain and the government proclaimed and for some time maintained by force of arms by the people of Cuba, and that the United States of America should main- tain a strict neutrality between the contending powers, according to each all the rights of belligerents in the ports and territory of the United States. Resolved, Further, that the friendly offices of the United States should be offered by the President to the Spanish Government for the recognition of the independence of Cuba. CHAPTER XII. Spanish Insults to the American Flag. GREAT excitement was caused in Spain by the passage of the resolutions in the United States Senate relating to the inde- pendence of Cuba, and in a number of places the American flag was torn down and trampled upon by boisterous mobs. As show- ing the spirit by which the crowds were actuated, we give here a detailed account of the insults, which it is but just to the Spanish authorities to say they repudiated, calling out troops in some instances to protect our American officials and their residences. At Madrid on March 2nd, 1896, there was a demonstration of students against the American legation, but before any overt acts had been committed the mob was dispersed by the authorities. The ex- citement over the Cuban question was intense. The prompt measures taken by the authorities to suppress disorder and prevent demonstra- tions, large forces of police being everywhere present, convinced the people that lawless acts would not be tolerated. At Barcelona mounted gendarmes were kept busy patrolling the city and dispersing gatherings of persons plotting to vent their wrath upon the representatives of the United States Government there. Re- pcated attempts were made to attack the United States Consulate. The rioters were repeatedly charged by the police and scattered, only to form in some other place with a determination to mob the Con- sulate. Such tenacity of purpose indicated that mischief-makers were working upon the excited populace. The greatest activity was displayed in the government dockyards, and every preparation possible was being made by the naval and military forces for an emergency. The " Imparcial," a Madrid journal, declared that the utterances of the United States Senate constituted an " unqualified and unreasoning 130 IS? 138 INSULTS TO THE AMERICAN FLAG. provocation," adding : " If the desire for war was on account of a fault in Spain, the Senators would be doing their duty. But no pro- vocation has been given to the United States, and tLe Americans judge rashly of the results of a Spanish- American war. The ob- noxious language of the Senate ought not to surprise any one. United States Senators are accustomed to exchange gross insults without crossing swords or exchanging bullets. These are the cowards who are seeking war, and one awaits death with more cool- ness with a good conscience than with pockets filled with dollars." The Spanish officials at Washington described the occurrences in Spain as merely the outbursts of a few excited Spanish youths, and claimed that the dispatches bore out this view, and there was no probability of any diplomatic trouble. The prompt disavowal of the Minister of State to Minister Taylor was pointed to as evidence that the Spanish Government did not sympathize with the " mob." "Down with the United States." An anti-American demonstration occurred at Cadiz, Spain, March 7. A mob of about 500 students met in Geneve's Park. They carried two Spanish flags, and, after cheering some fiery utterances, paraded before the town hall with cries of " Long live Spain ! " " Down with the United States ! " etc. Later, they proceeded to a tobacco factory and asked the manager to permit the workmen to join in the demon- stration. The manager, however, refused and called upon the police for protection. The latter charged the mob with drawn swords, and several of the students were wounded before they were driven away from the vicinity of the factory. After leaving that neighborhood the students made a demonstra- tion in front of the military club. There the police were again ordered to charge the mob. This time the students showered stones upon the police and were dispersed with much more difficulty. The authorities anticipated additional outbreaks. The orchestra of the Grand Theatre at Barcelona played the national march, and the audience rose with enthusiastic shouts of " Long live Spain ! " " Long live General Weyler ! " " Long live the INSULTS TO THE AMERICAN FLAG. 139 army !" " Down with the United States ! " etc. The audience, after leaving the theatre, was joined by very many other people, and paraded the streets, uttering similar shouts. The demonstrations took such proportions that the police were unable to disperse the crowds, and it became necessary to call out the gendarmes, who, with a considerable show of force 1 succeeded in quelling the disturbance. There was an anti- Ameri- can riot at Bilboa, Spain, March 9, and it was of greater importance than the previous so-called patriotic disturb- ances caused by the action of the Congress of the United States in regard to Cuba. About 12,000 people took part in the public demonstra- tion. The excitement was started by a group of young men at a street corner, who began cheering every soldier who passed by. Their conduct was spon imitated by other groups of people, until every soldier seen was cheered by the crowds, and some musicians who refused to repeat the national anthem were hustled, beaten and otherwise maltreated. The excitement increased, and riotous groups formed in the main streets, cheering for Spain and denouncing the United States. The authorities did everything possible to maintain order. Almost the entire police force was turned out as soon as the populace assumed a threatening aspect, and the rioters were dispersed again and again. Eventually, however, the mob became so numerous and excited that the police were almost helpless. After the first demonstrations of sympathy with the army the crowds had armed themselves with sticks and cudgels, and their numbers GENERAL WEYLER. 140 INSULTS TO THE AMERICAN FLAG. were so great that the police were swept aside and an immense crowd gathered on the leading thoroughfare, and marched towards the resi- dence of the United States Consul, shouting, " Long live Spain ! ' " Down with the Yankees ! " On their way to the Consul's residence they hurled stones through the windows of stores and private residences, overturned a number of vehicles, pulled several mounted policemen from their horses and generally behaved in the most threatening manner. Stores dealing in American goods received the most attention from the mob, and the windows of the Consul's house were badly shattered, although the police defended the building. The mob then proceeded in the direction of the United States Con- sulate, evidently intending to stone the building as well. But the authorities had taken the precaution to send a strong force of police to guard that building and another detachment of police was stationed across the streets leading to the Consulate. Therefore when the mob neared the United States Consulate it was confronted by the police with drawn swords. The mob halted, and then began pelting the police most vigorously with stones and pieces of brick. The policemen, however, held their ground, and a squad of the officers charged the rioters. The latter began firing pistols at the policemen, two of whom were wounded. This caused the police to charge in a body, and, using their swords with good effect, the rioters were dispersed, yelling and hooting at the authorities and shouting, " Down with the Yankees ! " and " Long live Spain ! " The police, who made a number of arrests, experienced considera- ble difficulty in escorting their prisoners to the depots. During the whole afternoon there was more or less disorder. It was decided to keep both the police proper and the gendarmes confined to barracks until further orders, as there seemed to be danger of another out- break. The United States Consulate was guarded by a strong detachment of gendarmes armed with carbines, revolvers and swords, and they had instructions to protect the Consulate at any cost. There was a serious anti-American riot at Salamanca March pth. INSULTS TO THE AMERICAN FLAG. 141 The students, as usual, were the leaders of the disturbance. They carried Spanish and American flags and burned the latter amid the acclamations of the crowds which gathered to witness the " patriotic " demonstration. Cheering for Spain. Eventually the gendarmes charged the rioters and dispersed them temporarily. Later the students reassembled and gathered another mob about them. The prefect hurried to the scene and exhorted the students to disperse, but they hooted his utterances, cheering for Spain and denouncing the United States. Finally the prefect was compelled to call upon the police for pro- tection, and the gendarmes again charged the riotous students, who met the onslaught with showers of stones. Order, however, was finally restored, and the university was closed. The authorities feared there would be more outbreaks, and more elaborate precau- tions were taken to promptly suppress them. A dispatch from Madrid, March 1 2th, was as follows: "Further demonstrations of students against the United States, as a result of the Cuban resolutions of Congress, have occurred. At Corunna two hundred students belonging to the University joined in a parade yes- terday, cheered for Spain and bufned an American flag. The police, however, succeeded in preventing the rioters from approaching the United States Consulate. " At Alicante the Mayor and police, while dispersing a similar anti- American demonstration, were pelted with stones. A number of policemen sustained injuries. " A dispatch from Barcelona says that on the arrival there last night of a train from Aragon two men were arrested upon a charge of carrying concealed weapons. When a search of their clothing was made, thirty dynamite cartridges and two daggers were dis- covered. The men asserted they had found the cartridges upon the road, and declared that they had come to Barcelona in search of work. The police discredit their story. The United States Con- sulate is being closely guarded." CHAPTER XIII. Horrors of Morro Castle. HAVANA may, undoubtedly, be called a military city ; for at every corner you meet a soldier, before nearly every public office there is a guard, and at various hours of the day and evening, and in various parts of the city, one's ear is greeted by the notes of the bugle, or the rattling of the drum ; while many of the barracks and a fort or two are right in the midst of the city. At night, sometimes, these sentries are troublesome with their challenging, in an open city ; and if one approaches too near their posts, he hears the words, quickly rung out, " Who goes there ?" (Quien vive?} As a reply has to be made, the Habaneros say, " Espafia" the regular pass-word. An American finds no trouble in replying, " Forastero " (foreigner), or "Americano." But now-a-days, the latter might be dangerous, as the name does not seem to be popular. A great deal of good sense has been displayed in uniforming the troops for this climate. In lieu of the heavy cloth, the Cuban sol- diers are clad in simple linen, of various colors white, blue and brown than which nothing can look more soldierly. Take, for instance, the infantry soldier, in full uniform. He wears a sort of dark blue dungaree blouse, gathered at the waist to give it a natty shape, a pair of neat brown-drilling pantaloons, and a low-crowned cap of leather, with visor enough to be of some use. In lieu of the stiff, uncomfortable coat collar, and the still more uncomfortable and unhealthy leather stock, he wears a neatly rolled collar, of red cloth, which, with his cuffs of the same, can be taker off when he sends his kit to the wash. Others, again, are uniformed in pure white, with pretty " shoulder knockers," and collars and cuffs of red ; while the cavalry and artil- 142 HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE. 143 lerymen wear loose short jackets, pants of blue linen, and broad palm-lea/ 1 ats. This uniform, far from being uncomfortable or unsoldierly, is just the opposite; and Spanish troops have the appear- ance of clean and well-instructed soldiers. The Captain-General is the superior military chief of the Island, and commander-in-chief of its armies ; while next to him in rank is the second chief, who has the rank of brigadier-general, and pay of ten thousand dollars per annum, and who is also the sub-inspector of infantry and cavalry. The corps of artillery and engineers have special sub-inspectors, with the title of mariscales de campo. The fortresses of the Island, in which are nearly always the prisons and the barracks of the troops, have their own governors or com- manders, with special staffs. Large Standing Army. The army consists generally of twenty-five or thirty thousand men, with its proportion of infantry, artillery, cavalry, engineers and marines. Each regiment has a colonel and lieutenant-colonel, a drum-major, and six contract musicians. The battalion has a first and second commander, an adjutant (lieutenant), an ensign, a chap- lain, and a surgeon, a chief bugler, and a master armorer. These regiments are all known by names (not numbers), such as the King's, the Queen's, Isabel II. of Naples, of Spain, etc., which does much towards increasing the esprit du corps so necessary to make good soldiers. There is also a battalion known as the " Guardia Civil," a fine body of men, who are scattered in small detachments throughout the Island, mostly as watchmen and police, or, perhaps, as spies. They are generally an intelligent set, handsomely uniformed in well-fi'tting, dark-blue coats, white pants, and broad-brimmed felt hats, neatly bound with white. One sees them on the wharves, in the opera- house, at the theatre, patrolling the paseo in fact, everywhere in Havana. A large percentage of the troops die every year when they first -ome from Spain, and therefore a large supply of recruits is neces- 144 HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE. sary to keep the regiments up to their maximum. The pay of field, staff, and line is about the same as in our army, being double that which is received in Spain ; though, as some of the officers declare, " half pay " is more at home (Spain) than double pay in Cuba, every- thing costs so much more on the Island. Havana is said to be impregnable. If it is not, it ought to be, judging from the number of its stone walls, its frowning fortresses, and its ships of war ; and yet it is not so strong as it looks. The day is past for the simple, old-fashioned ways of attack by buccaneers, and new modes of war make sad inroads upon the protection afforded by some of these old-time forts. Warning to Filibusters. The Morro and La Punta command the entrance. Across the bay is the Cabanas, with its guns pointing in every direction, and at the end of the bay the Fortress of Santo Domingo de Atares, which commands the bay and holds the city itself under surveillance. East and west, La Punta, El Morro, Cabanas, Number Four, Principe, San Lazaro, Pastora, and the Tower of Chorrera give notice to the adventurous filibuster to " keep off." The Castillo de los tres Santos Reyes del Morro, and the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabana are the ones which every traveler desires to see, and which every one, if it is possible, should visit, as they are world-renowned, in addition to being well worth seeing, not only on account of their structure, but on account of the magnificent views of sea and land from their battlements. In former years, it was a matter of some difficulty to gain entrance to these forts, and it is not now. accomplished very easily. Of course, our consul is the person to secure passes to the forts ; he always obliges such parties of Americans as desire to visit them, unless in war times. The authorities have a regular printed form of passes. Starting from the landing just outside the Puerta de la Punta, it is only a short pull directly across to the landing of El Morro. Strolling up the slope from the landing, one begins to realize im- mediately the apparently great strength of the work. The slope itself HORRORS OF MORRO CAaiLE. 145 which conducts up to the main gate of the castle is very strong, with solid stone parapets on each side, and a road laid in mortar with small, regular-sized cobble-stones. To the left, almost on a line with the water, is the water battery known as the " Twelve Apostles," twelve iron guns, mounted on siege carriages, carrying twenty- four pound shot, and worked en barbette, which would give them great effect at short range on any vessel attempting to pass. Although the soldieis of whom you ask questions in the fort either dare not or will not tell anything, yet they are useful guides. The walls here at the entrance are very thick, you notice, and form case- mates, the one to the right being the guard-room, which is also occupied by the officer of the day, who sometimes strolls through the fort with foreigners. A Dismal Old Port. In front of the entrance are the barracks and the storehouses, which seem to occupy the hollow square formed by the walls of this portion of the fort. They are of solid stone, with their rooms arched, ceiled, and paved in stone, the bunks of the men being simply cots. Looking towards the harbor is the casemate battery, mounting about eight guns. The whole of this first fort, which seems to be separated from the citadel by drawbridges, is very cramped and very dismal. On the extreme corner of the fort, at the very mouth of the entrance to the bay, stands the O'Donnell light-house, a cylindrical tower of stone, seventy-eight feet in height from the wall of the castle, and fifteen feet in diameter, being altogether one hundred and fifty-eight feet above the level of the sea. The light is of the first order of Fresnel, fixed, but alternated with large reflectors tkat L hine, every half minute, for about five or six seconds. It is ordinarily seen at a distance of eighteen miles, though in fine weather at a greater distance. Near the light-house, but upon the terreplain of the portion above, is a small frame house, used as the signal-station, where are kept the signal-flags, which are displayed from fhe masts close by; there ar ; so many flags and signal:? uf alV lidtiuus, tKdi the interior of the house 10 146 HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE. looks quite like a dry-goods store. This portion of the fort is reached by a stone slope leading up between the quarters, or by a narrow spiral stone stairway inside the walls, coming out upon a concrete terreplain protected by stone parapets, pierced with embrasures for cannon. From the parapet there is a fine view of the sea, the city, and the surrounding country. Here, also, can be seen the full lines of the land-face of the fort and the position of the others. A Frowning Battery. The moat is a dry and very deep one, the scarp walls of which are fully one hundred feet high, and the width full fifty feet. From the battlements one can see how much nature did for this fort in the beginning; for from the sea-side directly up to the counter-scarp, there is a natural glacis, commanded completely from every part by the guns en barbette in this part of the fort. The strongest battery, and the only one that really looks as though it were ready for work, is the one to the extreme right of the fort, entered by a covered way, and forming the sea-coast battery. It mounts about twenty-four iron guns, of thirty-two pounds cali- bre, on siege carriages, and appears to be a very strong battery. Just after entering the fort, by the stone slope, inside the exterior wall, there is to the right hand a long stone-covered gallery, connect- ing the southern face of the fort with the covered way that leads to the sea-coast battery, as also to the road leading over to the Cabanas on the brow of the hill. This is a strong affair, arched, and lighted by long, narrow apertures. It is about one hundred yards long. Morro Castle is not only celebrated for the beauty of its natural surroundings, but notorious because of the untold misery hidden within its walls. The historic structure, intended as a military stronghold, is admirably situated on a high elevation at the entrance to the harbor of Havana, and, as already stated, from that location an excellent view is obtainable of the land and water for many miles around. Viewed from a military point of observation, the castle,, even with its natural advantages, is no longer a stronghold. HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE. 147 A bombardment by the elements controlled by the devastating hand of Father Time has created sad havoc with the architectural beauties of the old place, and what was at one time a really powerful fortification is nothing more than a crumbling mass of masonry. Cubans say that a sad tale of horror and misery can be told about the place for every one of the building stones used in the construc- tion of the castle, and they now regard it as simply a shell where human suffering is carefully concealed from the light of civilization. A House of Horrors. While in Cuba an American correspondent viewed the castle from various points of observation. Fortunately for himself he did not view it from the inside, however, although several other American newspaper correspondents have been detained there under exasperat- ing conditions. " The castle is a grand old place from a distant point of view," writes the journalist. " In nearly every other consideration it is a House of Horrors. A mere mention of the name Morro Castle thrills the heart of the average Cuban with an ill-feeling, and they have a greater dread of confinement there than they have of the yel- low fever. " Political prisoners and suspects are taken there under a strong guard of armed men. They are taken there in boats about 6 o'clock in the morning, the soldiers having bayonets drawn ready for instant use. While on the way to the castle it would be almost certain death for a prisoner to show the least sign of insubordination, for the guards are authorized to deal summarily with their prisoners when- ever occasion requires, and no hesitation occurs in taking full and instant advantage of that feature. " Mr. Michaelson, the correspondent of a New York newspaper, and his interpreter were confined there as suspects. It required ex- ertions of a most vigorous character for other Americans to discover the fact that Mr. Michaelson was really confined there. Murat Hal- stead and other Americans interviewed General Weyler, and finally gained from the Spanish commander a blunt admission that the New 148 HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE. York writer was in the castle. The treatment Mr. Michaelson received was almost brutal in its nature. " He was compelled to sleep on the bare floor, and the interior of the whole castle is like a dungeon. Stimulants forwarded to the castle by his friends were never delivered to the prisoner. A ham- mock was not permitted to reach him until the day before he was liberated, and meals purchased at a hotel for his benefit were detained on the outside. His food was thrown to him as it might be given to a dog. Finally, a prison attendant who saw that he was a gentleman, gave him food on a tin plate, and then said in Spanish, ' I would like to have a little tip, if you don't mind, sir.' Slow Death in Prison Vaults. " While in the cell, the correspondent saw a rat of tremendous size. It was a black rat with a long gray beard, and approached Michael- son, he said, as if bent on opening hostilities. Michaelson took off his boot and hurled it at the animal, the missile striking the cell door with a loud noise. The rat was frightened away, and prison officials were attracted to the cell. They rebuked the prisoner for a breach of prison discipline, the noise not being permissible. " The prison is a damp, unhealthy place, where no regard is paid to sanitary arrangements or conditions. A short confinement within its dreary walls is frequently attended with fatal consequences. The climate is such that dreadted fevers are disastrous in their results, the ravages of yellow fever being terrible in extent. " The hospitals in and around Havana are so crowded with patients that frequently the military doctors send sufferers to hotels while the unfortunates are suffering from some dreaded disease. The announcement is made that the complaint is rheumatism or some other disease not of an infectious or contagious character, so that this method frequently results in many well persons being subjected needlessly to great dangers of contamination." In April two hundred and twelve men were confined in two cells of Morro Castle. They were political prisoners, or " suspects," await- ing trial. Some had been there a week, some a month, some a ye^r. HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE. 149 Two were American citizens ; one a British subject. There was a boy of fourteen years, born in Spain, and not long enough in Cuba to dream of rebelling against the government. There were men bowed in years, young men, merchants, profes- sional men, clerks and farm laborers, all gathered in and thrown together, with little or no evidence of having aided or taken part in the insurrection. In the Cabanas fortress, close by, and in prisons all over the Island, were other unfortunates. Two thousand, three thousand, perhaps four thousand, altogether, for no man may kno\K how many people Spain had behind the bars at this time in Cuba. Like Subterranean Tunnels. But of the 212 in the Morro. Each cell is about 20 feet wide and nearly 100 feet deep. They are of stone, arched above, and are more like subterranean tunnels than rooms for human beings. The only openings are at the ends. They are in the lower part of a building, within the outer walls, and having the appearance of being intended for storing supplies. They are damp and filthy, and are said to be infested with vermin. Nothing in the shape of chairs, benches or beds is provided. There are, however, hooks for fifty hammocks in each room. Friends of the prisoners supplied the hammocks ; but, as there were 108 men in one room, and 104 in the other, more than half the number were compelled to sleep on the stone floor. Water was furnished twice a day in separate cans, which once contained kerosene oil. Regular army rations were served. The sanitary arrangements were vile. Many men were taken from these cells to the hospitals before the slow-moving authorities saw fit to try their cases, or admit that they had no case. One of the prisoners was Lopez Colona, who left Matanzas in the early days of the rebellion. Like Juan Gualberto Gomez, who died in Ceuta prison, Colona presented himself when Captain-General Calleja issued his proclamation granting amnesty to all insurgents who surrendered. He had been in prison more than a year, had neither been deported nor given a trial, and stood a good chance of dying in prison. 150 HORRORS OF MORRO CASTLE. Another prisoner was Manuel Francisco Aguerro. He affirmed he was an American citizen, and though he was arrested in July, 1895, the American Consul said he had never before heard of the case. Aguerro was a general agent or manager of a traveling circus. He said he had visited the United States yearly to obtain features for his circus, and lived there at one time five years, when he took out citizenship papers. He had taken no part in the war, and way arrested in Guara, Havana province, July /th, 1895. All of the 212 in Morro Castle were white. One already men. tioned was a smooth-cheeked Spanish lad of fourteen, who was clerk in a store in a small town in the interior of Havana province. He lost his position, and was walking along the highway to Havana when arrested, charged with being a rebel. Aside from those named, the political prisoners are Cubans almost without exception. They are not in any sense prisoners of war. They are peaceable citizens dragged out of their homes, away from families dependent upon them for support, and sent to the Morro. CHAPTER XIV. Stirring Incidents of the Conflict. IT is evident that there was no opportunity for General Weyler to fight a pitched battle with the entire insurgent army. The reason is plain. The insurgents were scattered and were not massed in large numbers. They were, indeed, separated into two divisions, the one under General Gomez and the other under General Antonio Maceo, but they were not to be found at any one point in very formidable numbers. The insurgent generals exhibited great strategy in avoiding a pitched battle against overwhelming numbers. They knew every inch of Cuba. They could advance and retreat with the swiftness of the wind. They were well acquainted with all the natural strongholds, and could disappear whenever there was a certainty of being defeated or captured if they risked battle. Thus the war progressed and was not without incidents of the most stirring description. On March I3th, Gomez and Maceo, who were in the province of Matanzas, separated, Gomez remaining in the vicinity of Jovellanos, while Maceo moved west. The Government troops directed atten- tion to Maceo, who showed a tendency to retreat toward Havana. The columns commanded by Generals Bernal and Prats, Colonels Vicuna and Inclan, Tort and Molina and the Almanza battalion formed a combination to encircle Maceo and prevent his entrance to Havana province. The official announcement was made at the Palace of the combination of the seven columns. The result was anxiously awaited. Later the Government announced that Maceo declined an engage- ment and entered Havana province. From other sources it was learned that Maceo discovered the combination, and with Lacret and Bandera's forces, numbering over ten thousand, fell upon the 151 152 STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. Almanza battalion, which happened to be a raw one recently arrived from Spain, broke it to pieces near Los Palos, rode over the remains and crossed the Havana line, leaving the Government combination in the rear. Maceo passed south of-Guines and struck the railroad north of Batanao, removed the track and telegraph wires from the trocha, and caused consternation in the block-houses along the strong line. In the vicinity of Pozo Redondo he burned two bridges, and was reported going in the direction of Pinar del Rio line. General Weyler was very angry over the failure of the columns to prevent Maceo's return, especially since he had just proclaimed the province free of insurgents. The Government troops were rushed west in pursuit of Maceo, and the strong line was again strengthened. There was no improvement in the situation in the other provinces. The Spanish held only three towns in the Western province Pinar del Rio, Candelaria and Artemisa. In Matanzas many thousand acres of cane were burned, railroads destroyed and towns attacked. The rebels were more numerous than ever. The same was true of Santa Clara and Santiago provinces. General Weyler's recent decrees were being rigidly enforced, causing panic in many sections. The Spaniards Killing One Another. An untoward military accident occurred, growing out of a mis- understanding of the reply to a challenge, resulting in the killing of twelve soldiers and the wounding of a number of others. A small band of insurgents had set fire to the cane and buildings on a sugar estate near Marianao, Province of Havana. The smoke attracted the attention of two columns of Spanish troops who were advancing in search of the rebels. The column which first arrived on the estate entrenched themselves, as a precaution against any sudden attack from the insurgents, who were supposed to be near. The second column, consisting of the San Quintin battalion, arrived on the scene after dark. As they approached the entrench- ments of the first column they were hailed by the usual " Alerta " from a picket, and responded by calling out the name of their battai- STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. 153 ion San Quintin. The picket, confused by the sudden appearance of the column, misunderstood the reply, taking it, from the similarity of sound, to be Quintin Bandera, the name of one of the rebel leaders. He at once concluded that the insurgents were moving tc attack the column to which he belonged, and, without further parley, discharged his piece and fell back to the entrenchments, where the report of his rifle had caused all the troops to seize their arms and prepare to repel an attack. The second column had in the meantime continued to advance, supposing that they had come upon the rebels for whom they were looking. They had not gone far before the first column poured a volley into their ranks. The second column returned the fire, and then in response to an order fixed their bayonets and rushed forward to take the entrenchments by storm. As they went over the en- trenchments the first column poured another volley into them, and then when the troops came into close quarters it was discovered from the uniforms and flags that a fatal blunder had been made. It was reported that the losses on both sides in killed and wounded were over thirty, but there was a strong suspicion that they were much larger. Defending Havana. "Within three days," says a journalist, " I have made two journeys out into the surrounding country, and have seen the hurried prepara- tions for the defense of the city which are going on day and night. I went clear across the Island to the south coast along the trocha, and the work is astonishing. Miles of trenches are being dug; on every high piece of ground commanding a quarter of mile radius has been erected a stone fort with a boiler-iron roof and watch-tower, and outside the limits of the city not a building commanding a street or village, or a hacienda in the country remains which has not been barricaded and garrisoned. The numerous little forts are each capa- ble of holding a hundred or a hundred and fifty men and a machine gun has been sent out to half a dozen of them which are nearest the city. 154 STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. " It all looks very much like the hasty defense of a city about to be attacked, and the nature of the fortifications, outside the forts described, bears out this impression. The buildings utilized are topped along the four sides of the roof with a rampart of oil-barrels filled with sand, and when the supply of barrels has failed ordinary sugar sacks have been used in the same way. At Guanabacoa, east of the city in the direction of Matanzas, sardine boxes, flour barrels, empty cracker cases, old lumber and every sort of junk have been piled up in lines and filled with gravel. The following letter, addressed to the American press, was received at Tampa, Fla., March I4th : Outrages by a Despot. " If the Government that unhappily rules the destinies of this unfortunate country should be true to the most rudimentary princi- ples of justice and morality, Colonel Jull, who has been recently appointed Military Governor of Matanzas province, should be in the galleys among criminals. It- is but a short time since he was relieved by General Martinez Campos of the military command at Cienfuegos, as he had not once engaged any of the insurgent forces, but vented all his ferocious instincts against innocent and inoffensive peasants. " In Yaguaramas, a small town near Cienfuegos, he arrested as suspects and spies Mr. Antonio Morejon, an honest and hard-working man, and Mr. Ygnacio Chapi, who is well advanced in years and almost blind. Not being able to prove the charge against them, as they were innocent, he ordered Major Moreno, of the Barcelona battalion, doing garrison duty at Yaguaramas, to kill them with the machete and have them buried immediately. Major Moreno answered that he was a gentleman, who had come to fight for the integrity of his country, and not to commit murder. This displeased the colonel sorely, but, unfortunately, a volunteer sergeant, with six others, were willing to execute the order of the colonel, and Morejon and Chapi were murdered without pity. "The order of Jull was executed in the most cruel manner. It horrifies to even think of it. Mr. Chapi, who knew the ways of STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. 155 Colonel Jull, on being awakened at 3 o'clock in the morning, and notified by the volunteer of the guard that he and Morejon had to go out, suspected what was to come, and told his companion to cry out for help as soon as they would be taken out of the fort. They did so, but those who were to execute the order of Jull were neither moved nor weakened in their purpose. A Ghastly Spectacle. " On the contrary, at the first screams of Chapi and Morejon they threw a lasso over their heads, and pulled at it by the ends. In a few moments they fell to the ground, choked to death. They were dragged on the earth without pity to the place where they were buried. All this bloody scene was witnessed by Jull from a short distance. Providence has not willed that so much iniquity should remain hid- den forever. In the hurry the grave where these two innocent men were buried was not dug deep enough, and part of the rope with which they were choked remained outside. A neighbor looking for a lost cow saw the rope, took hold of it, and, on pulling, disinterred the head of one of the victims. He was terror-stricken, and imme- diately gave notice to the Guardia Civil and the Judge. These authorities soon found out that the men had been killed by order of Colonel Jull, and therefore proceedings were suspended. " The neighbors and all civil and military authorities know every- thing that has been related here, but such is the state of affairs on this Island that General Weyler has had no objection to appointing this monster, Colonel Jull, Military Governor of Matanzas. Such deeds as enumerated are common. " The people of the town of Matanzas, with Jull as Governor, and Arolas at the head of a column, will suffer the consequences of their pernicious and bloody instincts. "That the readers may know in part who General Arolas is, I will relate what has happened in the Mercedes estate, near Colon. It having come to his knowledge that a small body of rebels was encamped on the sugar Estate Mercedes, of Mr. Carrillo, General Arolas went to engage them, but the rebels, who were few in num- 156 STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. her, retreated. Much vexed at not being able to discharge one shoV at them, he made prisoners of three workmen who were out in the field herding the animals of the estate, and without any formality of trial shot them. When the bodies were taken to the Central they were recognized, and to cover his responsibility somewhat General Arolas said that when he challenged them they ran off, and at the first discharge of musketry they fell dead. * It seems impossible that being so near the United States, so near that country so free, cultured and generous, innocent peasants can be butchered with impunity. Not even in Armenia happens what is being witnessed in Cuba. The history of the Spanish dominion in this unfortunate Island is a history of crimes." Appalling Devastation. Some idea of the devastation wrought by the war in Cuba may be gathered from the fact that fifty-nine towns were destroyed in the four western provinces. Most of these towns were burned by the insurgents for resisting attacks, or because they were being used as depots of supplies for government troops. In some cases, like that of Cabanas, the Spanish troops demolished the town to prevent the insurgents from occupying it. Very little of the destruction was done wantonly by either side. When the insurgents, led by Maceo, entered Pinar del Rio every town in the province except the capital city welcomed him with open arms, and no property was injured. Later the Government troops entered the province, and, moving in strong columns, dislodged the insurgents from town after town, establishing their own garrisons there. Thereupon the inhabitants burned their own town, and nearly the entire province was laid in ashes. Spanish troops occupied the city of Pinar del Rio, the towns of Candelaria, Artemisa and the port of Colima. All the rest of the province was in the hands of the enemy. A Spanish force was sent to establish a base of supplies at Guane. Upon the approach of the column the residents burned their town. In the general devastation of Pinar del Rio tobacco warehouses were burned, and the indications were that this crop would not be STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. 157 permitted to reach the coast. Banana and pineapple crops were also interfered with. Shipments from the interior to the sea-coast towns were so completely blocked that at Guines, in this province, cows were offered for sale at $4 each, pigs $i, turkeys 40 cents, and eggs and milk had no price. In Havana these things were worth four times the customary price, and codfish imported in large quantities for consumption in the interior was offered for one and one-half cents per pound, but a little more than the duty alone. Thousands of people were destitute, and had it not been for tropical fruits and the tropical climate starvation would have been theirs. The following report from Defuniak Springs, Fla., under date of March i8th, shows that the friends of Cuba were active in supplying arms and ammunition : Arrival of Munitions of War. "The expedition of General Enrique Collazo, which sailed from Tampa about two weeks ago, was met at an appointed location in the Gulf by a steamer whose name is given as ' Jose Marti,' having aboard General Collazo, Major Charles Hernandez, and Miguel Duque de Estrada, a brother-in-law of Collazo. The main body consisted of ninety-eight able-bodied men, most of whom are prominent in society in Havana. The steamer will immediately sail for Cuba, intending to land on tfce northern coast, near Cardenas. The following is a list of the munitions of war taken : " Five hundred Winchester rifles, 500 Remington rifles, 500 ma- chetes, two rapid-firing field-pieces, and a large number of cartridges, caps and considerable dynamite. Sufficient accoutrements and equipments were taken for five hundred men. " The Spanish Consul at Tampa was fully aware of the move, but on account of it being made on Sunday he could obtain no warrant to arrest the members of the expedition, the United States Marshal refusing to act without it." The strength of the insurgent army at this time was close to 43,000 men. Cubans themselves estimated the number of men in the field as high as 60,000 ; but even if unarmed camp-followers, men in 158 STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. charge of provision trains, hospitals and camps were counted, it is doubtful if that number could have been found actually in service. There were thousands of Cubans who would willingly have cast their lot with the patriot army, but lack of arms and ammunition prevented. The insurgent forces operated, as a rule, in zones or districts, and were organized on military lines. The columns of Gomez, Maceo, Lacret and Banderas were, however, limited to no one province, but passed from one to another, under direct orders of Gomez. A Hand-to-Hand Encounter. News was received at Havana of an important battle which was fought in the vicinity of Candelaria, in the Province of Pinar del Rio. The Government troops were unable to drive the insurgents back, and retired from their position with considerable loss. The Spanish forces were commanded by General Linares and Colonels Inclan and Hernandez, and the insurgents by Maceo and Banderas. The fighting was begun on a line parallel with the roadway. The Spanish forces deployed, the Tarifa battalion, a section of the Victoria cavalry and a detachment of artillery forming the vanguard and opening fire upon the enemy. The insurgents returned this fire, and at the same time made an attack upon the rear-guard of the Spaniards, completely encircling their column. Having entirely surrounded the Governmtfat troops, the insurgents advanced upon the artillerymen with machetes. The latter made a vigorous resistance, using muskets and grenades with such effect as to check for a time the enemy's advance ; but, with reinforcements, a second charge was made by the insurgents and a hand-to-hand engagement ensued. The battle terminated with a bayonet charge. After a hot fight, lasting two hours, the Spaniards were defeated, losing many killed and wounded. It was the intention of the enemy to prevent Colonel Inclan from proceeding to Can- delaria. The official report of the fight said the insurgents suffei^d a tre- mendous loss. The Spaniards lost two captains and fiv<. privates killed, and one lieutenant, four sergeants and fifty-foui soldiers STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. 159 wounded. General Linares arrived at Candelaria an hour atter the conclusion of the engagement, when he reported his share in the battle. A dispatch from Havana to the Impartial at Madrid said: " Captain- General Weyler feels much hindered by the excessive degree of prudence he is compelled to observe during the discussion in the United States Congress of the question of the belligerency of the Cuban insurgents, which, moreover, prejudices the course of the war." Mr. Armstrong, Secretary of the United States Legation at Madrid, said : " General Weyler is certainly in a very embarrassing position. He is trying to quell an insurrection in a province in which 90 per cent, of the population are opposed to him, and as soon as he starts a friendly nation practically tells him that, while he may carry on the war, he must not shoot any one." A detachment of Spanish troops near Cardenas, province of Matanzas, captured 151 cases of ammunition, nine cases of carbines, fourteen medical chests, twenty boxes of accoutrements and two boxes of cartridge caps. These supplies, evidently intended for the insurgents, were found in three boats, which apparently belonged to some filibustering steamer off the coast. Senor Dupuy de Lome, Spanish Minister at Washington, re- ceived the following cablegram on March 20: " HAVANA, March 20. The detachment of Veradero, near Carde- nas, captured 150 boxes of ammunition for Remington and Winchester rifles, nine boxes of cavalry rifles, fourteen tin boxes of medicines, twenty knapsacks covered with oil-cloth, two boxes of explosives and three boats. (Signed) WEYLER." The Spanish Minister was of the opinion that the war material mentioned was that of the Colazzo expedition, which was shipped from Cedar Key in the schooner " J. S. Mallory," captured by the United States revenue cutters, released by the authorities at Tampa, and afterwards transshipped somewhere near the southern coast of Florida to the steamer " Three Friends." With the arrival at Philadelphia of the schooner v J. Manchester 160 STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. Haynes" from Havana, came an interesting account of the state of affairs at the Cuban capital. For two months the schooner lay at Havana, and during all that time the insurgents tantalized the Span- ish soldiers, who, notwithstanding the vigorous policy that was sup- posed to have been adopted, seemed to be unable to cope with the tactics employed by the patriots. Flames from Burning Plantations. Ninety thousand soldiers were quartered at Havana. During the time the " Haynes" was at that port the insurgent force, numbering about 6000, were at no time farther away from the capital than fifteen miles. The Spanish soldiers had possession of the city, but just outside havoc was being wrought by the insurgents. Flames from burning plantations could be seen at all times, and frequently a daring patriot would go almost into the capital and destroy property. The Western Railroad, which runs from Havana, was a great sufferer. No sooner were the rails relaid than the insurgents tore them up again. An engineer, more daring than the rest, was warned by the insurgents not to venture out from the town, but, risking it, he was captured, and when the " Haynes" left Havana nothing further had been heard concerning him. The President of this railroad also lost cattle, which were in the western part of the city. The insur- gents some weeks before raided that section and destroyed a large number of cows, and no milk could be had for several days. Insurgent spies were said to enter Havana frequently to find out whatever news it was possible to learn, especially the plans of the Spanish. They then returned to the country, and the information thus obtained enabled the officers to direct their forces in a manner that bafHed the Government troops. The " Haynes " was at Havana when General Weyler arrived. War was to be pushed to a speedy end, it was declared, but there was no sign of an early termination of hostilities. When the United States Senate passed the resolutions favoring the recognition of the insurgents as belligerents, there was bitter feeling expressed by the Spaniards against this country. " Why," said one, " I could eat ten STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. 161 of those Americans myself!" Somebody remarked that it would be better for his country if he ate ten of the insurgents. The insurgents seemed never to rest, but it appeared otherwise with the Spaniards. A small band of the insurgents would approach very close to the capital, but while the Government troops were pur- suing them the time for eating would come. This settled it. The soldiers stopped to eat. After they had filled their stomachs with things good to eat and drink, they enjoyed their cigarettes. By this time the insurgents on their ponies were far away. This is quoted to illustrate the activity of one and the apathy of the other of the con- tending forces. Capture of a Band of Insurgents. Some days before the " Haynes " sailed for Philadelphia several bands of insurgents were captured. One band, numbering seventeen, headed by a negro chief, was marched through the town in the charge of a large regiment of soldiers. The soldiers with great glee kept swinging their swords near the chief's head. The entire band was taken to Morro Castle, where, it was believed, the chief would be shot. A Spanish commandant, who had been found giving provi- sions to insurgents, was executed in Morro Castle. An American sailor, who had been three years in Morro Castle, was released several weeks before. He had been put there for knocking down a policeman. The sailor was lounging around the docks when the " Haynes " departed. A day or so before the schooner sailed from Havana an expedition was said to have been landed at Cabanas, a town to the westward of the capital. The gunboats did not seem to be able to prevent the landing of filibusters, who found it comparatively easy to get ashore on the coast from Santa Cruz to Havana. It was stated that property- owners and merchants were openly professing sympathy with the Spaniards, fearing that all that belonged to them would be confiscated if they appeared to favor the other side, but when the turning-point came, it was believed all would actively support the insurgents. Owing to the destruction of the plantations very little new sugar 11 162 STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. was coming into Havana from the country districts. There was a lot of old sugar in the warehouses, but this the people did not care to send out because no new material was coming in. Reference has been made to the expedition of the steamer " Three Friends," of Jacksonville, Florida. We here give the complete story of the trip. The steamer, in command of Captain Napoleon B. Broward, arrived at Jacksonville on March i8th, having succeeded in landing in Cuba General Enrique Collazo, Major Charles Hernandez, and Duke Estrada, besides fifty-four men taken off the schooner " Ardell," from Tampa, and the entire cargo of arms and ammunition of the schooner " Mallory," from Cedar Key. It was by long odds the most important expedition that has set out from this country, and the Cubans at Jacksonville, when they learned that the " Three Friends " had safely fulfilled her mission, shouted " Viva Cuba ! " until they were hoarse. Large Cargo of Arms. They declared that it would change the character of the whole war, as the unarmed men would now be armed and those without ammunition would be supplied, and that Maceo, who had before been wary and cautious, would be more aggressive than he had ever been before. The cargo of arms landed by the " Three Friends " and the " Mallory " was as follows : 750,000 rounds of cartridges ; 1,200 rifles ; 2,100 machetes; 400 revolvers, besides stores, reloading tools, etc. The " Three Friends " met the " Mallory " at Alligator Key. The " Ardell " had just finished transferring the men to her. While they were rendezvoused there behind the pines in a deep coral-walled creek three big Spanish men-of-war steamed slowly by, but they did not discover that there was .anything suspicious-looking in shore, although with a glass men could be seen in their look-outs scanning the horizon, as well as searching the shore. Sunday, about noon, no vessels being in sight, the " Three Friends " took in tow the " Mal- lory " and steamed southward under a good head of steam. The " Three Friends " is a powerful tug, and by Monday night STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. 163 was close enough to the Cuban shore to hear the breakers. Several ship lights to the west were seen, one of which was evidently a Spanish man of-war, for she had a search light at her bow, and was sweeping the waves with it, but the " Three Friends " was a long way off and had no light, and so was out of the neighborhood of the Spaniard. Shadowed by Detectives. At ten o'clock that night, by the aid of a naphtha launch and two big surf-boats, which had been taken out of Jacksonville, the " Three Friends " landed the men and ammunition from her hold, and from that of the " Mallory." It took four and a half hours to complete the job. There were hundreds of men on shore to assist, and they did it silently, appreciating the peril of the undertaking. The Cubans on shore recognized General Collazo immediately, and no words can describe their joy upon seeing him. He is a veteran of Cuban wars, and is one whom Spain fears. In fact, it is known that during his sojourn in Florida he was shadowed by detectives, who had been instructed to spare no expense to keep Collazo from reaching Cuba. When it was whispered that Collazo was really among them, they seemed not to believe their ears, but came forward and looked, and, seeing that there was really no mistake, threw up their arms and wept. Major Charles Hernandez and Duke Estrada were also enthusiastically welcomed. It was reported that night that Maceo had received the arms of the first expedition that set forth three days before the " Three Friends " landed. They were not from the " Commodore," for they reported that they were now on the lookout for that vessel. They said, too, that at the end of the week four expeditions were afloat. Two, in- cluding the " Three Friends," had landed, and two more were on the way. Tuesday morning, as the " Three Friends " was returning, she sighted a steamer that answered to the description of the " Commo- dore." She was headed southward, and pushing along apparently at the rate of fifteen knots an hour. This vessel has an engine capa- ble of driving a ship twice her size, and has a speed of seventeen knots an hour. 164 STIRLING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. On Wednesday, March 3, General Collazo, Major Hernandez and Duke Estrada left Tampa, and reached Jacksonville the next day. They remained secreted at the house of a Cuban sympathizer until the 1 2th, General Collazo knowing that detectives had been on his trail for weeks. They intended to leave on the night of March 5th, but their departure was delayed, on account of the capture of the " Mallory," until the I2th. After release, the "Mallory " sailed with a part of the arms seized at Cedar Keys six months before, some on an island, some in a house, and some that had been jettisoned and had been released through the efforts of H. S. Rubens, general counsel of the Cubans, The schooner " Ardell " left Tampa the same night with fifty-four men and Brigadier-General Vasquez, a brother-in-law of General Collazo. Escape of the Vessel. Five tons of the " Mallory's " arms and ammunition were taken from her at Tampa and shipped to Jacksonville, in a sealed car, with instruc- tions not to open until called for. When the car arrived in Jack^jn- ville, one of the clerks of the railroad, not knowing of the orders, opened the car and unloaded it in the freight depot of the Florida Central & Peninsular Railroad, and this discovery led to all sorts of rumors. It was known that the boxes contained arms, as they were heavy, and they were labelled " Colt's Fire Arms Company." They were promptly removed to the warehouse of the President of the Friends of Cuba Club of Jacksonville. The arms remained in this warehouse until the night of the I2th instant. Meanwhile the " Mallory " sailed from Tampa with the re- mainder of the cargo to Alligator Key, the appointed rendezvous. Alligator Key is about 100 miles south of Biscayne Bay. It is a part of the Florida reef, and, being well wooded, is an excellent place for the purpose. There the " Mallory " was joined by the " Ardell," where the two waited for the " Three Friends." This vessel left the dock of the Alabama Coal Company in Jackson- ville at 8 o'clock on the night of Thursday, the I2th inst., and pro- ceeded to the dock, where she loaded with arms, ammunition and STIRRING INCIDENTS OF THE CONFLICT. 165 dynamite. At 10 o'clock she sailed for the mouth of the river, but stopped at Bucki's on the way and took aboard General Collazo and his party, and A. W. Barra, who had driven out in carriages from the place where they were secreted. At this point a large naphtha launch was taken on, as well as two large iron surf-boats, to be used in landing the arms, etc. The steamer proceeded out to the bar that night, and at daylight of Friday, the 1 3th, she proceeded down the coast. She arrived at Alligator Key Sunday morning, and then took in tow the " Mallory." CHAPTER XV. Pathetic Stories of the War. ON the 4th of March, Dr. Delgado, an American citizen residing in Cuba, was wounded by brutal Spanish soldiers. There was a ghastly gash made by a machete across the side of his head, extending downward to the throat. It was sewed up by the doctors. The bullet-hole through his side was the most painful. He had lived in New York, and had begun practicing medicine there as assistant to Dr. Alexander Mott. He came to Cuba in 1876 to claim property which belonged to him by inheritance. He grieved a great deal over the young men who were killed on the day of the massacre, when he escaped so miraculously to tell this story. A newspaper correspondent heard the story of the butchery from Delgado's old father, who speaks good English. The old man was still suffering from the effects of the weeks which he spent in the damp cane fields with his wounded boy. Frequently, as he told the awful story, his face was convulsed with suffering, and tears flowed from his eyes. In his trembling hands he held the blood-stained bullet which fell from his side when they removed his garments. He said that he would bring it himself to Mr. Cleveland and would ask the President if there was no protection for Americans in Cuba. *' Our plantation," he said, " is called Dolores, the old name being Morales. It was about half-past one on the 4th day of March when a regiment of rebels, about 400 or 500 men, invaded the place. They told us that they were Maceo's men, and soon after them came Maceo, with twenty-four women, sixteen whites and eight mulattoes. I understood that these women were the wives of the officers. " Maceo shook hands politely and asked if I would allow them to take breakfast with us. Of course there was nothing to do but to say yes, and the men spread themselves over about seventy acres of PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. 167 the plantation, the officers and the ladies coming into the house. They had provisions with them, but desired to cook and serve them, which they did. They sat down at the table, and were soon joking and laughing. " Suddenly we heard rifle-shots. Hernandez yelled to his wife to hand him his machete. Then all went out and found that the firing had come from what seemed to bean advance guard of the Spanish troops. There was some skirmishing at a distance, and the insurgents rode away. They did not wish to fight on the plantation, as they were on another mission. Bullets Cause Alarm. " The Spaniards had fired the cane, thinking there were other insurgents hiding in it. Spanish bullets rattled on the tiled roof of the house, and farm-hands who were ploughing back of the house got frightened and wished to come in. So the doors and windows were unbarred, and six men and three women, wives of the farm-hands, came in. " After a while I opened the window to see how matters stood and saw two cavalrymen and a captain, with two soldiers. My son and the farm-hands went out toward the burning cane in an attempt to save some oxen that were near the cane. When the captain saw them he shouted : ' Who are those people ?' " I told him they were our workmen, and he then gave orders to clear the house. They rushed their horses right through the house, the captain leading them. I took out my American papers and showed them to him to prove that I was a peaceful citizen. " ' They are the worst documents you can have/ said the captain. They answered my son in the same way, and the captain repeated the order to clear the house. Then they ordered us to march on as prisoners and told the women to stay back. My son asked them to let me stay back with the women, and they allowed me to do so. Of course, the women were panic-stricken and screaming when they saw their husbands taken away. " We heard shots and then a second volley. One of the women 168 PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. cried out : ' They have killed my husband !' Her words were true. After about three hours I ventured out, and I saw coming toward the house the old farm-hand, a man of about 70. He seemed to be hold- ing a red handkerchief over his arm, but when I got nearer I saw that it was covered with blood. He cried out when he saw me : " ' They have killed them !' " ' My son ! My son !' I cried. " ' He was the first one that they killed/ he said. " I took the man in the house and tried to bind his arm, which had been shattered by a bullet. I endeavored to pacify the women, and told them that they should go to the nearest neighbors for help. The two white farm-hands, who had been hiding in the cane, then came over toward the house, while I was trying to quiet the women. They were afraid to move, panic stricken, and would not go for help. " Suddenly a young man dashed up to the house at full gallop. He drew his revolver and told the farm-hands to get cots and pil- lows and medicine to bring to the missing men in case any of them should be still alive. He said he would shoot them if they diso- beyed, and they did as he directed. They made up a litter, and we walked on till we found the place where the men lay in a pool oi blood. " I looked into my son's face and cried out: ' My son, my son.' Ke opened his eyes and whispered, ' Father, they have killed us.' " The old gentleman broke down in a passion of weeping at these recollections of this awful scene. He led me in to the bedside of his son, who then told me his story of the butchery. " They marched us along," he said, " and I spoke to the General : ' General, I am an American citizen, and here are my papers from Mr. Williams.' " ' They are the worst things you could have,' he said. ' I wish the Consul were here himself, so that I could treat him thus,' and he struck me three times in the face. Then he sounded the bugle calling the volunteers, and ordered us taken to the rear-guard. Of course, we knew that this meant death. They tied us in a line with our hands pinioned. I knew the sergeant and said to him : PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. 169 " ' Is it possible that you are going to kill me ? ' " ' How can I help it ? ' he answered. Then the order was given and the soldiers rushed upon us with machetes. Their knives cut our ropes as we tried to dodge the blows, and the soldiers fired two volleys at us. " The first shot grazed my head, and I dropped to the ground as though dead. The old farm-hand also threw himself to the earth. This act saved both our lives. " The other four men who tried to fight were killed. At the second discharge a bullet pierced my side. When we all lay as though dead they came up and turned us over and searched our pockets mine first, of course, as I was better dressed than the other men. One of the soldiers noticed that my breast moved and shouted out : ' This fellow is not dead yet. Give him another blow,' and he raised his machete and gave me a slash across the face and throat. Then I be- came unconscious." Secreted in a Cane Field. Delgado's father took up the story as his son left off: " The brave young man who brought us to the place where my son was, now jumped from his horse and gave orders to the men to lift my son on the litter, as we found he was the only man still living. We put a pillow under his head, and the two farm hands lifted the litter and carried it into the cane field. " Meanwhile, the women relatives of the dead men came up and began to wail and cry. The young man, whom we afterward found was an insurgent leader, told them they should be quiet, as their lamentations would bring the Spanish troops upon the scene again. " Then the litter was carried into the cane field. This young man said : ' You must immediately write to the American Consul. I will furnish you with a messenger, and you may rest safely in this cane field with your son. I will put a guard of 500 men around it so that they cannot burn it, as they do when they know people are hiding in the cane.' " For five days I was in the cane field with my son. It rained upon 170 PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. us, and then I put the pillows over my son's chest, in order to protect him. I suffered greatly from rheumatism. Only the young man appeared and said that General Maceo had sent a guard to escort me back to my home. " With my boy we were taken there and guard kept around our house. Then the messenger came back from the Consul, and I came on to Havana to see General Weyler, who had my son brought here to the city." On the Sunday after Delgado was borne down the Prado on a covered litter, escorted by a gorgeous Red Cross detachment in Spanish uniform. There was so much theatrical display and pomp about the procession that it looked very much like a clever ruse to impress the newspaper correspondents, who, it was known, were in possession of all the details of the butchery. No Protection for Americans. Here is the story of the three brothers Farrar, all American citizens and joint owners of the coffee plantation Estrella, in Havana province, near Alquizar. It does not differ greatly from the experi- ence of many other owners of estates in the interior, but as these men happened to be Americans and had made sworn statements protesting against the excesses committed by Spanish troops, and demanding damages, the affair became one of official record, and cannot be brushed away with a general denial. The papers were placed in the hands of Consul-General Williams, and Miguel Farrar, one of the brothers, furnished a copy of the statement. It is as follows : " On Saturday, March 2ist, the dwelling-house of the coffee plan- tation Estrella was the object of wanton attack by the column of General Bernat, operating in that region. The said building received cannon shots of grape and canister, breaking the door, one window, several piazza, columns, and greatly endangering the lives of the families of my brothers, Don Tasio and Don Luis Farrar, both Amer- ican citizens, the wife of the former being enceinte. There were two small children in the house. From my information it appears that PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. 171 the troops mentioned had sustained fire with a rebel band in Paz plantation, a quarter league from Estrella. " The rebels having fled to Pedroso and Buena Esperanza planta- tions, the government troops advanced toward Estrella, in quite an opposite direction from that taken by the rebels. On arriving at the borders of Estrella plantation, the Spanish columns began firing cannon at the dwelling-house, and it was immediately invaded by soldiers, who ransacked it, carrying off from wardrobes all jewelry and men's clothing which they contained, as well as a sum of about $60 in money. They also took away everything found in workmen's dwellings, arresting at the same time twelve of the occupants, whom they conducted to Alquizar as insurgents. It should be observed that the cannon were fired solely at the dwelling-house of the owners, although there were twenty other buildings on the plantation, and the place was entirely clear of insurgents. Immediate Indemnity Demanded. " In consideration of all the above, and particularly on account of the danger to which his relatives were exposed, and also for the unjustifiable looting on the part of the regular troops in the service of a constituted government, the undersigned does most solemnly protest and asks an immediate indemnity for the damage suffered, which he values at $5,000, as all work has been stopped on the plan- tation and everything abandoned." The Spanish official account of what happened on the Estrella plan- tation was as follows : " The column of General Bernat found several bands of rebels who fortified the houses of the coffee plantation Estrella, where they were beaten, and by artillery shots and cavalry charges the enemy was dislodged from his position. Twelve prisoners were cap- tured, besides arms, ammunition and instruments to destroy railroad tracks. It is believed from the trails of blood seen in the place that the rebels had many dead and wounded. All the prisoners will be summarily court-martialed." On March 25th twenty prisoners, taken in the operations around Artemisia and Alquizas, arrived in Havana. On being escorted 172 PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. through Obispo street to the palace they were followed by a con- stantly increasing mob, who shouted: "Viva Espana," and " Death to the rebels." The men were kicked, beaten, and one had his head cut open by a flying missile. It was enough to make decent blood boil to see the poor wretches, with arms pinioned and a mob at their heels shouting for their blood. By the time the prisoners reached the Palace the mob numbered between 200 and 300. General Ahumada, the secundo cabo, or second chief of the government, came out and ordered the guards to disperse the mob. A Heroine who Fought for Cuba. An authentic account is given of a heroine who fell in defense of the Cuban cause. This woman was Senorita Matilde Agramonte, of Havana, who, after marching and fighting with Maceo's soldiers, fell dead at last, riddled with Spanish bullets. Matilde was the last representative of one of the most widely known of old-stock Cuban families. Her ancestors were among the first Spanish settlers of the Island. In every insurrection that has occurred on the Island men of the Agramonte and Varona families have been found in the field. The wealth of the family has been counted by millions. When uncles and brothers of Senorita Matilde followed General Maceo into battle they left Matilde on the ranch, in charge. The girl set out on a visit to Ciego de Avila. Upon her return she found nothing left but ashes and the bodies of the servants. She decided to join the army of General Maceo, and so the first female soldier to bear arms against Spain was enlisted. The poor girl never saw but one battle. That was at the planta- tion of Olayiti, in Quemado de Guines, province of Santa Clara. The patriots were overwhelmingly outnumbered. To protect the main body in retreat, Maceo called for volunteers, who should remain behind and draw the fire of the Spanish. Among those who stepped forward was Matilde. They carried out General Maceo's plan, but forfeited their own lives. Matilde PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. 173 stood shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers and fired her rifle. She was one of the last to fall. The arrest of suspects continued during March at such a rate that the prisons were full, and epidemics among the prisoners were feared. The Remedies prison was in a terrible sanitary condition, with 200 prisoners in quarters which were very much overcrowded. At Sagua there were 226 prisoners, and there was room for no more. The same state of affairs prevailed at many other points. The decrees of General Weyler were enforced with great harshness against the Cubans supposed to have Cuban sympathies. A state of panic, as a result of these decrees and the action of troops, prevailed in all portions of the Island occupied by the Spanish. Where were the Prisoners? The peaceable citizens had no fear of the insurgents, who followed more humane methods. It was absolutely impossible for corre- spondents to learn the whereabouts of the prisoners of war who were reported to be taken in the battles fought. The subordinate Spanish officers said that secret orders had been given to take no prisoners. The Cubans released all the Spanish soldiers captured. The Span- ish gave no quarter. So many plantation employes and managers were butchered that the men dared not remain on the plantations, and the women were left in charge of them. The men hid in the woods at the approach of the Spanish column. . Here is the proclamation of General March, commanding the Third Division of the First Army Corps, issued from headquarters at Holguin, Santiago Province : "Be it known that the forces operating in the territory of this divi- sion have orders to fire, without giving the signal to halt, on any person who travels at night on the roads outside the towns and ham- lets, and for the purpose of preventing accidents this is hereby pub- lished for general knowledge." This illustrates the kind of war Spain was giving Cuba. Even the Spanish officers were disgusted at the methods used. Undef date of March 26th, it was reported that another blunder 174 PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. on the part of two Spanish commanders had once more led to fatal results. The catastrophe which occurred at El Cano was to a great extent due to the darkness of the night, but now news came of columns mistaking each other for enemies in broad daylight, and continuing to fight until thirty men had been killed and over one hundred wounded. With an absence of good taste, and even of common sense, this unfortunate affair was made a subject for self-glorification in the newspapers of Havana. They pointed exultingly to the proof afforded of the extreme valor and discipline of their army, which enabled them in so short a time to inflict such heavy damage. With- out desiring to detract from the acknowledged courage of the Spaniards, it may be stated that this made the fourth time within a few months that loyal battalions fired upon their own men. This argued, to say the least of it, an absence of coolness and judgment, the qualities most essential to a good commanding officer. His Own Brother Among the Slain. The manner of carrying on the campaign against the insurgents consisted in strong columns, which were supposed to be continually on the advance. Three of these were kept within sound of shot of one another, while each leader had orders to attack the enemy any- where, regardless of superiority of numbers or position, and to rely upon the support of the nearest troops. Inexperienced generals and colonels were not capable of bringing this to a successful issue. On the very first alarm they commenced an engagement either ar long range or without proper investigation, to find subsequently to their dismay that they had actually been forwarding the cause of Cuban independence. Some sad stones were told of the scenes that followed upon the battle at Santa Rosa. One soldier, while engaged in succoring the wounded of the opposing column, discovered his own brother among the slain. But in a fatal civil war such episodes are necessarily of frequent occurrence. A colonel of the Guardia Civil, stationed at Cienfuegos, had two sons who, notwithstanding the fact of their being Spaniards, were strongly imbued with Cuban sympathy. They joined the army PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. 175 of Gomez, and in the first action in which they took part one of them was killed by the regiment commanded by his father. One might hear over and over again of similar political differences in families throughout the Island. A merchant of large fortune in Havana sent his eldest boys to the United States to keep them out of harm's way. Within three weeks they had returned with an expedition, and had been initiated among the insurgents. One still remained, Benjamin ; but as he was only thirteen years of age, no apprehensions were entertained on his account. He was missing, however, one morning, and the anxious Spanish father hurried forthwith to General Weyler to report the cir- cumstances and his fears that his son had taken to the woods. Mes- sages were immediately dispatched in all directions, with the result that the juvenile warrior was captured asleep by the roadside, twenty miles from the capital, covered with dust and completely worn out by his long tramp. A Singular Incident. From these dreary records of battle and spoliation it is a relief to turn to an incident which took place at Bolondron, in Matanzas, though it can hardly be regarded as either admirable or edifying. It appears that sparrows in Cuba are looked upon as loyal subjects, and that good Spaniards have a respect for them which we are far from sharing in the United States. Now, there is a native bird called a pitirri, a very desperate character, who, from his absolute contempt for European prejudices, may almost be considered as an insurgent. On the i Qth of March, it is well to be accurate, an ill-conditioned pitirri got into an argument with a select flock of sparrows, and some very unparliamentary language was exchanged. In the investigation into the matter it has not been fully decided as to what was the origin of the discussion ; but it is supposed to have had reference either to the elections or the question of belligerency. Whatever it was, how- ever, the sparrows called upon the pitirri to retract or come on. He selected the latter alternative, and for a few minutes there was little to be seen but a confused mass of plumage and dust. Though 176 PATHETIC STORIES OF THE WAR. vastly outnumbered, the Cuban champion was game to the back- bone, and, though he carries a white feather or two in his general make-up, there was none in his disposition. The consequence was that courage and skill, as they deserve to do, triumphed. Six spar- rows were stretched in the cold embrace of death upon the earth, while their companions withdrew to carry the melancholy tidings to the widows and orphans. Some volunteers had witnessed the action from a distance, as is their custom, when they witness it at all, and their souls were wroth within them. Reinforcements were hastily summoned, and a guarded advance was made upon this prototype of Maceo. But the pitirri was satisfied with his exceedingly creditable performance, pocketed the stakes, and quietly flew away to his club among the palms. Slowly and sadly the poor, lifeless remains were lifted from the ground, and slowly and sadly they were borne by the volunteers to the barracks. Here it was unanimously decided to honor the defunct birds with a public funeral. At first it was even proposed to bury them in the town cemetery ; but it was finally arranged that the obsequies (or ti.e " orgies," as Mark Twain's tramp would say) should take place in the plaza. The procession to the grave was worthy of the great occasion. Hundreds followed the bier, which was draped with the Spanish colors, and covered with wreaths and emblems. The amazing part of this absolutely true story is that the cura, Father Gurna, actually headed the cortege. A volley of blank cart- ridges over the buried sparrows terminated the proceedings, and never, surely since Homer wrote of the frogs and mice, have the doughty deeds of such small deer been so magnificently recognized CHAPTER XVI. Successes of the Revolutionists. FTER Maceo's return to the Province of Havana his course may be described as one continued triumph. Every opposi- tion which he met with was swept from his path. He defeated detachments, he destroyed military stations, he marched victoriously, until he was on the very borders of Pinar del Rio, when, according to the Captain-General, the rebellion had been crushed forever. It was impossible to obtain perfectly accurate accounts of the engagement, which took place in the vicinity of Palos. The official reports stated that an encounter occurred without furnishing further details; but from what one could learn from other sources, two bands of the patriot army, commanded respectively by Maceo and Quintin Banderas, succeeded in partially surrounding the column of Colonel Tort, which they routed with heavy loss. Directing their course to the southwest, the insurgents arrived on the evening of the I2th before the town of Batabano. Batabano is a small seaport, where vessels trading along the coast and passenger steamers from Havana are constantly putting in. The country in the vicinity is rich and fertile, while within a few miles the vast plantations of Melena yield annually the largest return of sugar in the Island. The town was defended by a strong volunteer detachment, who were further supported by a Spanish gunboat at anchor in the har- bor. As the Cubans advanced, the land and sea forces opened fire, and for a short time there was a brisk fusilade upon the insurgent ranks. These latter, who were, of necessity, sparing of their ammu- nition, returned the fire in moderation, but meanwhile pressed forward without an instant's pause. As soon as Maceo had succeeded in effecting a lodgment in the 12 177 SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. outskirts of the town, the volunteer army fell back precipitately under shelter of the guns of the guard ship, and left Batabano in the hands of the invaders. The whole affair did not occupy quite an hour, and the losses on either side were only trifling. The real disaster took place after the combat, for the insurgents then proceeded to set fire to the principal buildings, and as the flames spread with great rapidity, the entire town was quickly in a blaze. A few houses alone escaped, so that in place of the once prosperous seaport there remain nothing now but the blackened and crumbling ruins. Destruction of a Beautiful Residence. Later the hacienda of a Mr. Goicochea was also burned to the ground. This beautiful country residence was called Chico, and lay at a distance of only eight miles from the capital, near the small town of Arroyo Arenas. It was said to be one of the handsomest places in Cuba. The house was the very beau ideal of a planter's home, with its wide verandas, its spacious apartments and its enclosed court, filled with flowers and luxuriant palms. The owner was a Cuban, but his sympathies were decidedly Span- ish. Indeed, he had at his own expense raised and equipped a body of guerrillas, and in many other ways had shown his hostility to the cause of independence. The estate was partly devoted to the culti- vation of coffee and tobacco, but, in addition to these, there were large pasturages, where about twelve hundred head of cattle and one hundred and fifty horses were at grass. A band of seven insur- gents descended on the land early in the afternoon. They had chosen their hour with great judgment, as the guerrillas were absent and two men alone represented the garrison. The dwelling-house and out-offices were set on fire, the carriages, of which there were many, and the farming implements were piled together and burned, and the ornamental grounds and gardens were laid waste. Not content with inflicting this wholesale destruction, the attacking party drove away all the stock, until the es^'mated loss is calculated to have amounted to over $200,000. SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. 17* Now, these seven insurgents, though they were decidedly what the Highlanders call " men of their hands," were not for that reason deficient in reasoning capacity. They concocted a plot, which simply, as a ruse de guerre, may challenge competition. They terrified the lwo prisoners whom they had secured by announcing their deter- mination to hang them both forthwith. Such a threat was naturally enough met by many prayers and entreaties, which were finally granted upon one condition. This was that the released men should proceed to Marianao and there inform the officers in command that the Cubans intended to attack the village of El Cano that very night. Rejoicing at their escape, the two readily consented, with the result that six companies from the St. Quintin and Peninsula regiments were ordered to march at once to the threatened locality. Spanish Troops Outwitted. As El Cano had latterly been supposed to be in danger, it held a garrison of eighty men, under the command of a sub-lieutenant, who had taken the precaution to strengthen his position by a barricade erected midway down the single street. The wily insurgents knew all this well, and so they hovered around the outskirts to precipitate the mistake which they hopefully anticipated. Shortly after nightfall the relieving column was heard approaching. " Quien vive," shouted the sentries, to which the reply, " Cuba libre !" came back instantly from the concealed patriots. The garrison, of course, concluded that they had to do with the enemy, and fired a volley upon their own men, who in their turn imagined that the town was in the hands of the insurgents. Under this delusion both sides continued to shoot, but as the defenders were behind walls, they suffered nothing, while the column speedily had many men hors de combat. After this had gone on for some time the besieging column was ordered to charge into the town, and they managed to advance as far as the barricade. Here, however, they met with such a warm recep tion that the colonel decided to be satisfied with the half that he had 180 SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. gained, and to wait for daylight to resume the combat. With the morning came an explanation. The opposing forces beheld to their dismay that they had made a terrible mistake, and nothing remained but to count up the loss. This was found to consist of thirteen killed and thirty-five wounded, including four officers and eight sergeants, all on the attacking side, for, so cleverly had the young sub-lieutenant disposed his men, that they had not suffered in the slightest degree. One thing deserves mention, and that is that, though these Spanish soldiers were armed exclusively with Mauser and Remington rifles, /iany of the wounds were found to have been inflicted by other bullets, which leads one to conclude that the seven Cubans had not been altogether idle spectators of the affray which they had so suc- cessfully brought about. A reliable newspaper correspondent in Cuba wrote, under date of March 2 1st, 1896, as follows : Doubtful Victories. " No unprejudiced person can any longer deny that hitherto the efforts of the Captain-General to cope with the rebellion have proved eminently unsuccessful. The army, with a few ultra-loyal Spaniards, ack their invention to smooth over the situation, while optimist newspapers improve upon the official reports of victories. When, however, we see such victories followed by the unchecked progress of the insurgents, it is not difficult to read between the lines. " Nor is it even assuming too much to prophesy that the reign of Weyler will be brief. Martinez Campos, a soldier, and a brave one, to whose capacity as a commander is largely due the existence of the present reigning house of Spain, managed to weather the storm for ten months. He had not the honest support of his military col- leagues, and was further impeded by secret and implacable intrigue. " Under the circumstances, his failure was hardly to be wondered at. His successor, however, was the chosen of the most influential Spanish factions in Cuba, while the soldiers considered him as a man after their own heart. We were told of his surpassing energy, of his SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. 181 exceptional courage, and of his indomitable resolution. Of these we have seen nothing, unless it be an energy to frame oppressive procla- mations, a courage to endure a guilty conscience, and a resolution to sustain the crimes of his subordinates. " The last few days have shown more than ever the worthlessness of his plans. Gomez has returned to the province of Havana. Maceo. Quintin Banderas and Periquito Perez have triumphed in Pinar de : Rio, and Nunez and De Robau continue to harass Santa Clara. A Young Hero. " Among the many brave leaders of the insurgents there is perhaps none who has shown more heroism than young De Robau. After the breaking out of the revolution he was one of the first to join the standard of independence. At that time he was engaged to be married, yet with him the call of duty was paramount over every selfish consider- ation. After having served for some months with conspicuous credit, he was sent with his command into the neighborhood of his fiance. " The men hitherto, it may be imagined, had not paid much atten- tion to their appearance, but now there was a regular conventional dress parade. A barber was requisitioned, accoutrements were fur- bished up, and weather-beaten sombreros were ornamented with brilliant ribands. When the metamorphosis was complete De Robau placed himself at the head of his dashing troop, and went in state to call upon the lady of his affections. " His march was a triumph, as everywhere he was attended by crowds of enthusiastic people, who had long known him, and who now hailed him as a distinguished champion. How he sped in his wooing may be gathered from the fact that an orderly was soon dispatched for the village cura, and that there was a wedding whic'ij fairly rivalled that of Camacho, so often and so fondly recalled by the renowned Sancho. Since then the Senora de Robau has accom- panied her husband throughout the campaign, sharing the hard fare and the dangers of the men, and adding another to the noble band of patriotic Cuban women, who vie with their husbands and brothers in fidelity to their native land. 182 SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. " Last Tuesday the insurgents gained an important victory. The columns of Colonel Inclan appear to have fallen into an ambuscade upon their march near Candelaria, when Maceo upon one flank and Banderas on the other poured in a heavy fire, inflicting serious loss. Nor was the misfortune confined to men alone, for it is now com- monly believed that the Cubans succeeded in capturing some pieces of artillery after a severe encounter with the gunners, who defended the cannon with great bravery. " The same patriot forces routed Colonel Frances close to Guanajay and compelled him to fall back for support upon the brigade of General Linares at Artemisa. That the wounded in both *;hese en- gagements far exceed the official reports can be gathered from the large ambulance train which was sent out to the ground yesterday morning from Havana. The increasing audacity of the insurgents, the comparative ease and impunity with which they roam from one end of the Island to the other, and the burning towns and villages which everywhere mark the line of their advance bear witness to the incapacity of the present administration. " Nor do we hear anything further of that cane-crushing which was to have followed immediately after General Weyler's arrival. What has escaped the flames stands still uncut upon the fields, serv- ing as a refuge for homeless wanderers, or, as in the case of Dr. Delgado, as a hospital for unfortunate victims. The elections, too, do not progress, and merely prove a bone of contention between the rival parties. "Apropos, an amusing thing connected with these elections occurred here on Thursday evening. It was reported that there was to be a conservative demonstration against the office of the ' Discu- sion,' a paper of decidedly liberal views. Great preparations were made to repel the expected attack. Editors held a council of war, reporters were mustered in force, and even the newsboys were pro- vided with defensive weapons. One of these latter, about nine o'clock, when all were in breathless anticipation, very mischievously exploded a fire-cracker in the basement. " In an mstant there was a general stampede. ' Sauve qui pent ! ' SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. 183 was the word, and one of the most completely armed, a perfect walk- ing arsenal, and who had previously boasted of his valorous inten- tions, got himself tightly wedged into a skylight, in a frantic effort to seek safety on the roof. Amid the universal alarm the newsboys alone were calm and undaunted, and would doubtless have been pre- sented with a handsome testimonial had it not leaked out that they knew all the time that the whole affair was a practical joke. The announcement this morning that the ' Three Brothers ' had success- fully run the blockade and had landed her cargo of ammunition some- where on the coast was received with much secret satisfaction by all the Cuban sympathizers in Havana. The Insurgents Wage Destruction. " Ammunition is one of the weaknesses of the insurgents; courage, ability and men they possess in abundance ; but the lack of cartridges has interfered with many of their best-laid plans, and has often pre- vented them from availing themselves of favorable opportunities. Three or four rounds a man is nothing in an action, especially when the Spaniards are always so abundantly supplied. " It is not possible, however, to imagine that anything could inter- fere with the prosecution of the war on Gomez's side. He seems determined this time to fight to the bitter end, and as Spanish incapacity becomes daily more apparent, the chances for final inde- pendence assume a brighter aspect. Should that cause eventually triumph, it is devoutly to be hoped that it may triumph soon. A long war in any country is a terrible evil, but in Cuba, in the way in which it is waged, it is exceptionally disastrous. Nearly sixty small towns have already been burned, in addition to railway stations and private houses, while the damage to the cornfields, the principal source of capital, is almost incalculable. " Another year of such a conflict, and there will hardly be a dwell- ing left standing. Nothing but waste and ruins will mark the once smiling Island, and it must be long before industry and trade can revive. We have but a faint idea in Havana of the misery that exists in the interior, We can only gather a few facts, but they are 184 SUCCESSES OF THE REVOLUTIONISTS. still sufficient to show that in many places the people are reduced to the last extremity of destitution, and are face to face with famine. The commonest necessaries of life are almost unattainable, and milk and bread have become rare luxuries. " The insurgents, among all this prevailing poverty, fare indiffer- ently; but they are more inured to hardships and capable of enduring much without a murmur. It has often been asserted that they pro- vide no comforts for their sick and wounded. So far is this from being the case that each one of the six provinces has now got its regular hospital, where Gomez's care has established a staff of medi- cal attendants, and a strong garrison. The largest of all lies in that part of Santa Clara called the Isthmus of Zapata. It is a wild, swampy region, through which the natives alone can distinguish those precarious tracks, where the slightest deviation means being engulfed in the treacherous morass. Hospitals for the Wounded. " Puerto Principe has its hospital on the mountains of Cubita, and it stands in security on the lofty summit of the Gran Pieclra. In Havana it is situated not far from Yagua, while in Santiago de Cuba and in Pinar del Rio there are asylums in the hills of Guaniguanico, and La Maestra. There are many smaller ones, as well, but not being so advantageously located, they are exposed to constant danger of capture, when the Spanish soldiers show little mercy to the suffer- ing inmates. 78 1875 6^ 212 1876 . . 8 482 1877 . no 7 A C 1878 . , 8 1 700 Total 81,098 625,211 Of this number, the official record indicates that only 6,488 died in battle or from wounds. In other words, 92 per cent, of the Spanish losses were from fever. There never was a time when less than 14 per cent, of the army was in hospitals, and in 1874 18 per cent, of the force was ineffective from sickness. Comparing the Losses. " A comparison of these losses," says a reliable authority, " with the alleged Cuban loss is hardly more interesting than a comparison with the Spanish losses in this present war. The conflict has lasted just one year. The Spanish losses are now given for the twelve months as 3,500, or at the extreme 4,000, killed or mortally wounded. The exact figures cannot be available until the present cases in hos- pitals have completed their record. This is, at the higher figures, only 4 per cent, and a fraction of losses from all causes, out of her army of 113,000. The lowest percentage reported in the ten years' war was 9! in 1874, and the highest 19 and a fraction in 1876. The curious differences here may be disposed of on the basis that eighteen years have intervened between the two wars, that the im- proved methods of dealing death have been introduced, that hospitals are better, and that the deficient arms of the insurgents are to be taken into consideration. 214 SIDE-LIGHTS UPON THE STRUGGLE. .', the relative conditions of the two armies more closely resemble each other than would at first be supposed, and where tin y do differ they indicate that the record of Spanish looses in this war should be greater than reported, and greater proportionately than it was in the ten years' war. In both wars the insurgents have man- aged to keep themselves armed with practically the same weapons as their adversaries have had. Their cry now is that they have not enough or they would have an army of 100,000 men in the field. " In the ten years' war nothing like the present extent of the revo- lution was attained. Gomez was only as far west as Matanzas, retreating instantly. To-day the whole Island is in the hands of the Cubans, except a few cities. Even Havana is in a state of siege, for the first time in loo years." Mainly Due to Volunteers. The danger to American citizens, and the brutal outrages outside Havana, like the massacre at Guatao, were due chiefly to the volun- teers recruited for the Spanish army right in Cuba. The regular Spanish soldiers were either officers doing their best, according to their ideas, to save their country, or else were recruits who were utterly apathetic and were chiefly food for fever and the machete. It was the brutish rabble of the dregs of Cuba that resorted to robbery and crime of every description criminals whose only object in joining the army was the commission of crime on defenseless people but the Spanish commanders were directly and personally to blame for their presence in the Spanish ranks, even Martinez Campos having recruited as many of these undesirable wretches as he could get hold of. Campos kept them under control, in some measure, in connec- tion with the regulars; but Weyler turned them loose in the rural districts. General Campos admitted that the volunteers only ;,fjre to be feared, and that Americans did not need to concern themselves. At that time the danger was comparatively small. General Marin, his successor, went so far when Consul-General Williams brought the subject to his official notice, after numerous appeals from American SIDE-LIGHTS UPON THE STRUGGLE. 216 residents, as to say : " If it should become necessary I will use the regulars to shoot down any volunteers that attempt excesses." General Weyler was sending the volunteers out of the city in great numbers, but several regiments remained at Havana. They were a hot-headed, ignorant, thoughtless mob, compared with the Spanish regulars, and were a continual source of trouble to the government. The volunteers prepared to send their colonels to Campos to demand that he adopt sanguinary methods of warfare, but Campos sent them word that any officer approaching him to criticise his generalship would be court-martialed. Then it was that the complications pro- duced by these volunteers led to Campos' retirement. These volun- teers made up the mob which lined the streets the day that Weyler arrived, yelling, " Blood to fertilize Cuba. Give us Cepero's head ! Cepero's head ! Cepero's head ! " Cepero was the American citizen who was a prisoner of war in Morro Castle. Discussing the Action of Congress. Much was said at Havana by the Spaniards concerning the resolu- tions of Congress granting rights of belligerents to the Cubans. They cordially believed that the American people had a single selfish motive the tearing of Cuba away from Spain. They admitted that there was no ground for the charges repeatedly published, that " recognition meant friendly assistance to organized bandits commit- ting murder, arson and rape." They declared that all America had in view was the ultimate annexation of Cuba. They acknowledged that the loss would be so severe to Spain that she would hazard all her resources of men and money until she could fight no longer to hold her possession. They felt that the unjust and obtrusive interference of the United States should be rebuked by other nations and that altercations would occur which might justify Spain in declaring war, although such an issue with the United States would not be resorted to until national honor was at stake. An incident showed the treatment accorded to newspaper corres- pondents by General Weyler. Two of these were arrested, but were 216 SIDE-LIGHTS UPON THE STRUGGLE. subsequently discharged. Their names were Michaelson and Betan- court. Their release was only provisional, pending the result of the inves- tigation on the charge that they were at Guatao on the fatal day of the massacre and brought the news to Havana. The only evidence against them was the report that two American correspondents had managed to get to the scene of the massacre. Michaelson and Betancourt had been at Marianao, half way to Guatao, where the railroad ends. Marques de Cervera received a call from them. When he was requested that night, in a message from Havana, to furnish information as to who had been permitted to go to Guatao, he naturally suspected, having knowledge of no one else going that way, that Michaelson and Betancourt had eluded his vigilance and passed along xhat road. There was no other evidence in the matter. At 2 o'clock in the morning guards of soldiers invaded the room of each man Michaelson's at the hotel and Betancourt's at his home. They made a thorough search in each case, looking through every- thing, examining every scrap of paper, peering into bureau drawers, clothes-closets and everything. This process lasted two hours, so thorough and exhaustive was it, and they found absolutely nothing to sustain the position of the authorities. Nevertheless, they removed both men to police headquarters, where they were kept until 6 A. M., when they were taken in row boats across the bay to Morro Castle. There they were placed in solitary confinement in stone dungeons, with no cots, no chairs, no blankets, not a thing, indeed, to relieve their condition. Mr. Murat Halstead and Consul-General Williams hastened to General Weyler to protest against this high-handed out- rage ; but they were unable to see the autocrat until 5 p. M., because he was out calling and did not choose to have his social engage- ments interfered with by anything so trivial as duty or so absurd bn6< fli [Jddm art* o3 ' CHAPTER XIX. The United States to the Rescue. ON the roth of April, 1896, our State Department at \VsnUng- ton sent to Madrid an important official despatch hearing on Cuban affairs. It was signed by Secretary Olney, and ad- dressed to Minister Taylor. In it was laid down the attitude of the Administration on the Cuban question. The despatch was a len*hy one. Its four principal points were : First. The President proposed that Spain accept mediation on the part of the United States, looking to a settlement of existing differ- ences between the Spanish Government and the Cubans. Second. It .referred to the correspondence between the State De- partment and the Madrid authorities in 1870, in which Spain promised to inaugurate governmental reforms in Cuba, which promises, it was said, have not been fulfilled. Third. That the present rebellion in Cuba is more serious and widespread than any which have arisen in recent years, and that the insurgents controlled practically all of Cuba except Havana and the near neighborhood. Fourth. It assured Spain of the kindliest motives on the part of the United States in seeking to bring about a pacific condition of affairs in Cuba, and urged that the good offices of this country be accepted in the spirit proffered. After the passage in the House of the Cuban resolutions the Presi- dent and Secretary Olney were frequently in consultation in relation to the general affairs in Cuba and the wisest course for the United States to pursue in the matter. Few, if any, of the many friends of Cuba in Congress expected that the President would take steps in harmony with the provisions of the resolutions. The President decided that the question of recognizing a state of belligerency in 283 234 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. the Island was not seriously to be considered. In reaching this decision he followed the advice of Secretary Olney, which was based on the precedent established by President Grant in his first adminis- tration, upon the earnest recommendations of Secretary Fish. Our Government Offers to Mediate. It having been determined not to recognize belligerency in the Island, the point to be decided was what, if any, steps should be taken in the matter. The President and the Secretary of State agreed that some measures were necessary. As a result of several important conferences, the President finally concluded that mediation on the part of the United States should be suggested to Spain. As far as known the President did not discuss the proposed course with any other member of the Cabinet than Mr. Olney. In interna- tional affairs it was the exception when he asked for the views of any other Cabinet Minister. In the case of Cuba he did not depart from his rule, but drew up not only the outline of Mr. Olney's note to Minister Taylor, but suggested many of the paragraphs, and some of the sentences. The President viewed the condition of affairs in Cuba as deserving of serious consideration. He recognized that conditions existed which were most unfortunate, and which were injurious not only to Spain, but to the vast commerce between the United States and Cuba. He realized, however, that Spain and this country are on terms of amity, and thought that vigorous proceedings on the part of the United States would result in the object aimed at being lost. This might mean a rupture of the friendly relations between Spain and the United States. The President was opposed to the adoption of any such course. He looked upon the recognizing of a state of belligerency in Cuba as unwise and unjustifiable under the circumstances, and as certain to irritate the Spanish people. For the present, at least, he was of the opinion that the best course was to propose the good offices of thJ5> Government, looking to a settlement of the serious differences between Spain and the Cuban insurgents. UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 235 Secretary Olney's letter to Minister Taylor was written in the most careful, cautious manner. In referring to the proposition that Spain accept mediation on the part of the United States, he said that the attitude of this country in the matter is a friendly one, and that the United States could have no other object, as Spain must know, than to bring about a more satisfactory condition of affairs in Cuba. He complimented Spain to the extent of intimating that she is too great a Power to fear to do what is right, and that if the claims of the Cuban insurgents as to Spanish wrongs were based on fact, it was the duty of the Madrid Government to inaugurate a more just, leni- ent and humane policy toward Cuba. Trying to Restore Order. Such a course, it was pointed out, would tend to bring about quiet and restore order in the Island, and modify the growing impression throughout the world that many of the alleged evils in Cuba are the result of harsh treatment or the maladministration of the Colonial Government. As one reason for suggesting mediation in the case, Minister Taylor was informed that many of the citizens in this coun- try interested in estates in Cuba, or in the commerce with the Island, were suffering on account of the rebellion. This fact and others, which the Secretary set forth, were, in his opinion, a sufficient justifi- cation for proposing to Spain that she accept the good offices of the United States looking to a settlement of differences between the mother country and her Island Colony. The Secretary of State referred to the correspondence between the State Department and the Madrid Government in the first adminis- tration of President Grant, when Secretary Fish, by direction of the President, proposed that the United States should act as mediator be- tween Spain and the insurgents. Spain then politely declined the good offices of this country, but intimated that the time might come when they would be acceptable to her. She promised, .however, that a number of important governmental reforms should be instituted in Cuba, among others that the taxes in the Island should be equitably levied, that no unjust discrimination should be made against native 236 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. Cubans in the matter of holding offices, that the security of persons and property should be maintained, that the judiciary should be separated from the military authorities, and that greater freedom of speech, press and religion would be inaugurated. In those days slavery existed in Cuba, and partly at the instance of the United States, the Spanish Government passed a law of emancipation. Spain's Promises Broken. A number of other important reforms have not been brought about, however, and the Secretary pointed out that representatives of the insurgents in Washington contended that there was no probability of changes in law and custom being made. In a communication to the State Department, T. Estrada Palma, representing the in- surgent party, stated that the causes of the revolution in the Island were substantially the same as those of the former revolution, lasting from 1868 to 1878, and terminating only on the representa- tion of the Spanish Government that Cuba would be granted such reforms as would remove the ground of complaint on the part of the Cuban people. Unfortunately, Mr. Palma said, the hopes thus held out have never been realized. The representation which was to be given Cubans proved to be absolutely without character. Taxes were levied anew on everything conceivable ; the offices in the Island increased, but the officers were all Spaniards ; the native Cubans had been left with no public duties whatsoever to perform except the payment of taxes to the Government, without privilege even to move from place to place in the Island, except on the permission of governmental authority. Mr. Palma also complained that Spain had framed laws so that the natives had substantially been deprived of the right of suffrage. There was appropriated only $746,000 for internal improvements out of the $26,000,000 collected by taxes. Mr. Olney pointed out that if even part of the injustice and harshness alleged by the insurgents existed in Cuba, important reforms would appear to be demanded under the circumstances. UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 237 Secretary Olney informed Minister Taylor that from advices re- ceived from Cuba it was made clear that the revolution in the Island was more widespread than the ten years' revolution, and that the insurgents were reported to be masters of the situation, except in and near Havana. These conditions, in the opinion of the Secretary, went to show the extent of the insurrectionary movement, and the large number of persons engaged in it, and the effect was a serious blow to business throughout the Island, and operated necessarily greatly to the disadvantage of the commerce of the United States. Much more was said in this connection in the despatch to Minister Taylor, but the drift of the statement was that the revolution had made greater headway than any preceding revolution in Cuba, and that the conditions were cause for grave concern on the part of the United States. Mr. Olney intimated that if the insurgents had not been successful in overcoming the Spanish forces and getting charge of the Island, it was equally true that Spain had not put down the rebellion. A Friendly Proposition. The Secretary concluded his lengthy despatch by directing Minis- ter Taylor to assure Spain of the friendliness of this country in pro- posing mediation. His argument throughout was a strong one. Minister Taylor was instructed to lay the President's proposition before the Spanish Foreign Secretary at an early date, and to com- municate the reply of the Madrid Government promptly upon re- ceiving it. What the feeling was at Madrid is clearly shown by the statement of a journalist, under date of April 16: " As I am about to leave Spain a resume of the present state of affairs here may be appropriate. " Quiet reigns. It seems to me that the whole trouble will be amicably arranged. It is only necessary for Mr. Cleveland to make friendly overtures in order to get a friendly reply in regard to the reforms to be granted to Cuba. The present government has said as much. Laws have already been passed, and are only awaiting the cessation of hostilities to be enforced. 238 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. " Spain will strain every nerve to suppress the insurrection, although the government does not expect to succeed in this before the rainy season sets in. On the contrary, preparations are now under way to send six thousand more soldiers to Cuba at the end of the summer. That will make a total of two hundred thousand men sent to the Island since the war began. "The jingo threats of American interference have really strength- ened the present government. Every Spaniard, whether conserva- tive, liberal or republican, would stand by the red and yellow flag, and afterward would fight it out among themselves. The conserva- tives, who outnumber the liberals by three to one, are doing every- thing in their power, without compromising the honor of the nation, to avert war with the United States. " The liberals are the jingoes of the Peninsula and they seem to think that Spain has been insulted quite enough already. The republicans are very much in the minority just now and are confined almost entirely to the northern provinces. They are against anything that is done by the government, and are consequently opposed to the pacific methods of Premier Canovas and his colleagues. Even they would stand by the Crown in case of war. Our Country Cordially Hated. " While there is a deep-seated bitterness to the United States all over the country, there is very little open exhibition of it. If the match were applied this feeling would explode with such violence that the lives of Americans would not be safe anywhere from Cadiz to San Sebastian. The recognition of the Cuban insurgents as belli- gerents would be such a match. The thousands of students in Madrid and Barcelona would start the trouble, and the infection would soon spread. It should be remembered that there are 17,000 of these students in Madrid alone, and Madrid is only one of twelve university cities. " If war came I doubt if Spain would attempt to hold Cuba for any length of time. She would withdraw her troops and use them to defend the Peninsula from invasion. Before that happened the UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 239 effort would probably be made to attack Florida. Thirty merchant steamships, some of which are now being converted into cruisers, would be employed purely as privateers to harass American com- merce. It is the boast of the Spaniards that they drove Napoleon back across the Pyrenees by guerrilla warfare, and they believe they could drive the Stars and Stripes from the seas by corsair methods. " The regular Spanish navy would be kept near Cadiz and Barce- lona, and it would not be an easy matter to capture Cadiz, which is quite as well fortified as New York. New and big guns have re- cently been mounted on the shore batteries. Torpedoes and tor- pedo boats are there without number. Barcelona also is well pro- tected, and for that matter the defences of all the ports are being strengthened. Scarcity of Food. " Spain is so barren in food products that an invading army would have to depend entirely on its base for supplies. It could not live off the country. On the other hand, Spanish soldiers subsist on next to nothing. The private soldiers in the Spanish army honestly believe that in case of war Spain would win. They think this because the regular army of the United States numbers less than half the force now stationed in Madrid. " Even though the Cuban rebellion is costing Spain one million pesetas daily, still Spanish money is but little more depreciated than it was three years ago, in time of peace." The friendly efforts in the direction of mediation by the United States in Cuban affairs soon bore fruit. The State Department had information, it was reported, through Minister Taylor, at Madrid, that the Spanish authorities were making active preparations to put into effect the long-promised reforms in Cuba, which practically con- templated home rule for the Island. The exact date when these reforms would be put into operation was not known. There was some criticism even in Spanish circles that these reforms were not inaugurated before the elections in Cuba. The war on the Island and the desire to crush it was the excuse 240 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. offered for not sooner carrying out the laws enacted on March 1 5, 1895, by the Cortes. Not only was it proposed to carry out the provisions of these laws, but the Spanish Ministry contemplated further reforms, which would be submitted to the Cortes for its approval. There were reasons for believing that the United States had taken an important part toward inducing Spain to adopt a more conciliatory course in regard tc Cuba, and that in the role of meditator strong efforts were made by this country, especially after the arrival of the newly appointed consul, General Fitzhugh Lee, in Havana, to induce the Cjban insur- gents to accept in a friendly spirit the contemplated changes in the administration of affairs in Cuba by the Spanish Government. The Proposed Reforms. The following is a copy of the laws enacted by the Cortes provid- ing for the reforms. The internal affairs of the Island were to be under the control of a council of administration, to comprise thirty members, fifteen to be appointed by royal decree and fifteen to be elected according to the census under new methods of suffrage. The council, however, would be subordinate to the Governor-General. The conditions prescribed for appointment or election of councillors were these : Besides a residence of at least four years on the Island, some one of the following qualifications were required: To be or to have been president of the Chamber of Commerce or the Economic Society of Friends of the Country or of the Planters' Club; to be or to have been director of the university, or dean of the College of Lawyers of the capital of a province for a period of two years ; to have been for a period of four years before the election one among the fifty largest taxpayers in the Island ; to have exercised the functions of Senator of the kingdom or Deputy to the Cortes in one or more legislatures ; to have been once or more than once pre- sident of the provincial Chambers of Deputies of the Island; to have been for two or more terms of two years each a member of the Pro- vincial Commission, or for eight years a provincial Deputy ; to have UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 241 been for two or more terms Mayor in a capital of a province ; to have been councillor of administration for two or more years previous to the promulgation of this law. * The councillors shall remain in office for a term of four years, the election taking place every two years alternately in the provinces of Havana, Pinar del Rio and Puerto Principe, and in those of Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba. Havana shall elect four Council- lors, Santiago de Cuba three and the other provinces two each. The whole number of Councillors shall be elected on the promulgation of this law. In ordinary cases the elections shall take place at the same time and by the same ballot as those of the provincial Deputies. The Council shall examine the certificates of the members elected and decide as to the legal qualifications of the nominees of the people and of those of the Crown, and shall determine all questions relating to its Constitution in conformity to the law. In the first session of each year the Council shall appoint two vice-presidents and two secretaries, selected from the whole number of the Councillors. The Governor-General, whether permanent or provisional, shall be presi- dent of the Council. The Council of Administration shall have charge of all questions relating to the constitution of municipalities and to the aggregation, segregation and demarcation of municipal districts. All questions relating to constitution of town councils, to matters pertaining to election, competency of nominees and the like shall be determined by the provincial Chamber of Deputies. Presidents of the munici- palities will be those elected by the town councils among the town councillors, unless the Governor-General shall deem it expedient to replace them. The Council of Administration shall decree whatsoever it may deem expedient for the conduct of the public works throughout the Island and of the telegraphic and postal communications, both by land and sea; of agriculture, industry and commerce and of immigra- tion and colonization, of public instruction and of charities and health, without prejudice to the powers of supervision and other powers inherent in the sovereignty reserved by the laws to the national 16 242 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. government. It shall make up and approve the annual budget, making in it the necessary appropriations for the administrative department, the heads of which may be summoned for the council of the administration, but shall not have the right to vote. The council shall exercise such functions as the municipal and provincial laws may assign to it and such as are assigned by other special laws. Everything Controlled by the Governor-General. The Governor-General will continue to be the immediate represen- tative of the national government in the Island of Cuba. He will have supreme command of all the forces on land and sea stationed on the Island. He will be the delegate of the Ministers of the Colony, State, war and navy, and all the other authorities of the Island will be subordinate to him. His appointment or removal will emanate from the President of the Cabinet, with the concurrence of the latter. He will continue to have direct charge of all international ques- tions, and will have an advisory council, composed of the Reverend Bishop of Havana, or the Reverend Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba-; the Commander-General of the Navy, the Lieutenant-Governor, the President and the Attorney- General of the High Court of Havana, the head of the Department of Finance and the director of local administration. In addition to the Island administrative reforms adopted by the Cortes of 1895, the Spanish Ministry considered a question of larger representation of native Cubans in public offices on the Island, and several important.reforms in regard to customs and internal taxation. Meanwhile the war went on in Cuba, and Captain-General Weyler, the man who was to accomplish so much, who was to crush the rebellion within a few months, and who was to repair the mistakes of Campos, only involved the loyal cause in fresh misfortunes. His columns were defeated, his heartless proclamations set at naught, and the very discretion which kept him in safety in his Palace, was a fruit- ful subject for all kinds of unflattering insinuations. Says a correspondent : " Looking at him closely the other day I was struck more than ever with a curiosity to discover how it s that UNITED STATES TO -THE RESCUE. 24* he has succeeded in inspiring people with any confidence in his character. He does not even possess the appearance of a great male- factor, such as one can fancy of a Danton or a Sulla, but, on the con- trary, that of a very commonplace criminal, who would not look out of place in any police court in any city of the world. " Perhaps it is due to the effect which he produces when, trussed up in uniform, with his ribband and stars, and the Cruz Laureada, the Spanish equivalent of the Victoria Cross, gained in San Domingo in all probability for some action like Melguizo's. He is then a butoned-up man like Mr. Tite Barnacle, who, we have it on the authority of Dickens, was consequently a weighty one. All buttoned- up men are weighty, all buttoned-up men are believed in. Failure of General Weyler's Plans. " Weyler has the bitter disappointment just at present of knowing that the latest of his carefully devised plans has failed in its effect. Maceo, with some six hundred of his followers, has crossed the formidable trocha near Cayujabos, though how he crossed it remains still a mystery. This military Figaro is accustomed to perform such feats and to appear in the most unexpected places without the slightest warning. " The Spaniards, however, have a way of accounting for his last exploit which is more ingenious than probable. They say the insurgents disguise themselves as banana-sellers whenever they desire to pass through any fortified line. The soldiers imagine that they are innocent countrymen, and consequently never think of interfering with their passage. Of course not. Have not recent events shown the perfect impunity with which non-combatants are at liberty to wander everywhere in safety, and how considerate and gentle com- manding officers have proved themselves of late ? " True to his policy of suppressing or distorting all news unfavor- able to the Spanish cause, Captain-General Weyler has exerted him- self to conceal the recognition of the belligerent rights of the insur- gents by Congress. For many days the newspapers in Havana have accustomed to announce that no telegrams had been received b^ 244 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. them from the United States, but now they are forbidden to print even this notice, as doubtless too suggestive of coercive measures. " And yet, of what avail is all this secrecy in such a case ? Does the government imagine that a fact unacknowledged, for that very reason ceases to exist, or do they cling to the hope of something in the chapter of accidents to avert its fulfillment ? The good tidings finally leaked out, despite all precautions, and brought joy and con- solation to many a heart " It is still, however, too little circulated to permit of any effect being openly manifest. The streets are tranquil, people attend to their business as usual, and there is no appearance of any popular disturbance. There may, indeed, be none, or if there be it will surely follow upon some initiative proceeding in Barcelona or Madrid. " The Spaniards in Havana &re inveterate enough towards the United States, but then they live too near its shores not to recognize the power and importance which distant Spain has not yet learned to appreciate. They would like, had they a reasonable chance of suc- cess, to go to war, while in their hearts they must acknowledge how vain is the delusion of landing an invading army or of sweeping American commerce from the ocean. They have continually before their eyes, too, the desperate condition of affairs in this Island, and they can realize in a way which their fellow-countrymen cannot, the disastrous overthrow of the Captain-General's tactics. " At this very time many of the people in the Province of Pinar del Rio have abandoned their dwellings, and are hiding in the sugar- cane to escape the brutalities of the columns, who are far more zeal- ous in seeking such opponents than in following up the Cuban forces. One can imagine a conversation between a privileged stranger and a sentinel upon one of the innumerable forts along the tracks. " ' What is that large body of men whom I see approaching from the hills ? ' "' Oh, that/ replies the other carelessly; 'why, nothing but a crowd of fellows coming to sell fruit to the troops.' " ' Your men are fond of fruit, then ? ' asks the stranger. " ' Oh, passionately,' says the sentinel. UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 245 "' But they have arms, I notice,' this a little anxiously, 'and they don't seem inclined to stop.' " ' Why, you see how it is,' answers the soldier, ' the colonos all carry machetes, besides which, since that unfortunate affair at El Cano, we have to he cautious about firing upon stray parties.' " ' But, I say, look there, they've surely got a Cuban flag.' " ' Don't know, I'm sure. I'm color blind,' says the sentinel, resuming his rounds and dropping the conversation. " It is, indeed, true that the Spaniards have been signalizing them- selves of late by their lamentable mistakes. The last one did not certainly destroy any of their own men, but it resulted in the death of four women and two children. This was on the evening of the attack upon Hayo Colorado. About nightfall a body of insurgents crept through an open drain into the town, and had secured a safe position before their presence was recognized by the garrison or by the outposts stationed in the forts around. Reckless Firing in the Streets. " The invaders were left unmolested to procure such stores and supplies as they required, and it was only when their business was transacted and they had departed that the soldiers ventured to com- mence firing. The volleys which they then poured at random into the streets failed in their object, for the excellent reason that the enemy was not there, but they killed the women and children all the same. " Strong measures are evidently to be taken with those planters who have failed to make at least some attempt at grinding. One of the offenders, Pedro Larrondo, of Sagua la Grande, in Santa Clara, has just been arrested for his obstinacy in this respect. In all proba- bility he thought it wiser to suffer the loss of one year's produce than to incur the certainty of having his fields and buildings destroyed by fire; but it remains to be seen whether Weyler's anger may not prove more disastrous still than Cuban flames. " Some men are now putting in large claims against the govern- ment for their many losses, alleging with reason that the order com- manding all civilians to withdraw from the country into the towns, 246 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. had left their plantations and farms completely at the mercy of the insurgents, and had also caused their cattle to die from want of water. But of what avail will it be even if these claims are admit- ted ? 1 ' Honey from silk worms, who can gather, Or silk from the yellow bee ?" ' " And still more, who can expect to get compensation from a bankrupt nation, who do not pay their own army, and who have repudiated the many debts incurred in the last war in Cuba ? " The spy system continues on the even tenor of its way in Havana, in a manner that is sometimes, though not often, exceed- ingly ridiculous. When we American correspondents assemble in a group we are generally aware of the same stunted individual, who hovers on the outskirts with an assumed air of innocence, which sits about as well on his Old-Bailey-looking countenance as a smile ivould on that of a rhinoceros. They are kittle-cattle, however, to deal with, these honored companions of the Spanish officers. " They have methods of supplying evidence which have the merit, jt least, of being unavoidable, and as they are never subjected to the cross-examination of their victims their carefully-prepared fabrica- tions invariably triumph. It was, in all probability, to one of their Jvell-devised schemes that Mariano Artiz, of Narcissa, near Saguajay, n Cuban of fortune and position, owes the fact that he is now a pris- oner. An envelope directed to him was stopped at the post-office, in Accordance with the system which holds no correspondence as sacred, and in it was found a letter to Maximo Gomez." About the middle of April one of the staff officers of the Cuban Army was in Philadelphia recovering from a wound received in a battle with the Spanish troops. He said that Gomez was again at the head of the insurgent forces and that Maceo would get away from the enemy, reported to have him hemmed in. Atrocities he declared continued. With the advent of the rainy season he said the patriots would inaugurate an offensive campaign. The story he told of the progress of the war, of the atrocities per- petrated after General Weyler assumed command of the Spanish UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 247 forces, and of the health of General Gomez, was one that will be read with interest, painful as it is in some respects. Peraza (this officer's name) was a fine specimen of the patriotic volunteer. Fully six feet in height, but twenty-four years of age, and weighing 177 pounds, burned very dark by the tropical sun under which he lived, he looked to be a hard fighter. He was wounded in a charge by the cavalry of his division, a rifle ball entering his left shoulder. Failing to have it extracted in the camp hospital, he managed to get to New York by steamer, bringing with him some important military papers, and there the missile was located and taken out. He was awaiting a favorable opportunity to get back to the scene of strife. Some Inside Facts. In his statement he said : " I want at the outset to deny that General Gomez has been wounded or that he is dying of consump- tion, as has been reported through Spanish sources. He has been sick from liver troubles, but is in a fair way to complete recovery and is again at the head of his forces, as active as he ever was and as confident of ultimate success as at any time since he took the field. He has now directly under him an army of 12,000 men, most of whom are well armed. " His total strength, counting the divisions of Maceo and other generals, is about 30,000. What is mostly lacking is ammunition. We meet the Spaniards and fight as long as our cartridges hold out and then divide into small groups, scattering in such a way that the government troops cannot reach us in force. " As to the burning of the plantations, the Spanish reports are to a great extent false. When any of our generals attack a place con- taining Americans or other foreigners their property is respected and is not touched at all. Gomez has issued positive orders to protect the interests of such persons rather than to harm them. With regard to the reports of our losses in battle they are always exaggerated by the enemy. " The latter never admit their own losses, but count those on our 248 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. side as it may suit themselves. Our dead are always carried away and buried in the most convenient spots. None of our wounded are left on the field for fear the Spaniards would kill them outright. We send our wounded to the hospitals, located in the mountain fastnesses. Every division of our army has one of these places thus situated. There there are regular physicians, a few of them being from the United States. There are no Sisters of Charity, but there are Red Cross men and women, mostly Cubans. " The recent successful expeditions have been a great help to us. We have got some more artillery, and it is being used under the direction of General Bandera in the province of Labillas. The rainy season begins about the I5th of this month. Then comes the yellow fever. It will decimate the ranks of the Spanish soldiers, because they are not acclimated. Our forces will, however, go -on harassing the enemy and will be on the offensive all the time instead of on the defensive. " General Weyler has not been any more successful against us than was Campos. In fact, less so. Our people think the former tc be a coward at heart. Campos took the field, while Weyler has not shown himself at all. He remains in Havana and gives orders to his so-called volunteers orders which lead to many atrocities. " I have seen with my own eyes, on a farm in Lavinas, the bodies of men who had been shot down simply because they were known to sympathize with the cause of liberty. One of my own cousins who was captured by the Spaniards was hung to a tree and several shots fired into him. When we take wounded Spaniardi we care for them, after taking away their rifles, until they are able to get back to their companions, when they are permitted to go. The killing of old men and old women by the Spanish volunteers goes on, no matter what the reports from government sources may say. " Concerning the statement that General Maceo has been hemmed in, I can only say that once before he was in a far worse position than he now is. He is as cool and fearless as Gomez, and when he v ants to get away I guess he will be able to do it." The lieutenant was wounded in the left shoulder, " right nea the UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 249 Carolina State," he said. General Lacret was endeavoring to join a portion of his column that had become separated from him, when he was attacked by the Spaniards numbering 3000. Lacret had about 1000 men. The fight lasted about two hours, when the insurgents retreated. Peraza told of a little boy but thirteen years of age, who was in one of the fights. A Spanish officer had had his arm broken by a rifle ball, but with his good hand he shot at the lad, hitting him in the left breast. The lad fell with a cry of " three cheers for Free Cuba." Pie was sent to the hospital and ultimately recovered. These children, the lieutenant said, follow the insurgents from place to place and are permitted to remain because of the fear that they will be killed if sent away. General Maceo Wins a Battle. On April I5th news reached Havana that there had been heavy fighting in Pinar del Rio province. Even official reports admitted that the Spanish columns were repulsed by General Antonio Maceo, with great loss of life. The admission was very significant, in view of the circumstances and the character of official reports, which gave rise to a proverb that the Spaniards' loss was always one man when- ever they were compelled to acknowledge defeat. It was very difficult to obtain details of Maceo's victory. The Spanish version alone was received. All telegraph lines were cut, and news filtered to the city only by word of mouth. The battle was west of the military strategic line, near Lechuza. Government reports had previously located Maceo through an error at Lnchuza, east of the line. Further information received from private sources in Havana showed that this was the bloodiest engagement of the war. The Spanish forces, under Colonel Linares, suffered overwhelming defeat at the hands of Antonio Maceo, who commanded a force of eight thousand men in a strong position. Spanish reports placed Colonel Linares' force at fifteen hundred, of whom 450 were killed ana 500 wounded. The insurgents lost 200 killed and about 400 wounded. The Spanish plan was for three bat- talions to attack Maceo simultaneously, but Colonel Echoverrea's UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. battalion failed to arrive. It was stated that he was to be court- martialed. Maceo led his troops into the thickest of the fight, and Colonel Linares' forces retreated in disorder. They finally made a stand on the wharf of the San Claudia plantation behind rude fortifications, until a warship came to their rescue. The Cuban forces on the shore made sad havoc with the troops as they embarked, shooting them down in their boats. In the battle the Amazons, a company of Cuban women, fought bravely. In an effort to capture Colonel Linares, an insurgent, Alvarez, got separated. Seeing his danger, Mrs. Alvarez and several others followed him. Both husband and wife were caught in the Spanish lines and tried to fight their way back with machetes. Thinking that his wife was at his side still, Alvarez made his escape, but she was cut off at the last moment and was literally hacked to pieces by Spanish machetes. In his grief and chagrin Alvarez shot himself seriously. "If You Live I Will Hang You." General Maceo commanded him to appear before him. On demanding a reason for his crime, Alvarez said he could not endure life purchased by his wife's death. Maceo replied : " Pray God you may die, for if you live I will surely hang you. Cuba needs men too sorely to lose any except in the face of the enemy. " The news of the Spanish defeat produced a great sensation in Havana, and the censors were forced to admit many details. Maceo's alleged heavy losses at La Palma, on the other hand, were corroborated by details received at Havana through non-official sources. The town was well fortified, and the rebel leader's attack was repelled. He directed his cannon on the town with his own hands. He was very anxious to capture it, as it contained large stores of ammunition and supplies. Two hundred volunteered and made the attempt. They crawled on their hands and knees through the fields, and about one hundred and fifty managed to enter the town. Ninety were shot from behind the walls before the others beat a retreat. Nearly all those killed were negroes. UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 251 An unusually large number of sugar plantations were burned. The losses from this source were said to aggregate $4,500,000 within a period of eight days. Property-owners ran equal risks from both sides. The Spanish troops passing estates shared by insurgents burned them, believing that the owners paid taxes to the insurgent government. The insurgents also continued their policy of destruc- tion, and were determined to lay the country waste. The ruin was widespread, and the misery was growing greater. The insurgents anxiously awaited a formal declaration of belliger- ency by the United States, and believed that every South and Central American government would immediately follow the example. " A delay until August will mean the destruction of property worth $80,000,000 more," said one leader, grimly. " Weyler's regime has been marked by horrible cruelty, and minor officials feel or know that extreme measures will be approved." Reports of massacres of innocent persons everywhere in the inte- rior were, in fact, received daily in Havana. The Delgado incident was duplicated frequently, but the victims did not live to tell the tale. Already there was a scarcity of horses in Cuba. General Weyler issued a decree that all owners of horses must have them examined by the government, so that all needed for the use of the troops might be bought. There was a promise of fair and prompt payment. Animals not fit for service were to be registered as worthless ; others would either be taken or held subject to call, and branded to indicate their class. Owners failing to comply were to be deemed " unfaith- ful " to their country. The threat had a terrible meaning in the existing condition of affairs, when executions of insurgents were too common to attract more than passing notice. Several persons living in Havana, on reading the orders, promptly decided to kill their riding horses to prevent them falling into the hands of the Spaniards. " That is the only sensible plan," remarked a prominent man. "We don't want to help the enemy with animals. If the government took our horses we would have a small claim, and little chance of payment. We can't keep them safely, and the best way is to slaughter them," 252 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. Orders were given to the army to kill all horses and cattle in the country that could not be utilized, to prevent their possible use by the insurgents. Cavalrymen, whose mounts became too jaded to keep the line, must kill them. Passing troops were to use cattle for rifle practice, and whenever they saw horses they were to compare them with their own to see if an exchange was desirable. Scarcity of food was reported everywhere in the interior of the Island. The price of meat rose in Havana. Game, which formerly abounded in the local market, could not be obtained, as there was no one to shoot birds in the hills except the troops. The fish supply continued good, although the fishermen were prohibited from going on the water except between sunrise and sunset, for fear of commu- nicating with the insurgents. Blood and Conflagration. An interesting letter from General Gomez, the Cuban leader, con- cerning the war conditions on the Island, was received by President Palma, of the Cuban Junta. It reads as follows : " SAGUA, CUBA, March 19. " DEAR FRIEND : The war continues more active and hard on account of the fierce character which General Weyler has given to it. " Our wounded are followed and assassinated cruelly ; he who has the misfortune to fall into the hands of the Spanish troops, perishes without fail. The peaceful country people only find death and dis- honor. " Cuba to-day, as in 1 868, only presents pools of blood dried by conflagrations. Our enemies are burning the houses to deprive us, according to them, of our quarters for Spring. We will never use reprisals, for we understand that the revolution will never need to triumph by being cruel and sanguinary. " We will go on with this war, the ultimate result of which you need not worry about with success for the arms of the republic. We fight, when convenient to us, against an enemy tired out and without faith. UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. 253 " My plans are well understood by my subordinates and each one knows what to do. Give us cartridges so that our soldiers can fight, and you can depend that in the Spring campaign the enemy's army will be greatly reduced, and it will be necessary for Spain to send another army, and I do not know whether it would be rash to say that perhaps Spain has not the money with which to do it. " Everything that Spain orders and sends to this land, that she has drenched with the blood of her own children, only serves to ruin her power. And no man could be so well chosen as General Weyler, to represent in these times and in America the Spain of Philip II. " Much is said and written about the recognition of belligerency by the American Government ; this would be very advantageous to us, and is only doing justice, but as when we rose against tyranny, we only counted on the strength of our arms and the firm resolution of victory, we follow our march unconcerned, satisfied that what is to happen will happen. "Your friend, " MAXIMO GOMEZ." Maceo Discusses his Western Campaign. A letter from General Antonio Maceo, the insurgent Cuban leader, which showed his movements and the success met with, was received by Cuban leaders at Washington. It was dated at Cabanas, March 21, and read as follows : " You know by my previous letters that the triumphant arms of the Republic were carried to the extreme western end of the Island. Everything that we desired has been obtained. The revolution is powerful in the provinces, which, as you know, were considered to be bulwarks of Spanish sentiment. Even the most remote places in the province of Pinar Del Rio responded admirably. "ANTONIO MACEO." Respecting the promises of Spain to institute reforms in Cuba, hoping thereby to end the insurrection, T. Estrada Palma, Cuban Delegate to the Government at Washington, said : 254 UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. " The question of the supposed reforms is not a matter which at all concerns those who have already established an independent govern- ment in Cuba and have resolved to shrink from no sacrifice of pro- perty or life in order to emancipate the whole Island from the Spanish yoke. Spain must know by this time that while there is a single living Cuban with dignity there will not be peace in Cuba nor even the hope of it. " If the right of thirteen British Colonies to rise in arms in order to acquire their independence has never been questioned, will there be a single citizen in this great republic who will doubt the justice, the necessity in which the-Cuban people find themselves of fighting until they shall have overthrown Spanish oppression in their country and formed themselves into a free republic ? Must be Fought to the Bitter End. " Experience has taught us that as a people we have nothing to envy the Spaniards in fact we feel ourselves superior to them, and from them we can expect no improvement, no better education. " Let all know also that between the present revolution and the government of Spain there is no possible arrangement, if not based on the recognition of Cuban independence." We cannot better close this tragic story of Cuba's gallant struggle for independence than by quoting the words of one of her distin- guished sons : "The population of the Island is, in round numbers, 1,600,000, of which less than 200,000 are Spaniards, some 500,000 are colored Cubans, and over 800,000 white Cubans. Of the Spaniards a small but not an inconsiderable fraction, although not taking an active part in the defense of our cause, sympathize with and are supporting it in various ways. Of the Cubans, whether colored or white, all are in sympathy with the revolution, with the exception of a few scattered individuals who hold positions under the Spanish Government or are engaged in enterprises which cannot thrive without it. All of the Cubans who have had the means and the opportunity to join the revolutionary army have done so, while those who have been com- UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. . 255 pelled for one reason or another to remain in the cities are co- operating to the best of their abilities. If the people of the small section of the western part of the Island, which yet remains quiet, were supplied with arms and ammunition they would all rise to a man within twenty-four hours. Spanish Threats. " This revolution of the whole Cuban people against the Govern- ment of Spain is what the Spanish officials are pleased to describe as a disturbance caused by a few adventurers, robbers, bandits, and assassins ! But they have a purpose in so characterizing it, and it is no other than to justify, in some way, the war of extermination which the Prime Minister of Spain himself has declared will be waged by his Government against the Cuban people ! They are not yet satis- fied with the rivers of human blood with which in times past they inundated the fields of Italy, of the Low Countries, of our continent of America, and only a few years ago, of Cuba itself! The Spanish newspaper of Havana, El Pueblo, urges the Spanish soldiers to give no quarter, to spare no one, to kill all, all without exception, until they shall have torrents of Cuban blood in which to bathe them- selves J " It is well ! The Cubans accept the challenge, but they will not imitate their tyrants and cover themselves with infamy by waging a savage war. The Cubans respect the lives of their Spanish prisoners, they do not attack hospitals, and they cure and assist, with the same care and solicitude with which they cure and assist their own, the wounded Spaniards who may fall into their hands. They have done so from the beginning of the war, and they will not change their humane policy. " The Spanish officials have also attempted to convince you that the Cuban war is a war of races. Of what races ? Of the black against the white ? It is not true, and the facts plainly show that there is nothing of the kind. Nor is the war waged by Cubans against the Spaniards as such. No. The war is waged against the Government of Spain, and only against the Government of Spain and 266 . UNITED STATES TO THE RESCUE. the officials and a few monopolists who, under it, live and thrive upon the substance of the Cubans. We have no ill feeling against the thousands of Spaniards who industriously and honestly make their living in Cuba. " But with the Spanish Government we will make no peace, and we will make to compromise. Under its rule there will be nothing f( r our people but oppression and misery. For years and years the Cuban people hnve patiently suffered, and in the interest of the colony, as well as in thv\ interest of the metropolis, have earnestly prayed for reforms. Spain has not only turned a deaf ear to the prayers, but instead of reforming the most glaring abuses has allowed them to increase and flourish, until such a point has been reached that the continuation of the Spanish rule means for the Cuban people utter destruction." PART II. History of Cuba and Spanish Misrule. CHAPTER XX. Early Colonists and Rulers. CUBA, the finest and largest of the West India Islands, was discovered by Columbus himself, on the 28th day of October, 1492, and was named by him Juana, in honor of Prince John, the son of Ferdinand and Isabella, the sovereigns of Aragon and Castile. Upon the death of Ferdinand, the Island was called Fernandina. It afterward received the name of Santiago, as a mark of reverence for the patron saint of Spain, and still later, the inhabitants, to illustrate their piety, gave it that of Ave Maria, in honor of the Holy Virgin. Notwithstanding these several titles, the Island is still principally known by its original Indian name of Cuba ; a name which it bore when the great navigator first landed on its shores, and which in all probability it is destined to retain. With regard to the character of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Island, it is universally admitted by all the Spanish authors who have written on the subject, that they were disinterested and docile, gentle and generous, and that they received the first discoverer, as well as the conquerors, who followed in his track, with the most marked attention and courtesy. At the same time they are represented as being entirely given up to the enjoyment of those personal indul- gences, and all the listlessness and love of ease, which the climate is supposed to provoke, and which is said to have amounted in the 17 257 258 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. eyes of their European conquerors to positive cowardice and pusilla- nimity. They seldom spoke until first addressed by the strangers, and then with perfect modesty and respect. Their hospitality was unbounded ; but they were unwilling to expose themselves to any personal fatigue beyond what was strictly necessary for their subsistence. The culti- vation of the soil was confined, as Columbus had observed, to the raising of yams, garbanzos, and maize, or Indian corn, but as hunts- men and fishermen they were exceedingly expert. * Their Costume and Customs. Their habiliments were on the most limited scale, and their laws and manners sanctioned the practice of polygamy. The use of iron was totally unknown to them, but they supplied the want of it with pointed shells, in constructing their weapons, and in fashioning their implements for fishing and the chase. Their almost total want of quadrupeds is worthy of notice. Although the Island was divided into nine principalities, under nine different caciques, all independent of each other, yet such was the pacific disposition of the inhabitants that the most perfect tranquillity prevailed throughout the Island at the time of the arrival of the in- vaders. The several governments were administered in the simplest form, the will of the cacique being received as law by his subjects, and the age he had attained being in general the measure of his in- fluence and authority, and of the reverence and respect with which he was treated. Their religion was limited to a belief in the immor- tality of the soul, and to the existence of a beneficent Deity un.Dios remunerador. But their priests were cunning, superstitious, or fanatic, pretending to intelligence with malignant spirits, and maintaining their influence over the people by working on their fears, and practicing the grossest and most ridiculous extravagances. No sanguinary sacri- fices were resorted to, however ; still less could the gentle race be chargeable with the horrid practices of the savage anthropophagi ; and, according to the earliest Spanish authorities, they distinguished EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 259 themselves beyond any other Indian nation by the readiness and docility with which they received the doctrines of Christianity. The town of Baracoa, which was called de la Asumcion, was the first that was founded, and was for some time considered the capital, until, in the year 1514, the whole of it had been overrun and examined. In that year, the towns of Santiago and Trinidad, on the southern side, were founded for the purpose of facilitating the com- munications of the new colonists with the Spanish inhabitants of Jamaica. Founding a New Town. Near the centre of the Island also were established, soon after this period, the towns of Bayamo, Puerto Principe, and Santi-Espiritus, and that of Baracoa was considerably enlarged. In the sequel, as there was no town toward the north, that of San Juan de los Reme- dies was founded; and on the 25th of July, 1515, at the place now called Batabano, on the south side of the Island, was planted a town with the name of San Cristobal de la Habana, in deference to the memory of the illustrious discoverer; but in the year 1519 this name was transferred to the place where the capital now stands. The leaning of the Spaniards toward the southern side of th* Island appears to have arisen from their previous possession of Jamaica and the Costa Firme; as till then they had no idea of the existence of the Floridas, or of New Spain ; the expedition for the conquest of which, as well as the steps toward thrir first discovery, having been taken from the Island of Cuba. The town of Baracoa, having first been raised to the dignity of a city and a bishopric, was declared the capital of the Island in 1518, and remained so till 1522, when both were transferred to Santiago de Cuba. In 1538 the Havana, second city of the name, was sur- prised by a French privateer, who reduced it to ashes. This mis- fortune brought the Governor of the Island, Hernando de Soto, to the spot, who lost no time in laying the foundation of the Castillo de la Fuerza, one of the numerous fortresses which still exist for the defence of the city. With this protection, combined with the advan- tageous geographical position of the harbor, the ships already pass- 260 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. ing, charged with the riches of New Spain, on their way to the Peninsula, were induced to call there for supplies of water and provisions. In this way the Havana began to rise in importance by insensible degrees, insomuch that in 1549, on the arrival of a new Governor, Gonzalez Perez de Angulo, he resolved on making it his place of residence. His example was followed by subsequent governors, and in this way the city, although without any royal or legal sanction, came to be silently regarded as the capital of the Island, until in 1589 it was formally declared so by the peninsular government, at the time of the nomination of the first Captain-General, El Maestre de Campo, Juan de Tejada, who was positively directed to take up his residence at the Havana. Residence of Early Chiefs. In the annals of the Island the names of the first Governors and of their lieutenants have not been recorded with a degree of accuracy that can be altogether depended on. All that is known with certainty is, that the early chiefs resided at Santiago de Cuba, from its being the place where the largest population was collected, from its prox- imity to Jamaica and St. Domingo, and from its being the seat of the ecclesiastical jurisdiction. For the Havana and other towns of in- ferior importance, lieutenants were appointed. This system continued until the year 1538, when Hernando dr Soto, who, to the rank of Adelantado of the Floridas, added the office of Governor of Cuba, having arrived at Santiago, passed a few days there, and then proceeded to the continent. In his absence he left the government of the Island in the hands of a lady, Dona Isabel de Bobadilla, and gave her for a colleague, Don Juan de Rojas. This Rojas had previously resided at the Havana, in quality of lieutenant- governor; and it is from this date that the gradual transference of the seat of power from Santiago to the Havana may be said to have arisen. It was not till the year 1607 that the Island was divided into two separate governments. In 1545, Don Juan de Avila assumed the government, and to him EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 261 in 1 547 succeeded Don Antonio de Chavez, to whom the Havana is indebted for its first regular supply of water, bringing it from the river called by the aborigines Casiguaguas, and by the Spaniards Chorrera, a distance of two leagues from the city. At that period the trade of the place was limited. The largest and wealthiest pro- prietors were mere breeders of cattle ; as yet agriculture was very lit- tle attended to, and any actual labor performed consisted in exploring the neighborhood in pursuit of the precious metals. Obtaining Supplies at Havana. To this governor succeeded Dr. Gonzalo Perez de Angulo, who, according to the historian Urrutia, was the first who resided at the Ha/ana during the greater part of his administration. At this pe- riod the number of cattle and the practice of agriculture had so much increased that the expeditions from the neighboring continent obtained their supplies at the Havana, and from thence also large quantities of provisions were sent to the Terra Firma. For some time large profits were made by means of these exports, more espe- cially in the sale of horses for the troops ; but the continental settle- ments, having at length been able to provide for themselves, this source of profit was dried up. In the year 1554 the government was assumed by Don Diego de Mazariegos, and, during his administration, the Havana was again attacked and reduced to ashes by the French, notwithstanding the protection supposed to be afforded by the Castillo de la Fuerza. The other towns of the Island were also insulted, insomuch that the bishop of the diocese was compelled to leave Santiago and take up his residence at Bayamo, causing a serious misunderstanding be- tween the ecclesiastical authorities and the civil governor. To Mazariegos, in 1565, succeeded Garcia Osorio, and to Osorio, two years afterward, Don Pedro Melendez de Avilez, who at the same time held the office of Addantado of the Floridas, administer- ing the affairs of the Island for a number of years by means of a series of lieutenant-governors. At this period, the hospital of San Juan de Dios, and a church dedicated to San Cristobal, were erected at the 262 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. Havana. This church was built on the spot now occupied by the residence of the captain-general. Don Gabriel Montalvo was the successor of Melendez, and assumed the government in 1576. In his time the Franciscan con- vent was erected, in spite of the opposition of the bishop ; and prepa- rations were made, by the building of suitable vessels, for the extirpation of the pirates by whom the coasts of the Island were infested. Don Francisco Carreno, the successor of Montalvo, assumed the command in 1578. In his time the weights and mea- sures of the Island were regulated ; and vast quantities of timber were shipped to the mother-country, to contribute toward the con- struction of the convent and palace of the Escurial. Raids by Pirates. During the administration of Don Caspar de Torres, the successor of Carreno, who arrived in 1580, not only Cuba, but the neighboring islands of Jamaica and St. Domingo, were more than ever annoyed by piratical incursions. The expense occasioned by the attempts to suppress them was so great that it became necessary to impose a special tax, called la sisa de piragua, to cover it. At this period was begun the cultivation of tobacco and the sugar- cane, the labor of which was found to be too great for the indolent aborigines, whose numbers had already been materially diminished by the state of slavery to which they had been reduced. It was to promote the production of these new luxuries that a royal license was first obtained for importing negroes from the coast of Africa. The continued presence and increasing numbers of the pirates began to give a factitious importance to the castellanos of the fortress, which protected the harbor of the Havana, and sheltered the lanclias and piraguas and the guardacostas themselves. A military power thus insensibly arose, which, coming into collision with that of the civil governor, caused a great deal of disturbance and confusion. The next governor, Don Gabriel de Lujan, who arrived in 1584, 2ame to such a serious rupture with Don Diego Fernandez de Qui- -innes, the Castellano de la Fuerza, that the real audiencia of the EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 263 district, at the instigation of Quinones, took it upon them to suspend Don Gabriel from his administration of the government, but some time afterward restored him. On the application of the Ayuntatnicnto, the two offices were afterward combined and vested in the same indi- vidual. During Lujan's administration, several hostile demonstrations were made against the Island ; but none of them were seriously prosecuted. The attacks of a diminutive enemy, the ant, became so alarming, however, that it was thought necessary by the Cabildo, or chapter of the diocese, to elect a new patron saint, and to confer that dignity on San Marcial, the bishop agreeing to celebrate his fiesta, and keep his day yearly, on the condition of his interceding for the extermination of the hormigas and vivijaguas. Two Famous Portresses. The successor of Lujan, Don Juan de Tejada, was the first gover- nor who arrived with the rank of captain-general, in which w^re included the same powers and jurisdiction enjoyed by the vireyes of the continental possessions of the crown. Tejada was directed to commence the construction of the two fortresses now known as the Morro and the Punta, and for this purpose brought with him the Engineer Don Juan Bautista Antoneti ; and he was authorized to negotiate with the provinces of New Spain for obtaining contribu- tions by which to support the garrison, which at that time was limited for all the three fortresses to three hundred men. After the building of the Morro was begun, it is said that Antoneti, having ascended the heights of the Cabana, remarked to those about him, that from that point the city and the Morro itself would be commanded. This opinion having been communicated to the govern- ment, the construction of the present fortress of the Cabanas was immediately determined on. During Tejada's government the Havana received the title of Ciudad ;faz Ayuntamiento was increased to the number of twelve regidores ; and a coat of arms was given to it by Philip the Second, bearing on a blue field three castles argent, in allusion to the Fuerza, the Morro, and the Punta, and a golden key 264 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. to signify that it was the key of the Indies ; the whole surmounted by a crown. Tejada was succeeded as captain-general in 1602 by Don Pedro Valdes, who made strong representations to the court on the subject of the excesses committed by the pirates, by whose incursions Santiago had been almost depopulated. The bishop, on returning there from Bayamo on a temporary visit, was seized, tied, stripped, and carried off by the pirate Giron, and detained for eighty days or. board his vessel, until he was ransomed by the payment of two hun- dred ducats and five arrobas of beef by Don Gregorio Ramos, who, after rescuing the bishop, succeeded in destroying the pirate. A Subordinate Governor. From the insecurity of Santiago, this bishop attempted, but with- out success, to establish his cathedral at the Havana. The supreme government, however, to stay the progress of depopulation at San- tiago, resolved on establishing there a subordinate governor with the rank ot capitan de guerra, and appointed to the office Don Juan de Villaverde, the Castillo of the Morro, who was charged with the defence of his new jurisdiction against the pirates. The successor of Valdes was Don Caspar Ruiz de Pereda in 1608 ; and that of Pereda in 1616 was Don Sancho de Alquiza. This last had been previously the Governor of Venezuela and Guiana, and he is recorded to have applied himself with energy to the working of the copper mines at Cob re in the neighborhood of Santiago; the super- intendence of which was for some time annexed to the office of cap- tain-general of the Havana, although it was afterward transferred to the lieutenant-governor at Santiago. The annual produce of that period was about 2000 quintals, and the copper extracted is represented to have been of a quality superior to anything then known in the foundries of Europe. Alquiza died after having enjoyed his office only two years; and by a provision of the real audiencia, he was succeeded in the temporary command by Geronimo de Quero, the Castillo of the Morro, whose military rank was that of sargento mayor. EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 265 From this period till the year 1715, it appears that, in the nomina- tion of captains-general, a declaration was constantly introduced to the effect that the castellanos of the Morro, on the death of the captain-general, should succeed to the military command of the Island; but since the year 1715 an officer has been specially named with the rank of teniente rey or cabo-subalterno, whose functions acquire an active character only on the death or incapacity of his chief. Closing the Entrance to the Harbor. Doctor Damian Velasquez de Contreras succeeded Alquiza in 1620, and Don Lorenzo de Cabrera, the next captain-general, was appointed to the command in 1626. A charge was brought against Cabrera, that he had sold a cargo of negroes in the Havana without a royal license ; which being backed by other complaints, the licen- ciado Don Francisco de Prada was sent out to inquire into them, and by him the captain-general was sent home to the Peninsula, when de Prada assumed the civil and political jurisdiction, and assigned the military command to Don Cristobal de Aranda, the alcaide of the Morro. During the joint administration of de Prada and Aranda it was resolved to shut up the entrance of the harbor by means of a chain drawn across it, a resolution which is described by the historians of the period as having been exceedingly extravagant and absurd. The next captain-general was Don Juan Bitrian de Viamonte, who began his administration in 1630, and projected the construction of two strong towers, the one in Chorrera, and the other in Cojimar, but the plan was not carried into effect until the year 1646. At this period a certain good woman, known by the name of Magdalena de Jesus, established a sort of female sanctuary, called a beaterio, which gave rise to the establishment of the first female monastery of Santa Clara. Fears of an invasion of the Island by the Dutch now began to be entertained in the Peninsula; and as Viamonte's health was infirm, he was removed to the presidency of St. Domingo; and, in 1634, Don Francisco Riano y Gamboa was sent out to replace him. Gamboa introduced important reforms in the collection of the 266 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. revenue. He established a court of accounts at the Havana, to which was afterward referred the examination of all public disburse- ments, not only for the Island of Cuba, but for Porto Rico, the Floridas, and that portion of the Spanish navy called the windward fleet, la Armada de Barlovento. At first, a single accountant-general was named ; but a second was afterward added, with instructions to visit alternately the various parts where the colonial revenue was collected or disbursed. Dur- ing the government of Gamboa, also, a commissioner of the Inquisi- tion came from Carthagena to reside in the Havana; to provide for whose support one of the canons of the cathedral of Santiago was suppressed. The bishops had for some time acquired a taste for residing in the capital, and other members of the ecclesiastical cabildo began to follow their example, soon degenerating into an abuse which loudly called for a remedy. Spanish Possessions in America Threatened. The successor of Gamboa was Don Alvaro de Luna y Sarmiento, who commenced his administration in 1639, and in the course of it completed the castle of Chorrera, two leagues to leeward of the Havana, and the Torreon de Cojimar, one league to windward. In 1647, Sarmiento was succeeded by Don Diego de Villalva y Toledo, who, in 1650, was replaced by Don Francisco Gelder. Dur- ing Gelder's administration, the establishment of the Commonwealth in England gave rise to serious apprehensions for the safety of the Spanish possessions in America; especially when it became known that, in 1655, a squadron had sailed by order of the Protector, the ostensible object of which was the reconciliation of the English colo- nies to the new form of government, but with the real design of cap- turing Jamaica. It is scarcely necessary to add, that this design was successfully executed ; that the Spanish defenders of Jamaica were dispersed, and the governor killed, and that many of the inhabitants removed in consequence to Cuba. An attempt on the Havana was also made by this expedition, but the assailants were successfully resisted. The EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 267 failure is ascribed by the Spaniards to a sort of miracle performed in their favor. The invaders having landed on a very dark night, they became so terrified, according to the Spanish authorities, by the noise of the landcrabs and the flitting light of the fire-flies, which they took for an enemy in ambuscade, that they fled to their ships in the utmost disorder and confusion. An Expedition that never Sailed. The next captain-general was Don Juan Montano, who arrived in 1656. During -his time the Spaniards of Jamaica continued to defend themselves under two distinguished hacendados, Don Fran- cisco Proenza and Don Cristobal de Isasi ; who, for their exertions in preserving the Island to the Spanish crown, received thanks and honors from the court. Orders were also sent out to the other Spanish settlements in America to lend their assistance to the Jamaica loyalists ; and a strong expedition was prepared in the Peninsula, having the same object in view. In the end, however, in consequence of the sickness which prevailed on board the ships, the expedition never sailed, and the Spaniards were compelled to evacu- ate the Island. Montano, having died within a year after his arrival, was succeeded in the command, in 1658, by Don Juan de Salamanca, in whose time the incursions of the pirates became more troublesome than ever, on all the coasts of Spanish America. As many of them had the auda- city to sail under the flags of France and England, the court of Spain addressed itself to these governments on the subject, and received for answer that, having no countenance or authority from either, the Spaniards were at liberty to deal with them as they thought fit. At this period the French, having established themselves in the island of Tortuga, began from thence by slow degrees, first on hunt- ing parties, and afterward more permanently, to make encroachments on the neighboring coast of the Island of St. Domingo ; until, in the end, they had completely taken possession of the western part of it, and created there a respectable colony. According to the Spanish authorities, the French colonists of St. Domingo formed an alliance 268 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. with the English in Jamaica, and, without the sanction of either of their governments in Europe, made piratical incursions in the Span- ish territories, and at length became so formidable that the Spaniards found it necessary to fortify their possessions, and to combine together for their mutual protection. The most remarkable of these piratical leaders was the Frenchman Lolonois and the celebrated Morgan. The Walls of Havana are Built. In 1663 arrived as captain-general Don Rodrigo de Flores y Aldana, who in the following year was relieved by Don Francisco Orejon y Gaston, previously Governor of Gibraltar and Venezuela. Fearing the neighborhood of the English in Jamaica, Gaston applied himself to the construction of the walls of the Havana; and to meet the expense he was authorized to levy half a real on each quarter of an arroba of wine, nearly equal to a gallon, which might be sold in the city; but this having given rise to complaints, the Spanish government, by a royal cedula, directed that $20,006 a year should be raised for the purpose in Mexico ; and that as much more should be procured as the captain-general could extract by other means from the inhabitants of the Havana. The next Governor was Don Rodriguez de Ledesma, who assumed his functions in 1670, and prosecuted the work of fortification with the greatest ardor. He also prepared a naval armament for the pro- tection of the coast. It was at this time that the working of the cop- per mines near Santiago was abandoned, and that the reconstruction of the cathedral in that city was begun ; but the greater part of the slaves employed in the mines were sent to the Havana to work on the fortifications. During Ledesma's administration, a French party landed in the eastern part of the Island, to the number of 800, under the command of one Franquinay, with the intention of plundering the city of Santiago, but they withdrew without doing any damage, alarmed, according to the Spanish accounts, by hearing the mere cry of " al anna." In 1675 the city of Santiago was destroyed by an earthquake, a calamity from which the Havana and the western parts of the Island EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 269 appear to be exempt. Ledesma complained bitterly to his govern- ment that the English authorities in Jamaica countenanced and encouraged the attacks of the pirates, and applied for leave to make reprisals. He was succeeded by Don Jose Fernandez de Cordoba Ponce de Leon, who began his administration in i6o, and continued the work of fortification with energy. In 1687 Ponce de Leon was replaced by Don Diego de Viana e Hinojosa, and to him, in 1689, succeeded Don Severino de Manza- neda y Salinas, during whose administration the city of Matanzas was founded, the first lines of it having been traced on the loth of October, 1693, in presence of the captain-general, and many other persons of distinction. The etymology of the name Matanzas is much disputed by the antiquarians of Cuba, some ascribing it to the slaughter of Indians at the time- of the conquest of the Island, contending that the supposed Indian name Yumuri, that of one of the two rivers between which the city stands, is in fact a synonym in bad Spanish for this general massacre. Only One Left to Tell the Tale. Others contend, with equal pertinacity, that it was the natives who killed the Spaniards, while passing from one side of the bay to the other, having mutinied against their masters and used their oars suc- cessfully as weapons of offence. Seven of the Spaniards are said to have attempted to escape, but were carried prisoners to a neighboring Indian town, where they were all put to death except one, who escaped to tell the tale of the Matanza. The next captain-general was Don Diego de Cordoba Lazo de la Vega; to him in 1702 succeeded Don Pedro Nicolas Benitez de Lugo, who died soon after his arrival. The next captain-general was Don Pedro Alvarez de Villarin, who arrived in 1706, and died the same year. After him, in 1708, came the Marques de Casa Torres, ex-governor of the Floridas, who, having had some dispute with the auditor Don Jose Fernandez de Cordoba, was suspended from his office by the real audiencia. The foundling hospital, or Casa de Ninos Espositos, vulgarly called 270 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. La Cuna, was founded in 1711 by Don Fray Jeronimo de Valdes, an institution which still exists, and, like that of St. Pierre in the Island of Martinique, is only resorted to by the white inhabitants, the pre- sentation of a colored infant being a thing unknown. This fact, whether it arise from the sense of shame being stronger in the white mother, or from natural affection being stronger in the colored mother, is not unworthy of investigation. Don Vicente Raja arrived as captain-general in the year 1716, bringing with him a royal cedula, declaring that in the event of his absence, illness, or death, the civil and military government should be transferred to the teniente rey ; in case of his absence, illness or death, to the castellano del Morro ; and failing the castellano, to the sergeant-major of the garrison ; and failing him, to the senior captain of infantry, so as that in no case the civil and military jurisdictions should ever afterward be divided. Sent to Madrid in Chains. In the following year Raja returned to Spain, and in 1718 Don Gregorio Guazo arrived as his successor. Nothing material occurred during his administration, and he. was replaced in 1724 by Don Dionisio Martinez de la Vega. In his time a serious difference arose on the occasion of an appointment to the office of lieutenant-governor of Santiago. On the loth of May, 1728, Lieutenant-Colonel Don Juan del Hoyo took possession of the local government, and a few months afterward a royal cedula arrived prohibiting his admission. On this the captain-general required his removal ; but the ayunta- miento opposed it, saying it was one thing to remove an officer, and another not to admit him. Lawyers were consulted on the point ; and the Court of Chancery of the district was referred to, who decided that the ayuntamiento were in the right, and the captain- general in the wrong. At this juncture the windward fleet, la Armado de Barlovento, arrived under the command of Don Antonio de Escudero, who, in his zeal for the royal service, and without any authority but that of force, laid hold of Del Hoyo, removed him from his employment, and carried EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 271 him r'j to Vera Cruz. No sooner had he regained his liberty than he returned to the Island ; and having visited the town of Puerto Principe, which at that time formed part of his jurisdiction, the peo pie rose against him, and having once more made him prisoner, sent him in irons to the Havana, from whence the captain-general had him carried to Madrid. The next captain-general was Don Juan Francisco Guemes y Horcasitas, who arrived in the year 1734, and to him, in 1746, suc- ceeded Don Juan Antonio Tineo y Fuertes, who died in the follow- ing year. He was the first captain-general who thought it necessary to establish a separate hospital for the reception of dissolute and incorrigible women; for which purpose the revenues of vacant ecclesiastical offices were to be applied. Capture of the City by the English. The date of the termination of the government of Martinez has not been very clearly defined ; he was succeeded provisionally by Don Diego de Penalosa, as teniente rey de la plaza, and was replaced in 1747 by Don Francisco Cagigal de la Vega, who had previously been lieutenant-governor at Santiago. On leaving the command in 1760, the government was assumed provisionally by the Teniente Rey Don Pedro Alonzo; and he was relieved, in 1761, by Don Juan de Prado Porto Carrero, whose government was made so memorable by the capture of the city by the English. The Habaneros themselves seemed desirous to commemorate the event by retaining English names for the points of the coast where the landing of the expedition was effected, and for the fortresses which were occupied preparatory to the descent on the Morro. In the Memorias de la Real Sociedad Patriotica there are also some interest- ing notices of the event. The captain-general, according to some accounts, was apprised of the fact that the English were preparing an expedition for the inva- sion of the Island ; but although he had made certain arrangements for the reception of the enemy, it is said that he never seriously believed that an invasion was about to take place. He made it his 272 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. business, however, to ascertain what number of men might be relied on for the defence of the Island ; and even the proportion of slaves to whom arms might be safely intrusted. Juntas were frequently assembled for the discussion of these matters during the three months which intervened between the first rumor of the invasion and the actual descent of the enemy. At length, on the 6th of June, 1762, when a fleet of at least 250 OLD CATHEDRAL AT HAVANA. sail had been reported as off the coast, the captain-general still refused to believe that this was the hostile expedition ; insisting that it must be a homeward-bound convoy from Jamaica On the morning of that day he is said to have gone over to the Morro for the purpose of observing in person the movements of the fleet ; and when he found that the garrison of the fortress had been called out under arms by the teniente rcy, Don Dionisio Soler, he expressed his disapprobation of the proceeding declaring it to be imprudent, and desiring that the troops might be sent back to their quarters. After mid-day, however, he received notice from the Morro that the ships of war were approach- ing the coast, and appeared from their manoeuvres to be preparing to effect a landing. EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 273 Confounded by his own previous incredulity, the governor at length gave orders to prepare for a vigorous defence. The consternation produced by the ringing of alarm bells and the moving of artillery was extreme. Such of the inhabitants as possessed arms made haste to put them in order, and those who were not so provided presented themselves at the sala real to ask for them ; but there were only 3,500 muskets to be found, the greater part of them unfit for service, together with a few carbines, sabres, and bayonets. These were soon distributed ; but in the end a great number of people remained un- armed for the want of needful supplies. A Formidable Expedition. The juntas were again assembled, consisting of the captain-general,, the teniente rey, the marques del real transporte, general of marines, and the commissary-general, Don Lorenzo Montalvo, to whom were added the Conde de Superunda, as viceroy of Peru, and Major-General Don Diego Tabares, as Governor of Carthagena, who happened to be then at the Havana on their return to Europe. Orders were issued by this junta to Colonel Don Carlos Caro to resist the landing of the enemy on the beach of Cogimar and Bacuranao, which they seemed to threaten ; adding to his own regiment, De Edimburgo, the rest of the cavalry then in the city, together with several companies of the infantry of the line, and a few lancers, amounting altogether to about 3,000 men. The expedition sailed from Spithead on the 5th of March, 1762. Its chief object was, after seizing on the French possessions in the West Indies, to make a descent on the Havana, which was justly con- sidered as the principal key to the vast possessions of the Spanish crown in the two great divisions of the American continent ; the pos- session of which would effectually interrupt all communication be- tween the Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico, and thereby give the court of the Catholic king a distaste for the alliance with that of St. Cloud. The first rendezvous of the forces to be combined with the original expedition was at Martinique, and Sir James Douglas was ordered to unite his squadron, stationed at Port Royal, Jamaica, with J* 274 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. that of Sir George Pocock, at the Cape of St. Nicholas, in the Island of St. Domingo. From this point of union the expedition had the choice of two courses in proceeding toward the Havana. That which would have been the more easy of execution was to sail down the southern side of the Island, and doubling the western cape, present itself before the Havana. But as this would have occupied more time, which the maintenance of secrecy rendered valuable, Sir George Pocock re- solved on following the shorter and more difficult as well as danger- ous course of the old Bahama channel, on the north side of the Island. This resolution had the double effect of taking the enemy unprepared, and of obstructing the only course by which the French could send relief from St. Domingo. On the 2/th of May the admiral hoisted his flag, and the whole convoys, consisting of 200 vessels of all classes, were soon under sail for the old Bahama passage. The "Alarm " and " Echo " frigates, sent in ndvance, discovered, on the 2d of June, five ships of the enemy, the frigate " Tetis," the sloop of war " Fenix," a brig, and two smaller vessels. An engagement immediately took place, in the issue of which one of the light vessels escaped, the other four being captured. On the evening of the 5th the " Pan " of Matanzas was visible ; and on the morning of the 6th, being then five leagues to the eastward of the Havana, the necessary orders were issued for the commanders of the boats of the squadron and the captains of the transports, with regard to the debarkation of the troops. This duty was intrusted to the Honorable Commodore Keppel, at whose disposal were placed six ships of the line, several frigates, and the large boats of the squadron. The admiral followed at two in the afternoon, with thir- teen ships of the line, two frigates, the bomb vessels of the expedi- tion, and thirty-six store-boats. On presenting himself at the mouth of the harbor, for the double purpose of reconnoitering the enemy and making the feint of an attack to cover the operations of Commo- dore Keppel, he ascertained that twelve ships of the line and a num- ber of merchant vessels were lying at anchor within it. On the following morning the admiral prepared his launches for EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. 275 landing a body of sailors and marines about four miles to the west- ward of the Havana. At the same time Lord Albemarle effected the landing of the whole of the troops, without opposition, between the rivers Bacuranao and Cogimar, about six miles from the Morro. A body of men having appeared on the beach, Commodore Keppel directed the " Mercury " and " Bonnetta " corvettes to disperse them ; but a much greater number having soon afterward presented them- selves with the evident intention of disputing the passage of the Rio Cogimar with the main body of the expedition, Captain Hervey in the " Dragon " was sent to bombard the fort, which afforded the enemy protection, but which very soon surrendered, leaving a free passage for the advance of the invaders. Resistance to the Invasion. From the prisoners taken on the 2d of June in the " Tetis " and " Fenix," the presence of a naval force in the harbor became known to the English, together with the fact that most of the enemy's ships had completed their supplies of water, and were nearly ready for sea. Till then the governor, as has been stated, was almost wholly unpre- pared. The first notice he had of the actual approach of the expe- dition was obtained from the crew of the small schooner, which escaped from the pursuit of the " Alarm " and the " Echo." As soon as he became convinced of the fact, the governor, as we have seen, assembled a council of war, composed of the chief officers under his command. At this junta de guerra the plan of defence was arranged, and a firm resolution was taken to resist the invasion to the last extremity. The defence of the Morro, on the possession of which the fate of the Havana in a great measure depended, was intrusted to Don Luis de Valesco, commander of the " Reyna " ship of the line, to whose gallantry and perseverance Sir George Pocock, in his subsequent report to the admiralty, pays a just tribute of com- mendation. His second in command, the Marques de Gonzales, commander of the " Aquilon " ship of the line, followed in all respects the example of Valesco, dying sword in hand in defence of his flag. The defence of the Punta Castle was in like manner assigned to a 276 EARLY COLONISTS AND RULERS. naval officer, Don Manuel Briseno, who had a friend in the same branch of the service for his second in command. This arrangement gave deadly offence to the officers of the army, who thought them- selves unjustly superseded in the post of honor and of danger; but it was urged in excuse, that naval officers were better acquainted than those of the infantry or the cavalry with the use of artillery ; and as the naval squadron had become useless by being locked up in the harbor, this was the only way in which they could be advantageously employed. CHAPTER XXI. War with Great Britain. BEFORE the Governor could assemble the militia of the Island under arms, he thought it necessary to declare war by procla mation against Great Britain. When his whole force was at length assembled, it was found in gross numbers greatly to exceed that of the invaders. It consisted of nine squadrons of cavalry, in- cluding in all 810 men; the regiment of the Havana, 700; two bat- talions of the regiment de Espana, 1400; two battalions of the regiment de Aragon, 1400; three companies of artillery, 300; seamen and marines of the squadron, 9000; militia and people of color, 14,000 making a grand total of 27,610. The greater part of the Spanish force was stationed in the town of Guanabacao, on the side of the bay opposite to the Havana, be- tween the points where the invading forces had landed, in order to prevent them from turning the head of the harbor and attacking the city by land. The British force was divided into five brigades, amounting, with detachments from Jamaica and North America, to a total of 14,041 land forces. At daybreak, on the 7th, the troops were already on board the boats arranged in three divisions the centre commanded by the Honorable Augustus Hervey ; the right wing by Captains Barton and Drake ; and the left, by Captains Arbuthnot and Jekyl. The first brigade was also the first to land ; and as soon as the troops had formed on the beach, Lord Albemarle took the com- mand, and marched in the direction of the city, which he did without further molestation as soon as the Cogimar batteries had been silenced. "His Excellency established his headquarters in Cogimar for the night; the troops were served with rations under arms, and several pickets were advanced to the eminences overlooking the 277 278 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. Havana. After a succession of attacks on the part of Lord Albe- marle, and a continued bombardment of the castle, the Morro sur- rendered on the 3Oth of July, and the town itself on the I4th of August, succeeding. The spoils seized by the captors were of great value, and the dis- tribution was a subject of much discontent ; and it must be admitted that the partition, which gave three or four pounds to a soldier or a sailor, whose life was equally exposed with that of his superiors, and loo.ooo/. to an admiral or a commander-in-chief, was far from being impartial. Arrival of Troops. The peace having been concluded in 1763, the Conde de Ricla arrived at the Havana on the 3Oth of June, bringing the powers con- ferred by the treaty for the restoration of the British conquests in the Island of Cuba, and accompanied by General O'Reilly, with four ships of the line, a number of transports, and 2000 men for the supply of the garrison. On their arrival they were received by the English with every demonstration of respect. On the 7th of July the keys of the city were formally delivered up to the Conde de Ricla, on whom the government had been conferred, and the English garrison was embarked on its return to Europe. The restoration of the Island to the Spaniards is regarded by the native writers as the true era from whence its aggrandizement and prosperity are to be dated. It was during the administration of the first governor that the new fortresses of San Carlos and Atares were erected, and the enlargement and rebuilding of the Morro and the Cabanas were begun. The old hospitals were placed on a better footing, and new ones were built. The court of accounts, and the whole department of finance, received a fresh impulse and a distinct form ; and an intendant was named, who, among other arrangements, for the first time established the aduana, and created a custom-house revenue, the duties having been first levied on the 1 5th of October, 1764. The Conde de O'Reilly, as inspector- general of the army, succeeded in organizing and placing on a respectable footing the regular troops, WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 279 as well as the militia of the Island. The city of the Havana having been divided into districts, the streets named, and the houses num- bered, the truth came to be known, that the capital contained materials for the formation of a battalion of disciplined white militia. Beginning with the formation of a single company, the governor appointed lieutenants, sergeants, and corporals from the regular troops of the garrison, and, after a personal inspection, he followed the same course with the other companies. New Battalions are Formed. Adopting this principle in the other towns of the Island, he soon succeeded in realizing his ideas, and creating a considerable force on which the government had every reason to rely. When the two white battalions of the Havana and Guanabacoa were completed, it was still found that, with the addition of the stationary regiment of regulars and the other troops of the garrison, theVe would not be a sufficient force for the defence of the capital, so that the idea of forming two other battalions presented itself, the one of blacks, the other of people of color, and was immediately carried into effect. Don Diego Manrique assumed the supreme command in 1765, but died within a few months after his arrival. He was succeeded in 1766 by Don Antonio Maria Bucarelli, who prosecuted with energy the construction of the fortifications begun by the Conde de Ricla. Bucarely paid great attention to the due administration of justice, and was distinguished by the affability of his manners, the facility he afforded of access to his person, and the readiness with which he heard and redressed the grievances of the people; making it a boast that he had succeeded in adjusting differences and compromising law suits which had been pending for forty years. When afterward appointed viceroy of New Spain, the minister for the department of the Indies announced to him, by command of the king, as an unexampled occurrence, that during the whole period of his administration not a single complaint against him had reached the court of Madrid. Another of his merits with the people was the gentleness and address with which he effected the expulsion of the 280 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. Jesuits, who had come to the Island with Don Pedro Agustin Morel, and had acquired there large possessions. The church attached to their seminary is that which is now the cathedral of the Havana. On the promotion of Bucarelli in 1771, the Marques de la Torre was named his successor, and became one of the most popular captains-general who have ever administered the government. He was replaced in 1777 by Don Diego Jose Navarro, who introduced great improvements in the administration of justice, and the police of the tribunals, and in regulating the duties and functions of the abogados, escribanos, procuradores, tasadores, and other officers and dependents of the courts of law, in which the greatest abuses had previously and have since prevailed. Attempt to Recover the Ploridas. The base and deteriorated coin, which had been for some time in circulation, was also called in and abolished in the time of Navarro. In the course of the war which had again broken out between England and Spain, an expedition was prepared at the Havana for the recovery of the Floridas, which produced the surrender of Pen- sacola, and the submission of the garrison. This gave rise to a belief that the English would make reprisals on Cuba or Porto Rico, and led to the dispatch of reinforcements on a large scale to the gar- rison of the Havana. The peace of 1783 soon followed, on which Lord Rodney prepared to return to England; and taking the Havana in his way, Prince William Henry, afterward William IV., having obtained leave from the admiral to go on shore, was so delighted with the city and the entertainments that were offered him, that he remained there three days, and did not return, if we may believe the Spanish writers, until Lord Rodney sent to his royal highness to say, that if he did not re- embark immediately, the squadron would set sail, and leave him behind. The Spanish general of marines, Solano, is said to have given the prince a breakfast which cost him $4000. During the years which immediately succeeded the peace there appear to have been other changes in the colonial government besides WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 281 those already noticed, beginning with Don Luis Gonzaga, followed by the Conde de Galves, Don Bernardo Troncoso, Don Jose Espeleta, and Don Domingo Ceballo. In the time of this first Espeleta there was again a great outcry as to the number of lawyers in the colony, and particularly at the Havana, where there were already no less than eighty-five abogados, with an equally liberal proportion of the inferior classes of the profession. Steps were taken to prevent their increase, and a regulation was enforced on the ipth of November, 1784, prohibiting the admission of candidates and the immigration of professors of jurisprudence from the other colonies ; and no lawyer who had studied his profession in Spain was to be allowed to practice it in the courts of the Island until six years at least after he had been called to the bar in the Peninsula. Brilliant Epoch in Cuba's History. Don Luis de las Casas arrived as captain-general in 1790, and the period of his administration is represented by all Spanish writers as a brilliant epoch in the history of the Island. To him it is indebted for the institution of the Sociedad Patriotica, which has ever since done so much to stimulate the activity and promote the improvement of education, agriculture, and trade, as well as literature, science, and the fine arts, combined with large and liberal views of public policy. To Las Casas, also, is the Island indebted for the establishment of the Casa de Bcncficenda, having been begun by a voluntary subscrip- tion amounting to $36,000. The female department was at first a separate institution, situated in the extra-mural portion of the city, but was added to the other on the completion of the buildings in 1794. In place of a monument to Las Casas, which he undoubtedly deserved as much as any of his predecessors, an inscription has been conspicuously engraved in the common hall of the school for boys, declaring that on its erection it had been expressly dedicated to the memory of the founder of the institution; reminding the young pupils that he had not only been the founder of the Casa de Bene- ficencia, but of the first public library, and the first newspaper which 282 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. had existed in the Island, and of the patriotic and economical society. To increase the commercial prosperity of the Island he had the sagacity to perceive that his object could not be better accomplished than by removing, as far as his authority extended, all the trammels imposed upon it by the old system of privilege and restriction. During his administration, also, large sums were expended in the construction of roads, especially the great Calzada del Horcon and the Calzada de Guadalupe ; but since then these highways have fallen so completely out of repair, as for the greater part of the year to have become next to impassable. The Island Desolated by a Hurricane. It was Las Casas, also, who introduced the culture of indigo ; and during his time the long arrear of causes on the rolls of the courts of justice was greatly reduced. The hurricane, which desolated the Island on the 2ist and 22d of June, 1791, afforded Las Casas a fresh opportunity for displaying the great resources of his mind in the promptitude with which he brought relief to the sufferers. In some districts the sudden rise of water in the rivers was most extraordinary, when the limited extent of land from sea to sea is considered. On the bridge then just finished across the Rio del Calabazal the water rose to the height of thirty-six feet above the parapets ; and in the town of San Antonio, where the wells are sunk into the bed of a subterraneous river, the water rushed up through the artificial openings, and inundated the whole country. The French Revolution having communicated its irresistible impulse to the western parts of St. Domingo, the cabinet of Madrid took the alarm, and from the Havana and Santiago, Vera Cruz, the Caracas, Maracaybo, and Porto Rico, collected a force amounting altogether to 6000 men, the object of which was to suppress the insurrection. The sanguinary struggle which ensued, and the reverses which befell the Spanish troops, belong to another place. Suffice it here to say, by way of memorandum, that the interest of the Spanish Government in the Island of St. Domingo was definitely terminated by the treaty of Basilea soon afterward concluded with the French republic. WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. It was to the energetic measures of Las Casas, at the time of this revolution in St. Domingo, that the Island of Cuba was indebted for the uninterrupted maintenance of its tranquillity, in spite of the univer- sal persuasion that a conspiracy had been formed at the instigation of the French, among the free people of color, to provoke a similar revolution in Cuba. Important Changes and Benefits. On the occasion of his leaving the Island in December, 1796, a formal eulogium on his merits as Captain-General was recorded in the archives of the Ayuntamiento of the Havana, in which are enumerated the great benefits he had conferred on the community ; among which the most prominent are the discouragement of gam- bling ; the arrest of vagrants and vagabonds ; the clearing of the jails of greater criminals, and the acceleration of the ends of justice in civil causes ; the abandonment of a large portion of his own emolu- ments for the erection and support of the Casa de Beneficencia and other charitable institutions ; the reduction and pacification of the maroons of Santiago ; the suppression of the conspiracy among the people of color; the prohibition of the introduction of foreign negroes who had previously resided in other colonies, and the expulsion of those who had arrived from St. Domingo ; the relief of the inhabi- tants from the clothing of the militia ; the paving of the streets of the Havana ; the making and mending of roads ; the building of bridges, and the construction of public walks and alamedas ; the erection of a convent, a coliseum, a primary school, a school of chemistry, natu- ral philosophy, mathematics and botany ; the improvement of the Plaza cle Toros, and the rejection of the profit which his predecessors had derived from the supply of provisions for the troops. In this farewell eulogium he is also praised for the very question- able virtue of promoting the general prosperity by the copious intro- duction of Bozal negroes from the coast of Africa, which is stated to have greatly extended the cultivation of the sugar-cane, the bread- fruit tree, the: cinnamon-tree, and other exotic plants of inestimable value. It is more easy to sympathize in the praises bestowed upon 284 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. him for the great hospitality he showed to the unfortunate refugees from St. Domingo, and for the exertions he made and the liberality he evinced in the institution of the Patriotic Society, the formation of a public library, the publication of the Diario, and of the Guia de F^rasteros. Las Casas, in 1796, was succeeded in the government by the Conde de Santa Clara, whose noble and generous disposition, and the affa- bility of his manners, made the loss of his predecessor less sensibly felt. It is admitted, however, that he gave no encouragement to education, that he had no taste for letters, and that in his time the social emulation which had previously prevailed sunk rapidly into apathy and indifference. A People of Dilatory Habits. It is a singular illustration of the dilatory habits of the people, and affords a sort of national characteristic, that for many years after the formal cession to the French of all interest in St. Domingo, the judges who exercised the supreme civil jurisdiction over the Island of Cuba and other Spanish settlements continued to reside in the ceded territory, so that, in consequence of the recommencement of hostilities with England, all communication by sea was so interrupted as to interpose an insurmountable barrier to the exercise of the right of appeal, and to the ordinary administration of justice. The royal cedula, for the removal of this tribunal to Puerto Principe, is dated on the 22d of May, 1797 ; but it does not appear at what precise date the actual translation took place. Santa Clara was succeeded, in 1799, by the Marques de Someruelos, whose administration continued for a much longer period than the five years to which, by the practice, if not by a formal regulation c f the Spanish government, the term of service of the captains-general of the colonies has been usually limited. The public works which serve to commemorate the administration of Someruelos are the old theatre and the public cemetery ; the execution of which last was confided to the bishop, who pursued the object with zeal, and the work was completed on the 2d of February, 1806. WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 285 Its extent is not great, containing only 22,000 square yards ; but the walls, the chapel, and the gateway, are on a scale which infers the outlay of a large sum of money. The chapel is ornamented with a painting in fresco representing the Resurrection, with the motto, " Ecce nunc in pulvere dormiam." Someruelos was thought by some to be stern and severe toward the poorer classes of society, and to reserve all his affability and condescension for the rich. On the occasion, however, of the great fire of 1802, which destroyed the populous suburb of Jesus Maria, leaving no less than 11,300 indivi- duals without a i oof to shelter them, the Marques, moved by their distress, circumambulated the town, going actually from door to door to petition for their relief. Prospect of Another Invasion. The belief again gained ground at the Havana, in 1807, that the English government contemplated a descent on the Island; and measures were taken in consequence to put it in a more respectable state of defence, although, from want of funds in the treasury, and the scarcity of indispensable supplies, the prospect of an invasion was sufficiently gloomy. The militia and the troops of the garrison were carefully drilled, and companies of volunteers were formed wherever materials for them could be found. The French, also, not content .with mere preparations, made an actual descent on the Island, first threatening Santiago, and afterward landing at Batabano. The invaders consisted chiefly of refugees from St. Domingo ; and their intention seems to have been to have taken possession with a view to colonize and cultivate a portion of the unappropriated, or at least unoccupied, territory on the south side of the Island, as their countrymen had formerly done in St. Domingo. Without recurring to actual force, the captain-general prevailed on them to take their departure by a peaceful offer of the means of transit either to St. Domingo or to France. The news of the abduction, by Napoleon, of the royal family of Spain reached the Havana by a private opportunity, at the moment when the cabildo was in session, when every member of it took a 286 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. solemn oath to preserve the Island for its lawful sovereign. The official intelligence did not reach the city till the i/th of July, 1808; when it was brought from Cadiz by the Intendant Don Juan de Aguilar y Amat, who arrived in the American ship " Dispatch." The colonial government immediately declared war against Napo- leon ; and on the 2Oth, King Ferdinand VII. was proclaimed with general applause. The intelligence from Spain and the resolution of the captain-general were immediately communicated to all the colo- nial authorities in Spanish America. Pretensions Firmly Resisted. The events in the Peninsula soon began to be felt at the Havana ; but the demands of the French intruders for the recognition of their authority were disregarded, and the public dispatches which came from them were destroyed. The Infanta Dona Carlota made similar pretensions, but these, like those of the French, were firmly resisted. The foreign trade of the Island was reduced to such an extremity by the events of the war, that the local authorities of the Havana, the ayuntamiento, and the consulado, began seriously to deliberate on the expediency of throwing the trade open, and admitting foreign supplies on the same terms with those from the Peninsula. There was some division of opinion; but the majority were for a free com- petition on an equal footing between the Spaniard and the foreigner, on the ground that Spain alone was unable to purchase or consume the enormous mass of produce then exported from the Island ; and so it was accordingly decided. On the 2 1st and 22d of March, 1809, a serious disturbance arose, the object of which was to invite the return of the French to the Island ; but this popular movement, although considered dangerous at the time, and viewed with alarm by the captain-general, was speedily put down by the display of firmness and resolution on the part of all who had anything to lose, and by the prompt offer of their personal services for its suppression. Proclamations were issued, a respectable force was collected, and the Marques de Someruelos pre- sented himself in person to endeavor to pacify the discontented. WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 287 Tranquillity was restored at the end of the second day, with the loss of only two or three lives ; but not without the destruction of a great deal of property. The French settlers in the rural districts were, in this respect, the greatest sufferers ; and it had, in conse- quence, the effect of driving away several thousands of laborious and intelligent colonists, who were already deeply interested in the pros- perity of the Island. Soon after these events a young man arrived from the United States, of whose proceedings and character, as an emissary of King Joseph, the colonial government had been previously informed. This unfortunate person, Don Manuel Aleman, was not even suffered to land. The alguazils went on board ; took possession of his papers and his person ; a council of war was immediately assembled ; but his fate was determined beforehand, and on the following morning, the 1 3th of July, 1810, he was brought out to the Campo de la Punta, and hanged for his temerity. The revolutionary proceedings in the continental provinces of Spain were now in full career toward that independence of the mother- country which they have since achieved. In the meantime, the Island of Cuba enjoyed a degree of tranquillity quite remarkable under the circumstances of the sister colonies. This state of things was naturally, and not unjustly, ascribed to the political prudence and sagacity of the Marques de Someruelos. The colonial authorities petitioned the cabinet of Madrid for the farther prorogation of his government beyond the term to which it had been already extended. But the very fact of his having given so much satisfaction to the colonists, if we may judge from experience elsewhere, was not likely to operate with the government of the mother-country in deciding on a farther extension of his stay. Instead of acceding to the prayer of the municipal functionaries of the Havana, the government of Madrid thought fit to mark its sense of the interference by in- stantly recalling the title of " Excellencia," which, on a former occa- sion, had been granted to the ayuntamiento as a special mark of the royal favor, and o! which they were not a little proud. The western districts of the Island were visited, in 1810, by another 288 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. of those tremendous hurricanes, which sweep away so much life and property in these tropical regions. The city of the Havana was filled with consternation and dismay ; the hopes of an abundant harvest were disappointed ; in the harbor, so renowned for its security, the ships of war were driven from their anchors, and no less than sixty merchant vessels were destroyed. In the time of Someruelos the Casa de Beneficencia was in dangel of falling into decay ; but in consequence of his earnest intervention, the Junta de Tabacos, which in Spain as in France is a royal mono- poly, consented to purchase 100 slaves, whose labor or whose wages were to furnish funds for the benefit of the institution; thus by an extraordinary perversion making the practice of cruelty and injustice toward one portion of the human family contribute to a work of charity in favor of another. The slaves were first employed in the manufacture of cigars, but have latterly been hired out for daily wages at whatever employment they could obtain. Outbreak of a Negro Conspiracy. A negro conspiracy broke out in 1812, which excited considerable alarm in the minds of the landed proprietors. That alarm was attended with its usual consequences : The negro leader, Aponte, and his associates were treated with unsparing severity, such as may be supposed to have been dictated much more by the fears of the hacen- dados, than by the strict justice of the case. The successor of Someruelos was Don Juan Ruiz de Apodaca, afterward Conde de Benadito, who arrived on the I4th of April, 1812 ; and he, for the first time, combined the command of the naval force on the station with the office of captain-general of the Island. This un- precedented combination arose from the fear of the authors of the constitution of Cadiz, that their work and their representative would not be well received in this aristocratical colony. His first duty on his arrival was to proclaim the constitution ; and although it doubt- less excited an extraordinary sensation, it was not openly resisted. The success of Apodaca in Cuba led to his promotion to the rank of viceroy of Mexico; and on the 1st of July, 1816, he was sue* WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 289 ceeded at the Havana by Lieutenant-General Don Jose Cienfuegos. In his time the third census of the Island was accomplished. This captain-general made himself exceedingly unpopular at the Havana by the severe measures of police he proclaimed and enforced for the suppression of projects of sedition, and for the preservation of the public tranquillity. He resorted to an expedient which in other great cities would scarcely have become the subject of serious complaint he caused the streets of the Havana to be lighted ; but this was only a part of the proceeding to which the citizens objected. He insisted, also, on closing up the public thoroughfares immediately after the conclusion of the evening service in the churches ; thus from that early hour confining the inhabitants to their own particular quarter of the city, and giving rise to clamorous representations and to the very disturb- ances which it was the object of the captain-general to prevent. Arrival of a Convoy of Troops. Sefior Cienfuegos was for some time disabled by personal infirmity from the active administration of the government, and during that period his functions were performed by Don Juan Maria Hechavarria, as cabo subalterno ; but on the 29th of August, 1819, he was finally relieved by the arrival of his successor, Don Juan Manuel Cajigal, in the Spanish ship of war " Sabina " with a convoy of troops for the supply of the garrison. The following year, 1820, from the events which took place in the Peninsula, was another period of trial and difficulty for a captain- general of the Havana ; but it is admitted by all parties that Cajigal succeeded, by the prudence and delicacy of his conduct, in avoiding the evils which might have been expected to arise from the difficult and extraordinary circumstances in which he found himself placed. The extreme affability of his manners, and the perfect readiness with which he received and listened to all who desired to approach him, conciliated universal good will ; and it appears that the high estimation in which he was held by the inhabitants excited in his breast a corresponding feeling, as, on the termination, of his com- 290 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. mand, he applied for and obtained the special grace from the king of being permitted to take up his permanent abode in the Island ; and having retired to the town of Guanabacoa, he died there some time afterward, a simple but respected citizen. The next captain-general was Do'n Nicolas Mahy, who arrived from Bordeaux in the French frigate " Therese," on the $d of March, 1821 ; but such was the turbulence which prevailed in these trouble- some times that he proved unequal to the task of controlling the storm, and at length sunk under the difficulties which surrounded him. He died on the i8th of July, 1822, but retained to the last moment of his life the direct administration of the affairs of the government. Erection of a Famous Temple. After his death the government was assumed provisionally by the cabo subalterno, Don Sebastian Kindelan; and on the 2d of May, 1823, the new captain-general arrived, Don Francisco Dionisio Vives, who was afterward raised to the dignity of Conde de Cuba. It was in his time that the fourth and last census of the Island was accom- plished. It was under Vives, also, that the rural militia was organ- ized, and that the construction of the fortresses of Bahia-honda, Mariel, Jaruco, and the Cabanas was begun or completed. It was he who divided the Island into three military departments ; and it was under his auspices that the temple was erected on the Plaza de Armas of the Havana, on the very spot where, if tradition is to be believed, the first Christian rite was performed in the New World. It is doubtless with the view of adding to the solemnity of the occasion that the temple is opened only once a year, on the anniver- sary of the day that Mass was first said there, in the presence of Columbus, to return thanks to Heaven for the success which had attended his enterprise. It was also in the time of Vives that the two lunatic asylums, el Departamento de Dementes, were added to the Casa de Bemficenda; and it is recorded of him that he never failed to preside at the meetings of the institution, and to animate by his presence the drooping zeal of his colleagues in the direction. On the 1 5th of May, 1832, Don Mariano Roquefort took possession WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 291 of the government; and on the ist of June, 1834, he was succeeded by Don Miguel Tacon, whose administration terminated on the i6th of April, 1838, when Don Joaquin de Espeleta, who had for some time resided at the Havana with the rank of sub-inspector-general of the troops, and second cabo subalterno, was promoted to the rank of captain-general, not provisionally, as had been usual on former occa- sions, but coino proprietario, to use a form of expression in constant use, as applied to public offices in the language of Castile as well as in that of France. General Espeleta marked his career by a straightforward course, strongly exemplified in his putting down all obnoxious and costly practices to obtain licenses and passports, which were favored, both by those preceding and succeeding him, from sordid and ignoble motives. His uprightness could not, however, wash out the political stain of his birth; for, by a mere chance, Espeleta was born at Havana. He was consequently soon removed, and before the regular term of five years, allotted to such offices in Spanish America. Met by Opposition. The Prince of Anglona, the next captain-general in order of time, was a gentlemanly and courteous chief who, after one year's com- mand in 1841, left the charge of the Island to the noble-minded Don Geronimo Valdez, a man whose whole life had evinced a consistent love of liberty, scarcely ever met with in a Spanish soldier, for such he was. Being informed that there was a conspiracy on foot, and that many young men talked in a revolutionary strain, he answered: " I have a powerful army at my command ; let the conspirators sally forth, and I shall destroy them, but not before." This liberality to the Cubans, and his conciliating course toward the abolitionist Turnbull, who had landed at an unfortified part of the Island, for some sinister purpose, among the blacks ; and more than all, his disinterested and faithful observance of the treaties condemn- ing the African slave trade, brought on him the unrestrained attacks of those engaged or concerned in it as capitalists or officials of gov- ernment. He was consequently hurried from his station in the most 292 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. unceremonious manner, and the party who vainly endeavored to injure his name, charging him with motives treasonable to Spain, found in his successor a man better disposed to forward their selfish and sordid purposes, though for the same reason eqjually calculated to alienate the hearts of the inhabitants. Valdez had the courage and honesty to issue, during his short com- mand, upward of a thousand grants of freedom illegally withheld by his predecessors from so many Africans who, according to the treaty, had become free. He left the Palace of the captains-general of Cuba in the same high-minded poverty in which he had entered it. In 1843, General Leopold O'Donnell took the command of the Island, and never was military despotism more successfully directed to destroy popular franchises, to establish individual oppression beyond the possibility of redress by altering existing institutions, and eminently to satisfy the avaricious thirst of the captain-general and his family and favorites. The bloody page of the negro insur- rection, reported in another part of this work, was the most prominent feature of his governorship. Strange Sources of Wealth. At the close of one of General O'Donnell's balls, his wife sent for the baker who had supplied the entertainment, to come at 3 o'clock A. M., to take back the loaves not used ! The baker refused, saying that he could not sell them except as stale bread, at a very reduced price. To this she replied that she had sent for him at so early an hour that he might have the chance of mixing it with the fresh bread he was to send around to his customers that morning. She was engaged in all kinds of profitable undertakings of the most obscure and common pursuits in life ; monopolies of the most repugnant character were introduced for her advantage, based on the un- bounded authority of a provincial tyrant. The cleansing of the sew- ers, and the locality fixed for the reception of the manure and dirt of the city were among the many sources of wealth which she did not scruple to turn to her advantage. But nothing was so fruitful to this family of dealers, as the slave WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. trade which, it was publicly asserted, furnished emoluments even to the daughter of the captain-general. O'Donnell was part owner of the marble quarries of the Isle of Pines, whither he, by his sole authority, sent to labor a great number of suspected or accused per- sons, without judgment or sentence passed on them. The agency for obtaining passports, and other services connected with govern- ment, as published in the Havana papers, exhibits a degree of immo- rality and defiance of public opinion hardly to be found in any civilized country. General Frederico Roncali, graced by one of the numerous titles which Queen Christina has so profusedly and undeservedly bestowed within a very recent period, took the command of the Island in 1848. His ridiculous and perplexed action during the movement of the Round Island expedition, shows how weak the strength of bayonets is, where it is unsupported either by the confidence of the soldiery, or by the love of the people for their rulers. Spanish. Despotism Doomed. The idea of marching out 4000 men, and stationing them in the central department of the Island, and announcing to the soldiers that they were to receive double pay as soon as the enemy landed, merely because 400 Americans had taken their abode in an island 700 miles off, is a tacit acknowledgment of the impending termina- tion of Spanish rule in Cuba that tottering column of European despotism in America. General Roncali's incapacity was never made more manifest, however, than in his management of the Rey affair. Don Cirilo Villaverde, author of a novel entitled " Cecilia Valdez," and other literary works, being accused of corresponding with the editor of the Cuban paper called La Verdad, was confined to the Havana prison during his trial, which he had no reason to expect should be fair or favorable in its results to him. While there, a fraudulent bankrupt, by name Fernandez, being on the eve of escaping, through promises made to the jail-keeper Rey, of sharing with him the imaginary spoils of his bankruptcy, Mr. Vil- laverde succeeded in availing himself of the same opportunity to fly, 294 WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. and save himself, rather than trust to his innocence or the irregular- ity and corruption of Spanish military justice. The result, fully establishing the moral weakness of a government whose very agents turn against it, served to excite the anger and spiteful revenge oi Roncali. He therefore succeeded, through the consul at New Orleans, Don Carlos Espafia, in abducting the jail-keeper, who was thereby des- tined to be severely punished, or generously rewarded should he act as witness against such influential Creoles as were suspected of dis- satisfaction to the Spanish government. It is not necessary to add anything further on this subject. The American public are suffi- ciently acquainted with the subsequent history of this ominous, sacri- legious and insulting act of the authorized menial of a European monarch on the heretofore respected soil of America. Whatever moral qualities and honest wishes some of the captains- general may have possessed, they were compelled to follow out the restrictions and spoliations commenced by Tacon. The path of despotism, when justified by the national excuse of holding a distant colony, must always be one of inevitable and progressive oppression. The historical sketch of Cuba is here concluded. The next chap- ters are designed to furnish an absrtact of its political history, includ- ing a notice of a formidable insurrection, with an account of the remarkable policy which has brought the Island to its present miserable condition. CHAPTER XXII. The Tyrannical Rule of Spain. PREVIOUS to the eighteenth century, the history of the Island of Cuba is mostly occupied with accounts of the settlements commenced by the first Governor, Diego Velasquez ; the noble defence of the Cazique Athuei, who was burned alive by order of the former ; and the usual repartimientos or distribution of the territory and Indians among the Spanish settlers, which, through excess of labor, hastened the depopulation of the country. During that early period is also noticed the sailing of expeditions to more recently discovered and alluring regions ; the beginning of the African slave trade, and the occasional descent and depredations of the buccaneers. The latter were so bold, from the scant population and absence of fortifications, that they carried off at one time the venerable Bishop Cabezas Altanurano, and at another, the very bells of the church and the cannons of the castle at Santiago. Soon after the royal decree of 1530, liberating the native Indians, the remnants of this unfortunate race appeared to have congregated in towns such as Guanabacoa, Guaisabana, Ovejas, and Caneyes- arriba, and to have applied their efforts to simple husbandry and grazing. But the advance of Cuba must have been extremely limited or doubtful, since the Bishop Almendares estimated the population of all the towns and cities in 1612 at 6,700 inhabitants. The truth lies in the fact that, after having exhausted the Indian population, the Island was only held as a military post on the way to the mines of Mexico, with little else to occupy its reduced population than the raising of cattle on lands not appropriated. Till the latter years of the past century, commerce was not only confined to Spanish merchantmen, but to the periodical voyage of the fleet belonging to 29& 296 TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. the privileged India Company. Foreign trade has only been author- ized in the present century, when the European wars, forcing the Spanish flag from the seas, and the encroachment of contraband trade, made it impossible to oppose it. In the laws and municipal rights of Cuba, we notice the same in- dependent and liberal spirit which prevailed in all the settlements of Spain among the Moors, or elsewhere, as far as the Spanish settlers and their descendants were concerned. Thus in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, public assemblies of citizens were held to elect the members of the corporations ; free and bold charges were made and sustained against governors ; and no taxation was permitted which was not sanctioned by these bodies, who exercised the same prerogatives in the Spanish peninsula, during the long suspension of representative government. Peculiar Notions and Prejudices. As to the commercial restrictions which prevented the growth of this beautiful garden of America, they did not originate in any right, expressed or implied, to control the fate of Cuba, on the part of the European provinces, but in the peculiar notions of the age on matters of political economy. Equally injudicious was the system observed in the internal trade and relations between the several Spanish provinces themselves, whose wealth and physical advance are to this day obstructed by antiquated prejudices. Aside, there- fore, from the measures adopted to nationalize the commerce and trade of Cuba, or rather to direct their course by legislation, there was not, until the last twenty years, any serious precedent or open effort to justify a difference between the political rights of the Cubans and the Spaniards on the soil of Cuba. Were the conquest held as the foundation of such difference, the privilege should certainly attach to the descendants of those who shed their blood and used their means in the acquisition of the coun- try not to the emigration, much less to the salaried officers of the government. The recognition of the popular principle in the Sociedad Patriotica TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. 297 and Consulado, established near the close of the eighteenth century, and the vast influence derived therefrom, and which, in after times, gave a liberal tinge to the local administration, is especially worthy of notice. Struggling for her own independence, and boldly confronting the ambitious and mighty chieftain of the age, Spain, at the opening of the nineteenth century, appeared in a noble attitude. Actuated by the most sacred impulses of patriotism, and intensely engaged in the wars and policy of Europe, she could not and did not refuse what- ever was requested by the Cuban assemblies. Loyalty to the Mother Country. Cuba, on her part, repaid the liberality of the mother-country by an unwavering loyalty. Unseduced by the alluring prospect of inde- pendence, and undismayed by repeated invasions from foreign powers, she shut her eyes to the former, and boldly resisted the latter, at the liberal expense of the treasures of the Island, and the lives of the inhabitants. This brings us to a period marked by fluctuations in the political history of Spain and her dependencies, and it is now to be seen what were their effect upon Cuba. The political changes adopted in Spain in 1812 and 1820 were productive of similar changes in the Island ; and when in both instances the constitution was proclaimed, the perpetual members of the municipalities were at once deprived of office, and their success- ors elected by the people. The provincial assembly was called, and held its sessions. The militia was organized; the press made entirely free, the verdict of a jury deciding actions for its abuses; and the same courts of justice were in no instance to decide a case a sec- ond time. But if the institution of the consulado was very beneficent during Ferdinand's absolute sway, the ultra-popular grants of the constitu- tional system, which could hardly be exercised with quiet in Spain, were ill-adapted to Cuba, though more advanced in civilization, stained with all those vices that are the legitimate curse of a country 298 TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. long under despotic sway. That system was so democratic that the king was deprived of all political authority. * No intermediate house of nobility or senators tempered the enactments of a single elective assembly. This sudden change from an absolute government, with its usual concomitant, a corrupt and debased public sentiment, to the full enjoyment of republican privileges, served only to loosen all the ties of decency and decorum throughout the Spanish community. Infi- delity resulted from it ; and that veil of respect for the religion of their fathers, which had covered the deformity of such a state of society, was imprudently thrown aside. As the natural consequence of placing the instruments of freedom in the hands of an ignorant multitude, their minds were filled with visions of that chimerical equality which the world has never yet realized. The Rich Arrayed Against the Poor. The rich found themselves deprived of their accustomed influence, and felt that there was little chance of obtaining justice from the common people (in no place so formidable as in Cuba, from the heterogeneous nature of the population), and who were now, in a manner, arrayed against them throughout the land. They, of course, eagerly wished the return of the old system of absolute rule. But the proprietors only asked for the liberal policy which they had enjoyed at the hands of the Spanish monarch ; not, most surely, that oppressive and nondescript government which, by separating the interest of the country from that of her nearest rulers, and destroying all means of redress or complaint, thrust the last offspring of Spain into an abyss of bloodshed and ruin, during the disgusting exercise of military rule, in punishing by the most arbitrary and cruel mea- sures, persons suspected of engaging in an apprehended servile insur- rection. During the second period of democratic or what was called consti- tutional government, which commenced in 1820, the masonic socie- ties came into vogue as they did in the mother-country. They adopted different plausible pretexts, though, to speak the truth, they TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. 299 were little more than clubs for amusement and revelry. One of them, called the "Soles de Bolivar" went so far as to discuss whether, in case of a Colombian invasion, it would be more expedient to avoid a collision in the presence of the slaves, by giving way peaceably before the invading army. Happily for Cuba, and certainly in consequence of the judicious interference of the United States, which foresaw in the preservation of its tranquillity the advantages of a fruitful commerce, the invasion did not take place. The difficulty of annexation, from the lesser influence the United States then possessed among nations and the controlling importance of the shipping interest in our country, made it unadvisable for Cuba to launch into a revolution unsustained, and in this way to experience a severe scourge, which, at that time, would have proved the principal if not the only fruits of independence to the first generation of its recipients. Under any circumstances the subsequent jealous policy of the Spanish government has been alto- gether unwarranted. Schemes to Keep Cuba a Dependent Province. A respectable portion of the old Spaniards residing in Cuba, were themselves desirous of upholding the constitutional system in the Island which they saw tottering in Spain. General Vives, who com- manded at that time, regarded the circumstance with anxious solici- tude, and very reasonably inferred that, if the constitution of 1812 was sustained in Cuba after the king's absolute power was acknowl- edged in Spain, the consequences would be fatal to its dependence, however rational and honest the views of the constitutionalists might be considered. Hence his strenuous efforts in 1824, after the restoration of Ferdi- nand, to make the most of the wild and varying schemes which had been proposed in the " Soles de Bolivar" under the democratic insti- tutions, and the relaxation of the reins of government. The greatly reduced Spanish military force at that time in the Island, and the fact that much of it consisted of regular regiments and native militia, are sufficient proof that to the solid good sense of the inhabitants, rather 300 TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. than any show of strength, should be attributed the immediate dis- appearance of those germs of disquietude. Not even the weakness of General Kindelan could induce the planters to lose sight of their chief interest. Prosecutions and Imprisonments. Though General Vives subsequently desired to impress the con- stitutional party with the idea that they might be carried farther than they meant to go, and with that view took especial care that a well- concerted scheme for throwing off the Spanish yoke should appear to have been devised, it must be acknowledged that notwithstanding he caused the prosecution and imprisonment of many individuals, and occasionally the ruin and misery of their families, he oftentimes also interfered to mitigate the appalling and unavoidable excesses of those menials of government who are every ready, under such cir- cumstances, to exceed the wishes of the leading statesmen, and to make political difficulties subservient to the vilest purposes. That which should have warned the Spanish ministry of the inexpediency of establishing such inappropriate institutions, brought upon the Island all its subsequent misfortunes; namely, the Royal Order of 1825. By this order Cuba was placed under martial law; and the captain- general was invested " with the whole extent of power granted to governors of besieged towns." The sad effects of this royal order, which the king only meant to be observed temporarily, and under a strict responsibility, " le mas estrecta responsibilidad," were not immediately felt. " Truth and justice compel me to assert," says one of the most enlightened Cubans, on being rejected from the Cortes, in common with all the deputies from the province, " that notwithstanding the terrible authority conferred on trie captain-general by this royal order, Vives, who then held that office, far from putting it in execution during his long government, discovered that its application would be equally disadvantageous to Cuba and Spain. Under a mild and conciliatory policy this Island became the refuge of many unhappy prescripts, who were expelled from the Peninsular territory by the arm of tyranny." TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. 301 The judicious administration of the Count Villanueva, which had undoubtedly an influence materially advantageous to the country, was likewise calculated to make every one forget the depressed political condition to which the new law had reduced the inhabitants of Cuba. Under its fearful and comprehensive provisos, since become the scourge of the land, public bodies were respected. Some of them constantly consulted together on grave subjects, such as the rural and domestic police for the management of slaves, the imposition of taxes and judiciary reform, and enjoyed the privilege of printing their reports, without applying for the consent of the executive officers ; and the press was moreover very far from being restricted as it now is. The Problem of Slavery. As a proof that the political servitude created by the royal order of 1825 was not intended to be permanent, an extract is made from an article on the dangers of the slave trade, published in a periodical of Havana, in 1832, under the despotic government of Ferdinand, and seven years after issuing the royal order above referred to. Immediately following a very precise detail of facts, of the numbers of imported slaves, and of the relative position of the races, we read : "Thus far we have only considered the power which has its origin in the numbers of the colored population that surrounds us. What a picture we might draw, if we were to portray this immense body acting under the influence of political and moral causes, and present- ing a spectacle unknown in history ! We surely shall not do it. But we should be guilty of moral treason to our country, if we were to forget the efforts now making to effect a change in the condition of the African race. " Philanthropic laws, enacted by some of the European nations, associations of distinguished Englishmen, periodicals solely devoted to this subject, eloquent parliamentary debates whose echoes are constantly repeated on this side the Atlantic, bold exhortations from the pulpits of religious sects, political principles which with lightning rapidity are spreading in both hemispheres, and very recent commo- tions in several parts of the West Indies, everything is calculated to 302 TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. awaken us from our profound slumber and remind us that we must save our country. And should this our beloved mother ask us what measures we have adopted to extricate her from her danger, what would those who boast themselves her dutiful sons, answer ? " The horrid traffic in human blood is carried on in defiance of the laws, and men who assume the name of patriots, being no other than, parricides, cover the land with shackled victims. And as if this were not sufficiently fearful, with criminal apathy, Africans freed and brought to this country by English policy, are permitted to reside in our midst. How different the conduct of our neighbors the Ameri- cans ! Political Situation in the United States. " Notwithstanding the rapid increase of their country ; notwithstand- ing the white has constantly been four-fifths more numerous than the colored population, and have ten and a half millions to offset two millions ; notwithstanding the importation of the latter is prohibited from one end of the republic to the other, while European immigra- tion is immense; notwithstanding the countries lying upon their boundaries have no slaves to inspire dread, they organize associations, raise funds, purchase lands in Africa, establish colonies, favor the emigration of the colored population to them, increasing their exer- tions as the exigency may require, not faltering in their course, and leaving no expedient untried which shall prove them friends of humanity and their country. Not satisfied with these general meas- ures, some states have adopted very thorough and efficient measures. In December, 1831, Louisiana passed a law prohibiting importation of slaves even from other states of the Union. " Behold the movement of a great people, who would secure their safety ! Behold the model you should imitate ! But we are told, 'Your efforts are vain. You cannot justly reproach us. Our plan- tations need hands, and if we cannot obtain negroes, what shall we do ?' We are far from wishing to offend a class equally deserving respect and esteem, including many we are happy to call friends. We are habitually indulgent, and in no instance more so than in that before us. The notions and examples to which they have been TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. 303 accustomed, justify in a great measure the part they act, and an immediate benefit and remote danger authorize in others a course of conduct which we wish may never be generally and permanently adopted. We would not rudely censure the motives of the planters. " Our mission requires us only to remark, that it is necessary to adopt some other plan, since the change in politics is inconsistent with and hostile to the much longer continuance of the illicit traffic in slaves. We all know that England has, both with selfish and humane motives, made and is still making great efforts against it by means of treaties. She is no longer the only power thus engaged, since France is also taking her share in the enterprise. " The United States will soon appear in the field to vindicate down- trodden humanity. They will adopt strong measures, and persever- ingly pursue the pirate negro-dealer. Will he then escape the vigi- lance of enemies so active and powerful ? And even should some be able to do so, how enormously expensive must their piracy be ! It is demonstrable that the number of imported negroes being then small, and their introduction subject to uncommon risks, their cost would be so enhanced as to destroy the motive for preferring slave labor. " A proper regard to our true interests will lead us to consider henceforth other means of supplying our wants, since our present mode will ultimately paralyze our resources and be attended with baneful consequences. The equal distribution of the two sexes in the country, and an improved treatment of them, would alone be suf- ficient, not merely to prevent a diminution of their number, but greatly to increase it. But the existing disproportion of the sexes forbids our indulging in so pleasing a hope. We shall, however, do much to effect our purposes by discontinuing certain practices, and adopting a system more consonant to the good principles that should be our guide. " Would it not be advisable to try some experiments that we may be able to compare the results of cultivating cane by slaves, with such other method as we may find it expedient to adopt ? " If the planters could realize the importance of these propositions 304 TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. to their welfare, we should see them striving to promote the introduc- tion of white and the exclusion of colored hands. By forming asso- ciations, raising funds, and in various ways exerting themselves vigorously in a cause so eminently patriotic, they would at once overcome the obstacles to the introduction of white foreigners, and induce their immigration by the guarantees of good laws and the assured tranquillity of the country. A Serious Emergency. " We may be told that these are imaginary plans, and never to be realized. We answer that they are essays, not difficult or expensive, if undertaken, as we suggest, by a whole community. If we are not disposed to make the voluntary trial now, the day is at hand when we shall be obliged to attempt it, or abandon the cultivation of sugar. The prudent mariner on a boisterous ocean prepares betimes for the tempest and defies it. He who recklessly abandons himself to the fury of the elements is likely to perish in the rage of the storm. "'How imprudent,' some may exclaim, 'how imprudent/ to pro- pose a subject which should be forever buried in ' lasting oblivion ! ' Behold the general accusation raised against him who dares boldly avow new opinions respecting these matters. Unfortunately there is among us an opinion which insists that ' silence ' is the true policy. All feel the evils which surround us, are acquainted with the dangers, and wish to avoid them. Let a remedy be suggested and a thousand confused voices are simultaneously raised ; and a significant and im- ploring ' Hush ! ' ' hush ! ' is heard on every side. "Such infatuation resembles his who conceals the disease which is hurrying him to speedy death, rather than hear its unpleasant history and mode of cure, from his only hope, the physician's saving science. Which betrays censurable apathy, he who obstinately rushes head- long to the brink of a mighty precipice, or he who gives the timely warning to beware ? Who would not thus save a whole community perhaps from frightful destruction ? If we knew most positively that the disease were beyond all hopes of cure, the knowledge of the fact would not stay the march of death, while it might serve but as a ter- rifying annunciation of his approach. TYRANNICAL RULE OF SPAIN. 305 " If, however, the sick man is endowed with a strong constitution, that with timely prescription promises a probable return of health, it would be unpardonable to act the part of a passive spectator. We heed not that the selfish condemn, that the self-admiring wise cen- sure, or the parricidal accuse us. Reflections of a higher nature guide us, and in the spirit of our responsible calling as a public writer, we will never cease to cry aloud, ' Let us save our country let us save our country ! ' ' Nothing would more forcibly illustrate the rapid encroachment of despotism in the Island than the publication of a document like the above, or anything discreditable, or disparaging to the slave- dealers. Whoever should dare make the experiment, would most certainly do it at the risk of his life. Further comment on the progress of tyranny is unnecessary. 20 CHAPTER XXIII. A Wily Old General. N( ? to lose sight of the order of events, it must be borne in mind that immediately after the overthrow of the constitu- tion, and precisely at the time the persecution for revolution- ary opinions commenced under the order of 1825, the country was in its most flourishing and healthy period. The fruits of the several acts for promoting the country's welfare and the development of its resources, which owed their origin to corporations, before they had lost their vitality, had been gathered. Moreover, the judicious and liberal policy already described was continued by the intendant, who could then act with great independence. As chief of the financial department, the Count de Villanueva regulated the mode of keeping accounts, corrected abuses, introduced greater simplicity in the col- lection of taxes, and established several facilities beneficial to the merchants. By means of his great influence at Madrid, he was enabled to supersede the captain-general in the presidency of the consulado, and directing the labors of that body, he made them subserve the develop- ment and improvement of the country. Availing himself of the general wealth, and of the increasing agriculture of the Island, he daringly taxed its products , and it is generally believed that it was during his administration, taxes of various kinds were imposed for the first time without the consent of those to be affected by them. He represented " de facto " the people of Cuba ; was thechief fiscal agent ; the friend and adviser of the captain-general ; the favorite of Ferdinand's government. A skillful and mighty authority like his could, at such a period, draw abundant resources from the country for the metropolis, and promote at the same time the interests of the former by reforming A WILY OLD GENERAL. 307 abuses. To both these objects were his exertions successfully directed. To his discriminating judgment it was very evident that a vast territory, capable of great agricultural production, could not maintain its position, much less make progress, should its commerce be again limited to the mother-country. He was aware that the probable results of such limitation would be the total annihilation of the surplus revenue, of which they were so desirous at court ; the immediate paralysis of agriculture, the fountain of the Island's wealth; and a very extensive contraband trade. Public Improvements. Villaneuva had the waters of the Husille brought into the city by a well-devised though costly plan ; the roads near Havana maca- damized, and a mud-machine erected to clear the anchorage and preserve the wharves. He established the more modern and rational system of selling at auction to the lowest bidder the performance of various services, particularly for the government or the public. He enlarged the Spanish navy from the navy-yard of Havana ; the regular intercourse between the two countries by mail packets was his suggestion, and the Giiines railroad is a crowning, ever-memor- able and enduring monument of his enterprise and genius. Amidst these improvements, beneficial to Spain and the Island, the count was enabled to make frequent and heavy remittances to the general treasury in Spain, which was so received by them that the demands were gradually augmented without any regard to the means of meeting them, and the inevitable consequence was the sacrifice of the necessities of the Island to the urgency of their pay- ment Thus it happened that the Bank of St. Ferdinand, the estab- lishment of which was one of the acts which do honor to Villanueva, had no opportunity of doing any service to the public, as its capital was specially sent for from Madrid. In brief, Count Villanueva's administration can in no way be better appreciated than by bearing in mind that whatever liberal and en- lightened views he carried into practical effect, he had nothing similar to guide him or excite his emulation in all the Spanish territory. 308 A WILY OLD GENERAL. His power in Cuba was great, his influence in Madrid had no equal, and his credit abroad was such that his promise and acceptance was a source of revenue at court. The authority of the Captain-General himself being eclipsed by his, it is certainly no matter of surprise that public bodies and individuals should have sunk into insignificance. It was in such a state of political weakness and general prosperity that the enactment concerning the holding of property, which was the first liberal act of Christina's regency, found Cuba. Under it the inhabitants of the Island observed, as they always had done, the laws promulgated in the mother country. A number of members were added to the municipalities, equal to the number of hereditary mem- bers, and the former were by express proviso to be individuals who were highest on the tax list. Thus formed, these corporations elected the deputies who represented the interests of the Island at the Spanish Congress. Deprived of Deputies to Madrid. This slight political change, which enabled the corporations of Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Puerto Principe to name three depu- ties in the "estamentos " without other free institutions, was certainly not calculated to alarm the royal authority, however jealous it might be supposed. Three votes, more or less, could not of course cause any uneasiness ; but it is ever the consequence of free institutions, in just proportion to their worth, to diminish the importance of individ- uals. Here, then, was one of the causes of that strenuous opposition so successfully exerted to deprive the Island of deputies to Madrid. Such a refusal, where there is an immense amount of productive capital to be benefited or injured, or destroyed by the enactments of government, and where the colony is not even allowed delegates to represent its interests at court, has no parallel in any civilized country professing to approve of liberal institutions. The Island was at that time governed by General Tacon, whose short-sighted, narrow views, and jealous and weak mind, were joined to an uncommon stubbornness of character. Never satiated with power, it was through his influence that the wealthy portion of the community was divested of the privileges conferred on them by the A WILY OLD GENERAL. 309 estatuto. He even deprived the old municipalities of Havana of the faculty of naming the under-commissaries of police. In his own immodest report of his reign, as it was justly termed, lie enumerated the very extensive and costly buildings and public works he had constructed, and from the singular manner in which he accounts for procuring the ordinary means, we must suppose he had the power of working miracles. To sustain his absolute government by trampling on every institution, was the necessary consequence of his first violent and unjustifiable act. It was consequential upon his own and his followers' efforts. Outrages on Personal Liberty. For any power, any institution, not dependent on the palace of the captain-general, might be the means of denouncing abuses, of expos- ing the real deformity of his and their pretended patriotism ; and the numberless parasites whose interest ever was to blind the royal eyes, magnified the virtues of their hero, while they were rapidly accumulating fortunes at his side. In order to obtain credit in the management of the police, he displayed a despotic and even brutal activity in the mode of exacting from the under-officers, distributed in the several wards of the city, under personal responsibility, the apprehension and summary prosecution of criminals. They soon found that there would be no complaint, provided they acted vigor- ously and brought up prisoners. So far from presuming their inno- cence, or requiring proof of their crimes, those who were once arrested were put to the negative and difficult task of proving their innocence. The more unwarrantable the acts of his subalterns the more acceptable to him, since they, in his opinion, exhibited the energy of his authority. They trembled in his presence, and left it to persecute, to invent accusations, to imprison, and spread terror and desolation among the families of the land ! It is but just to add, that the banditti and thieves and professed gamblers were terrified by his sweeping scythe, and became much more modest than they had been during the brief government of the weak and infirm General Roquefort, the predecessor of Tacon. The 310 A WILY OLD GENERAL. timid and short-sighted merchant who perceived this reform, did not comprehend or appreciate the illegality of the system, nor its per- nicious effects on the future destinies of the country, and was the first to justify the man who dared interpose himself between the Spanish monarchs and their subjects, to silence every complaint of the latter, and to say to the-former, " You shall never hear the peti- tions of your American vassals contrary to my pleasure." The political servitude at that moment implanted in the country was new, and of course excited discontent, which was not unfrequently vented in the random conversation of young men. Poor Carlist Prisoners. The consequence of all this was, a regular system of espionage. The prisoners were distributed in the castles, because the jails were insufficient to contain them. In the dungeons were lodged nearly six hundred persons, the cause of whose detention nobody knew ; a fact authentically proved by a casual circumstance. In the streets, in the highways and fortresses, under a scorching sun, and during the unhealthy season, the poor Carlist prisoners, having surrendered themselves, trusting to the faith of liberals, were suffered to sicken and sink miserably into a premature grave. Let it not be supposed, however, that his political persecution was confined to the enemies of the liberal institutions then existing in Madrid. The contrary may be adduced from the inconsiderate pro- tection extended by him to the famous friar Cirilo Almeda, of whose machinations he appeared to approve, and from the fact that events favorable to the queen were .at a certain period not permitted to appear in the distorted press of Havana. His creed was soon ascertained. He considered those whom he thought likely to tear the veil from his tyranny, the veritable traitors, the enemies of the throne, and the advocates of independence in Cuba. He destroyed all freedom of discussion in the municipal body, usurped its powers, and frightened away such members as he thought would not bend sufficiently to his will. He constructed an enormously high, massive, level road through the widest avenue of A WILY OLD GENERAL. 311 the city, which has since been removed, at the expense of the same suffering community who had to pay for its erection, and to suffer its unhealthy effects while it remained. General Tacon moreover established a privileged market for selling meat and fish, to the detriment of the public and the public revenue, and for the profit of himself and his nearest friends. Among other things it will there be seen how a man living at the table and board of Tacon, was subsequently found to be interested in the contract for the meat and fish market, without its being absolutely binding on him to perform the condition of paying in his amount of stock in order to be entitled to his share of the profits, which he did nevertheless receive. A System of Robbery. It will likewise be found that the party to that contract was illegally preferred to the more regular bidders. It may further be ascertained from that work that when the contractors obtained the grant and commenced exacting unauthorized fees, to the great injury of the public, a suit was instituted to investigate and reform the abuse at the tribunal of one of the alcaldes, and that the record was claimed and taken possession of by Tacon, who was charged with causing it to disappear, as it was stated in his successor General Espeleta's official answer, that it was not to be found in the archives of the cap- tain-generalship. Notwithstanding General Tacon's efforts at the first election under the estatuto, the voice of his Excellency Don Juan Montalvo y Cas- tillo was raised in Madrid at the Cortes, and the misconduct of the former partially exposed. As it continued, Messrs. Armas and Saco were named for the second congress during his government, both very enlightened and able men, well acquainted with the circum- stances, and friendly to the welfare of the Island, and as much opposed to the ultra-liberal or revolutionary ideas as desirous of removing from the Spanish peninsular government the shame and discredit of such lawless proceedings on the part of the chief metro- politan authority. 312 A WILY OLD GENERAL. To discover imagined conspiracies, to commence suits blindly approved by his assessor, to expatriate, to vex, to imprison the citizens, these were Tacon's noble exploits. His artful reports found credit at court. He was therefore continued in his government, and the Spanish Cortes in 1836, by a majority exceeding thirteen votes, shut their doors, which had always been opened to American repre- sentatives, against the deputies of the Island, then elected and at Madrid. They were obliged to return without being allowed the privilege of uttering their grievances. This was the single but serious act of usurpation which robbed the descendants of the Island's con- querors of all interference in its administration and tributary system. Some time after the oath to the constitution had been taken at Madrid in 1837, the Spanish General Lorenzo, commanding in St. Jago, encouraged by the encomiums and rewards conferred in former times and in similar instances, on such authorities as first followed the impulse given at the court of a political change, thought it his duty to conform to the plan most approved by all parties, royalist or liberal, viz. : to repeat the cry raised at the seat of government. Brazen Display of Authority. He therefore proclaimed the constitution. The wily old general who had so successfully deprived the country of all representative or delegate system, would not of course very quietly allow his fabric to be leveled to the ground. He made an ostentatious display of his authority, and though well satisfied of the pacific views of the eastern part of the Island, insisted upon fitting out an expensive expedition, which cost the inhabitants more than $500,000, and would have it proceed, notwithstanding that the commissioners sent by Lorenzo made a formal promise that the eastern part of the Island should pre- serve their system until the Queen decided, or would obey at once Tacon's order to annul the constitution, provided an amnesty were granted for the single act of proclaiming the same, their sole offence. General Tacon again made use of his favorite weapon against the Islanders, applying it to General Lorenzo and the intendant of Havana, by perfidious suggestions calculated to impair their well- A WILY OLD GENERAL. 313 proven loyalty to their sovereign. Such improbable stories, the ill- disguised animosity of his passionate language, the cognizance by some impartial Peninsular tribunals of some of his grossly-imagined plans of conspiracy, all had an influence to force the Spanish court to acknowledge, without, for reasons of policy, publicly avowing it, the irregular and disorderly course of Tacon's administration, and he was removed from office. The removal of General Tacon is said to have been effected by a compromise between the ministry and Olivar, acting as agent for Villaneuva, in which the rights of the Cubans were sacrificed to the latter's personal ambition. It was then agreed that no political assembly, or any rights whatever, should be allowed the Cubans, but that Tacon should be removed. This discreditable compromise was the undoubted origin of the immediate discontent and subsequent rapid adoption of the principle of annexation through the Island. Nothing was more efficient in drawing the mask from his face than the unskillfulness of Joaquin Valdez, his standing conspiracy-witness and confidential agent, who in framing one of his plans got into a strange dilemma by apprehending the intendant of Cadiz, and other respectable old Spaniards, supposed to be concerned in the plot. It should be mentioned, to the honor of the Spanish name, that at the subsequent sittings of the Cortes, and before the removal of Tacon, as if the injuries which had been inflicted on Cuba called for immediate redress, it was generally admitted as a matter of course, what has since been artfully withdrawn from the sight of the con- gress, that the political condition of that distant colony should be attended to and ameliorated without delay. A generous and high-minded Spaniard, Don Antonio Benavide, equally loyal to his country and desirous of the welfare of its inhabi- tants, clearly and ably insisted upon the adoption of any system in lieu of the omnipotence of the Captain-General. But the zeal and high sense of justice entertained by the congress could give no relief, where the agents of the local government were active, and the oppressed country had no delegates to maintain her rights. The only result was a royal order authorizing Tacon to call a junta, 314 A WILY OLD GENERAL. which he took care should be formed to his liking generally, com- posed of authorities named by government, in its pay, with three or four private individuals among the general's pliant tools. This junta was to propose special laws for the government of the Island. The consequence was exactly what might have been expected. The chief soon perceived that, however yielding the members might be, they must draw up some rules ostensibly to restrain his untamed will, or excite the ridicule of even the Spanish court. After calling together and dispersing them instantly, under a show of separating them into committees, he rendered the whole attempt inefficient, and feigning fear of danger from the plots of the white population, caused every feeling of justice to Cuba to be forgotten in Spain. The only proposition which seems to have transpired from the sitting of that strange, transitory, and expensive junta, was to make the Island a vice-royalty and Tacon vice-king. Ludicrous as as it may appear, it is no less true. Black Men in British Uniform. Notwithstanding it was under free institutions that Spain granted the establishment of the mixed Anglo-Spanish tribunal at Havana, for the cognizance of prizes taken from the African trade, it was when the public bodies of the Island were without sufficient energy to raise their spontaneous protest on political questions, that the Cas- tilian name was humbled by the floating fortress which the English anchored in the port of Havana, as a rallying signal for the blacks, openly and malignantly avowed, and sufficiently evident from the fact that it was manned by black men in British uniform. These soldiers, distributed in the heart of the city, the greater number liberated from slave-ships by the tribunal, who both during and subsequently to their apprenticeship were left in the country in direct communication with their bond-brethren, were the first instru- ments of spreading discontent among the slave population. Very far from independent, and from representing the interest of the wealthy planters, must have been the public bodies of the Island, who thus patiently saw the germs of violent insurrection sown broad- A WILY OLD GENERAL. 31$ cast over the land, without most earnestly assailing the Spanish ministry with their complaints. It was not, however, until about the year 1835 that tht dispropor- tion of the races became alarming. In 1837 General Tacon received an official communication from Madrid, enclosing a copy of a note from the Spanish minister at Washington, containing a vivid picture of the dangers to Cuba from the abolition efforts making in the United States and generally all over the world. He who had heed- lessly given new life and development to the policy which Vives had only partially unfolded, and which consisted in separating the old Spaniards from the natives, was now made to feel that the co-opera- tion of the country's bourgeoisie, in all their united effort, was requi- site to oppose the encroachments of the abolitionists. Immediate Danger. The exposition of the minister at Washington, though abounding with contradictory opinions, was, in the main, exact. It predicted immediate danger. No public bodies existing which could be con- sidered as emanating even indirectly from the people, rich or poor, he having discredited and crushed all such institutions, what could he do ? He contrived to call a general meeting of the planters in the city of Matanzas, whose very judicious report provided for domestic and rural government, material defence, and funds to carry their plans into effect. The colonization of the Island by white inhabitants, which had been unlawfully terminated, was demanded by this meet- ing of planters, who also insisted upon the establishment of a rural militia. In consequence of these requisitions, their resolutions on the first were not carried into execution. The immigration of whites has been materially obstructed by an influential party, who consider it hostile to the introduction of laborers more consonant to their taste and interest. General Valdez was latterly named captain-general, an honest and generous soldier, whose memory is still dear to the liberal party in Spain, wearing many honorable marks of worth, grey in the service of his country, but his capacity undoubtedly impaired by age, 316 A WILY OLD GENERAL. joined to a general ignorance of the colonies and of political affairs, common to all the military as a class. A person observing the progress of English pretensions respecting Cuba, would certainly conclude that Lord Palmerston had himself chosen such a man, who, though beyond the reach of bribery, and incapable of willful wrong to his country, was, from his weakness, a suitable and manageable instrument. Let it, however, be said in his praise, that he had occasion to show that when the captain-general should choose to put an end to the slave trade, it would be in his power to do so. Soon after his arrival, a series of by-laws made for the government of the slaves was published, wherein, instead of providing for the real circumstances of the occasion, the dominical rights of the master were suddenly attacked, yet not so much, perhaps, by their positive provisos, as by the appearance of interference at a period when the restlessness and uneasiness of the blacks required measures of an entirely contrary nature. The management of a slave country is always a difficult matter. To avoid the commission of great errors, in the condition of Cuba, would have been scarcely less than miraculous. The actual feelings of the blacks could not, with certainty, be ascertained by individuals who had either recently arrived from Spain, or never attended on the estates but for a few moments, or during excursions of pleasure. Thus it happened, that many judi- cious planters, judging from the small and gradual changes in the domestic life of the blacks, foresaw the coming storm for years, while the government agent could not comprehend, and resolutely refuted, such opinions as they thought unnecessarily alarming, and decidedly against their interest in the African trade. Mr. Turnbull, the English consul, who, from his European reputa- tion, would never have been allowed to occupy the post of consul at Cuba, had the Cuban proprietors had an organ of complaint, other than the government agents, concerted incendiary plots, and boldly followed them, notwithstanding the timely interference of Garcia, one of the governors of the city of Matanzas. CHAPTER XXIV. Record of Atrocious Deeds. SEVERAL incidents might be named, evident precursors of an insurrection, which, for many years before the repeated attempts, demanded a change in the system of the whole Island ; a change which would have taken place under a government having the means and disposition to ascertain the true state of things For the better understanding of the subject, it must be remem- bered that the ancient balance of influence established by the Spanish law between the military class and the judicial or lettered part of the community, had been altogether lost; the former having been intrusted with every branch of the administration, even to the making of by-laws for the black slave population, which was submitted to the control of government agents, perhaps under the direction of their allies, the slave-dealers. At the same time an ominous policy commenced ; the colored inhabitants were particularly favored ; had numerous meetings, called cabildos, and enjoyed even greater privileges than the whites being formed into military bodies for public defence, whereas the whites could not form a militia for their own safety, even in moments of pressing danger, and in those places where the disproportion of the races was most frightful. Laws were enacted purporting to alleviate the condition of the slaves ; an apparent protection, calculated more to harass the owner than to realize the improvement of the former, without any attempt to instruct either. This was acompanied with the continuation of the slave trade, and the barbarous political oppression of the native Creoles, whose every thought was looked upon with jealous suspicion. It seemed evident that the policy consisted in placing the lives and property of the inhabitants of Cuba in such imminent danger as to 317 318 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. choke any feeling of resentment respecting the political changes which the Spanish government adopted for the exclusive advantage of the metropolitan part of the community. Thus was the dissatisfaction of the blacks fostered. How else can be explained the cause of the progress made in the Island in that respect, and not in those slave-holding countries which surround it, and which, having a more frightful disproportion in numbers between the races, and greater freedom in the press and institutions, were withal enjoying comparative tranquillity? Threatened. War of Races. The bonds between master and slave were gradually severed ; the affections destroyed ; the mutual relations of the races, for which the Spaniards had been always distinguished, were broken ; and while every one deprecated the perilous situation of the Cubans, the latter continued unarmed; the slave trade augmented the causes of fear; and no moral reform was adopted to soften the harsh features and discordant views of the subjected or of the dominant race. It seemed as if occasional ruptures, which should awaken the natives to a sense of danger, were the most acceptable offering to the administration. Such did come to pass from time to time ; what was the nature of these disturbances can, perhaps, be best understood by the following extract from the work of the Countess of Merlin, entitled " The Slaves in the Spanish Colonies ; " who, though not a solid writer, has a style which savors of her sex, and is quite entertaining. She wrote somewhere about 1840 : " The suavity of manner of the Cuban toward his slave inspires the latter with a respectful feeling, which is akin to worship : there is no limit to this affection ; he would murder his master's enemy publicly in the streets at mid-day, and would perish for his sake under torture, without giving a wink. To the slave, his master is his country and his family. The slave takes the family name of his lord ; receives his children at their birth ; shares with them the food which was prepared by nature in female breasts; serves them in humble adoration from earliest infancy. RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. " If the master is sick, the slave watches over him day and night ; closes his eyes in death, and when this takes place, throws himself sorrowfully on the ground, cries wofully, and with his nails rends his own flesh in despair. But if a vindictive feeling is awakened in his bosom, he recovers his natural ferocity ; he is equally ardent in his hatred and in his love; but very seldom does it happen that his master is the object of his revengeful fury. " When an insurrection is not excited by foreigners (which, by the by, is not often the case), the cause of it may be traced to violent enmity toward the overseer. Here is a fact which proves the moral influence of the masters over the minds of these savages. A few months previous to my arrival, the blacks of the sugar estates of my cousin, Don Rafael, became insurrected. The slaves lately imported from Africa were mostly of the Luccoomee tribe, and therefore excel- lent workmen, but of a violent, unwieldly temper, and always ready to hang themselves at the slightest opposition in their way. Protected by Slaves. " It was just after the bell had struck five, and the dawn of the morning was scarcely visible. Don Rafael had gone over to another of his estates, within half an hour before, leaving behind him, and still in tranquil slumbers, his four children and his wife, who was in a state of pregnancy. Of a sudden the latter awakes, terrified by hideous cries, and the sound of hurried steps. She jumps affrighted from her bed, and observes that all the negroes of the estate are making their way to the house. She is instantly surrounded by her children, weeping and crying at her side. " Being attended solely by slaves, she thought herself inevitably lost ; but scarcely had she time to canvass these ideas in her distracted mind, when one of her negro girls came in, saying, ' Child, your bounty need have no fears ; we have fastened all the doors, and Michael is gone for master.' Her companions placed themselves on all sides of their female owner, while the rebels advanced, tossing from hand to hand among themselves, a bloody corpse, with cries as awful as the hissing of the serpent in the desert 320 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. " The negro girls exclaimed, ' That's the overseer's body ! ' The rebels were already at the door, when Pepilla (this is the name of the lady), saw the carriage of her husband coming at full speed. That sweet soul, who, until that moment, had valiantly awaited death, was now overpowered at the sight of her husband coming unarmed toward the infuriated mob, and she fainted. " In the meantime, Rafael descends from the vehicle, places himself in front of them, and with only one severe look, and a single sign of the hand, designates the purging house for them to go to. The slaves suddenly become silent, abandon the dead body of their overseer, and, with downcast faces, still holding their field-swords in their hands, they turn round and enter where they had been ordered. Well might it be said, that they beheld in the man who stood before them the exterminating angel. A Last Effort for Life. " Although the movement," the countess continues, " had for a mo- ment subsided, Rafael, who was not aware of its cause, and feared the results, selected the opportunity to hurry his family away from the danger. The quitrin, or vehicle of the country, could not hold more than two persons, and it would have been imprudent to wait till more conveyances were in readiness. Pepilla and the children were placed in it in the best possible manner ; and they were on the point of start- ing, when a man, covered with wounds, with a haggard, death-like look, approached the wheels of the quitrin, as if he meant to climb by them. " In his pale face the marks of despair and the symptoms of death could be traced, and fear and bitter anguish were the feelings which agitated his soul in the last moments of his life. He was the white accountant, who had been nearly murdered by the blacks, and having escaped from their ferocious hold, was making the last efforts to save a mere breath of life. His cries, his prayers, were calculated to make the heart faint. Rafael found himself in the cruel alternative of being deaf to the request of a dying man, or throwing his bloody and ex- piring corpse over his children ; his pity conquered ; the accountant RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. 321 was placed in the carriage as well as might be, and it moved away from the spot. " While this was passing on the estate of Rafael, the Marquis of Cardenas, Pepilla's brother, whose plantations were two leagues off, who had been apprised through a slave of the danger with which his sister was threatened, hastened to her aid. On reaching the spot, he noticed a number of rebels, who, impelled by a remnant of rage, or the fear of punishment, were directing their course to the open plains, searching for safety among runaway slaves. The Marquis of Carde- nas, whose sense of the danger of his sister had induced him to fly to her help, had brought with him, in the hurry of the moment, no one to guard his person except a single slave. " Scarcely had the fugitive band perceived a white man, when they went toward him. The marquis stopped his course and prepared to meet them; it was a useless temerity in him against such odds. Turn- ing his master's horse by the bridle, his own slave addressed him thus : ' My master, let your bounty get away from here ; let me come to an understanding with them.' And he then whipped his master's horse, which went off at a gallop. Fell a Viciim to his Devotedness. ' The valiant ' JOSE,' for his name is as worthy of being remembered . that of a hero, went on toward the savage mob, so as to gain time for his master to fly, and fell a victim to his devotedness, after re- ceiving thirty-six sword blows. This rising, which had not been pre- meditated, had no other consequences. It had originated in a severe chastisement, inflicted by the overseer, which had prompted the rebels to march toward the owner's dwelling, to expound their complaint. They begged Rafael's pardon, which was granted, with the exception of two or three, who were delivered over to the tribunals. A remark- able truth of the love of the slaves toward their lord, is the fact of their stopping, in the outset, the engine which was at the time grind- ing, and preventing the explosion which would otherwise have taken place. " Not only do the inhabitants of Cuba forward the emancipation of 21 322 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. their slaves by procuring for them the means of gaining money, 'vA they often make the grant without any retribution. A service of im- portance, a mark of attachment, the act of nursing the master's child, assiduous care during the last illness, or the priority of services of an old member of the family, are all acts rewarded by the gift of liberty. Sometimes the slave considers this benefit as a punishment, and receives it weeping." Anecdotes of Slaves. These are very charming ideas. It is a pity that the countess should, by entering continually in the field of romance, get so far from the regions of truth. This remark, however, applies, in the paragraphs quoted, only to the assertion that the slaves in any case objected to being made free, or that such gifts were so common. There are facts both pleasing to the philanthropist and worthy of credit. The following, from the touching pen of the lady of Merlin, afford a happy illustration of them : " Though the slave enjoys the right of holding property, at his death it passes to the master ; but if he leaves children, the proprietor never deprives them of the inheritance. It sometimes happens that the free negro makes his will in favor of his former master. Here is an example. During the scourge of the cholera, an old woman was attending the sick negroes of my brother. She had continued in his service, although she had freed herself many years before. " Being taken with the disease, she called my brother and said to him : ' My master, I am going to die. These eighteen ounces of gold are for your bounty ; this piece of money for my comrades ; and this good old man, my husband, also, if your bounty will let him have an ounce to help him on through life, it is well.' The poor old woman did not die, but had a most miraculous escape. " I will refer to anothei anecdote, showing the lofty and delicate feeling in the heart of a slave. The Count of Gibacoa owned a slave, who, being desirous of ransoming himself, asked his master ' how much he asked for him ?' The answer was, ' Nothing ; thou art free henceforth.' The negro was silent, looked at his master, wept, RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. 323 and went off. A few hours afterward he returned, bringing with him a fine bozal, or newly-imported African, whom he had purchased with the sum intended for his freedom ; and he said to the count : ' My master, your bounty had one slave before ; it has now two.' " The blacks become identified with the affairs of their masters, and take part in their quarrels. The captain-general, Tacon, who, during the time of his government in Cuba, performed some few beneficent acts in this colony, but from his harsh and inflexible tem- per excited much ill-feeling, and took pleasure in humbling the nobility by his despotism, had persecuted the Marquis of Casa Calvo, who died while exiled. Some time afterward, and for the purpose of a magnificent banquet, which Tacon was to give the latter, he solic- ited the more renowned cooks of the city ; but the best of them was a slave to the Marchioness of Arcos, a daughter of the unfortunate Casa Calvo. Would not Accept Liberty. " Dazzled by the very height of his station, the general imagined that nothing would oppose his will ; and he asked the lady to allow him the services of the cook ; but she, as might be expected, refused. Mortified with the failure, the general offered the negro not only his freedom, but an additional and abundant gift, should he choose to enter his service; but the negro answered : ' Tell the governor that I prefer slavery and poverty with my master to wealth and liberty with- out him.' " These acts, however, of devoted fidelity on the part of the slaves are descriptive of a period in the history of the slavery of Cuba long since passed. Though the romantic and very youthful heart of the countess would have prolonged the dream, every one was soon awakened to the sad reality which covered the land. Not very far apart, in time, from the insurrection of Montalvo, another took place somewhere near Aguacate. In 1842 there was one in Martiaro, for the second time. On the last occasion the slaves were made bold by the impunity which, through the deranged system of justice, and the influence of their owners, had been obtained for them previously. In the same year the captain of the district of 324 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. Lagunillas found an incendiary proclamation, which had fallen from the pocket of a foreign mulatto, who was employed as mason. A monk appeared on an estate near Limonar, under pretence of request- ing alms for the Virgin, whose image he carried with him, and went on prophesying to the blacks that on St. John's day they would become free. In July of the same year, the slaves of an estate near Bemba com- mitted several acts of insubordination, and murdered a neighbor. An Italian hair-dresser was imprisoned in 1841 for receiving procla- mations of an incendiary nature. The negroes of Aldama, under the very walls of Havana, refused to work, and claimed the right of freedom. In January, 1843, a colored man, suspected by his companions of having revealed the particulars of the murder of an officer of govern- ment, by the name of Becerra, was assassinated by one of his own class, who, being afterward taken, committed suicide in jail. In March, 1843, there happened at Bemba an insurrection of five hundred negroes, belonging to the railroad company and others. Very soon after, there was another movement on a large estate ; and before that year closed it occurred a second time. Soon after the insurgents made a formal rally, doing many bloody deeds, and murdering num- bers of the whites of different ages and sexes. The above brief retrospective view of a few only of the principal signs which were indicative of disquietude among the slave popula- tion is a very important part of Cuban history. The information re- ceived officially at Havana from the Spanish minister at Washington, and through the court of Madrid, as far back as 1834, in which the dangers which threatened the Island were fully shown, had been altogether slighted. So also were these events, though marked with blood, and showing unequivocal symptoms of a coming storm. It gathered not in a single day, but came gradually on; and the humble landholder was doomed to see the clouds of destruction hanging over his property, amid the general apathy of the officers of government, who alone were intrusted with the care of that in which they felt no interest RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. 325 A rich planter having obtained, subsequently to the last bloody msurrection of November, 1843, by means of a negro woman, and by hiding himself during the night in the room where she slept with her husband, the particulars of a plan of devastation and bloodshed so extended as to make him shudder with horror, the local government seemed at length to awake from a sleep fraught with such imminent danger. One of the immediate results was a meeting of the planters called in the city of Matanzas for the third of December. The meeting was held ; a committee named to propose, on the seventeenth, a report, which report being unfavorable to the slave trade, the planters were not allowed to meet again, and the military administration went through those difficult circumstances, guided by its own incompetent intelligence, or by the suggestions of the ignorant. How did they act? What system did they adopt to quell the general commotion among the colored population, which was so visi- ble to every eye ? The answer to these questions will be found in the ungrateful task which it is here necessary to perform. All Considered Criminals. Under the impression derived from some testimony obtained by the military tribunals, established for the occasion, and composed of officers of inferior grade, it was supposed that the conspiracy framed by the blacks comprehended every individual of that unfortunate class. No one was excepted: every one must be guilty; and those who would or could reveal nothing, were marked as the most criminal. Acting upon this ground, a general investigation, or what was called " expurgo" was ordered throughout the whole land, and intrusted to the most ignorant officers, whose system of inquiry was reduced to questions implying the answers required, and accompanied by the most violent chastisement, often inflicted in such a manner as sooner or later to produce death. Suggestions were made of the utility of employing lawyers of eminent standing, whose ingenuity and capacity would have advanced the proceedings efficiently; but noth- ing of the kind met a hearing. The following are a few of the 326 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. atrocious acts which resulted from conferring judicial powers upon military officers of an inferior class. Under date of March 6th, 1844, the captain-general addressed a letter to General Salas, who presided over the military tribunal stationed in the interior, in answer to the dispatches of the latter, consulting him as to the necessity of using violent means in the prosecution of those free colored persons under indictment, who should refuse to discover their associates, and setting forth the good effects which those means had produced among the slaves. In this letter his excellency authorized these same means to be employed with the free colored population, and manifested his approbation of their chastisement in the country where they should be taken, and of the attendance of the officer, in order to certify the testimony ! Brutal Exercise of Authority. These officers, thus raised by a power above the laws, and above the dominical rights of the owners of slaves, with very few excep- tions, exercised their authority in a manner the most sordid, brutal, and sanguinary. Under the universal alarm raised, and extending to every hut, whoever was bold enough to insinuate a doubt respect- ing facts revealed under the most atrocious tortures, was deemed an abolitionist; although his interests and previous conduct presented a much safer guarantee of his opinions than the trust which should be placed in uneducated and hungry officers of the army. It was quite common for the latter to demand and obtain money from the accused, in order to save their lives, or their bodies from barbarous lashing. One of these prosecuting attorneys, judges, and executioners, at one and the same time, namely, Don Ramon Gonzales, ordered his victims to be taken to a room which had been whitewashed, and the walls of which were besmeared with blood and small pieces of flesh from the wretches who had preceded them in this cruel treatment. There stood a bloody ladder, where the accused were tied, with their heads downward, and whether free or slave, if they would not avow what the fiscal officer insinuated, were whipped to death by two stout mulattoes selected for this purpose. They were scourged with RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. 32V leather straps, having at the end a small destructive button, made of fine wire. At the spot called the farm of Soto, were butchered in this manner M. Ruiz, C. Tolon, George Blakely, and other freemen; and their deaths were made to appear, by certificates from physicians, as hav- ing been caused by diarrhoea. This new minister of the law had been formerly prosecuted for theft, extortion, and even deeper crimes, committed while he commanded the criminals' depot. Inhuman Tortures. Don Mariano F brought on himself the execration and odium of the whole city of Matanzas for his barbarous treatment of Andrew Dodge, a colored man, born free, who was generally beloved and esteemed, and was the owner of considerable property. He was tied to the ladder and flogged on three different occasions, but never avowed what he was accused of; and finally he was executed, in defiance even of these sanguinary laws of old, which instituted the ordeal of torture in ages called barbarous. He also caused a free negro, Pedro Nunez, to be tied hand-and-foot and hung to the ceiling of the house, keeping him in this painful position through the night, his body having been previously lacerated by the whip. Again, by threatening to inflict punishment, he obtained from the mulatto, Thomas Vargas, an affidavit against a man of the same class, called Fonten. He used to visit Vargas at his dungeon every day after sentence had been passed on him, to assure him sportingly that he would not fail to receive four bullets through his body. The prophecy was of course fulfilled. Don Juan Costa, another of the acting officers, had likewise his share in this work of accusation ; and there were, in the process of his making, ninety-six certificates of an equal number of deaths of the indicted during the investigation. Of these, forty-two were freemen and fifty-four slaves. They all had died under the lash ; and that you may judge of the intensity of their sufferings, I will record what appears from the process, viz. : " Lorenzo Sanchez, imprisoned on the first of April, died on the fourth ; Joseph Cavallero, imprisoned 328 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. on the fourth, died on the sixth ; John Austin Molino, imprisoned on the ninth, died on the twelfth ; and so on through an infinite number. Don Jose del Pozo punished a negro one hundred and ten years old, who. died at the Matanzas jail. Don Francisco Illas, the en- lightened and humane fiscal officer, who appears among those of his class as if to redeem the Spanish name from the dark stain brought upon it by his associates, was called to certify to the death of this old man ; but he drew back horror-struck from the spot when he beheld a man so worn by age, having his body cut into pieces by the pitiless lash. The unfortunate victim had complained of the fiscal Pozo, accus- ing him of stealing from him forty-five dollars. Del Pozo, after in- flicting severe punishment, found sport in hanging the accused victims on a tree, and then cutting the ropes to see them fall to the ground in bunches. He had been a journeyman tailor at Havana. A Savage Boast. Don Ferdinand Percher presented his process, having seventy-two certificates of deaths of prisoners during the prosecution ; twenty- nine freemen and forty-three slaves. " I have one hundred prisoners in souse," said he once, before a number of respectable citizens, " and if one escapes I am willing to have him nailed to my forehead.'' Don Leon Dulzaides, in July, 1844, had a free negro placed in the jail in what is called " campaign stocks," which is a most distressing position of the body, the arms being arranged so as to hold the legs ; and thus placed, ordered him to be whipped unmercifully, until he should confess. Another of the fiscals, who was acting in his official character in the next room, was called by the cries of the victim, and obtained for him a suspension of punishment. Dulzaides demanded the punishment of death for twenty-seven prisoners, but the council sentenced only two. During the reading of the sentence, he used to ask money of such as were saved from death. Seventy prisoners of Don Jyacinth died during the prosecution, of whom thirty-five were freemen. This fiscal was suspended from office. Don Miguel Ballo de la Torre, being on the estate of Oviedo, ex- RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. 329 torted .from the negroes affidavits accusing their master, who, being absent, was apprised through his administrator or econome, that he was a lost man, but that the fiscal would save him, provided he paid two hundred ounces of gold. The administrator wrote several letters on the subject, which were handed to General Salas, president of the tribune, who wrote to the fiscal, ordering him not to continue the prosecution on that estate. Don Manuel Siburu, fiscal of the prosecution against the English And American machinists, had demanded in his accusation the sen- tence of d?ath upon an Englishman named Elkins. The members of the military tribunals, however, being intimidated by the con- sequences that might follow, and at the same time well aware that the testimony had been extorted by the lash, consulted respecting the case with General O'Donnell. What the Treaty Guaranteed. The latter answered, that they should proceed from what they found in the process, and look well to what they did ; which, as there was no mention of the torture in the proceedings, meant that they should crown by their sentence the system of barbarous cruelty com- menced by the fiscals. The consultation was repeated, and a similar answer obtained. At the same time, Mr. Crawford, the English consul at Havana, officially informed the captain-general that he was aware that the British Majesty's subjects were being indicted and judged at Matan- zas in a manner different from that adopted toward Spanish subjects ; that as the testimony had been obtained by forcible means, whatever had been done was null ; that there existed a treaty between the two nations, wherein it was stipulated that no Englishman should be judged in the Spanish dominions by special tribunals or committees, but by the regular order of the Spanish laws for Spaniards. The consul was persevering in his demand, and the captain-gen- eral, embarrassed also by the consultations aforesaid, was obliged to give up ; and he consequently ordered that the prosecution against foreigners should be placed in the hands of Don Francisco Illas, to 330 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. be made anew. This able officer soon perceived that nothing was to be met with in what had been done but falsehood, infamy, and calumny, disconnectedly thrown together by the stupid Siburu. Within two months afterward the prisoners were declared inno- cent, and liberated. It was in the presence of this same Siburu, that another of his prisoners, the aged and respectable mulatto, Ceballos, well known and esteemed by the merchants of Havana, suddenly expired on being shown the place of torture. Shifting the Guilt on Another. Don Pedro Linares had three old Indians whipped in Cardenas, two of whom died, who lived in that neighborhood, and had resided on the Island since the acquisition of Florida by the United States, whence they had come, from their attachment to the Spanish nation. Don Pedro Acevedo, fiscal of the proceedings against the negroes on the coffee estate of Domech, who had been accused of possessing poison (which, by the by, was never found) for the purpose of killing their master, so contrived it as to throw the guilt on a young white man, a native of the Canary Islands, aged between nineteen and twenty-one, who was executed, declaring his innocence to the last moment of his life. On being exhorted by the priest to pardon his enemies, he complied with the request, excepting the fiscal, Acevedo, whom he could not pardon. Don Pedro Llanes, another of the fiscals, filled up the measure of his crimes, which cried so loudly for punishment, that he was at length accused of numberless robberies, extortions of money, and all kinds of wickedness, and at last was stopped in his dark career, and imprisoned in the Havana jail. There, under the stingings of con- science, he placed in the hands of General O'Donnell two hundred and fifty ounces of gold, which had been the fruits of his rapacity ; and soon after committed suicide by cutting his throat. Don Manuel Mata, lieutenant-colonel of the Carlist ranks in 1834, another of the fiscals, was imprisoned at Havana for excesses and robberies com- mitted in his official character during these disgraceful proceedings. The remaining fiscals, Gala, Gherci, Flores Apodaca, Cruces, RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. 331 Custardoz, Marcotegui, Maso, Llorens, Sanchez, Rosquin, Baltanas, Alvarez Murillo, and Domenech, traversed the country in every direc- tion, and strictly obeyed the orders they had received ; some whip- ping or torturing free colored or slave individuals, and extorting false testimony and accusations, and others seizing horses, cattle, furniture, and whatever was owned by the free colored persons, all which they sold and converted into cash. It is hardly necessary to say, that the fiscals took from their victims every cent which they possessed. It is but justice to add, that the fiscals named Mendoza, Arango, and Illas are honorable exceptions to this host of miscreants. Signer Illas, above all, has called forth the. approbation of all the feeling part of the community, and of the friends of justice and humanity, for his able, judicious, disinterested, ^nd impartial conduct and deportment in the cases of the French coffee-planters and the English and Ameri- can machinists, as well as of all who fell under his control. Prisoners Sentenced to Death. In the cases under the direction of the fiscal Ballo, this officer did not demand that ?entence of death should be pronounced on any of his prisoners ; the tribunal nevertheless sentenced two. The fiscal Lara demanded death for only one, and the tribunal sentenced four. The sergeant intrusted with the custody of the prisoners in the mili- tary jail at Matanzas is said to have collected twenty thousand dol- lars in cash for prison-fees and other arbitrary charges exacted from the prisoners. In the city of Matanzas, the general persecution of the colored race was converted by the fiscals into means of gratifying their lewd passions upon the distracted daughters, wives, and sisters of their male victims. So far did they carry their barefaced impudence, that a ball was given by several of the fiscals, and attended by the con- sulting lawyer of the military tribunal, where none but women of color appeared. At a late hour of the night, the doors were closed ; and all the inmates being in a state of disgraceful nudity, one can imagine what scenes of revelry and debauch followed. Acts of such low and stupid infamy serve to show how the several 332 RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. channels of civilization are interwoven, and how easy it is for man, when once authorized to trample on any of the salutary restraints of society, to mock and despise whatever comes in the way of his most sensual appetites. And now, in order justly to estimate the trust placed in the hands of these agents of military justice, the nature of their duties should be stated. They had separately the jurisdiction of a tribunal, with power to imprison and call before them whomsoever they would interrogate. The testimony which they obtained was received pri- vately, no one being present except the fiscal and the witness. The fiscal would write down and sign the declaration, the blacks and the majority of witnesses knowing neither how to read nor write. A Mockery of Justice. Not even the notary, who is required to be present at the affidavits before the ordinary tribunals, appeared on these occasions to check the arbitrary, malicious, or blind impressions of the fiscal. Officers of the army were named to act as counsel for the individuals indicted, whether colored or white, free or bondsmen. These counselors, incapable through lack of talent or learning, were not allowed to read the proceedings regarding the persons whom they were to defend. All the instruction they had must be derived from a hasty and gene- ral abstract of facts made by the same fiscal, whose last duty was to demand the sentence which, in his opinion, should be imposed on the criminal. Too much blame should not be attributed to the chief who, com- manding the Island at this delicate period, could not be approached by the wisdom and intelligence of the land. The invariable and jealous policy which, for many years, has directed the administration of Cuba, drew away from the absolute military authority whatever was enlightened and spirited. Men of vulgar habits and little edu- cation were the natural upholders of a barbarous system ; and it was not easy to find officers of superior worth to act under a cruel im- pulse, and to execute sanguinary orders ; so that this strange course was unavoidably placed in the most incapable or polluted hands. RECORD OF ATROCIOUS DEEDS. 333 With regard to the truth of the conspiracy, and whatever ground it originally had, it has been so much embroiled and connected with incoherent, false, and improbable testimony, adduced by the fear of punishment, that a general opinion is fast gaining ground at the present day that it never existed, and that the few reports and con- versations of a rebellious nature, mentioned with some plausibility in the course of the investigations, are the constant and latent workings of the slaves, which, in all a.ges, have accompanied the institution of slavery. This would be a difficult matter to decide. The events which preceded the general and scourging inquisition, together with the simultaneous and visible impudence of the free colored race, were certain indications of a disturbed state of mind in at least some sections of the country. On the other hand, the indict- ments followed up by different fiscals, and the use of the torture without obtaining satisfactory evidence to dispel all manner of doubt as to the existence of a plot, speak against its credibility. It can also be alleged that the very ignorance of the prosecutors, and the irreg- ularity of their mode of procedure, were calculated to hinder the discovery of a plot, without deciding that it had positively no foundation. It is more likely that the conspiracy was in its infancy ; and that when the avenging storm which swept over the land was heard from afar, it increased the number of the discontented, who, through despair, prepared for some last acts of devastation and blood. There is one painful reflection, which fixes itself upon the considerate ob- server of events. While foreigners, after long delay, obtained a hearing of their cases, and after being paraded through the country, tied hand-and-foot on horseback, and kept in a filthy dungeon, were declared innocent, the white Creoles, who had been imprisoned with equal injustice, remained still incarcerated, and their cases undecided, because they had no consul to claim for them the rights of civilized man ! CHAPTER XXV. 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 dispatched his vessels, small, fleet crafts, to operate in the neighboring waters. 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. As already stated, Tacon governed Cuba four years, from 1834 to 1838. 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 they had 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 douWe sum, most princely in amount, was 834 MARTI, THE SMUGGLER. 335 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. A Mysterious Figure. It was a dark, cloudy night in Havana, some three or four months subsequent to the issuing of these placards announcing the rewards 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 senti- nels paced on undisturbed. The figure which had thus stealthily effected an entrance, now sought the broad stairs that led to the Governor's suite 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 un- challenged, 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 336 MARTI, THE SMUGGLER 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 : MARTI, THE SMUGGLER. 337 " Even then, be you whom you may ; if you are able and will hon- estly 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 con- finement, with orders to render him comfortable until he was sent for. His name remaine'' a secret with the commander; and thus the night scene closed. The Smuggler Kept his Word. On the following day, one of the men-of-war that lay idly beneath the guns of Morro 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. 22 338 MARTI, THE SMUGGLER. The amount of money and property thus secured was very great ; and Marti returned with the ship to claim his reward from the gover- nor-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 uncon- ditional pardon for all your past offences against the laws. And here is an order on the treasury for " He Controlled the Fish Market. " Excellency, excuse me. The pardon I gladly receive. As tc the sum of money you propose to give to me, let me make you u 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 govern- ment, 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 guaran- teed 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 monop- oly was granted, he was the richest man on the Island. According to the agreement, the fine market and its privilege* reverted to the MARTI, THE SMUGGLER. 339 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 monop- oly 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, locating the same just outside the city walls. Many romantic stories are told of Marti ; but the one we have her related is the only one that is authenticated. CHAPTER XXVI. The Conspiracy of Lopez. THE result of the movement in the western department under Tacon, showed the Cubans that they had nothing to hope from Spain, while the cruelties of General O'Donneli increased the great discontent and despair of the people. They now became satisfied that the hope of legal reform was but a chimera ; and a portion of the liberal party, seeing no issue from their insuffer- able position but that of revolution, boldly advocated the intervention of arms. In 1848 a conspiracy was formed in Cienfuegos and Trinidad, with the purpose of throwing off the Spanish yoke ; but it was soon discovered and crushed by the imprisonment of various individuals in the central department. The principal leader in this movement was General Narciso Lopez, who succeeded in effecting his escape to the United States, where he im- mediately placed himself in communication with several influential and liberal Creoles, voluntary and involuntary exiles, and established a correspondence with the remnant of the liberal party yet at liberty on the Island, at the same time being aided in his plans by American sympathy. The result of the deliberations of himself, his correspond- ents and associates, was to try by the chances of war for the liberation of Cuba. Many of the leading patriots of the Island undoubtedly believed that the government of the United States would second their efforts, if they should decide to unite themselves to our republic, and boldly raise the banner of annexation. A portion of the Cuban liberals adopted the motto, " Legal Reform or Independence ; " and these two factions of the patriots did not henceforth act in perfect concert with each other a most fatal error to the interests of both. Time and circumstances favored the war and annexation party ; the people Ntt THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. 341 were more than ever discontented with a government which so oppressed them by a military despotism, and by the enormous weight of the unjust taxation levied upon them. We may here remark that the increase of the public revenue, in the midst of so many elements of destruction and ruin, can only be explained by the facility with which the captain-general and royal stewards of the Island invented and arranged taxes, at their pleasure, and without a shadow of propriety, or even precedent. The colored population of the Island, both slaves and free, hated the Spaniards, for good reasons. The war party, moreover, reckoned on the genius of a leader (Lopez), " the first lance of Spain," trained to arms, equal in talents to any of the Spanish generals, and beloved by the Spanish troops, as well as by the Cuban population ; and they relied, also, as we have said, on the sympathy and ultimate aid of the United States government. Many False Reports. It is undoubtedly true that interested parties in this country, prompted by mercenary motives, increased this latter delusion by false reports ; while the Cuban conspirators, in turn, buoyed up the hopes of their friends in the United States, by glowing accounts of the patriotic spirit of the Creoles, and the extent of the preparations they were making for a successful revolt. General Lopez was actively arranging the means for an invasion, when, in 1849, the United States government threw terror into the ranks of the filibusters, by announcing its determination to enforce the sacredness of treaty stipulations. This, for a time, frustrated the intended invasion. In 1850 Lopez succeeded in effecting his first descent upon the Island. Having succeeded in baffling the vigilance of the United States government, an expedition, consisting of six hundred and fifty-two men, was embarked on board two sailing-vessels and the steamer " Creole," which conveyed the general and his staff! In the beginning of July the sailing-vessels left New Orleans, with orders to anchor at Contoy, one of the Mugeres Islands, on the coast of 342 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. Yucatan ; the general followed, on the " Creole," on the /th. At the time when the troops were embarked on the " Creole " at Contoy, fifty-two of the number, who had been deceived as to the nature of the expedition, refused to follow the general, and were left on the island, with the intention of returning to the United States in the two schooners. General Lopez, after gaining some information from a fisherman he encountered, resolved to land at Cardenas, on the northern coast of the Island, a hundred and twenty miles east of Havana. He cal- culated that he could surprise and master the garrison before the Captain-General could possibly obtain intelligence of his departure from New Orleans. His plan was to master the town, secure the authorities, intimidate the Spaniards, and then, sustained by the moral influence of victory, proceed to Matanzas by railroad. War- Ships Hastily Despatched. Roncali, the Captain-General, having received intelligence of the landing at Contoy, dispatched several ships-of-war in that direction, to seize upon the general and his followers. The latter, however, escaped the snare, and effected his landing on the igth. The garri- son rushed to arms, and, while a portion of the troops, after immaterial loss, retired in good order to the suburbs, another, under the com- mand of Governor Ceruti, intrenched themselves in the government house, .nd gave battle to the invaders. After a sharp skirmish, the building being set on fire, they surren- dered ; the Governor and two or three officers were made prisoners, and the soldiers consented to join the revolutionary colors ! Mean- while, t body of one hundred invaders seized upon the railroad station. The tngines were fired up, and the trains made ready to transport the iuvading column to Matanzas. But now came a pause. General Lopez, seeing that the native population did not respond to his appeal, knew that as soon as the news of the taking of Cardenas should be circulated he would be in a very critical situation. In fact, the Governor of Matanzas was soon on tfc* march, at the head of five hundred men. General Armero THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. 343 sailed from Havana in the " Pizarro," with a thousand infantry, while two thousand five hundred picked troops, under the command of General Count de Mirasol, were sent from Havana by the railroad. Lopez saw that it would be madness to await the attack of these for- midable columns, unsupported save by his own immediate followers, and accordingly issued his orders for the reembarkation of his band, yet without relinquishing the idea of landing on some more favorable point of the Island. That portion of the garrison which, in the beginning of the affair, had retreated to the suburbs, finding itself reinforced by a detachment of cavalry, attempted to cut off the retreat of the invading general ; but the deadly fire of the latter's reserve decimated the horse, and the infantry, dismayed at their destruction, took to rapid flight. The " Creole " accordingly left the port without molestation, and before the arrival of the government steam-frigate " Pizarro." The Spanish prisoners were landed at Cayo de Piedras, and then Lopez, discovering the " Pizarro " in the distance, made for the American continent, where the steamer was abandoned. General Lopez was arrested by the authorities of Savannah, but liberated again, in deference to the public clamor. The " Creole " was seized, confiscated and sold. The invaders disbanded ; and thus this enter- prise terminated. A less enterprising and determined spirit than that of General Lopez would have been completely broken by the failure of his first attempts, the inactivity of the Cubans, the hostility of the American government, and the formidable forces and preparations of the Span- ish officials. He believed, however, that the Cubans .were ripe for revolt; that public opinion in the United States would nullify the action of the Federal government ; and that, if he could once gain a foothold in the Island, the Spanish troops would desert in such numbers to his ban- ners that the preponderance of power would soon be upon his side ; and, with these views, he once more busied himself, with unremitting industry, to form another expedition. Meanwhile, the daring attack upon Cardenas, while it demon- 344 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. strated the determination of the invading party, caused great anxiety in the mind of General Roncali. True, he had at his disposal an army of more than twenty thousand regular troops ; but he was by no means sure of their loyalty, and he therefore determined to raise a local militia; but, as he suffered only Spaniards to enlist in it, he aroused the jealousy of the Cuban-born inhabitants, and thus swelled the force of opposition against the government. General Lopez was informed of this fact, and based new hopes upon the circumstance. The Tyranny Continued. The Spanish government, having recalled Roncali, appointed Don Jose de la Concha Captain-General of the Island, and the severity of his sway reminded the inhabitants of the iron rule of Tacon. It was during his administration that Lopez effected his second landing at Playitas, sixty miles west of Havana. Several partial insurrections, which had preceded this event, easily suppressed, as it appears, by the Spanish government, but exaggerated in the accounts dispatched to the friends of Cuba in the United States, inflamed the zeal of Lopez, and made him believe that the time for a successful invasion had at length arrived. The following is from a narrative of one of the invaders : " The general showed me much of his correspondence from the Island. It represented a pervading anxiety for his arrival, on the part of the Creole population. His presence alone, to head the insurrection, which would then become general, was all they called for ; his presence and a supply of arms, of which they were totally destitute. The risings already made were highly colored in some of the communications addressed to him from sources of unquestionable sincerity." He was so confident, at one time, of the determination and ability of the Cubans alone to secure their independence, that he wished to embark without any force, and throw himself among them. It was this confidence that led him to embark with only four hundred ill- armed men on board the little steamer " Pampero," on the 2d of August, 1851. This force consisted mostly of Americans, but embraced forty-nine Cubans in its ranks, with several German and THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. 345 Hungarian officers ; among the latter, General Pragay, one of the heroes of the Hungarian revolution, who was second in command to General Lopez on this occasion. Many of the foreign officers spoke little, if any, English, and mutual jealousies and insubordinations soon manifested themselves in the little band. They were composed of fierce spirits, and had come together without any previous drilling or knowledge of each other. It was not the intention of the commander-in-chief to sail direct for Cuba, but to go to the neighborhood of St. John's river, Florida, and get a supply of artillery, ammunition, extra arms, etc. The Invaders Effect a Landing. He then proposed to land somewhere in the central department, where he thought he could get a footing, and rally a formidable force, before the government troops could reach him. But, when five days out, Lopez discovered that the " Pampero" was short of coal ; as no time could be spared to remedy this deficiency, he resolved to effect a landing at once, and send back the " Pampero " for reinforcements and supplies. At Key West he obtained favorable intelligence from Cuba, which confirmed his previous plans. He learned that a large portion of the troops had been sent to the eastern department ; and he accordingly steered for Bahia Honda (deep bay). The current of the gulf, acting while the machinery of the boat was temporarily stopped for repairs, and the variation of the compass in the neighborhood of so many arms, caused the steamer to run out of her course on the night of the loth; and when the morning broke, the invaders found themselves heading for the narrow entrance of the harbor of Havana ! The course of the steamer was instantly altered ; but all on board momentarily expected the apparition of a war steamer from the channel between the Morro and the Punta. It appeared, afterwards, that the " Pampero " was signalized as a strange steamer, but not reported as suspicious until evening. The " Pampero " then made for the bay of Cabanas ; but, just as she was turning into the entrance, a Spanish frigate and sloop-of-war were seen at anchor, the first of 346 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. which immediately gave chase; but, the wind falling, the frigate gave it up, and returned to the bay to send intelligence of the expedition to Havana. The landing was finally effected at midnight, between the i ith and 1 2th of August, and the steamer was immediately sent off to the United States for further reinforcements. As it was necessary to obtain transportation for the baggage, General Lopez resolved to leave Colonel Crittenden with one hundred and twenty men to guard it, and with the remainder of the expedition to push on to Las Pozas, a village about ten miles distant, whence he could send back carts and horses to receive it. Among the baggage were four barrels of powder, two of cartridges, the officers' effects, including the arms of the general, and the flag of the expedition. From the powder and arms they should not have separated, but have divided that, against contingency. The Invasion a Failure. In the meantime, seven picked companies of Spanish troops of the line had been landed at Bahia Honda, which force was strengthened by contingents drawn from the neighborhood. The march of the invading band to Las Pozas was straggling and irregular. On reach- ing the village, they found it deserted by the inhabitants. A few carts were procured and sent back to Crittenden, that he might advance with the baggage. Lopez here learned from a countryman of the preparations making to attack him. It was no portion of his plan to bring the men into action with regular troops, in their present undisciplined state ; he proposed rather to take a strong position in the mountains, and there plant his standard as a rallying-point, and await the rising of the Cubans, and the return of the " Pampero " with reinforcements for active operations. A.S soon as Lopez learned the news from Bahia Honda, he dis- patched a peremptory order to Crittenden to hasten up with the rear- guard, abandoning the heavy baggage, but bringing off the cartridges and papers of the expedition. But the fatal delay of Crittenden separated him forever from the main body, only a small detachment of THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. 347 his comrades (under Captain Kelly) ever reaching it. The next day, while breakfast was being prepared for them, the soldiers of the ex- pedition were suddenly informed, by a volley from one of the houses of the village, that the Spanish troops were upon them. A Spirited Battle. They flew to arms at once, and the Cuban company dislodged the vanguard of the enemy, who had fired, at the point of the bayonet, their captain, Oberto, receiving his death-wound in the spirited affair. General Enna, a brave officer, in command of the Spanish troops, made two charges in column on the centre of the invaders' line, but was repulsed by that deadly fire which is the preeminent characteristic of American troops. Four men alone escaped from the company heading the first column, and seventeen from that forming the advance of the second column of attack. The Spaniards were seized with a panic, and fled. Lopez's force in this action amounted to about two hundred and eighty men ; the Spaniards had more than eight hundred. The total loss of the former, in killed and wounded, was thirty-five; that of the latter about two hundred men killed, and a large number wounded ! The invaders landed with about eighty rounds of cartridges each ; the Spanish dead supplied them with about twelve thousand more ; and a further supply was subsequently obtained at Las Frias ; the ammunition left with Crittenden was never recovered. In the battle of Las Pozas, General Enna's horse was shot under him, and his second in command killed. The invaders lost Colonel Downman, a brave American officer ; while General Pragay was wounded, and afterwards died in consequence. Though the invaders fired well and did terrible execution, they could not be prevailed upon to charge the enemy, and gave great trouble to the officers by their insubordination. The night after the battle, Captain Kelly came jip with forty men, and announced that the Spanish troops had succeeded in dividing the rear-guard, and that the situation of Crittenden was unknown. It was not until some days afterwards that it was ascertained that Crittenden's party, attempting 348 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. to leave the Island in launches, had been made prisoners by a Spanish man-of-war. They were taken to Havana, and brutally shot at the Castle of Atares. About two o'clock on the I4th of August, the expedition resumed its march for the interior, leaving behind their wounded, who were afterwards killed and mutilated by the Spaniards. The second action with the Spanish troops occurred at the coffee-plantation of Las Frias, General Enna attacking with four howitzers, one hundred and twenty cavalry, and twelve hundred infantry. Wandering in the Mountains. The Spanish general attacked with his cavalry, but they were met by a deadly fire, thrown into utter confusion, and forced to retreat, carrying off the general mortally wounded. The panic of the cavalry communicated itself to the infantry, and the result was a complete rout. This was the work of about two hundred muskets, for many of Lopez's men had thrown away their arms on the long and toil- some march. The expedition, however, was too weak to profit by their desperate successes, and had no means of following up these victories. Plung- ing into the mountains, they wandered about for days, drenched with rain, destitute of food or proper clothing, until despair at last seized them. They separated from each other, a few steadfast comrades remaining by their leader. In the neighborhood of San Cristobal, Lopez finally surrendered to a party of pursuers. He was treated with every indignity by his captors, though he submitted to every- thing with courage and serenity. He was taken in a steamer from Mariel to Havana. Arrived here, he earnestly desired to obtain an interview with Concha, who had been an old companion-in-arms with him in Spain ; not that he expected pardon at his hands, but hoping to obtain a change in the manner of his death. His soul shrank from the infa- mous garrote, and he aspired to the indulgence of the cuatro tiros (four shots). Both the interview and the indulgence were refused, and he was THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. 34& executed on the first of September, at seven o'clock in the morning, in the Punta, by that mode of punishment which the Spaniards esteem the most infamous of all. When he landed at Bahia Honda, he stooped and kissed the earth, with the fond salutation, " Querida' Cuba " (dear Cuba) ! And his last words, pronounced in a tone of deep tenderness, were, " Muero par mi amada Cuba " (I die for my beloved Cuba). General Lopez was born in Venezuela, South America, in 1798; and hence, at the time of his execution, must have been about fifty- two years of age. He early became an adopted citizen of Cuba, and espoused one of its daughters. The remainder of the prisoners who fell into the hands of the authorities were sent to the Moorish fortress of Ceuta; but Spain seems to have been ashamed of the massacre of Atares, and atoned for the ferocity of her colonial officials by leniency towards the mis- guided men of the expedition, granting them a pardon. Cause of the Conspiracy. This uprising, or rather attempt at revolution, was all due to the despotic policy pursued by Spain. It is impossible to conceive of any degree of loyalty that would be proof against the unparalleled burthens and atrocious system by which the mother country has ever loaded and weighed down her western colonists. They must be either more or less than men if they still cherish attachment to a foreign throne under such circumstances. But the fact simply is, the Creoles of Cuba are neither angels nor brutes; they are, it is true, a long-suffering and somewhat indolent people, lacking in a great degree the stern qualities of the Anglo-Saxon and the Anglo-Norman races, but nevertheless intelligent, if wanting culture, and not without those noble aspirations for independence and freedom, destitute of which they would cease to be men, justly forfeiting all claim to our sympathy and consideration. During the brief intervals in which a liberal spirit was manifested towards the colony by the home government, the Cubans gave proof of talent and energy, which, had they been permitted to attain their 350 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. full development, would have given them a highly honorable name and distinguished character. When the field for genius was com- paratively clear, Cuba produced more than one statesman and man of science, who would have done honor to a more favored land. But these cheering rays of light were soon extinguished, and the fluctuating policy of Spain settled down into the rayless and brutal despotism which has become its normal condition, and a double dark- ness closed upon the political and intellectual prospects of Cuba. But the people are not, and have not been, the supine and idle victims of tyranny which Spain depicts them. The reader will remember the several times they have attempted, manacled as they are, to free their limbs from the chains that bind them. It is insulting and idle to say that they might have been free if they had earnestly desired and made the effort for freedom. Parallel Oases in History, Who can say what would have been the result of our own struggle for independence, if Great Britain, at the outset, had been as well prepared for resistance as Spain has always been in Cuba? Who can say how long and painful would have been the struggle, if one of the most powerful military nations of Europe had not listened to our despairing appeal, and thrown the weight of her gold and her arms into the scale against our great enemy? When we see how as we do clearly in a single night the well- contrived schemes of an adroit and unprincipled knave enslaved a brilliant and war-like people, like the French, who had more than once tasted the fruits of republican glory and liberty, who had borne their free flag in triumph over more than half of Europe, we can understand why the Cubans, overawed from the very outset, by the presence of a force vastly greater in proportion than that which enslaved France, have been unable to achieve their deliverance. Nay, more when we consider the system pursued by the govern- ment of the Island, the impossibility of forming assemblages, and of concerting action, the presence of troops and spies everywhere, the compulsory silence of the press the violation of the sanctity of cor- THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ, 351 respondence we can only wonder that any effort has been made, any step taken in that fatal pathway of revolution which leads infallibly to the garrote. If Cuba lies at present under the armed heel of despotism, we may be sure that the anguish of her sons is keenly aggravated by their perfect understanding of our own liberal institutions, and an earnest, if fruitless, desire to participate in their enjoyment. It is beyond the power of the Spanish government to keep the people of the Island in a state of complete darkness, as it seems to desire to do. The young men of Cuba educated at our colleges and schools, the visitors from the United States, and American merchants established on the Island, are all so many apostles of republicanism, and propagandists of treason and rebellion. They Only Await the Opportunity. Nor can the captains-general with all their vigilance exclude what they are pleased to call incendiary newspapers and documents from pretty extensive circulation among the " ever faithful." That liberal ideas and hatred of Spanish despotism are widely entertained among the Cubans is a fact no one who has passed a brief period among them can truthfully deny. They await only the means and the oppor- tunity to rise in rebellion against Spain. We are too far distant to see more than the light smoke, but those who have trodden the soil of Cuba have sounded the depths of the volcano. The history of the unfortunate Lopez expedition proves nothing contrary to this. The force under Lopez afforded too weak a nucleus, was too hastily thrown upon the Island, too ill prepared, and too untimely attacked, to enable the native patriots to rally round its standard, and thus to second the efforts of the invaders. With no ammunition nor arms to spare, recruits would have only added to the embarrassment of the adventurers. Yet had Lopez been joined by the brave but unfortunate Critten- den, with what arms and ammunition he possessed, had he gained some fastness where he could have been disciplining his command, nntil further aid arrived, the adventure might have had a very differ- 352 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. ent termination from what we have recorded in an early chapter of this book. Disastrous as was the result of the Lopez expedition, it nevertne- less proved two important facts : first, the bravery of the Cubans, a. small company of whom drove the enemy at the point of the bayonet ; and, secondly, the inefficiency of Spanish troops when opposed by resolute men. If a large force of picked Spanish troops were decimated and routed in two actions, by a handful of ill-armed and undisciplined men, taken by surprise, we are justified in believ- ing that if an effective force of ten thousand men, comprising the several arms of cavalry, artillery, and infantry, had been thrown into the Island, they would have carried all before them. With such a body of men to rally upon, the Cubans would have risen in the departments of the Island, and her best transatlantic jewel would have been torn fr )m the diadem of Spain. American Sympathy for Cuba. That the Spanish government lived in constant dread of a renewal of the efforts on the part of Americans and exiled Cubans to aid the disaffected people of the Island in throwing off its odious yoke, is a notorious fact, and there were evidences in the conduct of its officials towards those of this government that it regarded the latter as secretly favoring such illegal action. Yet the steps taken by our government to crush any such attempts were decided enough to satisfy any but a jealous and unreasonable power. President Fillmore, in his memorable proclamation, said, ' Such expeditions can only be regarded as adventures for plunder and robbery," and declaring Americans who engaged in them outlaws, informed them that " they would forfeit their claim to the protection of this government, or any interference in their behalf, no matter to what extremity they might be reduced in consequence of their illegal conduct." In accordance with this declaration, the brave Crittenden and his men were allowed to be shot at Atares, though they were not taken with arms in their hands, had abandoned the expedition, ana were seeking to escape from the Island. THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. 353 In a similar spirit President Pierce alluded to our relations with Spain in his inaugural address, in the following explicit terms : " Indeed it is not to be disguised that our attitude as a nation, and our position on the globe, render the acquisition of certain posses- sions, not within our jurisdiction, eminently important, if not, in the future, essential for the preservation of the rights of commerce and the peace of the world. Should they be obtained, it will be through no grasping spirit, but with a view to obvious national interest and security, and in a manner entirely consistent with the strictest ob- servance of national faith." Honorable Attitude of our Government. A subsequent proclamation, emanating from the same source, and warning our citizens of the consequences of engaging in an invasion of the Island, also attested the determination to maintain the integrity of our relations with an allied power. No candid student of the history of our relations with Spain can fail to be impressed by the frank and honorable attitude of our gov- ernment, or to contrast its acts with those of the Spanish officials of Cuba. A history of the commercial intercourse of our citizens with the Island would be a history of petty and also serious annoyances and grievances to which they have been subjected for a series of years by the Spanish officials, increasing in magnitude as the latter have witnessed the forbearance and magnanimity of our government. Not an American merchant or captain, who had dealings with Cuba, but could furnish his list of insults and outrages, some in the shape of illegal extortions and delays, others merely gratuitous ebullitions of spite and malice dictated by a hatred of our country and its citi- zens. Instances of outrage so flagrant occurred, that the executive felt bound to call the attention of Congress to them in a message, in which he pointed out the great evil which lay at the bottom, and also the remedy. " The offending party," he said, " is at our doors with large power for aggression, but none, it is alleged, for reparation. The source of redress is in another hemisphere ; and the answers to our just com- 23 354 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. plaints, made to the home government, are but the repetition of excuses rendered by inferior officials to the superiors, in reply to the representations of misconduct. In giving extraordinary power to them, she owes it to justice, and to her friendly relations to this gov- ernment, to guard with great vigilance against the exorbitant exercise of these powers, and in case of injuries to provide for prompt redress." It is very clear that if, in such cases as the seizure of a vessel and her cargo by the port officers at Havana, for an alleged violation of revenue laws, or even port usages, redress, in case of official miscon- duct, could only be had by reference to the home government in another part of the world, our trade with Cuba would be completely paralyzed. The delay and difficulty in obtaining such redress, in too many cases, prompted extortion on the one hand, and acquiescence to injustice on the other. Seizure of American Vessels. In 1851 two American vessels were seized off Yucatan by the Spanish authorities on suspicion of being engaged in the Lopez ex- pedition ; in the same year the steamship " Falcon " was wantonly fired upon by a Spanish government vessel ; in 1852 the American mail bags were forcibly opened, and their contents examined by order of the Captain-General; the "Crescent City" was not allowed to land her passengers and mails, simply because the purser, Smith, was obnoxious to the government of the Island. The " Black Warrior," fired into on one voyage, was seized for a violation of a custom-house form. More than once, on specious pre- texts, were American sailors taken from American vessels and thrown into Spanish prisons. In short, the insults offered by Span- ish officials to our flag so multiplied that the popular indignation in the country reached an alarming height. It is difficult for a republic and a despotism, situated like the United States and Cuba, to live on neighborly terms ; and to control the indignation of the citizens of the former, proud and high-spirited, conscious of giving no offence, and yet subjected to repeated insults, is a task alrnost too great for the most adroit and pacific administra- THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. 355 tion. Had she possessed more foresight and less pride, Spain would have long since sold the Island to the United States, and thereby have relieved herself of a weighty care and a most dangerous prop- erty. "So far from being really injured by the loss of the Island," said Hon. Edward Everett, in his able and well-known letter to the Brit- ish minister rejecting the proposition for the tripartite convention, " there, is no doubt that, were it peacefully transferred to the United States, a prosperous commerce between Cuba and Spain, resulting from ancient associations and common language and tastes, would be far more productive than the best-contrived system of colonial taxa- tion. Such, notoriously, has been the result to Great Britain of the establishment of the independence of the United States." Bold Utterances in Congress. The following remarks are quoted from a conservative speech of Mr. Latham, then member of Congress from California. They pre- sent, with emphasis, some of the points we have lightly touched upon. " I admit that our relations with Spain, growing out of that Island (Cuba), are of an extremely delicate nature; that the fate of that Island, its misgovernment, its proximity to our shores, and the par- ticular institutions established upon it, are of vast importance to the peace and security of this country; and that the utmost vigilance in regard to it is not only demanded by prudence, but an act of imperative duty on the part of our government. The Island of Cuba commands, in a measure, the Gulf of Mexico. " In case of a maritime war, in which the United States may be engaged, its possession by the enemy might become a source of infi- nite annoyance to us, crippling our shipping, threatening the great emporium of our southern commerce, and exposing our whole southern coast/from the capes of Florida to the mouth of the Rio Grande, to the enemy's cruisers. The geographical position of Cuba is such that we cannot, without a total disregard to our own safety, permit it to pass into the hands of any first-class power ; nay, that it would be extremely imprudent to allow it to pass even into 356 THE CONSPIRACY OF LOPEZ. the hands of a power of the second rank, possessed of energy and capacity for expansion." " Rich in soil, salubrious in climate, varied in productions, the home of commerce," said the Hon. O. R. Singleton, of Mississippi, " Cuba seems to have been formed to become ' the very button on Fortune's cap.' Washed by the Gulf-stream on half her borders, with the Mississippi pouring out its rich treasures on one side, and the Amazon, destined to become a ' cornucopia,' on the other, with the ports of Havana and Matanzas on the north, and the Isle of Pines and St. Jago de Cuba on the south, Nature has written upon her, in legible characters, a destiny far above that of a subjugated province of a rotten European dynasty. " Her home is in the bosom of the North American confederacy. Like a lost Pleiad, she may wander on for a few months or years in lawless, chaotic confusion ; but, ultimately, the laws of nature and of nations will vindicate themselves, and she will assume her true social and political condition, despite the diplomacy of statesmen, the trickery of knaves, or the frowns of tyrants. " Cuba will be free. The spirit is abroad among her people ; and, although they dare not give utterance to their thoughts, lest some treacherous breeze should bear them to a tyrant's ears, still they think and feel, and will act when the proper time shall arrive. The few who have dared ' to do or die ' have fallen, and their blood still marks the spot where they fell. Such has been the case in all great revolu- tionary struggles. Those who lead the van must expect a sharp en- counter before they break through the serried hosts of tyranny, and many a good man falls upon the threshold of the temple. " ' But freedom's battle once begun, Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son, Though baffled oft, is always won.' " CHAPTER XXVII. The Bitter Ten- Years' War. SOON after the events narrated in the preceding chapter a Reformist party sprang up, desirous of coming to a settlement which should insure the rights of the colony without impair- ing the interests of Spain, and after protracted efforts this party suc- ceeded in obtaining an inquiry at Madrid on the reforms needed by Cuba ; but the only alteration decreed was that of a new system of taxation, more depressive than the former. Great sympathy had long been shown for the Cubans by the people of the United States, and in 1848 President Polk had gone the length of proposing through the American ambassador at Madrid a transference of the Island to the United States for a sum of $1,000,000. A similar proposal was made ten years afterwards in the Senate the sum suggested being $30,000,000 but after debate it was with- drawn. When the Spanish revolution of 1868 broke out the ad- vanced party in Cuba at once matured their plans for the liberation of the Island from the military despotism of Spain, rose in arms at Yara in the district of Bayamo, and made a declaration of independ- ence, dated at Manzanillo, on the loth of October of that year. This insurrection soon assumed formidable dimensions in the eastern por- tion of the Island ; on the i8th of October the town of Bayamo was taken, and on the 28th the jurisdiction of Holguin rose in arms. Early in November the patriots defeated a force which had been sent against them from Santiago de Cuba, and the greater number of the Spanish-American republics hastened to recognize the Cubans as belligerents. During subsequent years, in spite of the large and continued increase of the number of troops sent from Spain and organized by the Spanish authorities in the Island, the yearly cam- paigns up to the present time have shown that in the eastern interioi 367 858 THE BITTER TEN-YEARS' WAR. the Cuban patriots are practically invincible, and that by maintaining a guerrilla warfare they can attack and harass and even defeat their enemies who may be bold enough to act on the aggressive. In the long war above referred to, the insurgents were never accorded belligerent rights by any power strong enough to take Spain by the throat and force her to conduct operations under the reasonable humanities of modern war. The peculiar form of Cuba renders the control of every port easy to the Spanish navy ; and although battles were won and campaigns steadily conducted for ten years by the insurgents, the United States government chose to close its eyes to the truth. The real facts were, not that a state of war was not fully demonstrated, but the " Alabama " claims were in the air, and we were ready first to turn our backs on Cuba in order not to prejudice our money case against England, and after the payment of the award, the precedent was still too fresh. Balmaceda's Proclamation. The South American republics which recognized Cuban belli- gerency were powerless, and Europe remained indifferent. Thus Spain, left unrestrained by foreign powers, worked her will with a cynical frankness that laid bare her full savagery. The war having begun, General Count Balmaceda published the following proclama- tion : " Inhabitants of the country ! The reinforcements of troops that I have been waiting for have arrived ; with them I shall give protec- tion to the good, and punish promptly those that still remain in rebellion against the government of the metropolis. " You know that I have pardoned those who have fought us with arms ; that your wives, mothers, and sisters have found in me the unexpected protection that you have refused them. You know, also, that many of those we have pardoned have turned against us again. " Before such ingratitude, such villainy, it is not possible for me to be the man that I have been ; there is no longer a place for a falsified neutrality ; he that is not for me is against me ; and that my soldiers may know how to distinguish, you hear the order they carry: THE BITTER TEN-YEARS' WAR. 35