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 Copy 1 
 
 CUBA AND THE WAR-REVENUE BILL. 
 
 SPEECH 
 
 OF 
 
 HON. AMOS J. CUMMINGS, 
 
 
 OK NEW YOKI-C, 
 
 IN THE 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 
 
 FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1898. 
 
 WASHINQTON. 
 
 1898. 
 
G,"007 
 
 ^ 
 
 SPEECH 
 
 OF 
 
 V^* II OX. AMOS J. CUMMINGS. 
 
 T>io H i„. i..in^r in Committee of th^ Whole Honse on the state of the 
 Vni' I,' hikUt «-oiisi<leration the bill (H. R. H)WJ) to provide ways 
 
 «u<l 1 t w:ir t'Xp'.'nditurcs— 
 
 Mr. ( U.M.MlXGSftaia: 
 
 Mr. CuAiKMAN: Wlienevev the safety of the nation is at stake 
 or iiiiy f,Ttat national purpose is to be accomplishe;! by war, 
 party lim-s should vanisli and politics be suspended. [Applause.] 
 The war is on. and the people d<-mand that it shall be vigor- 
 ously prosecuted in the interests of the country and without re- 
 Knrd to party interests. It can not be prosecuted without the 
 sinews of war. This bill is drawn to furnish the sinews of war. 
 It is n war nioasure exclusively, and as such I shall consider it. 
 It contains, it is truo, features which to mo are distasteful. I 
 Jiffree witli theKentlt-nian frum Missouri [Mr. Bartuoldt] in ref- 
 erence to tho tax on beer, and also with the gentleman from Ver- 
 mont [Mr. (»u<»i-tJ as to the tax on mineral waters. 
 
 The proposition to give the President power to issue bonds does 
 not commend itself to everybody, but no war can be waged with- 
 out mon(>y. I feel it to be my duty to vote for this bond propo- 
 sition if all efforts to amend the bill fail. I shall vote for it all 
 thti mure willingly because it is to be a popular loan. When 
 opened, the subscription lists are to be sent to the post-ofHces 
 throughout tlie country, and the honest farmers and mechanics 
 afforded an opportunity to subscribe. 
 
 A iiopular loan, when needed, strengthens the Government. It 
 clinclies the affections and interests of the people and makes every 
 fireside national. Such a loan stands in strong contrast with the 
 b'.nd.s issued in isi);j, is;ii,and InO.I. when the country was at peace 
 with all the world. The first issue was made by private contract, 
 giving ft well-known syndicate a profit of nearly .sS, 000.000. 
 
 The other issue invited public competition, but most of the 
 bonds again fell into the hands of the old SA-ndicate, which gleaned 
 Btill furtlier profits at the expense of the'taxpayers. If this pro- 
 posed issue is not sanctioned by Congress, the President may be 
 lorre<l to follow in the footsteps of the Cleveland Administration 
 and impose upon the country a bond issue where syndicates may 
 profiler at the expense of the people. Money must be had. and the 
 proposed revenue bill, aside from the bond issue, will not bring in 
 enough money to prosecute the war. Under the law as it now 
 Btands the syndicates would reap large profits on any bond issue 
 Mr. VIXCENT. They will do it any way. 
 Mr. CUMMINGS. No, sir; the people will come in on the 
 ground floor. And that is where they ought to come in. 
 
 Now, Mr. Chairman. I shall do what can be done toward amend- 
 ing the proposed bill. The gentleman from Missouri [Mr. BlandJ 
 2 3543 
 
K 
 
 ,^ has a plan for the issue of Treasury notes, which possilily may be 
 V^ feasible. Then there is an amendment proposinj^ an income tax. 
 It appears to me to be nonsensical. You have an income-tax law 
 already, on your statute book, but the Supreme Court has held it 
 void. How are you going to better yourselves by reenacting the 
 same law, so long as the Government is under the domination.,C)f 
 that tribunal? It seems to mo that the proper way would be to 
 bring in a constitutional amendment. If the State legislature- 
 sanctioned it. you could then pass an income-tax law which would 
 be beyond the reach of the Supreme C'onrt of the United States. 
 You may be sure, Mr. Chairman, that — 
 
 The mill will never grind with the water tluit has passed. 
 
 The income-tax law to-day is a dead letter on the statute book. 
 Give us something tangible, something substantial, something that 
 will hold good after we have enacted it. An income tax, properly 
 levied, would, in my opinion, be a most equitable tax, especially 
 in time of war. But let us levj' it in a constitutional manner. 
 
 Mr. McMILLIN. They have overridden the Constitution. 
 
 Mr. RIDGELY. I will say to the gentleman froni New York 
 f ISIr. CuMMiXGs] that I have an amendment to that effect before the 
 constitutional committee. Will you help me to get it out? 
 
 Mr. CLJMMINGS. I will, with pleasure. 
 
 Mr. STEELE. It may not be his amendment. 
 
 Mr. CUMMINGS. I will support it, if it is to be a constitu- 
 tional measure. 
 
 Mr. RIDGELY. It is. 
 
 Mr. CL^MMLNGS (continuing). And I believe my constituents 
 will support me in it, even if I do represent a district in New 
 York City. [Laughter.] 
 
 Now, Mr. Chairman, in the Spanish Cortes to-day they are hav- 
 ing a similar contest to that in this House. Weyler and Robledo 
 are opposing the Spanish budget in Madrid at this very hour. I 
 do not know what others here will do, but, sir, I never will consent 
 to put myself in a position where I can be compared with Weyler 
 and Robledo. [Great applause.] As a Democrat, I stand by my 
 principles. As an American, I stand by the nation. I believe it 
 to be the duty of every Democrat, after having made the fight 
 that his conscience directs toward reforming this measure, to 
 turn in and vote to give the President of the United States the 
 power to issue these bonds, if it be necessary, to carry on the 
 war. In doing this they sustain the vote they gave in favor of ■ 
 the war. In doing otherwise they stand on record as refusing to 
 vote supplies to carry on the war which they have hailed with ao 
 much eagerness. It does seem to me that if a President elected 
 on a Democratic platform is allowed to issue $300,000,000 in 
 bonds in time of peace, a President elected on a Republican plat- 
 form might with perfect propriety be allowed to issue $:J0l),00O,003 
 in time of war. [Applause.] 
 
 What I desire, Mr. Chairman, and all I desire, is to give the 
 Executive no excuse for not conducting the war vigorously and 
 victoriously on the ground that Congre.ss has not upheld the 
 President in his efforts. For one, I stand ready to vote all the 
 supplies asked for, holding the Administration responsible for 
 their proper expenditure. [Applause.] 
 
 CUBA. 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I take this opportunity to detail to the House 
 the results of an investigation in March last as to the situation 
 35ii 
 
in Cul>a. Ropoatedly liavo 1 sought the floor for this purpose, 
 and repeatedly have I been denied. Under the terms of the spe- 
 cial order governing this debate my opporti;nity has come, and I 
 willingly avail myself of it. This investigation was made at the 
 invitation of the'editor of the New York Journal. That news- 
 paper had printed harrowing accounts of the sufferings of the 
 recoiuentrados, accompanied by photographic illustrations. As 
 doubts had been expressed concerning the accuracy of these re- 
 
 Korts, the editor of the newspaper invited Senators Thurston, of 
 I ebraska; Galmnoek. ef New Hampshire, and Money, ofMissis- 
 sipni. and Representative William Alden Smith, of Michigan, 
 and myself, to visit Cuba and personally view the situation. 
 
 The three Senators have already embodied the result of their 
 investigations in speeches made upon the floor of the Senate Cham- 
 ber. No opportunity, however, has been afforded me to speak 
 upon the matter in the House. All the details furnished by the 
 Senators are correct. I wish also to add a tribute to Senator 
 PitocTOR for his thorough description of what he witnessed in 
 Cuba during the two weeks preceding the visit of his brother 
 Senators. He went there of his own accord, determined to ascer- 
 tain the truth by a personal investigation. His story speaks for 
 itself. The facts detailed stand unchallenged, and can not be 
 challenged by anyone in the least conversant with the situation. 
 
 The man directly responsible for the rounding up and starving 
 of thereconcentrados was General Weyler, late Captain-General of 
 the island. He was once characterized on this floor by myself as 
 "the Gila monster of Spanish tyranny, befouling with his breath 
 the atmosphere of civilization." This characterization is said to 
 have touched him to the quick. He based the effort to exterminate 
 a whole people bj' starvation upon the ground of military necessity. 
 War, he declared, recognized no principle of humanity. It was 
 not ethical, but strictly practical. Gomez and Maceo had swept 
 from the eastern to the western end of Cuba, destroying sugar 
 plantations and reddening the sky with blazing cane fields. 
 Wcj'ler retaliated in kind. 
 
 The rural Cuban was the friend of the inurgents. It was from 
 his little patches of tilled ground that the patriot drew his sup- 
 plies. The insurgents were mounted upon horses raised in the 
 rural districts and were fed upon native cattle. The entire rural 
 population sympathized with the patriots. It kept them supplied 
 with information as to the str-ength and movements of the Spanish 
 forces, and saved Gomez and Maceo from many a carefully pre- 
 pared trap. Of course, these Cubans were noncombatant. They 
 were not wanted in the ranks of the patriot army, as there were 
 neither guns nor ammunition for them. They served their coun- 
 try best by remaining on their farms and raising yams and cattle. 
 The revolutionar)' army was under strict discipline, and the agri- 
 cultural population were free from marauders and predatory ex- 
 cursions. 
 
 Weyler was the first to recognize the fact that, while outwardly 
 peaceful ,'xn<l loy.al, tlie peoi)le were the main reliance of the Cuban 
 army. Their friends and relatives were in the ranks of the pa- 
 triots, and. more than this, th<^y were as thoroughly imbued with 
 a spirit of li berty as wore the "American farmers in the Revolution. " 
 To use the words of a Spanish symjiathizer in Havana, "The entire 
 jieoplo were at lu art insurrectionists, and the very grass under 
 the feet of the Spaniards was insurgent" 
 
 3&U 
 
TlIK i;! f,A[ OF WKVI.l-,lt> I'nl.icr. 
 
 Weylers resolution, once formod, was carried out with mer- 
 ciless severity. Martinez Cinipos had fou^lit several battles with 
 the insurtients, but was unable to prevent tlie invasion of tho 
 western lirovinees. Tliey contained the richest plantations in the 
 islanil. IVIaceo and Goniez had maintained themselves in front 
 of Havana for several months. Tho Spaniards themselves ac- 
 knowled.i^ed that they mi.i,'lit have entered the city by a bold 
 dash. Macao's friends say that he was fully aware of this fact, 
 but that he preferred to obey the dictates of prudence and rema'n 
 outside. 
 
 Weyler's orders for the concentration of the rural population ia 
 the ditrerent tt)wns were promptly carried out in Pinar del Rio. 
 The Spaniards butchered ail the horses and cattle, destroyed every 
 hamlet, and forced the noncombatant-i into the ditt'erent towns. 
 The object was to render it impossible for Maceo's forces to obtain 
 provender. In this Weyler was undoubtedly successful. Maceo'3 
 troops suffered terribly for lack of supplies. Several battles were 
 fought with varying success. The insurgent army practically 
 went to pieces. It was not strong enough to recross the trocha, 
 ami Maceo himself was finally killed while trying to reach Gomez 
 with a few followers. 
 
 Weyler regarded t)ie province as practically pacified. Meantime 
 his edict had been carried into effect in Havana, Matanzas, Santa 
 Clara, and Puerto Principe. Ditches were dug around the pens in 
 various towns and barbed wire fences placed on the outer side of 
 the ditches. The entire rural population was either butchered or 
 driven witliin these ditches. No effort whatever to feed them waa 
 made. Weylers friends declare that he meant to make provision 
 for them, but that he was unable to do so. Meantime he concen- 
 trated his strength and marched from Havana to the border of 
 Puerto Principe in a vain effort to bringGomez toa decisive battle. 
 
 That wary old campaigner kept out of his way. worrying him 
 as Marion and Sumter worried Cornwallis and Tarleton. Weyler 
 went back to Havana. Meantime the reconcentrados died by 
 thousands of starvation. The provinces of Havana, Matanzas, 
 Santa Clara, and a iiortion of Puerto Principe were practically 
 as free from insurgents as was Pinar del Rio. The suffering in 
 all these provinces was intense. 
 
 Wevler began to gather himself for a supreme and final efifort 
 to drive the patriots from Santiago de Cuba, in which province 
 they maintained a well-drilled force under Calixto Garcia. He 
 was on the point of making this demonstration when Canovaa 
 was assassinated, and Weyler was ordered back to Spain, Blanco 
 becoming his successor. 
 
 Weyler's friends assert that if he had remained in office six 
 weeks longer, Garcia's column would have broken and dispersed 
 and Santiago wo ulil have become as free from insurrection as the 
 other provinces. In other words, the insurgents would have 
 dwindled into predatory bands, without organization and without 
 an attempt to maintain an insurrectionary government. The 
 Weylerites laugh at the effort of Sagasta and Blanco to organize 
 an autonomic government. 
 
 Certain it is that Weyler is a remarkable man. He was a mili- 
 tary attache of Spain at Washington during the American civil 
 war. He served with Sheridan in the valley, and had a great ad- 
 miration for Sherman and Grant. He speaks English fluently, 
 3C43 
 
6 
 
 ninl on^ht to be thoronghly acquainted with the resources and 
 disposition of the people of the United States. He is quick in 
 motion, alert in mentality, decisive in action, and unrelenting in 
 purpose. At a certain hour each day he would appear upon the 
 I'rado in Havana in full uniform and march up and down the 
 8(jnare fur thirty minutes, entirely unaccompanied. 
 
 On assuming office he sent for the American newspaper corre- 
 Bpomlents. He asked how many of them had seen service in the 
 American war. There were some who had fought within the 
 ranks of the Confederacy, and others who served in the Union 
 army; others had followed their profession in both armies. Wey- 
 ler told the latter that they hardly needed instructions as to the 
 news which they would forward to their papers. Their experi- 
 ence in the civil war had undoubtedly ripened their judgment, 
 and they would send nothing that was improper or liable to be of 
 service to the insurgents. As Captain-General . he had determined 
 to do away with all censorship. As a republican, he believed in 
 full liberty of the press. The correspondents were at liberty to 
 Fend everything published in Havana and any other real news, 
 but nothing alarmingly sensational, and nothing that they knew 
 to be untrue. They should be cautious to give no news that would 
 tend to disclose military plans or movements. 
 
 "Your messages will go by cable," he said. "There will be no 
 censorship; I shall never see them until they are printed. You 
 can wire them in the English language. I want j'ou to under- 
 stand that anything yon may send of an improper nature will re- 
 flect on me both here and in Madrid, and 1 shali be held responsi- 
 ble and be censured for removing the censorship." 
 
 He told them that they were at liberty to come and see him at 
 all times, and gave orders to admit them without formality and 
 at all hours. Nothing, apparently, could be fairer, yet within a 
 week the Captain-General received bitter complaints from the 
 Spanish minister at Washington and from Madrid about the press 
 telegrams. He was finally peremptorily ordered to restore the 
 censorship. 
 
 CHAnACTERISTICS OF GENERAL 'NVEYLER. 
 
 Weyler's moods varied. At times he would invite a correspond- 
 ent to sit down upon a sofa with him and enter into a free" con- 
 versation. At others he would receive the correspondent while 
 seated at his desk. Looking up, he would say, " Do you want to 
 see me? Well, what is it? Speak! I am quite busy." 
 
 He spoke English only when his adjutants were not present. 
 He seemed to be apprehensive that it would create a suspicion 
 within their minds if they heard him conversing in English with the 
 correspondents. If a correspondent produced a clipping from a 
 newspaper, Weyler invariably seized it and put it in his pocket. 
 He patronized all the clipping bureaus in the United States, and 
 had a score of scrapbooks. All clippings of denunciation against 
 himself were underlined with red ink. They were placed in a 
 separate scrapbook. All caricatures of himself and of the little 
 King of Spain were put in a different volume. 
 
 At times he was facetious. George Eugene Brvson , a well-known 
 
 the 
 rou 
 
 kind as to have them brought to the gate where 1 can talk toThem "' 
 "Wliy," replied Weyler, "don"t you know that there are no 
 
 a543 
 
Aiiieiii-an prisonors in the Cabanas? Haven't you yot learned 
 that I have fed them all to the sharks? '' 
 ••No.'" Brvson answered. " I hadn't learned it." 
 "'Well," replied Weyler. "you don't read the New York Sun. 
 Some davs aj?o one of the post-olfieo officials brou.ij;ht mo a letter 
 addressed to Mr. God, managing editor of the New York Sun. [Tho 
 managing editor's name was Mr. Lord. | It was a good, fat letter. 
 I looked over it and found that two bodies of ])risoners had been 
 picked up ott" Morro Castle with their arms and legs eaten otT by 
 sharks. The correspondent further asserted that nearly all the 
 prisoners in the Cabanas had been fed to sharks, and the sharks 
 had got so fat they were hardly able to swim. 
 
 'There was only one thing to do with such a letter as that," con- 
 tinued Weyler. "'and that was to seal it up and forward it. It 
 was a recognition of the confidence of the correspondent in the 
 Spanish mail system. Other correspondents would have sent the 
 letter to Kev West in a special dispatch boat. Well, the Sun 
 printed it with a Haring caption. Tho only regret that I had 
 about it was that mv friend Don Pancho.of the Associated Press, 
 was beaten out of the news. But I gave Pancho a chance after- 
 wards. On the following day I sent for him and gave nini a shark 
 storv. 
 '• > Have you heard what the sharks did to-day? ' I said to hira. 
 " 'No,' he replied. 
 
 " ' Well,' said I, ' this morning I sent a firing squad over to tho 
 Cabanas to shoot two Cubans. ' The squad was headed off in tho 
 bay bv two big sharks. One of the sharks jumped into the boat and 
 drove the firing squad to the masthead, delaying the executiou 
 until a new squad appeared.' " 
 
 He actually forced Don Pancho to send this story to the Asso- 
 ciated Press. '-And the next day," said Weyler. with a smile, 
 '•Don Pancho received a dispatch from the New York agent ask- 
 ing whether he was drunk or crazy." 
 
 Some absurd stories threw the captain-general into an uncon- 
 trollable rage. One day he read in an American newspaper a 
 storv accusing him of wrapping the Stars and Stripes around an 
 American prisoner and of then burning him alive. Weyler grit- 
 ted his teeth, stamped his feet, worked his Austrian chin with 
 anger, and said that if he could catch the correspondent who 
 wrote the story he would wrap him in a Spanish flag, place a 
 dynamite bomb beneath him, and blow him off the island. This 
 was said in the censor's office while a score of correspondents 
 were awaiting a revision of their dispatches. Next day two of 
 these correspondents disappeared from the island. 
 
 At another time, speaking of the attitude of the American press, 
 he became sarcastic, saying that, notwithstanding their foul abuse 
 of him, they were really his best friends and had been of great 
 service to him. Spain was continually throbbing with indigna- 
 tion over the invectives heaped upon him. Editorial comments 
 upon his course, in American newspapers, were reproduced in tho 
 Madrid press. They aroused Spanish patriotism and proved a 
 great factor in the enlargement of his army. He wanted to thank 
 the New York newspapers for adding at least 7.5,000 troops to tho 
 Spanish army in Cuba. 
 
 At one time, in apologizing for his alleged ferocity, he said ho 
 was simply obeying the commands of the Canovas ministry. Ho 
 alleged that the reconcentrado decree had been drawn at .Madrid 
 
8 
 
 and not at the palace in Havana. He himself was the simple serv- 
 ant of the home ministry, loyal to Spain aad determined that 
 she should win, even if every man, woman, and child born on the 
 Island of Cuba had to ba sacrificed. He would make the island 
 a wilderness covered with ashes and bones if this would insure 
 ^■;cto^y. 
 
 " What caro I." .said he. with a wave of the hand, "how great 
 the sacrifice of life to crush out the spirit of rebellion? If I go 
 back to Spain triumphant, no one will ever dare to ask for detailed 
 accounts of the cost of victory." 
 
 A TALK WITH CAI'TAIX-GE-VERAL BLAJfCO. 
 
 On March 9 the Congressional visitors, accompanied by Consul- 
 General Leo, jiaid a formal visit to Captain-General Blanco, The 
 party took carriages and were driven to the palace of the Captain- 
 General. It fronts an ex(iui.sit9 park in the center of the city. 
 Like all such palaces, it has an inner court, with marble stairways 
 on the right and left of the entrance. In the inner court stands a 
 marble statue of Columbus. Spanish soldiers in neat uniforms 
 guard the entrance. The party alighted from their carriages, and, 
 headed by General Lee, mounted ithe stairway, where they were 
 met by General Parrado, second to Blanco in command. They 
 wei'e ushered into a reception room and invited to seats. The 
 apartmont was richly furnished. 
 
 General Parrado, through an interpreter, said that General 
 Blanco was busy, but would receive his visitors in a few moments. 
 The apartment fronted the park. Adjoining it was a second 
 apartment resembling the governor "s room in the City Hall, New 
 York. It contained painted portraits of the Captains-General of 
 Cuba for more than a century. One of the party entered this 
 room and was gazing at the paintings, when General Parrado 
 took him by the arm and bagau to call his attention to the most 
 distinguished of the group. 
 
 " De Rodas? "' asked the visitor, pointing to a portrait. 
 
 "Si," answered General Parrado. De Rodas, it will be remem- 
 bered, was one of the Captains-General of the island during the 
 ten-years war. The picture showed a clean-cut face, vnth a bald 
 head, and an exquisitely fitting uniform. After gazing at it a 
 minute or more, the visitor turned to General Parrado and said, 
 "Show me Balmaseda, please." The General, using his index 
 finger, pointed to a portrait on the left of De Rodas, saying " Bal- 
 maseda." This Captain-General won a reputation in the ten-years 
 war equal to that of Weyler in the present war. "Now show me 
 Lersundi,'- said the visitor. With alacrity the general pointed to 
 a portrait. Lersundi had a diplomatic face and no military air. 
 '_' Polevieja?" inquired the visitor, turning away. The generals 
 index finger was again brought into play. Polevieja was the suc- 
 cessor of Blanco as Captain-General of the Philippine Islands. He 
 is accredited with having crushed the rebellion in those islands, 
 although later dispatches say that the fires of insurrection are 
 again burning as brightly as ever. It was said in Havana that he 
 is to be successor to Blanco in Cuba. Many years ago he was 
 Captain-General. The face bore a remarkable resemblance to that 
 of the late Gen. John A. Logan. 
 
 "Dulce?" inquired the visitor. General Parrado pointed to a 
 portrait on the opposite wall. It was that of Dulce, who was 
 driven from the island by the Havana volunteers because of his 
 clemrnry. As the visitor gazed upon his features and made some 
 remarkrj in English, the General looked at him (lucrulously. Some 
 
9 
 
 of the Weyler newspnpers liad iutiraateil that Blanco miirlit meet 
 the fate of Dnlce. '•C\)ncha," remarktxl the visitor, at which the 
 General sinile<l and doriij^natt'd the poi'trait of one of the most 
 noted of all the Spanish j;:overnors. It was an American face, 
 denoting firmness and decision. There was nothing SpauLih 
 about it. 
 
 At this point General Parrado turned, and, pointing to a por- 
 trait near by. said, " Blanco!" 
 
 "Oh. no," remarked the visitor, "not Blanco— the Prince of 
 Wales." 
 
 At this the General lani^hed heartily. At the same moment 
 General Blanco entered the room. Parrado told him what the 
 visitor had said, and the General laughed, apparently enjoying 
 the remark. It was a portrait of General Blanco, taken nearly a 
 quarter of a century ago, when he was first made Captain-General 
 of Cuba. The features were those of the Prince of Wales twenty 
 years ago, but the complexion was darker. Blanco, however, 
 like the Prince of Wales, has groA\ni stout. He has a plca.'^aut 
 face and a mild eye. He wore neither uniform nor decoration, 
 but was dressed in plain black. You meet a dozen men in Wall 
 street eveiy day who resemble him. He looked more like a pros- 
 perou.^ banker than a Captain-General. With General Blanco 
 came Dr. Congosto, the secretary-general. All retired to the re- 
 ception room and were seated in a circle. 
 
 General Lee and General Blanco greeted each other quite 
 warmly. It was evident that Blanco had a warm spot in his heart 
 for Lee, and that Lee, to a certain extent, reciprocated the feel- 
 ing. Each inquired after the other "s health, and there was a vein 
 of badinage in their conversation. 
 
 " You must visit me in the United States this summer," said 
 General Lee, "and we will go to Saratoga together. The water 
 there will be of great benefit to you. Aside from this, there are 
 grand balls every night, and you will have an opportunity of being 
 presented to many beautiful American ladies. I understand that 
 during your last visit to the United States you were greatly im- 
 pressed with their loveliness." 
 
 General Blanco partly understood what was said, but relied 
 upon an interpreter for a thorough definition. Throwing up his 
 hands, he said he feared that he would be unable to accept the 
 kind invitation that was extended to him. " My duties might 
 keep me in Havana," he added. 
 
 General Lee replied that if he could not find time to visit the 
 springs, it would be his pleasure to send him several cases of the 
 w^ater, as he felt confident that it would be very beneficial. 
 
 AUTOXOMY. 
 
 Meantime the visitor had entered into conversation with Dr. 
 Congosto. He had met him in Philadelphia several years ago, and 
 recalled the meeting. Congosto speaks English like an American. 
 He was polished and cordial. He has a remarkable head, with a 
 full, broad forehead and large licjuid eyes. He is known as the 
 Talleyrand of the lilanco administration. 
 
 " Of course your visit here is for pleasure alone?" he said. 
 
 "Hardly that," replied the visitor. " I came to see what I can 
 see. if not to hear what I can hear." 
 
 The conversation then drifted upon the effort to establish au- 
 tonomy for Cuba. The proposal, the visitor was told, came from 
 Madrid, at the suggestion of General Blanco. Th'^i Captain-Gen- 
 3643 
 
10 
 
 eral .selected the autonomic cabinet. It consists entirely of Cubans. 
 Tlii.s cabinet had complete control of the civil administration of 
 the island, Congosto said, and they were entirely responsible for 
 the present situation. They had removed the Spanish governors 
 of the six provinces and appointed Cubans in their stead. One of 
 these governors in former days had been sentenced to death. 
 More than this, the autonomic cabinet had removed all the Span- 
 ish mayors of the ditleront cities and appointed Cubans in their 
 jdaces.' All the judges of the courts had been removed and Cubans 
 Hubstituted. 
 
 It was a system more liberal than tliat in Canada to-day. Gen- 
 eral 131ancodid not preside at the meeting of the cabinet, and had 
 no more power than the Governor-General of Canada. Elections 
 liad been ordered the same as those held in the Canadian provinces. 
 They would bo held some time in April. When he was asked 
 whether tiie franchise was based on a i)roperty qualification, he 
 rei)lied, '"No; the only fiualification is the ability to read and 
 write, and loj-alty." 
 
 "Arc tlie negroes to vote the same as the whites? " he was asked. 
 
 ' • Certainly,'" was the reply. "There is no distinction as to race 
 or creed here. We recognize the negro as an equal with the 
 whites, both socially and politically. The blacks are far more 
 free than tho.se in the United States," he remarked, "for if I am 
 to believe what I see in your American newspai)ers, many of them 
 are debarred from voting. In Cuba there is no feeling against 
 them, nor any (juestion whatever of their rights to vote." 
 
 In reply to further questions Dr. Congosto said that the inspect- 
 ors and canvassers of elections were all appointed by the auton- 
 omists. 
 
 "I am told," said the visitor, "that the Spaniards will vota 
 against autonomy." 
 
 "This maybe true," was the answer; "I am inclined to the 
 opinion that the Spaniards will carry the large cities, but that the 
 autonomists will carry the country." 
 
 It was suggested that the autonomist elective officers might ma- 
 nipulate the returns so as to give an autonomist majority. Dr. 
 Congosto smiled and replied: " You seem to be familiar with the 
 American system of conducting elections. Here the system is an 
 experiment," he continued, shrugging his shoulders, "but it is 
 my belief that the autonomists will be successful." 
 
 In further conversation it was alleged that the autonomists were 
 the ones who were making proposals to the insurgent chiefs and 
 endeavoring to draw them within the line of autonomy. He ex- 
 liressed no opinion as to the result of such an experiment. 
 
 "Well, Doctor," said the visitor, "if the autonomists electa 
 majority and a system is inaugurated the same as that in Canada, 
 what next? It has not received the indorsement of the Spanish 
 Cortes." 
 
 "No," replied the secretary-general; "the last Cortes made no 
 provision for it, but a new Cortes, under the administration of 
 Sagasta, is to be chosen, and thej' will have the power to sanction 
 it." 
 
 Here the visitor remarked that Martinez Campos had made a 
 similar proposition, so as to end the ton years' war. It had been 
 l)ractically accepted by the insurgents, aiid ( Jomez and Maceohad 
 laid down thoir arms and left tlie island with an explicit under- 
 statiding that autonomy was to be given, vet when Campos became 
 prime minister of .Spain llie Cortes fail-d to ratifv it. Congosto 
 
11 
 
 made no reference to Caniiios. but replied that this jtvoposi- 
 tion came from Sapasta. The elections in Spain wonld nndonbt- 
 edly resnlt in the trinmph of Sagasta's administration. The Gov- 
 ernment usually carried the elections, and in hia opinion there was 
 no doubt about" this one. A Cortes would be elected that would 
 support the proposition of autonomy cominj? from the prime min- 
 ister. Here the visitor said all would then remain in the hands of 
 the prime minister. If he should chan-e his mind and reverse 
 his steps, the Cortes would undoubtedly vote in accordance with 
 his wishes and refuse autonomy. 
 
 To this no reply was made, save a shrug of the shoulders. The 
 Doctor apparently believed that none was necessary. 
 
 All this time General Lee continued his conversation with Gen- 
 eral Blanco, As the party arose they were conducted again to 
 the apartment containing the portraits of the Captains-General. 
 It was remarked that the Captains-General of the seventeenth 
 century bore a striking resemblance to the signers of the Declara- 
 tion of' Independence. They wore queues and had clean-shaven 
 faces. Some had blue eyes and Roman features, presenting a 
 marked contrast to the most of their successors. General Blanco 
 and General Lee, with General Parrado, sat down at a desk, whila 
 an artist sketched all three. The conversation rippled right mer- 
 rily, with the assistance of an interpreter and an occasional sally 
 from Congosto. It was more of a social than a formal reception. 
 
 Five minutes afterwards formal leave of the Captain-General 
 ■was taken. As the party descended the marble stairway they 
 stopped to admire the statue of Columbus. Files of Spanish sol- 
 diers still remained at the entrance. 
 
 "It was here in front of this statue," said a correspondent who 
 accompanied the partv, ' ' that the body of General Aranguran was 
 placed when it was brought to Havana two weeks ago. It was 
 borne here covered with blood, amid the imprecations of the Span- 
 ish volunteers. Blanco, from the second-story window, witnessed 
 the demonstration. With an impatient wave of the hand, he 
 promptly ordered the corpse to be taken to the morgue. When 
 the relatives of the unfortunate young Cuban patriot sought it, 
 the General humanely turned it over to their care and it received 
 a Christian burial. 
 
 TREATMENT OF AMERICANS. 
 
 The sufferings of Ainerican citizens in Cuba have been over- 
 looked in the horror created by the execution of Weyler's recon- 
 centration order. It resolved itself into a deliberate effort to ex- 
 terminate the rural Cuban population by starvation. No effort 
 was made to feed them. To use the words of Miss Clara Barton 
 to a Congressional delegation visiting Matanzas, "the Turks were 
 far more merciful to the Annenians. They put them to the sword 
 outright and spared them the untold miseries inflicted upon the 
 Cubans." 
 
 It was not at first generally known that among the reconcen- 
 trados driven into the Weyler pens were scores of citizens of the 
 United States. In every case they were treated as rebellious sub- 
 jects of Spain. If they protested and refused to obey the order, 
 they were slaughtered on their plantations by the Spanish guer- 
 rillas. In most cases their cattle were killed, their houses burned, 
 and their lards laid waste. Many would have starved to deatli 
 in the pens were it not for the §.jO,000 appropriated by Congress. 
 A few beyond the ken of the watchful consuls charged with the 
 distribution of the provisions undoubtedly did die of starvation. 
 
12 
 
 Gen. Fitzhn^li L'^e filled his functions grandlj'. His example 
 was foUiiued by Consul LJrice, at Matanzas, and Consul Barker, at 
 Saj^ua la Grande. All made reports of the.?c outrages on Ameri- 
 can citizens, but these reports were buried in the pigeonholes of 
 the Stato Department here at Washington. Near Sagua la Grande 
 an Ami'-rican citizen was butchered on his plantation by guerrillas. 
 The murder was brought to the attention of Consul Barker. 
 With sloopk'ss energy he laid bare every detail. He secured the 
 allidavits of seven eyewitnes.scs of the crime and forwarded them 
 to Washington. No reply was received, and I have no knowledge 
 of any protest made by the State Dei)artmeut to the Spanish au- 
 tlmrit'es. 
 
 Nor was the situation improved under the-i-ule of autonomy. 
 In Matanzas to-day there remains an American citizen who two 
 years ago owned a plantation on the river, six miles from the city, 
 lie was driven into th.' pen under the Weylcr order and his plan- 
 tation destroyed. A Cuban by birth, he married an American 
 girl in Amherst, Mass., and became naturalized. Through the 
 kindness of Consul Brice he escaped starvation. On the V2th of 
 November last tha alleged autonomist government removed the 
 governor of the province of Matanzas and appointed a native 
 Cuban, d'Armis, in his place. The new governor is undoubtedly 
 humane and .sympathetic. He was once an insurgent, and waa 
 sentenced to death for treason by the Spanish authorities. He 
 accepted office very much as Govin accepted it, with a view of 
 again trusting Spanish promises and of giving autonomy a fair 
 tr:al: but he is governor only in name. 
 
 The real governor is Molina, the general commanding theprov- 
 inc-e, better known as the military governor. Molina received 
 his commission from Weyler, and is heartily in line with his 
 policj'. U'Armis issued an order allowing the American recon- 
 centrado to return to his plantation. The Amherst man bor- 
 rowed f?-2')0 and went back to the blackened ruins of his home. 
 He bought a scow and began to make charcoal, intending to bring 
 it down the river on the scow. Prosperity had not fairly glim- 
 mered before his pits were destroj-ed, his charcoal was seized, and 
 he was driven back within the lines. 
 
 The military governor had revoked the order of the civil gov- 
 crjior, and the deaths from starvation, as the records show, were 
 1,50U a month. Indeed, 23 persons died in the square fronting 
 the palace on the very day that the new civil governor took office. 
 Consul Brice forwarded the facts in this case to the State Depart- 
 ment, and a claim for damages was made against Spain. All 
 have been buried in the archives, and not a whisper of the actual 
 situation has ever reached the ears of Congress. 
 
 Such are isolated cases of outrages upon American citizens in 
 the provinces of Santa Clara and Matanzas. How many similar 
 cases have occurred in Pinar del Rio, Havana, Puerto Principe, 
 and Santiago de Cuba the buried reports of the American consuls 
 may faintly outline. The fact remains that Weyler drew no dis- 
 tinction between American citizens and Cubans when he issued 
 hi.s inhuman decree. Nor did he heed the protests of those con- 
 suls who were bravo enough to make them. Weyler"s order waa 
 positive and imperative. The language, literally translated, is: 
 
 All tlK- iiiliftbitaiits of tho country, or outside of tho lino of fortific.itiouij 
 of tin- towns, sliiill. within till.' poriod of ei^lit days, coiicontriite theuisolves 
 in till- towns o<.-cui)ii;d by the troops. Any indiviiUial who, nft'M- the expirii- 
 t ion of this period, is found in the uninhabited parts will bo considered a 
 robi'l and trit'd as such. 
 U5i:i 
 
13 
 
 lu most cases the order was exocuted by the Spanish guornllji^!, 
 who plundortHl and murdeied without mercy. They acted in 
 accordance with tlio spirit of Woyler's order, which meant ex- 
 termination, without re.i^ard to ago, condition, or sex, lie, as ho 
 said, simply carried out the order of Canovas, without fear or 
 favor. It was thus, as a subaltern in the ten years' war, ho carrie<l 
 out the orders of Captain-General lialmacoda, better known as 
 "the butcher." Weyler shifts tho onus from his own shoulders 
 to those of tho prime minister, for whom Spain alone is respon- 
 sible. 
 
 THE CASE OF ZARRATE. 
 
 A remarkab'e instance of Weyler 's firmness and tmyielding 
 spirit was shown in the case of Zabi Zarrato y Varona. Ho was 
 editor of the Union Coustitucional, a semiofficial organ of tho 
 Canovas-Weyler regime. Zarrate was also a captain of Spanish 
 volunteers in active service in Havana. His aunt had been mar- 
 ried to General xVzcarraga. then minister of war in the Canovas 
 cabinet. Azcarraga, by tho way, was a native of tho Philippine 
 Islands. The brother of Zarrate was secretary to the captain- 
 general of Puerto Rico. A younger brother was the tutor of Eng- 
 lish to the young King of Spain. For some unexplained reason, 
 Zarrate left Havana and joined the patriot army. He carried 
 himself with unexampled bravery and became a colonel under 
 Maceo. 
 
 After Maceo's death he was ambushed, wounded, and captured 
 while carrj-ing dispatches from Pinar del Rio to Gomez, in Santa 
 Clara. He was thrown into the Cabanas, and a court-martial 
 was promptly ordered by General Weyler. The news of his cap- 
 ture reaching Madrid, Azcarraga sent a private dispatch to Wey- 
 ler, urging him to treat him as leniently fis possible. Weyler 
 made no reply. He had the reputation of doing his duty, regard- 
 less of fear or favor. A private disiDatch from the Captain-General 
 of Puerto Rico met the same fate. The friends of ZaiTate we'o 
 in despair. 
 
 While the court-martial was in session Azcarraga sent Weyler 
 an official dispatch, ordering the finding of the court to be kept 
 secret. If its sessions were not ended, he ordered Weyler to sus- 
 pend the proceedings and forward the prisoner to Madrid. Prompt 
 was the answer of the Captain-General to tho minister of war: 
 "The court-martial has found Zarrate guilty of treason. The 
 sentence is death; and if I am Captain-General to-morrow, the 
 prisoner will be shot." Azcai-raga api^ealed to Canovas and his 
 cabinet and besought their intercession. They unanimously sus- 
 tained Weyler. whereupon the secretary of war resigned. 
 
 Providence, however, intervened in a manner almost miraculous. 
 The next morning the King's tutor came to the King in tears, 
 saying that he would be unable to give him a lesson in English that 
 day, and begging to be excused. The little King asked what was 
 the matter. "My brother is to be shot to-day in Havana," was 
 the reply. The King instantly sought the Queen Regent and asked 
 her to call a cabinet meeting at once, as he wanted to make an 
 appeal on behalf of a friend. The cabinet happened to be in ses- 
 sion at that moment, discussing the resignation of Azcarraga. 
 The tiny King walked into the apartment with his mother. In a 
 neat little speech he alluded to the grief of his tutor and detailed 
 tho misfortune of his brother. There was no complaint against 
 General Weyler. His firmness was applauded and hia devotion 
 to duty praised. 
 3rA3 
 
14 
 
 But ho dosired in this case to relievo the distress of a friend, sava 
 the brother, and temper .iustice with mercy. Never had ho asked 
 any favor of tlie administration, although he had been proclaimed 
 King a long time ago. This would be his first official act. He 
 directed that the royal ])ardon be promptly transmitted to Ha- 
 vana, bowed, and wixlked back to the royal apartments with the 
 Qiioen Regent. The cabinet, it is said, were deeply affected by 
 this exercise of the young King's prerogative. The dispatch an- 
 nouncing tlie pardon was sent to General Weyler without delay. 
 It arrived as Zarrate was marching to the laitrel ditch of the Ca- 
 l)anas, where so many patriots have yielded up their lives for the 
 freedom of Cuba. The King afterwards complimented General 
 Weyler, and asked him to officially inform Azcarraga and other 
 relatives of the royal clemency. Zarrate is now an alcade under 
 the autonomist government. This pardon, it is averred, is the 
 only one on record that has not been promulgated through Iho 
 war department in Spain for centuries. 
 
 THE COMMAXUER OF THE VIZCAVA. 
 
 A story fully as romantic and interesting is told of Captain 
 Eulate, the commander of the cruiser Vizcaya, the lato visitor to 
 the harbor of New York. The incident occurred in La Guayra, 
 on the Spanish main, in 1891. The American consul there was 
 Mr. Hanna. a relative of Hon. Jerry Rusk, of Wisconsin. The 
 city was raided by one of Dictator Mendoza's generals. He im- 
 prisoned all of the foreign merchants and seventeen consuls, repre- 
 senting different nations, demanding a large rans^om for their 
 release. Hanna was out of town when the raid began. On his 
 return he sensed the situation and took immediate steps for the 
 rescue of his colleagues. 
 
 The only war vessel in the harbor was the Jorge Juan, a little 
 Spanish ship with three small guns, detailed for coast-guard duty. 
 Her commanding officer was Eulate, then a sublieutenant in the 
 Spanish navy. Hanna tried to communicate by cable with the 
 United States Government, but failed. He next tried to reach 
 the American minister at Caracas, and was again shut off. Fi- 
 nally, as a last resort, he took a boat and boarded the Jorge Juan. 
 Lieutenant Eulate received him with marked courtesy, and lis- 
 tened graciously to his story. 
 
 Hanna detailed the startling events that had occurred, and 
 asked the aid of the Spanish gunboat in rescuing the imprisoned 
 consuls. Eulate listened with much interest. He replied that 
 Spain was one of the first nations to recognize the independence 
 of the American colonies when they were struggling with Great 
 Britain for their freedom, and she would not decline to assist the 
 United States at a time like the present. He said his ship was at 
 Mr. Hanna's disposal, and asked him what he intended to do. •' I 
 propose to demand the release of the imprisoned consuls," was the 
 reply. 
 
 Lieutenant Eulate then placed thirty Spanish marines at the 
 disposal of Consul Hanna. He ordered his crew to prepare for 
 action. The marines were embarked in the launch, which dis- 
 played the American flag. Consul Hanna landed witli them and 
 demanded tlie release of the imprisoned consuls within twenty 
 minutes, saying that if this was not done the gunboat would open 
 fire njion the city. A single shot was fired at the Spanish vessel 
 from tlie shore. It struck her in the bow, and Lieutenant Eulate 
 responded with a blank broadside. The consuls were released 
 
15 
 
 under Hanna's nltimatnm. He then domaiuleJ the release of the 
 imprisoned forei.Lcn niercliants. General iVpptT, representing tho 
 dictator, Mendoza, promptly complioil with the demand, and his 
 troops evacuated the city. The American flag was then hauled 
 down from the Jorge Juan and the Spanish ensign appeared at 
 her stern. The marines were returned to the ship, and Captain 
 Hanna and the released consuls warmly thanked Lieutenant Eulate 
 for liis services. 
 
 This, however, was not the end of the matter. The Spanish 
 Government was indignant at the action of its lieutenant. Ho 
 was ordered back to Havana, deprived of his command, and sent 
 to Morro Castle. A court-martial was ordered, the lieutenant be- 
 ing charged with piratical acts at La Guayra. Before a verdict 
 was rendered, the Spanish Government had oflicially received the 
 thanks of nineteen foreign governments, ranging from the gigan- 
 tic Empire of Russia to the Queen of Hawaii. This opened the 
 ej^es of Spain. She recognized the iu.iustice done to Eulate. He 
 was released from custody, was awarded one of the highest naval 
 decorations, and placed on waiting orders. Within a short time 
 he was made a captain in the Spanish navy and appointed chief of 
 the arsenal in Havana. 
 
 When it was determined to send the Vizcai/a to New York, 
 Captain Eulate was placed in command. It was believed that 
 his action at La Guaj-ra would especially commend him to the 
 American people. Spain thought that it could not offer a greater 
 act of courtesy. Unfortunately, the action of Eulate at La Guayra 
 had never attracted the attention of the American newspapers. 
 The public were in ignorance of the facts. They remembered 
 only that Eulate had presided over the court that sentenced the 
 Competitor prisoners to death. When the court-martial was held 
 up by orders from Madrid, Captain Eulate resented the action. 
 He indignantly asked for leave of absence and went into retire- 
 ment at Puerto Rico. 
 
 AXTONIO MACEO. 
 
 Of all the interesting information gleaned by the Congressional 
 delegation, however, none is more interesting and romantic than 
 that illustrative of the character and life of Gen. Antonio Maceo. 
 It was gratifying to know that he was not killed by the treachery 
 of the Spaniards, although they made several eft'orts to poison 
 him. I have in my possession a pass without the lines, issued by 
 a Spanish officer to a man charged with this mission. It Ls dated 
 in 1835. The emissary reached jNIaceo's camp and disclosed the 
 plot to him, begging him to be on his guard. 
 
 Maceo passed from the Province of Piuar del Rio by boat into 
 that of Havana, and was endeavoring to reach the headquarters 
 of the insurgents in that province, when he unoxpectedly mot a 
 Spanish force and was killed. The story that he was led into an 
 ambuscade by Dr. Zertuccha evidently is without foundation. 
 The Spaniards liberated the physician, who was Maceo's surgeon, 
 because he took advantage of Weyler's proclamation pardoning 
 insurgents who should voluntarily surrender. 
 
 Maceo was undoubtedly the greatest general that the revolution 
 has produced. He was as swift on the march aa either Sheridan 
 or Stonewall -Jackson, and equally as prudent and wary. Ho had 
 flashes of military genius whenever a crisis arose. It was to his 
 sudden inspiration that Martinez Campos owed his final defeat at 
 Coliseo, giving the patriots the opportunity to overrun the rich- 
 
 3543 
 
16 
 
 est of the western provinces and to carry the war to the very 
 gates of Havana. 
 
 Maceo developeil rapidly in the ten years" war, which closed 
 twenty years a^o. As a boy his brightness and probity attracted 
 the attention of General Gomez, who made him his protege. In 
 him Gomez had the utmost confidence, and he loved him as he 
 loved his son or brother. Maceo entered the patriot army as a 
 lieutenant. His promotion was rapid, and he rose to the rank of 
 major-general. In that war he developed the ability shown in the 
 present war. He died a lieutenant-general. No one has ever ques- 
 tioned his patriotism. Money could not buy him; promises could 
 not deceive him. His devotion to Cuban freedom was like the 
 devotion of a father to his family. All his energies, physical and 
 intellectual, were given freely to his country. He won the rank 
 of colonel at Sacra, between Guimara and Puerto Principe. 
 
 This was the first and the only time that Maceo was ever driven 
 back, but the odds against him were fearful. Gomez was en- 
 gaged in battle with General Valmesada, under whom Weyler 
 learned cruelty and brutality. Gomez at this time had 800 men, 
 and Valmesada l,5u0. Only 300 of the patriots were armed with 
 rifles. The others carried the machete, and used it with deadly 
 effect. Two hundred men were put lander Maceo's command. 
 He was placed in an important iiosition and told to hold it as long 
 as possible. Meantime Gomez prepared an ambuscade for the 
 Spaniards. Maceo held the position for hours and brought back 
 80 of his 200 men, 53 of the 80 being wounded. The Spanish 
 forces were caught in a ravine and lost 000 men. It was the most 
 momentous battle of the ten years' war. Maceo was then a cap- 
 tain and Gomez commander in chief. 
 
 Maceo, though a mulatto, was a second cousin of Martinez 
 Campos. His mother came from the town of Mayari, on the 
 north coast of eastern Cuba. Indian blood courses in. the veins 
 of its inhabitants— the Indians of whom Jesus Rabi, a prominent 
 Cuban general, is so striking a representative. Maceos mother 
 was half Indian and half negro. Her family name was Grinan. 
 Col. Martinez del Campos, the father of Martinez Campos, was the 
 military governor of Mayari. While in this station he nad rela- 
 tions with a woman of Indian and negro blood, who was a first 
 cousin of Maceo's mother. It was in Mayari that Martinez Cam- 
 150S was born. The father returned to Spain, taking his boy with 
 him. Campos was baptized and legitimatized in Spain, and under 
 Spanish law the town in which one is baptized is recognized as 
 his legal birthplace. 
 
 When Campos returned to Cuba as Captain-General he made 
 inquiries for his mother. On discovering her residence he estab- 
 lished her at Campo Florida, near Havana, where she was ten- 
 derly cared for until her death, some three years ago. The second 
 cousins were on opposite sides in the fight at Sacra, in which Val- 
 maseda was defeated. While the governments were conducting 
 negotiations at Zanjon, tinder the promise of autonomy made by 
 Campos, Maceo. remained in the mountain district of Eastern 
 Cuba. For a long time he refused to enter into any negotiations 
 whatever witli the Spanish authorities. 
 
 THE TRKATV OF ZAXJUX. 
 
 After Maceo became a major-general and Campos became Cap- 
 tain-Qonoral, and while preliminaries were being discitssed at Zan- 
 jon, a meeting between them was arranged. C^impos was very 
 
 u54o 
 
17 
 
 deMroiis of a conferonco with Macoo. He sent word that he was 
 coinini,', and they met on the phiin of liarra.i,'na. There were two 
 royal i)alnisof extraordinary size on this phiin. landmarks throuj^li- 
 Oiit the country, well known to everybody. It was agreed the two 
 generals shonhl meet in the shade of these palms at noon, accom- 
 j)anied bj- their staffs. The place of meeting was selected by 
 Maceo, at the request of the Captain-General. 
 
 Maceos army was only a few miles away. The mnlatto general 
 arrived beneath the palm trees at noon, with an escort of thirty 
 men. Raising his field glass he scanned the horizon, but coulil 
 see nobody. Surprisetl that Campos did not keep his word, he 
 dismounted and found the Captain-General seated and propped 
 against one of the palms, fast asleep. Before this discovery Maceo 
 had seen a horse tethered in a clump of bushes 200 yards away. 
 It had borne Campos to the rendezvous. When the Spanish gen- 
 eral opened his eyes, Maceo said: '• Whv, General, where is your 
 staff?-' 
 
 "Between gentlemen, on occasions like this," Campos gravely 
 replied, " there is no need of witnesses." 
 
 It is possible that the Captain-General did not de.siro the pres- 
 ence of his staff, preferring that the conversation should be strictly 
 confidential. Strangers are not the only ones dogged by Spanish 
 spies. The Government itself maintains an espionage on all of 
 its olficers. 
 
 Describing the interview afterwards, Maceo said that never in 
 his life did he feel more ashamed than when Campos remarked 
 that gentlemen on occasions like this needed no witnesses. In re- 
 l>ly tiie patriot said: "General, pardon me," and turning to his 
 staff' ordered them back several hundred yards. Among them was 
 the noted negro commander, Flor Crombet, whose inflexible pa- 
 triotism was sometimes sullied by atrocious acts. Maceo might 
 justly be termed the Toussaint fOuverture of the insurrection 
 and Crombet its Dessalines. Saluting Maceo previous to retiring, 
 Crombet said: " General, I hope you know your duty." 
 
 To this remark Maceo responded: "Retire, and return at 3 
 o'clock." 
 
 Crombet refeiTed to a law enacted by the Cuban government 
 similar to the one now in force in Cuba. It provided for the shoot- 
 ing of any Spanish officer who approached a patriot general to 
 treat for a surrender. In telling the story afterwards, Maceo said 
 that he saw the devil in Crombefs eyes, and feared trouble. 
 
 At o o'clock the escort returned, but without Crombet. Quin- 
 tiu Bandera, the well-known negro general of the present war, 
 came back with the escortand reported that onreaching the camp 
 Flor Crombet had mustered his forces and departed. This re- 
 duced Maceo's army at least one-third. Fearful that Crombet 
 meant mischief, and knowing his savage disposition, ^laceo was 
 afraid that Campos might be attacked on his return to his head- 
 quarters. He offered to escort him back to his staff, and the offer 
 was accepted. 
 
 Crombet had really gone to ambuscade Campos and his escort. 
 He planted the ambuscade at a point called Los Infiernos (Hell's 
 Steps) . When Campos reached his escort, Maceo shook hands with 
 him and departed. He warily followed the Captain-General . how- 
 ever, until long after sunset. About h o'clock at night Camjios 
 was fiercely attacked by Crombet. The attack was stoutly re- 
 sisted. Maceo closed up, on hearing the first shot, and vigorously 
 defended Campos, much to the astonishment of the latter. The 
 CuW-:i 
 
18 
 
 assault was repelled, and the Captain-Goiieral returned to Alto 
 JSonm), Macco accompanying him as far as Jarajuica. 
 
 Flor Crombet never rejoined Maceo. He afterwards disbanded 
 his forces, reached the southern coast, and escaped to Jamaica. 
 This story was told by Maceo to a friend while seated on a log on 
 the plain of Barragua, near the two royal palms where Martinez 
 Campos took his nap. 
 
 SPAXISn TIIEACIIEKV. 
 
 Maceo liad a second interview with Campos not long afterwards. 
 It was upon the estate of an English planter. Campos urged him 
 to follow the example of others and surrender on the promise of 
 autonomy. Maceo stoutly refused to accept such terms. He pro- 
 posed that he be allowed to secrete his arms and leave Cuba, feel- 
 ing perfectly free to return to the island whenever he pleased. 
 This proposal was finally accepted. Campos further guaranteed 
 the freedom of the slaves in Maceo's army, promising that they 
 should have the same rights in Cuba thereafter as Spanish citi- 
 zens. He also solemnly promised that Maceo and his staff should 
 be sent to Jamaica on a steamship furnished by Campos and there 
 released. These promises were made in the presence of the British 
 consul, who came to Songo with Maceo in a buggy. 
 
 On his arrival at Songo the patriot general was sent in a special 
 train with the British consul to Santiago de Cuba. From the train 
 he went directly aboard the ship Thomas Brooks, chartered to 
 take him to Jamaica. Somewhat to his surprise, his staff was 
 placed aboard another steamer, called Los Angelas. In violation 
 of the promise of Martinez Campos, the staff were taken, not to 
 Jamaica, but to Puerto Rico. There thoy were transferred to 
 Spanish war ships and taken toCeuta. It is probable that Maceo 
 would also have been sent there, despite the agreement of Campos, 
 were it not for the friendship shown him by the British consul, 
 Mr. Ramsden, who was the owner of the Thovias Brooks. Some 
 months later Campos became prime minister in Spain. He had 
 guaranteed home rule to Cuba, but the Spanish Cortes refused to 
 sanction the agreement. Thoy wei'e not, however, utterly lost to 
 shame, for they did i:)ass Moret's bill freeing the negroes. This, 
 however, looked like a stroke of policy. It was evidently done to 
 curry favor with the negroes, whose bravery, devotion, and dis- 
 cipline were unquestioned. 
 
 The same policy is being pursued by the Spaniards to-day. 
 Two negroes are serving as secretaries under the autonomist cab- 
 inet. A month ago Blanco was forming a new negro regiment, 
 offering recruits $"20 a month in silver. Negro volunteers are to 
 ba found in all the largo cities. The white Cubans, however, are 
 not allowed to enter the volunteer regiments; they are invariably 
 incorporated into the regular Spanish army. The lieutenant- 
 colonel of the royal body guard of Captain-General Weyler was a 
 Spanish-French negro, born in New Orleans, and once a servant 
 of ex-Senator P. B. S. Pinchback, of Louisiana. He was a distin- 
 guished chiropodist in Havana when he was made a lieutenant- 
 colonel. To-day he displays a dazzling array of diamonds and 
 decorations. He is vice-chairman of the Weyler junta in Havana 
 and chief of the colored fire brigade. He also o\%nis a triweekly 
 newspaper, which invariably reprints from the American press all 
 the accounts of lynchings of negroes in the Southern States. In 
 his editorial columns he alludes to them as an argument against 
 annexation to the United States. 
 
19 
 
 Quintin Baiuloni incaiia ''fifteen flags." Tlio appellation was 
 given to BiiiuU'ia because he had captured fifteen Spanish ensigns. 
 He is a coal-black negro, of remarkable military ability. Ho was 
 a slave of Quesada. With others of Maceo's staff, he was sent to 
 prison at ("euta. While in prison the daughter (^f a Spanish stalt 
 oflicer fell in love with him. Through her aid, he escaped in a 
 boat toCxibraltar. where he became a Briti-sh subject, and married 
 his preserver. She is of Spanish and Moorish blood, and is said 
 to be a lady of education and refinement. She taught ht-r hus- 
 band to read and write, and takes great pride in his achievements. 
 
 Jos' Maceo, the half brother of Antonio, escaped from Ceuta 
 with (Quintin Bandera. 
 
 Antunio Maceo neither smoked tobacco nor drank spirituous 
 liijuor. When he felt unwell, he took copious drafts of orange 
 leaf tea. It is said that he was also in the habit of taking arsenic 
 in solution. He forbade all smoking in camp at nights, and no 
 one had the hardihood to smoke in his presence, as he had a 
 natural antipathy to the fumes of tobacco. 
 
 After the c!ose of the ten years' war he became a civil engineer, 
 and spent some years in Central America. He was in communi- 
 cation with !Mar'ti and Gomez, and received information of the 
 late insurrection at Port Limon. From there he went to Venezuela 
 and from Venezuela to Cuba. In concert with Marti, Ciomez, 
 Flor Crombet, Rabi, Bandera, and others, he assisted in organiz- 
 ing the army and in developing a plan of operations. The final 
 meeting was held upon a plantation owned by a relative of the 
 Pope. It was Maceo who planned the attack upon Martinez 
 Campos on the way from Manzanillo to Bayamo. It was in this 
 attack that General Sautocildes was killed. Campos instinctively 
 took an unused road and escaped to Bayamo. He had previously 
 escaped death by strategj'. He was carried in a litter from the 
 rear to the vanguard of his army. The Cubans, taking him for a 
 wounded soldie*. allowed him to pass without firing at him. 
 
 One more characteristic incident in the life of Gen. Antonio 
 Maceo. As the years roll by he will itndoubtedly loom up as the 
 heroic figure in the long and bitter struggle for Cuban freedom. 
 His patriotism was entirely untainted with selfishness. His heart 
 beat for Cuba and Cuba alone. His whole family perished in the 
 war. No cruelty stains his record. Of unquestioned military 
 genius, his ceaseless energy w^as second only to his tact and fore- 
 cast. In resource ho was boundless, in bravery iinsurpassed, in 
 l)rudence a marvel. Obeying orders himself, he commanded obe- 
 dience from others. Outrages upon noncombatants were remorse- 
 lessly punished. The black soldiers of Flor Crombet quickly 
 learned to fear and respect him. Two of them were charged with 
 assaulting defenseless Cuban women on the outskirts of a town 
 garrisoned by Spaniards. 
 
 The evidence was clear and irrefutable. On the finding of a 
 court-martial they were sentenced to death. In vain did Crombet 
 and Quintin Bandera urge Maceo to pardon them. They were 
 brave soldiers, whose reputations were previously unstained. 
 The orders against such outrages were imperative. The strictest 
 discipline must be maintained, and it was not a case where justice 
 could be tempered with mercy. Both men were hanged in front 
 of the camp, and henceforth Maceo's men were as ord»M-ly and 
 as obedient as soldiers of Sparta. No one was excepted in camp 
 regulations. Even the newspaper correspondents were held to 
 as strict account in the line of marcher elsewhere as the humblest 
 
20 
 
 poklier. Maceo was no respecter of persons when orders were 
 (lisol)eyecl. Grave and saturnine in disposition, he had few or no 
 favorites. Always thouj^htful and wary, he never slept nnles-s 
 he fancied himself in perfect security. 
 
 MACEO'S MILITAKY ABILITY. 
 
 Any story that sheds light upon the character and career of 
 thisextraordinary man must prove of more than ordinary interest. 
 This incident occurred after the battle of Paralejo, where Santo- 
 cildes was killed, and Martinez Campos escaped to Bayamo, leav- 
 ing? his roiited army heliind him. Flor Crombet had fallen in 
 battle several weeks before this fight, and Marti had been killed 
 in an insignificant fight at Dos Rios. Gomez had passed into 
 Camaguay to add fire to the insurrection, and Maceo had been 
 left in command in the province of Santiago. To him was Cam- 
 pos indebted for his defeat. He escaped capture as if by intui- 
 tion. A new snare had been spread for him by Maceo after the 
 deatli of Santocildcs, and he was alreadj' within its meshes when, 
 intuitively divining the situation, he came to an about face and 
 fled to Bayamo by an unused road covered by an impassable 
 thicket in the rear of Macco"s victorious troops. 
 
 The Spaniards were rapidly reenforced after the escape to Bay- 
 amo, and Maceo. with Quintin Bandero, began to fall back to his 
 impregnable mountain retreat at Jarahuica. This was in the 
 heart of Santiago de Cuba, over 100 miles east of Bayamo and 25 
 miles northeast of the port of Santiago. His war-worn army 
 needed rest, recruits, and supplies. Once in his mountain fast- 
 ness, he was perfectly secure, as no Spanish army would trust 
 itself in the rocky range. News of his movements had reached 
 Santiago, and a strenuous effort was being made to head him off 
 at San Luis, a railroad town 15 miles northwest of that city. 
 Nothing, however, escaped the observation of the,Cuban general. 
 With wonderful prescience he anticipated the movements of the 
 Spaniards. His troopers were armed with machetes, and the in- 
 fantry with ritles and ammunition captured at Paralejo. Bandera 
 commanded this band of black foot soldiers. 
 
 The march had been terrific, and horses and men were nearly 
 fagged. With sparse supplies the pace had been kept up for 
 hours. The sun had gone down, and the moon was flooding the 
 fronds of the palms with pale, silvery light. Maceo held a short 
 conference witli Quintin Bandera, and not long afterwards the 
 blacks wheeled in column and disappeared. Meantime the Cuban 
 cavalry continued its course. By midnight it had reached Cem- 
 etery Hill, overlooking the town of San Luis. The moon was 
 half way down the sky. Maceo sat upon his horse surveying the 
 scene below him long and silently. The little town was aglow 
 with electric lights, and the whistle of locomotives resounded in 
 the valley. Over 3,000 Spanish troops were quartered in the 
 town, and their movements were plainly discernible. 
 
 Trains were arriving hourly from Santiago, bearing strong re- 
 enforcements. Through a field glass Maceo watched the stirring 
 scene. He turned the glass beyond the town, and gazed through 
 it patiently, betraying a trace of anxiety. Finally he alighted and 
 conferred with Colonel Miro, his chief of staff. A moment after- 
 wards came the order to dismount. Three hundred troopers obeyed, 
 and were about to tether their horses when they were called to 
 attention. A second order reached their ears. They were told to 
 stand motionless with both feet on the ground, and to await fur- 
 
21 
 
 tlier orders with tlioir right hands on iheir sathlles. In the moon- 
 light beneath the scattered pahns they htood as silent as it iietrified. 
 
 Among them was (Teorgo Eugene Bryson, a newsjiaper cor- 
 respondent, who had known Macto many years, ami who had 
 parted witli him at Port Linion. in Central America, a few months 
 before. Ho had joined the column just after the battle of Pa- 
 ralejo. In obedience to orders, he stood with his arm over tho 
 back of his horse, blinking at the enlivening scene below him. 
 Exhausted by the day's inarch, his eyes closed, and ho found it 
 impossible to keep awake. A mcjment later he fastened the bridlo 
 to liis foot, wrapped himself in his rubber coat, placed a satchel 
 under his head, and fell asleep in the wet gra,ss. 
 
 Tho adjutant soon awoke him, telling him that ho had better 
 get up. as they were going to have a fight. lie thanked the adju- 
 tant, who toUi him there were over ;5,(t()0 Spanish soldiers in San 
 Luis, and that it was sttrrounded with fourteen blockhouses. 
 The correspondent soon curled himself on the grass a second 
 time and was in a sound slumber, when he was again aroused by 
 the adjutant, M'ho told him he was in positive danger if ho per- 
 sisted in disobeying the order of General Maceo. A third time 
 his heavy eyelids closed, and he was in a dead sleep, when startled 
 by a peremptory shake. Jesus Mascons. Maceo's secretary, stood 
 over him. "Get up this instant," said he. " The general wants 
 to see you immediately." 
 
 In a second Bryson was on his feet. The whistles were still 
 blowing and the electric lights still glowing in the valley and the 
 moon was on tlie horizon. He went forward in some trepidation, 
 fancying that the General was going to upbraid hini for disobey- 
 ing ills orders. He was surprised to find him very pleasant. 
 Maceo always spoke in a low tone, as he had been shot twice 
 through the lungs. 
 
 "Are you not liungry?" he asked. 
 
 "No,"' the correspondent replied, wondering what was in tho 
 wind. 
 
 "I thought possibly you might want something to eat," General 
 Maceo said, with a smile. "I have a boiled egg here, and I want 
 to divide it with you." As he uttered these words he drew out 
 his machete and cut the egg straight through the center. Passing 
 half of it to the correspondent he said: "Share it; it will do you 
 good." The newspaper man thanked the General and they ate 
 the egg in silence. He said afterwards that the incident reminded 
 him of General Marion's breakfast with a British officer. He had 
 read the incident in Peter Parley's History of the Revolution, 
 when a school boy. Marion raked a baked" sweet potato out of 
 the ashes of a ca-sup fire, and divided it with his British guest 
 The officer regretted the absence of salt, and the correspondent 
 said he experienced the same regret when he ate his portion of 
 General Maceo's egg. 
 
 After munching the egg both men sat for some time observing 
 the stirring scene in the valley below them. Tho moon had gone 
 down, but in the glow of the electric lights they could see that the 
 activity among the Spaniards was as great as ever. .Suddenly 
 Maceo turned to Bryson and said abruptly, " Were you asleep 
 when .Jesus called you? "' 
 
 "Oh. no," Bryson replied, "I was not asleep; I was only just 
 tired — that was all." 
 
 The General looked at him searchingly, and then said. "Don't 
 worry; it is all right. We are going through that town in a few 
 
 35« 
 
22 
 
 niinntes. There may be a fierce figlit, ami j-ou will need a clear 
 head. The egg will give you strength." 
 
 Within twenty minutes the little column of 300 men was on 
 the move. They led their horses down the hill about an hour be- 
 fore daybreak with the General in the lead. Silently and stealth- 
 ily they entered the outskirts of the town. The column passed 
 two blockhouses without being observed, and at the break of day 
 was beyond the town on the main road to Banabacoa. Meantime 
 the Spaniards had discovered them. The town was aroused, and 
 1 ."iO Spanish cavalry headed the pursuit. The road wound through 
 IJL'lds of cane. A strong column of Spanish infantry followed the 
 cavalry. Maceo held his men in reserve and continued his march, 
 the Spanish troopers trailing after them like so many wild-cats. 
 Suddenly, to their astonishment, Quintiu Bandera's infantry arose 
 on either side of the road and almost annihilated the pursuing 
 cfilumn. Those that escaped alarmed the columns of infantry, 
 who returned to San Luis and began to fortify themselves. 
 
 Maceo and Bandera camped on the estate of Mejorana, about G 
 miles away. It was here that Marti, Gomez, the two Maceos, 
 Crombet, Guerra, and Rabi met not long before this to inaugurate 
 the new revolution. Bandera and Maceo found plenty of pro- 
 visions at the estate, but no bread. A small Cuban boy was sent 
 to the Spanish commander at San Luis with a note requesting 
 him to be so kind as to send some bread to visitors at the Mejo- 
 rana plantation. The boy delivered the note, and the Spanish 
 commander asked who sent him. Without a moment's hesitation 
 he replied, '"General Maceo.'' The Spanish official laughed and 
 replied, "Very well, a si;pply of bread will be sent. It will not 
 be necessary lor Maceo to come after it."' What is more remark- 
 able is the fact that Maceo told the correspondent beforehand that 
 the bread would be sent, as the Spaniards had been so frightened 
 by Bandera on the previous day that they did not want to invite 
 another attack. That very evening the boy returned convoying 
 many bags of bread. The Spaniards remained within the town 
 until Maceo had rested his army and departed for Jarahuica. 
 
 SPANISH SOLDIERS. 
 
 Much has been said concerning We3'ler's armj'. I saw maaiy 
 Spanish troops in Cuba. In nearly every case they were neatly 
 dressed, fairly drilled, and usually polite and obliging. Their arms 
 and accouterments were always in good condition, and they 
 seemed to be in the best of spirits. They carried Mauser rifles and 
 wore a uniform of light material, something like the old-fashioned 
 check apron of our boyhood days. The coat resembled a Norfolk 
 jacket, and was usually held in place bj- a black belt. Their hats 
 were of a fine chip straw, with broad brims. The left side of the 
 brim was pinned to the side of the crown with a rosette, carrying 
 tlie Spanish colors. The officers wore fine Panama hats, with the 
 same rosettes and no plumes. Their uniforms were not of the 
 same material as those of the privates, but were of a steel-gray 
 color. The sleeves were richly braided in gold and similar braid 
 appeared upon the coat collar. Rank was designated by the quan- 
 tity of braid on each sleeve and collar. 
 
 All the officers and many of the privates sported a profusion of 
 medals. These were decorations awarded either for length of serv- 
 ice or for gallantry. The most of these decorations carried in- 
 creased itay, but so infinitesimal as to be ludicrous. One soldier 
 exhibited a cross which brought in §1.7'.2 a year in addition to his 
 regular pay. In one case an officer exhibited an emblem granted 
 
for service in the fii-ld whicii pvixliu-ed as lii^h as $T."»i"» a yc>tr. 
 All who received honors wcro evid-ntly very proud of them, 
 whether the remuneration was threat or small, ticnerals carried 
 malacca canes aside from their swords. The cane is an indication 
 of their rank. Tho commanding ofticors carry them in drillini; 
 their rei^iments. Besides the drill there was an inspection every 
 morning. I saw one in Havana. 
 
 For the inspection the regiment was brought to a rear open order, 
 the front rank facing about and confronting the rear rank. Tho 
 inspecting officer starte 1 down the right of the line, the regiment 
 standing at a parade rest. The companies came to arms port a.i 
 he came down the line. From the start to the finish ho held his 
 sword in his right hand, at an angle of '15, the hilt being within ;J 
 inches of his nose. Each captain and ranking lieutenant atti-nded 
 him as he inspected their company. Occasionally he stoi)ped and 
 worked the locks of the diiferent rifles with his left hand, keeping 
 his sword in his right and still carrying it at an angle of \o , At 
 times he upbraided the men for negligence of attire. 
 
 Meantime the companies awaiting inspection smoked cigarettea, 
 gazed at the ladies in the windows of the hotels, and bought tid- 
 bits from the hucksters who beset the line. The jabbering was 
 incessant until the inspecting officer reached the company; then 
 all were as motionless as statues. The privates seemed \o look 
 Ttpon the inspecting officer with awe, while the company officers 
 evidently gave cues to their men when he was approaching. There 
 was no crowd around the regiment, and nobodj', aside from the 
 soldiers themselves, seemed to take any interest in the inspection. 
 After the inspection the commanding officer took his station 20 
 feet away from the regiment and issued his orders in a loud voice. 
 The regiment came to a close order, and moved off by the right 
 flank at a very quick step to the call of the bugle. All the pri- 
 vates were young men, ranging apparently between the ages of 16 
 and 21. 
 
 Such was a morning scene in Havana. These soldiers were 
 Spanish regulars. The volunteers are an entirely different organ- 
 ization. Their uniforms are of a different cut and texture, and 
 the}- never appear in public except on special occasions. They 
 probably drill at night in their armories. They are composed of 
 porters, clerks, and other employees of the numerous mercantile 
 and manufacturing establishments in Havana. Their officers are 
 the proprietors and the sons of the proprietors. Thej' look spick, 
 span, and neat, and have all the elan of the national guard of 
 the State of New York. They exhibit no disposition to enter the 
 field in search of the enemy, but maintain their right to remain 
 in Havana and man the fortifications, if necessary, while the 
 regular troops are sent to the front. 
 
 Men in uniform are found on every street. The officers swarm 
 in the restaurants, drinking light wines and feeding 0!i olla po- 
 drida and other Spanish dishes well seasoned with garlic. There 
 are usually ladies at their tables, and cigars and cigarettes are al- 
 ways in form. The generals were as numerous as generals in 
 Washington in 18G2 when Orpheus C. Kerr said that a negro threw 
 a stick at a dog in front of Willard's and had tho misfortune to 
 spatter mud on two major-generals, four brigadiers, and twelve 
 colonels. The Spanish generals seemed to bo well sui)plied with 
 money. They aired their uniforms in carriages at all hours of the 
 day and as the sun went down appeared in profusion along a fa- 
 vorite drive on the seashore toward Banes. 
 
24 
 
 Many soldiers were seen at country towns along the railway be- 
 twren Havana, Matanzas, and Saguala Grande. When the train 
 stopped at a depot, a corporal and twelve men were usnally drawn 
 np on the platform at a parade rest. Whether this was to main- 
 tain order or as a mark of honor to traveling officers could not 
 be ascertained. Possibly it was to take charge of supplies shipped, 
 by train. At least half of the passengers were officers. None ap- 
 peared to have passes, but all bought their tickets the same as 
 otlier travelers. Each train had two ironclad cars, one immedi- 
 ately behind the locomotive, and the other at the tail end of the 
 train. There were usually a dozen soldiers in each of tlie cars. 
 These ironclads were provided with benches and racks for mus- 
 kets. The guards amused themselves with conversation and card 
 playing while the train was in motion. Each car was under the 
 connnand of a sergeant. The trains were frequently attacked by 
 the insurgents, although a pilot engine preceded each train a quar- 
 ter of a mile. 
 
 During the Congressional visit two attacks were made between 
 Havana and Matanzas. There was no direct assault upon the 
 train, however. The insurgents were concealed in thickets and 
 opened fire from ambush. 
 
 At times they used grenades filled with dynamite. The Spanish 
 soldiers showed no lack of bravery. It was said that the travel- 
 ing officers went to the opposite extreme. Whenever an attack 
 was made upon the train they got down on their hands and knees 
 and crawled into the ironclad cars for shelter. Many of the sol- 
 diers moiinted the tops of the cars and used their rifles. In no 
 case did they leave the trains to attack the insurgents. At nearly 
 all stations there were restaurants, where the officers refreshed 
 themselves with light wines and liquors. 
 
 The privates Avere forced to be content with their cold coffee. 
 Not an intoxicated officer or private was seen by any member of 
 the Congressional delegation. At one time the train passed a 
 company of cavalry on the march. The horses resembled the 
 marsh ponies found in Florida. The men rode in single file and 
 appeared to be perfectly equipped. Near a bridge between Ma- 
 tanzas and Havana, within a mile and a half of where Ruiz was 
 killed, there was a field battery of three pieces. They looked like 
 old-fashioned six-pounders and seemed to be in bad condition. 
 
 The country was dotted with blockhouses, resembling those 
 built in our Indian wars. Some were ironclad, and others pro- 
 tected with plank. There were loopholes in profusion. Many of 
 these blockhouses were surrounded with ditches, like moats, the 
 ditches being protected by a barb-wire fence and the dirt thrown 
 up against the blockhc>use. It was said that this prevented the 
 patriots from assaialting the forts at night. In some of the houses ' 
 where attacks were threatened the soldiers were ever underarms, 
 war3% and watchful. In others they left their rifles in the racks 
 within the house and lounged around outside in slovenly attire. 
 
 The garrisons of these blockhouses vary in size. Around Ma- 
 tanzas three soldiers, one of whom was a corporal, had charge of 
 such posts. In small towns in the interior, more subject to at- 
 tack, there v^ere a dozen soldiers at each station, under the com- 
 mand of a sergeant. 
 
 The Spanish recruit is not boisterous nor given to horse play. 
 Ill' never solaces himself with song-;, nor becomes particularly 
 demonstrative on any occasion. Tiie brightest of the recruits 
 were called Gallegos. They are said to have a streak of Celtic 
 
blood in theiu, and they cortainly cxliiljit a Coltic disposition. 
 They aro witty and c[uick in motion, Imt hick Irisli brawn and 
 mnscle, Th.e iiiscayans were tall and energetic. There is said 
 to bo fine fi,i,'liting material among them. This docs not hold true 
 with t)io Catalans and Valcnoians, who are more squalid and not 
 particularly neat in habit. 
 
 Apparently there was no inspection of tliese blockhouses by any 
 Spanish officials. Rarely were the guards relieved of duty, and 
 there were no sjigns of drills or any military routine whatever, 
 aside from lounging around the post and awaiting demonstra- 
 tions from tlie enemy. Near the cities each blockhouse main- 
 tained telephonic communication with tlie military governor. If 
 the soldier was in doubt concerning anything, he immediately tel- 
 ephoned to hoadtiuarters for instructions. I had a strong desiro 
 to visit a cave near !Matanzas, mentioned by Humboldt in his 
 travels. The proprietor of the hotel told me that I would not be 
 allowed to pass beyond the lines. 
 
 It was useless to apply to General Molina, the militaiy gov- 
 ernor. Determined to make the attempt to visit the cave, I was 
 accompanied by an interpreter, understood to be in the pay of the 
 Spanish authorities. As we approached the last blockhouse be- 
 yond the outskirts of the city wo were confronted by three sol- 
 diers in shirts and trousers, and without coats and arms, who 
 regarded our movements with lazy curiosity. This was the gar- 
 rison of the frontier fort. The barbed- wire fence around the ditch, 
 was broken down, and two hens were scratching the dirt in the 
 little moat. 
 
 I stepped over this fence and began operations by presenting 
 each soldier with a package of cigarettes. They were accepted 
 with thanks. The interpreter then told them that we wanted to 
 go to the cave beyond. They shook their heads, saying that it 
 would be dangerous, as the blockhouse was the last outpost and 
 there were plenty of insurgents a mile or two away. Meantime 
 the station agent of the railway came iip and .ioined in the con- 
 versation. He prevailed upon one of the soldiers to go into the 
 blockhouse and telephone to the military governor for permission 
 to go outside of the lines. He telephoned that a Federal deputy 
 of the United States wanted to visit the cave and asked if there 
 was any objection. It was fifteen minutes before a favorable 
 reply was received. 
 
 We found the cave a mile beyond the lines. It had formerly been 
 a place of great imblic resort, but all the houses had been de- 
 stroyed, and there were no signs of ciiltivation. All was deso- 
 lation. A broken iron stairway led down into the cave. We 
 descended until the light gi'ew dim, breaking stalactites and 
 stalagmites to carry away as souvenirs. On our return two S(j1- 
 diers stood at the entrance. They wore neat uniforms and pre- 
 sented arms. They were two-thirds of the garrison of the block- 
 house, one being the coriwral in command. They wore probably 
 sent to prevent us from holding communication with the insur- 
 gents. 
 
 They said that they had left their post to be on hand and protect 
 us if attacked by insurgents. Of cour.se thoy wore liberally re- 
 warded, the corporal receiving a silver dollar and the jirivato half 
 a dollar in Spanish coin. It was the first money that either had 
 seen in nine months. 
 
 Upon my return to the city I was met at the post by two mounted 
 civil guards, who accompanied me to my huttd. The civil gov- 
 
26 
 
 eniDi- liad leanieil that the "Federal deputj- '" had gone to the cave, 
 and had sent this guard of honor as an escort on his return. 
 
 No signs of sympathy with the starving reconcentrados were 
 shown by the Spanish soldiers. Tlio starving people shunned 
 them as tliey would have shunned hyenas. The soldiers treated 
 tlieni with the utmost inditrerence so long as they remained within 
 their pens. If any ventured outside they were either shot or bay- 
 oneted, according to orders. The bayonets were short and resem- 
 bled the blade of a bowie knife. The officers were far more heart- 
 less toward the reconcentrados. They sneered at them, and took 
 apparent delight in aggravating their misery. 
 
 '( )n returning from tSagua la Grande toward ]Matanzas I bought 
 a Madrid newspaper of February 22. Although not versed in the 
 .Spanish language, I managed to extract some information from 
 its columns. I afterwards offered it to a Spanish officer who sat 
 in the opposite seat facing two comrades. It was accepted with 
 thanks. Not long afterwards the officers opened a lunch basket. 
 The car was filled with the flavor of boiled ham. Bottles of wine 
 were uncorked, and the officer politely invited me to partake of 
 the lunch. I as politely declined, saying that I was not hungrj'. 
 As the officers finished their lunch the train entered Colon. A 
 hundred starving reconcentrados besieged the cars on the;outside, 
 extending their bony hands in supplication and moaning for food. 
 The savory flavor of the ham reached their nostrils. 
 
 The officers laughed at them in derision. Calling a fat young 
 negro porter into the car, they placed him at the open window 
 and gave him the remains of the lunch. He displayed the treasure 
 to the eyes of the longing sufferers, and laughingly munciied the 
 boiled ham and bread, washing it down with copious draughts 
 of light wine. To the agonized expressions of those outside he at 
 first i)aid no heed; then he made up a tempting sandwich and 
 offered it to a starving white woman, with a starving infant at 
 her breast. As she reached forth her hand to receive it, he drew 
 it back with a grin and ate it himself. This action aroused the 
 risibilities of the Spanish officers, who seemed intensely amused, 
 and patted the negro on the back. 
 
 A VISIT TO GEXEIIAL LEE. 
 
 Consul-General Lee occupied apartments in the Hotel Ingleterra, 
 Havana. The Congressional delegation freqiaently visited him. 
 With mj' colleague, Mr. Smith of Michigan, 1 was at General 
 Lee's rooms on the night that the officers of an Austrian corvette 
 were being entertained at the palace of the Captain-General. All 
 the approaches thereto were guarded by Spanish troops. L^'nder 
 the order of General Blanco no one was admitted within the 
 charmed circle without giving the countersign. It was at this 
 banquet that the Austrian commander alluded to the trouble be- 
 tween Spain and the L^nited States and assured his hearers that 
 Austria had not forgotten the fate of Maximilian in Mexico. 
 The remark was hailed as a threat against the United States and 
 was cheered to the echo by the officers of the Spanish army and 
 navy. 
 
 General Lee, after a cheery conversation, parted the window 
 curtains and invited his visitorstoa tiny balcony overhanging the 
 street. The view was enlivening. The Prado "was bathed in the 
 etfulgoncc of electric lights, and the statue of Lsabella adorning 
 the oblong park fronting the hotel looked like an alabaster figure. 
 All was life and activity. A cool breeze came from the ocean. A 
 
stream of well-ilressod ladies ami gentlemen poured alon.LC the 
 Prado — durk-eyed seuoras and seuoritas with (.-ocinotti^sh veils, 
 vohintecrs, regulars, and eivil guards, in tasty uuiforms, ami a 
 cosmopolitan sprinkling of Englishmen, Germans, French, Ital- 
 ians, and other nationalities, Americans l)eiug conspicuous, l^ow- 
 Avheeled carriages rattled over the pavements in scores, many 
 filled with ladies en inasque, on tiieir way to the ball. Occasion- 
 ally the notes of a bugle were heard, and anon tho cries of negro 
 newsboys, shouting •• La Luchal" 
 
 It was while watching this ever-moving panorama that the con- 
 versation turned upon tlie approaching war. All agreed that war 
 was at hand and that it ought to be short, sharj), and decisive. 
 The General know tho surrounding country thoroughly, ami 
 tersely outlined the situation. He fancied Matanzas as a base of 
 operations. He had visited that city and had inspected tho roads 
 leading to Havana. Tiio fortresses of Matanzas are antique and 
 their guns of very little value. They would not stand an assaiilt 
 of the American Navy for more than three hours. A landing 
 could bo efTccted without danger and tho occupation of the city 
 made complete. 
 
 Aside from this, Matanzas is salubrious, and fully as near Key 
 "West as Havana. Tlie air is pure and water iilentiful and as clear 
 as crystal. The city itself is within striking distance of tho caiu- 
 tals of the four western provinces. A railroad runs to Havana: 
 another to Gnines, south of Havana, and from there to Piuar del 
 Kio. There are at least a dozen railroads in the province. One 
 riins direct through Coliseo and Colon to Santo Domingo, and 
 from there to Sagua la Grande; another runs direct from Santo 
 Domingo to Ciouf uegos, and still another from Cicnfnegos to Santa 
 Clara. There is also railroad communication with Remedios, on 
 the northei-n coast. 
 
 Matanzas is a little over CO miles from Havana. The roads are 
 good, and the railroads may be used to great advantage by in- 
 vaders. An American army might aj^proach Havana by railroad, 
 the same as General Butler went from Annapolis to Baltuuore in 
 1861. 
 
 With 10.000 Union-Confederate veterans it seemed to me that 
 General Lee could capture Havana within a week after landing at 
 Matanzas. Such a landing, however, ought to be made before 
 the rainy season sets in. Havana has no fortifications of any ac- 
 count in its rear, and is practically unprotected from assault. 
 Maceo repeatedly mustered his troops within 5 miles of the city, 
 and coiild undoubtedly have captured it before the return of Mar- 
 tinez Campos from Matanzas. He deemed it military prudence 
 to restrain his men. The English evidently made a mistake over 
 a hundred years ago when they landed near Havana and laid siege 
 to Morro Castle. Many uien died from sickness who might have 
 lieen saved if Matanzas had be3n seized and made a base of opera- 
 tions. 
 
 Tho fortifications at Havana, however, are much stronger than 
 at the time of the English invasion under the Earl of Alliemarle, 
 in 1702. There were 10,000 British troops in this expedition, and 
 they were only two months in capturing tho city. It was tho 
 English who built the Cabanas, a fortress nearly a mile long and 
 far more formidable than Morro. 
 
 General Lee's visitors were much impres-sed with his analysis 
 of the military situation. They left him at midnight, all agreeing 
 that it would be a just retribution for an American army corps to 
 3:43 
 
28 
 
 enter Havana with Fitz Lee at its head. His bearing in the city 
 was magnificent. Ever wary and watchful of American interests, 
 he visited the Captain-Generals palace at any hour of the day or 
 night whenever they were threatened. 
 
 ( )f course, the feeling against him among the Spaniards was very 
 bitter, but no insulting word was ever uttered withhi his hearing. 
 Outwardly all were polite, if not affable. One night, at 11 o'clock, 
 the General was informed that a clearance had been refused to an 
 American yacht then in the harbor. Secretary-General Congosto 
 had told her captain late in the afternoon that there would be no 
 trouble about her papers. Indignant at Congosto's trickery, the 
 General seized his hat. and at the midnight hour walked down to the 
 palace and ascended the marble steps, between the scowling Span- 
 ish sentries. In measured words and dignified manner he up- 
 braided the Government oiftcials for their action, and the captain 
 of the yacht obtained his clearance papers in the morning. 
 
 SCF.XICS ox THE KOAD TO MATAXZAS. 
 
 On the following morning at G o'clock two of the Congressional 
 delegation started for Matanzas. They arose before daylight, and 
 crossed the harbor in a ferryboat that would have disgraced Ho- 
 boken a quarter of a century ago. To the left of the landing is 
 the arena for bull fights. Crowds swarm to these fights on Sun- 
 day, and fairly revel in the brutal sport. The train was made up 
 of five cars, first, second, and third class. Two of the cars were 
 ironclad. The fare from Havana to Matanzas, first-class, is $13 
 in Spanish gold. These cars are furnished with cane-bottom seats 
 and no racks. The windows are never washed, and the floor of 
 the car is swept once a week. There was an improvement upon 
 tlie American system in one respect— the name of the station 
 which the train was approaching was always posted at the for- 
 ward end of the car. 
 
 The railroad, by the way, is not a government institution, and 
 no trains are run after darkness sets in. The first station out wa3 
 Guanabacca, a town which has frequently been taken by the 
 Cuban patriots. The country was rolling and the soil quite ster- 
 ile, nor was there any sign of cultivation. Spanish blockhouses 
 capped many a hill, and the ditches along the railroad were fenced 
 in with barbed wire. At times immense hedges of cacti and yucca 
 lined the ditches. 
 
 Ten miles beyond Guanabacoa the ti'ain reached Minas. This 
 was a town of a half dozen houses, containing a .>acre pen, into 
 which Weyler had driven the reconcentrados from the surround- 
 ing country. It was said that 800 had died in this pen. Prob- 
 ably a dozen starving creatures were still living. Their terror of 
 the Spanish troops was so great that they did not dare to ap- 
 proach the train. Before reaching Minas a range of mountains 
 in the south came into view. 
 
 At Minas the soil has a rich red tinge, and is said to be mar- 
 velously productive, but there were no signs of cultivation nor 
 was anybody but a Spanish soldier seen between stations. The 
 whole country is depopulated and runs riot in tropical vegetation. 
 Campo Florida was the next station. It is a populous town about 
 1.1 miles from Havana. The soil between Camjio Florida and Ja- 
 ruco was very rich and had evidently been devoted to the cultiva- 
 tion of tobacco. From either side of the cars mountains could 
 now be seen, resembling the Blue Ridge of Virginia. The coun- 
 try was dotted with palms. They were scattered like oaks on wild 
 :j4J 
 
29 
 
 land in California or cedars in the Old Dominion. Most of tliem 
 were roj-al palms, although genuine Floritla pahnettoos were fre- 
 quently seen. B;irren jilaces were giveti nj) to a short palm with 
 circular loaves and a top resembling the hcaiKlress of an Aztec 
 chief. It is said that the seed of this paim was caiTied to Cuba by 
 slaves brought from Africa. 
 
 The succeeding villages are Bainoa and Aguacato. Both iiad 
 apparently been thriving places, but many of the old habitations 
 had been destroyeil. Those that remained were surrounded with 
 miserable huts erected by the reconcentrados to shelter them from 
 the sun. Very few of these starving people were seen, the great 
 majority having gone to the silent land. Aguacate was near tho 
 boundary of the province of Matanzas. From this place to tho 
 city of Matanzas there is no town worthy of mention. The coun- 
 try is mountainous, and the mountains are covered with a scrub 
 growth, the retreats of tho insurgents. About 10 miles from 
 Matanzas. on the left of the road, stand what are known as the 
 Breadloaf Mountains. They rise from the plain like the Spanish 
 Peaks in Colorado. These mountains are said to be the head(|uar- 
 ters of General Eetancourt, who commands the insurgents in the 
 province. The Spaniards have offered $.1,000 reward for his head. 
 Several efforts have been made to secure it, but in all cases the 
 woitld-be captor has lost his own head. 
 
 As the train approached Matanzas the horses of Spanish forag- 
 ing parties attracted attention. The men rode marsh grass ponies 
 laden with bales of young shoots of sugar cane that gTOw wild on 
 the abandoned plantations. There were probably a hundred of 
 these foragers, and as they spurred their steeds to the utmost 
 speed a cloud of dust arose in their wake. The depot at Matanzas 
 was surrounded with starving reconcentrados and Spanish sol- 
 diers. Aside from this, however, the city gave every sign of pros- 
 perity. A beautif til stone bridge crossing the Matanzas River had 
 just been completed, and bej'ond it a palatial structure of light- 
 cream material was being built. 
 
 There is no more charming spot in Cuba than Matanzas. The 
 bay is like a crescent in shape, and receives the waters of the 
 Yumuri and San Juan rivers, two small tmnavigable streams. 
 A high ridge separates them. On this ridge back of the town 
 stands a cathedral dedicated to the Black Virgin. It is a repro- 
 duction of a cathedral in the Balearic Islands. The view from its 
 steeple is magnificent. Looking backward the valley of tho Yu- 
 muri stretches to the right. It is about 10 miles wide and GO miles 
 long, dotted with palms, and as level as a barn floor. The Yumuri 
 breaks through the mountains near Matanzas Bay, something 
 like the Arkansas River at Canon City. Carpeted with living 
 green and surrounded with mountains, this valley is one of the 
 gems of Cuba. The San Juan Valley is more wild and rugged. 
 There were slight signs of cultivation in the Yumuri Valley, but 
 none in the San Juan. The city itself has about 48,000 inhabit- 
 ants. Nearly 10.000 reconcentrados have died here since "SVeyler's 
 order, and -iT.OiX) in the entire province, which is not larger in area 
 than the State of Delaware. The governor's palace fronts a plaza, 
 shaded ^\^th magnificent palms. In this jdaza twenty-three per- 
 sons died of starvation on the IJthof November last. This infor- 
 mation comes from Governor d'Armis himself. 
 
 General Lee was right. No better spot could be selected as a 
 basis of operations against Havana. A cool sea bre.'ze is usually 
 in circulation, and the air is soft and balmy. There are fewmos- 
 3:45 
 
30 
 
 qnitoes. and encampments unsurpassed for convenience and salu- 
 brity might be made on the ridge between the San Juan and the 
 Vnmuri. Indeed, a Spanisli detaeliment is occupying the j^ard of 
 the church of the Black Virgin. It is surrounded bj-a thick stone 
 wall, and is a fortification far stronger than the famous stone wall 
 at Fredericksburg. 
 
 The Spaniards have alreadj- learned the value of Matanzas as a 
 military i)ost. There are blockhouses on most of the elevations 
 surrounding the city, and there were no sign of disease in the de- 
 tachments occupying them. The camp kettles show no lack of 
 food, and the soldiers themselves are clean and urbane. The 
 only thing that they lack apparently is discipline. Squad drills 
 are unknown, although the most of the soldiers are recruits lately 
 landed from Spain. The officers spend their time in the city 
 loiinging around the hotels and restaurants. Fearful stories are 
 told of the atrocities perpetrated by a general, ferocious in aspect 
 and insolent in manner, who was a favorite of Weyler and who is 
 an intimate of Molina. The reconcentrados gaze at him in horror, 
 remembering the atrocious butcheries committed by him long 
 before Weyler "s brutal order was issued. If one-half tlie stories 
 told of this man's cruelty are true, the buccaneers of the Spanish 
 ^lain were angels of mercy in comparison with Weyler "s favorite. 
 
 HARROWING SCENES. 
 
 The odds and ends of the visit were instructive, pathetic, amxis- 
 ing, and interesting. None of the party could speak the Spanish 
 language, and very few Spaniards can speak English. Everyday 
 incidents occurred, grave and gay. Some gave rise to horror, 
 others excited indignation, and many threw those interested into 
 loud laughter. Interpreters were not always at hand, and when 
 on service they did not always interpret correctly. The days were 
 hot, with no flies, and the nights cool, with few mosquitoes. 
 Meals were served with neatness and dispatch, but nearly all the 
 dishes were tainted with garlic. You smelt garlic in the wine 
 shops, in churches, in hotel corridors, and on the street corners. 
 In Havana and Matanzas the water was as pure and clear as crys- 
 tal. Havana gets her supply from river springs nearly 12 miles 
 away. The aciueduct was biiilt by a Cuban at an expense of 
 .$17,000,000. Spanish wines of excellent quality were cheap and 
 abundant. Not a drunken man was seen in the entire trip. Xo 
 insults were offered, and proffered courtesies were invariably 
 reciprocated. 
 
 Tlie starving reconcentrado. however, was omnipresent. The 
 wan face and despairing eye were ever before you, and the skele- 
 ton hand was ever extended. In the streets of Matanzas and 
 Sagua la Grande scores of famished creatures of both sexes and of 
 all ages and conditions swarmed around the strangers, pleading 
 in low, mournful tones for food. Their appeals were as plaintive 
 as the notes of the peewee in northern meadows. " Madre a Dios, 
 Caballero"' — j'ou heard it morn, noon, and night, and the sad 
 refrain rang your ears even in j'our dreams. Misery, hopeless 
 misery, everywhere— whites, blacks, and Asiatics, for wherever 
 there is misery j-ou find the Chinaman. Here he was conspicuous 
 l)y his silence. He stood aloof from the swarming specters, gaunt, 
 thin, and hollow-eyed, a picture of utter despair. 
 
 Never was his hand extended, never did he press himself upon 
 your attention, but there was a look in his eye that conveyed his 
 sense of the utter hopelessness of his situation. At Colisco a living 
 
31 
 
 skeleton, with almond oycs, sat npon the platform of the railway 
 station, listless anil motionless. A battered ean swunjc from his 
 bony fingers. A Congressman bought two small loaves, three meat 
 cakes, ami a string of sausages and sliDved them into the battered 
 can. The skeleton arose, but there was no thankful expression in 
 his eyes. Clasping the can to his naked ribs, he slowly niuved 
 away, but his strength was gone. He tottered and fell across the 
 track in the hot sunlight, and as the train moved from the station 
 there he remained, still clasping the bread to his breast. No one 
 assisted him. No one tried to rob him of his tre;isure. Each ro- 
 concentrado respeits the misery of his fellow. 
 
 (.)f the hundreds seen by the visiting strangers, not one, how- 
 ever pve-;sod by hunger, made any eft'ort to appropriate what did 
 not belong to him. Between the s;iualid huts in the trorhas a few 
 t(.'mato vines had been planted and the fruit was ripening beneath 
 a blazing sun; yet no starving creature evinced a disposition to 
 rob his fellow-suffei-er of the product of his labor. A ypanisli 
 officer, however, strode among the huts at Colon early one morn- 
 ing, drew his sword, and amused himself by leveling every plant 
 to the ground. 
 
 Nineteen out of twent}- of the reconcentrados were women and 
 children. Tots oand G years old, homeless, fatherless, and mother- 
 less, crawled through the camps, dying from starvation. Those 
 sent to the hospitals met even a worse fate. Upon unclean cots, 
 with festering limbs and parched throats, they met the same hor- 
 rible end— for up to the advent of Clara Barton they were without 
 food and without medical relief. And the Spanish newspapers 
 called this angel of mercy ' ' a suspicious vulture. " At Sagua la 
 Grande one morning two" bright little girls were seen seated upon, 
 the stairway leading to the office of the American consul. A Con- 
 gressman called the attention of Consul Barker to them. 
 
 " Oh, 3"es," was the reply, " thej' are my little wards. They are 
 the last of a famil}' of fifteen. My heart was touched by their 
 destitution. I found them on the verge of starvation, and am 
 trying to save them. I found shelter for them with a family not 
 far away, and the little things visit me every morning to show 
 their gratitude." 
 
 They were cleanly in attire, but their faces were still pinched, 
 and tlie habitual look of terror had not entirely left their express- 
 ive eyes. Poor things! Basking anew in the sunshine of hu- 
 manity, they were probably thrown back into the dread gulf of 
 starvation three weeks afterwards, when Consul Barker left Cuba 
 by order of the President. 
 
 There were very few negroes among the reconcentrados. In- 
 deed, but one black in the throes of death from starvation was 
 seen. This was at Matanzas. The party was returning to the 
 city from a visit to a hospital in its outskirts. While crossing a 
 stone bridge over the river, something like an overturned iron 
 statue lay below, on the sward of the bank. It was the skin and 
 bone of a gigantic negro, entirely nude. lie was in the last 
 agonies of starvation. He lay partly upon his side in the hot sun, 
 with knees crooked and head upon his left arm. When we lean»-d 
 over the parapet and addressed him, he made no reply and showed 
 no sign of life. A moment afterwards a buxzard swooped over 
 him, fanning his shrunken shank with its wings. And still no 
 sign of life was shown. Again wo shouted from tlio parapet, 
 but the figure remained motionless. Suddenly the head was 
 3543 
 
32 
 
 raised and the long, bony right arm moved in a feeble effort to 
 scratch tlic naked thigh. 
 
 Gazing steadily at the water, in which yonng mullet were 
 swarming and .lumping, he faintly moaned and again assumed a 
 recumbent position. Possibly he was deaf, for he seemed to be 
 utterly unaware of our presence. Kor did he evince any interest 
 when a peseta was thrown within his reach. Not far away an 
 immense net. with thousands of nieshes and hundreds of corks, 
 was stretclied upon the grass to dry. It had evidently been re- 
 cently iised, for silvery scales Avere still glistening in its meshes. 
 When the civil guard, who piloted the party, was asked why the 
 rcconcentrados did not sustain life by catching fish, he shrugged 
 his shoulders and replied: 
 
 '•They are not allowed to do so.*' 
 
 '• Why not? " was the next inquiry. 
 
 "Because they have no license. It costs money to get a license, 
 and they have no money." 
 
 It was afterwards learned that the gigantic negro died as the 
 .sun went down — died of starvation, while the jumping mullet 
 within 10 feet of him were sprinkling his wasted frame with water. 
 
 THE SUFFERIN'G IX HAVANA. 
 
 Similar agonizing scenes turned up unexpectedly and in out-of- 
 the-way places. There was a pitiful spectacle in the cathedral 
 where the bones of Columbus are said to repose. The base of a 
 statue was being built in one of the naves of the church, under 
 which the remains are to be buried anew. A starving woman with 
 an emaciated infant came through the doorway used by workmen 
 and followed the Congressional party, mournfully appealing for 
 alms. 
 
 A verger drove her into the street. Within three minutes she 
 entered the cathedral by another door and again besought assist- 
 ance. The verger was showing the party the magnificent vest- 
 ments of the archbishop of Havana worn on fete days. They 
 were sprinkled with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and other i>re- 
 cious stones, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. Across 
 these robes the suffering creature stretched her hand, while the 
 babe ceased whimpering and gazod at the glittering jewels as 
 though entranced. A second verger rushed from beneath a statue 
 of the Madonna, seized the poor creature, turned her around, and 
 she was again driven from the church before any of the party 
 could contribute to relieve her distress. 
 
 Another characteristic scene occurred on the Punta, opposite 
 Morro Castle. Wlien the heat became insufferable, two of the 
 Congressmen were in the habit of driving to this spot to enjoy the 
 cool sea breeze. It was flanked by an old fortification and a lum- 
 ber yard, with a bulkhead and a small pier near by. A negro, 
 naked to the waist and barefooted, frequented the place. His 
 right leg was swolloi to an enormous size. The driver called at- 
 tention to tlie man by remarking that heliad "'an elephant's leg.'' 
 He was snifering frum elephantiasis. The foot and leg were as 
 large as those of an elephant. One of the party threw him a 
 handful of Spanish coppers. 
 
 Within a minute a score of reconcentrados appeai'ed. They had 
 been lying between the piles of lumber and were anxious to par- 
 ticipate in the distribution. Tlie excitement .spread to others in 
 the vicinity. Tlnee or four wretched sufferers were sitting be- 
 neath the pier in the shade of the bulkliead. The tide was low. 
 
33 
 
 They saw wliat was RoiiiLj on and .struj^j^hHl tliiou^'h \\\o hiack 
 luiui in an eftoit to ivach tlu> Punta. One fill ami was vainly 
 trying to ivj^ain his ffut when the party, overcome by the distress- 
 ing sight, drove away. These poor beings had left Los Fossas, a 
 steaming pen into whieh they had been driven by Woyler's or- 
 ders, anil were wandering about the city in search of snstenance. 
 
 l.N'CIDEXTAr, 
 
 Such scenes of horror were relieved bj- many an amusing inci- 
 dent. xV story widely printed of a Congressman who used his 
 umbrella in an engagement with a company of Spanish soldiers 
 bad no foundation in fact. One night, however, this same Repre- 
 sentative invited a colleague to ride down the Prado, A carriage 
 was called, and an interpi-eter was told to instruct the driver to 
 move slowly along the curb, giving the visitors an opportunity to 
 listen to the music of a magnificent band stationed near the statue 
 of Queen Isabella. The >scene seemed like one of enchantment. 
 Hundreds of ladies coquettishly arrayed, with veils drawn partly 
 across their features, were parailing the park listening to the 
 music. As soon as the visitors entered the carriage the driver 
 set off at full speed. 
 
 "Go slow!"' shouted one of the Congressmen. "We want to 
 hear the music and look at the ladies."' 
 
 " Quiere que vaya mas ligero?"' asked the driver. 
 
 " Si . si , senor, " replied the Western Congressman, iising the only 
 Spanish words in his vocabulary. 
 
 The driver's whip whistled in the air, and the horse redoubled 
 his speed. The eciuiiiage dashed down the brilliantly lighted 
 street, and the Congressmen looked at each other in astonishment. 
 
 "Slower, slower! "' they shouted. 
 
 "Mas ligero?" inquired the driver, with the sibilant "Si, si," 
 in response. 
 
 The lash was again applied, and the speed increased until the at- 
 tention of all promenaders was fastened u])on the carriage. The 
 Congressman bad lost all interest in the ladies, although the ladies 
 were evincing a deep interest in the Congressman. As a last resort 
 the Western member arose from his seat, clasped the driver around 
 the waist and reached for the reins. Unfortunately he secured 
 the right rein alone, and the vehicle swung in a circle on two 
 wheels, bringing the hoi'se over the curb. 
 
 "That will do for me," said tlie Eastern Representative, as he 
 sprang from the carriage. "I never did care much for a ride, 
 anyhow.'' 
 
 His companion followed him and settled with the driver, with 
 the remark that he "guessed he had enough."' They walked 
 three-quarters of a mile back to the Hotel Pesaje and upbraided 
 the interpreter in unmeasured terms. It turned out that he had 
 told the driver to take the party to some place of amusement, as 
 they wanted to hear music. It was after D o'clock and the driver 
 was anxious to arrive at a music hall before it closed for the night. 
 Of course he understood not a word of English. When told to 
 go slower he asked if ho should go faster. The "Si. si" of the 
 Western Congressman confirmed him in his belief, and he was 
 utterly dumfounded when the reins were seized and the visitors 
 disembarked. 
 
 Another amusing incident occurred while these two Congress- 
 men were dining in a restaurant. At an adjoining table sat two 
 Spanish officers. They glared savagely at the two strangers, jab- 
 
34 
 
 bering meanwhile in vigorous Spanish. The Congressmen, fancy- 
 ing tliat they Avere the sub.iect of conversation, became indignant. 
 
 '•I believe," said one of them, '• that these fellows are calling ns 
 American pigs and using other insulting terms. 1 have half a 
 mind to walk over to them and demand an explanation." He was 
 about to do something rash w^heu a Scotchman, who sat at the 
 table, smiled and said: 
 
 " You make a mistake. The gentlemen are not referring to you 
 in any manner. The heavy man is damning his shoes, saying 
 tliat tliey pinch his feet and give him great pain. His friend is 
 advising him to sell them and have a pair made by a Havana 
 shoemaker." 
 
 Both had drawn their shoes from the qiiartermaster's depart- 
 ment on the previous day. The small officer had exchanged his 
 with a shopkeeper and was advising his comrade to follow his 
 example. 
 
 THE CUBAN PATRIOTS. 
 
 No one but Maximo Gomez himself knows the exact strength of 
 the Cuban army. The bulk of the enrolled force is quartered in 
 the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Puerto Principe. There 
 are scattering detachments under different leaders in Santa Clara, 
 Matanzas, Havana, and Pinar del Rio. Each little city has its 
 own little junta, who distributes Gomez's orders and pronuncia- 
 mentos throughout the island. I was visited by a member of one 
 of these juntas while in an interior city. The interview was ar- 
 ranged by an American who had spent several years in the island. 
 
 I was enjoying a siesta in my room after dinner, when the door 
 was opened and the secretary of the little rural junta popped in 
 without warning. Knowing the number of the room, he had 
 escaped observation in the hotel, slipped tip the stone stairway, 
 and entered the apartment without being seen. The lattices 
 opening on the balcony were closed, and after ascertaining the 
 absence of all eavesdroppers, the door was locked. The windows 
 fronted the main street, and only the plaintive cries of starving 
 reconcentrados outside reached the ear. In the darkened room the 
 conversation was carried on in low tones. 
 
 ]\Iuch information was gleaned on both sides. The secretary 
 listened with breathless interest to an analysis of the situation in 
 the United States. He spoke English very imperfect!}', but seemed 
 to have no difficulty in understanding it. When told that Presi- 
 dent McKinley"s determination to put a stop to the Spanish atroci- 
 ties was fixed and unalterable, and that the American people were 
 in a warlike fever over the destruction of the Jilainc, he shook his 
 head doubtfully. He spoke of hopes blasted in the past, and evi- 
 dently had little faith in the future. The information that Con- 
 gress had put .S'lO, 000,000 in the hands of the President to prepare 
 for war dazed him. 
 
 Then his black eyes began to snap, and he ran his fingers through 
 his hair. He could scarcely believe his ears when told that the 
 Americans took no more stock in autonomy than did the Cubans. 
 Their failure to either recognize the independence of the island re- 
 public, or to grant the patriots even belligerent rights, made him 
 feel still despondent. He feared that it foreshadowed a determina- 
 ation toannexthe island. Assured that the sentiment in Washing- 
 ton was against annexation, he replied: " If true, that is glorious 
 news. It will cheer Gomez, and in case of war secure the hearty 
 cooperation of his troops." With this opening, he was asked how 
 many troops Gomez could bring into the field. 
 
 o543 
 
35 
 
 As he was about to rejily something: hoavy fell with a crash ont- 
 side tlip door. In an instant ho spran.L' to his feet, quiverinL? with 
 appreliension. I opened the door, Anuisic rack liad fallen to the 
 floor. It had probably been blown over by the wind, which canio 
 from the courtyard in breezy pufi's, inip.arting a delicious coolness 
 to the atmosphere. But the secretary was not to be reassured. 
 He was pale and nervous and was confident that some one had 
 been listeninj? at the door. For a minute or more lie was mnto 
 and motioidess. The wind rattled tlie bars of the lattice. " The 
 balcony, tlie balcony! " he whispered, "borne one is on the bal- 
 conj-l"' 
 
 I tlirew open the latticed doors, while the Cuban shrank behind 
 the curtain of the bed. There was no cause for alarm. Thestreet 
 below was dotted with Spanish soldiers, but none of them had 
 found his way to the balcony. The cries of the poor reconcentra- 
 dos were more plaintive than ever. One scene photographed it- 
 self upon my memory. A man with two heads of lettuce was 
 passing the hotel. A starving girl in rags implored him for food. 
 She was white-lipped and thin; there was burning fever in her 
 veins. The citizen broke off a leaf of the lettuce and placed it in 
 her bony fingers. 
 
 She had hardly raised it to her lips before the man was fairly 
 mobbed by famishing creatures. Among them was a crippled 
 boy. Crawling ahmg the curb, he clasped his arms around the 
 legs of the man and moaned pitifully. In a second he was kicked 
 into the gutter. The citizen fought his way to the corner and dis- 
 appeared with his lettuce, while Spanish officers in undress uni- 
 form brandished their malacca canes and roared with laughter. 
 A moment afterwards the sufferers were driven to cover by a 
 spiteful sputter of Spanish profanity. 
 
 Again was the lattice closed and the Cuban assured that there 
 was no foundation for his suspicions. He replied that the Ameri- 
 can visitors were surrounded by Spanish spies. Every movement 
 was watched, and those who called upon them were marked men. 
 Even the servants in their rooms were in the employ of the Gov- 
 ernment, "There's some truth in this, I reckon," I returned, 
 *• I have made the acquaintance of my spy. He's a good- 
 natured Irishman, who speaks Spanish like a native and drinks 
 whisky like a Kentuckian. Everybody tells me he's a spy and 
 gives him the cold shoulder, but I find him very iiseful and hope 
 to retain his services." 
 
 The delegate from the junta, however, was in no good mood 
 for badinage. He resumed his seat with evident trepidation, say- 
 ing that he had important papers in his pockets. If found upon 
 him by the Spaniards, they might lead to his imprisonment and 
 death. He then drew from his coat pocket a small printed proc- 
 lamation or order signed by ^laximo Gomez. It was printed in 
 Spanish and was not larger than the leaf of a prayer book. This 
 proclamation or order was to be placed in the hands of General 
 Betancourt before siindown on the succeeding day. Betancourt 
 was in the mountains near the coast, and the delegate from the 
 junta was charged with the delivcrj- of the order. 
 
 Before twenty-four hours a similar document would reach Gen- 
 eral Bermudez in Santa Clara. General Kodriguez in Havana, and 
 General Delgado in Pinar del Rio. It was of great inii)i>rtance, 
 and the representative of the junta seemed burdened with a souse 
 of his responsibility. He tried to tran.slate the document, but was 
 utterly unable to make himself understood. One of the Congres- 
 0.-4! 
 
36 
 
 eional party was a United States Senator who had some knowl- 
 edge of the Spanish language. He was sent for, and as he entered 
 the room and was introduced to the Cuban visitor I passed him 
 the order of General Gomez and asked him what he thought of it. 
 
 Evidently the Senator had not corralled enough of the Spanish 
 vocabulary to make a free translation. Besides, his eyesight was 
 bad, and there was no sunlight in the apartment. He floundered 
 through it with difficulty and finally gave it up altogether. Ap- 
 parently he did not consider it a document of transcendent impor- 
 tance, for he laid it on the table and began to talk on other sub- 
 jects. The Cuban was once more questioned concerning the 
 strength of the insurgents in the field. Although extremely well 
 informed, he placed the figures rather high. They did not cor- 
 respond with figures gleaned from sources equally trustworthy. 
 He credited Gen. Perico Delgado, in the western province, with 
 nearly 2,000 men. Vidal Ducasse, second in command, had been 
 killed only ten days before, but his brother still had a hardy force 
 which was hanging on the flanks of the Spanish troops and doing 
 good service. 
 
 It was Delgado, by the way, to whom Captain Dorst, of the 
 American Army, carried a shipload of arms and ammunition. 
 Dorst liad a fight with the Spaniards, killing two of them, but 
 the expedition was successful in only a limited degree, and was 
 hardly satisfactory. The result shows that Delgado had not 
 more than a quarter of the force with which he was credited. In- 
 deed, it is difficult to see how he could provision even GOO men. 
 WeyJer killed every horse, mule, ox, cow, sheep, and hog iu 
 Pinar del Rio, and destroyed every hut and hacienda. 
 
 Nothing living was left alive except the buzzards, now styled 
 "We}ier"s chickens."' Nothing that could give shelter was 
 allowed to stand. In no province on the island was thereconceu- 
 ti'ado order more ruthlesslj^ carried out. Fire and sword were 
 rampant, and the whole country, aside from the railroad towns, 
 became a wilderness. "Even the grass beneath our feet was in- 
 surgent," to iise the words of a Spanish staff officer, and Weyler 
 would have stamped out vegetation itself if possible. It was a 
 horrible state of affairs, even at the outset— so horrible that it 
 Bent Maceo across the trocha over a year ago in search of relief. 
 It was the ex])edition in which he lost his life. 
 
 As to the Province of Havana the junta representative was 
 equally positive and no more specific. He was certain that Gen- 
 eral Rodriguez had fully as many men as Delgado. This was un- 
 doubtedly true, but their united force was nearer 1 ,200 than 4,000. 
 The same state of destitution existed in this province as in Pinar 
 del Rio, and it was impossible to subsist a large body of men. 
 The most of the patriots in arms here foraged in the markets of 
 Havana. Provisions were sent to them regularly and their under- 
 ground railroad was as safe and in as active operation as the one 
 in use between the North and South before the war. Nestor 
 Aranguren had been the lieutenant of General Rodriguez. His 
 death, only a fortnight before, ended as romantic an incident as 
 the deatli of Major Andre in the Revoluntary war. Colonel Ruiz, 
 a Spaiiish officer, visited Aranguren, who was an intimate friend, 
 and urged him to accept autonomy and lay down his arms. 
 Aranguren warned him against making such propositions when 
 they first met. 
 
 The order from Gomez was to shoot anybody who made any 
 such proposal. Aranguren carried out these orders to the letter. 
 
37 
 
 Ruiz was exocnteil within a milo of tho raiiroad bt'twoen Havana 
 ami Matanzas. Within a month, liowi'vcr, the Spaniards cn\>- 
 tnred a iiej^ro wlio was a trusted servant of Aramcuren. Thoy 
 threatened him with death unless he disclosed his master s retreat, 
 and pr«)mi6ed him a reward of MO silver dollars if he would ba- 
 tray him. Aranuiuren was surprised in a cabin by two Spanish 
 re.Lciments in the early morninijf and killed. 
 
 As to the Province of Matanzas, the Cuban at first asserted that 
 General Betancourt had an army of 4.0(»() ukmi. ^Vhen told tiiat 
 this was ridiculous, he reduced the number to 1.4(ii). It is doubt- 
 ful, however, whether tlie General had T(M) men. Betancourt. like 
 Arauguren. is a scion of out' of tho first Cuban families. He was 
 educated abroad and speaks seven different languages. He i.s 
 fully as daring as Aranguren and is said to have made many a 
 midnight visit to Matanzas. He probably secured provisions and 
 ammunition for his men during these midnight excursions. The 
 Si)auish soldiers were nine months in arrears of pay and sold their 
 cartridges for cash to any purchaser. 
 
 In the province of Santa Clara General Bermndezwas said to be 
 in command. His reputation for ferocity tarnished his reputation 
 for bravery. During the Congressional visit two Spanish officers 
 sought an interview with a Colonel Nunez, i;nder his command. 
 They were surprised liy Bermudez himself, who ordered their im- 
 mediate execution. They met their fate bi-avely, and were buried 
 at Esperanza on the day the Congressional delegation passed 
 through that city. It was said that Bermudez had at least 3,000 
 troops under his command. The figures were far too high. He 
 probablj' had not one-third of this number. The province of Santa 
 Clara was utterly destitute of provisions. The city of Santa Clara 
 was supplied by railroad, but the country was ravaged and ruined 
 by Spanish guerrillas, who were employed to carry out Weyler's 
 orders. Over 7,500 reconcentrados died in the city within four 
 months. These figures come from the mayor. 
 
 ^n Puerto Principe Gomez himself was located in the mountains 
 20 miles from the northern shore. Further south Quintin Bandera 
 held mountain sway. Bandera's force was estimated at l.ToO. It 
 was far too great an estimate. Gomez him-elf usually had no 
 more than ;J00 men with him. The rest of his army was bi'oken 
 up into detachments, including Bandera"s troop. They were sta- 
 tioned with rare military -skill. It was said that they could be 
 concentrated and moved en masse within thirty-six hours. All 
 told, the force in the province could not amount to more than 3,r)00 
 men. It was reported that Bandera had l)een reduced to the ranks 
 by Gomez for issuing a distasteful proclamation to the negroes. 
 Like a true soldier, he accepted the situation and won anew the 
 rank of brigadier-general within a very few months. 
 
 Last of all. the Province of Santiago was canvassed. Here Ca- 
 lixto Garcia has been conducting operations for a long time, and 
 he is now in com])lete control with head(iuarters at Bayamo. 
 The only cities held by the Spaniards are Holguin. Manzanillo, 
 and Santiago de Cuba, Garcia has a fair supply of provisions. 
 It was the only province that escaped unscatlied from \Veyler"3 
 order. The Cubans control the provincial government and collect 
 the taxes. Hundreds of Spanish prisoners are said to 1 e employed 
 in the mountains raising cattle and cultivating provisions for 
 Garcia's army. The Spanish general, Pando, had been pounding 
 away at Cxarcia along the Canto Rivtr for more than six nionlbs. 
 but had finally given up the job, and was said to bo in command 
 
38 
 
 in Cionfuegos. Garcia has a force of 7,500 men, well equipped 
 and fairly sui)iilied with ammunition. He has several pieces of 
 avlillcry which were used with good effect in the siege of Las 
 Tunas. The city was taken by assault and its fortifications de- 
 stroyed. 
 
 From this it will be seen that Gomez is in perfect communica- 
 tion with every detachment of the Cuban army, and that its entire 
 strength on the island is about 15,000 men. This is a far greater 
 number than Gomez had when Maceo headed the magnificent 
 march to the west. 
 
 Such was a part of the information gleaned from my Cuban 
 visitor. It was late in the afternoon when the delegate of the 
 .junta left my room. He slipped out quietly and made his exit 
 from the hotel by an outlet in the rear. That night I met him on 
 the street. He was greatly agitated, and asked what had become 
 of the printed proclamation of Gomez. 
 
 " Did you not take it away with you?" I inquired. 
 
 "Never, never," was the reply. "Is it not in your pocket?"' 
 
 "No," was the answer. "It must have been left upon the 
 table. Wait one moment and 1 will go and see." 
 
 Back to the hotel I went. There was a score of papers upon the 
 table, but the proclamation was not among them. When I re- 
 turned and made this re])ort the Cuban blanched with fear. " It 
 has been stolen by the attendant of your room,'" said he, " and I 
 am lost." 
 
 " Possibly," I replied, "the Senator took it." I made inquiries 
 of the Senator, who looked over the papers in his pocket and found 
 it. When it was returned to its owner the latter gave a great 
 sigh of relief. Before sundown of the succeeding day it was in the 
 hands of General Betancourt. 
 
 HEIiOISM OF THE IXSURCEXTS. 
 
 There is a disposition to regard Gomez and his associates as 
 little better than bandits, guerrillas, and bushwhackers, but the 
 fact is that the Cuban patriots have never b^en reduced to such 
 dire distress as were the American patriots at Valley Forge. 
 With ample siipplies of provisions, clothing, artillery, ammuni- 
 tion, and equipments, Gomez was confident of his abifity to drive 
 the Spaniards from the island. His men are well seasoned and 
 amenable to discipline, and have never declined a battle with 
 Spanish troops on equal terms. 
 
 Garcia has practically held the Province of Santiago for two 
 years and defeated every attempt of the enemy to dislodge him. 
 His troops are now perched upon the mountains near the city of 
 Santiago, awaiting the opportunity for a final swoo]). The Span- 
 ish army cooped within that city is as sure to be captured as was 
 Cornwallis at Yorktown. The American fleet at Santiago will 
 cinch the situation as perfectly as did the fleet of the Count de 
 Grasse in the Chesapeake. Gomez has held nearly half of the 
 province of Puerto Principe ever since Maceo"s great march to 
 the west. Weyler found it impossible to expel him and returned 
 to Havana in disgust. Fabius himself never handled his army 
 more adroitly in the days of Hannibal. The Cuban Government 
 maintained itself in its moimtain capital despite all efforts to dis- 
 perse it. 
 
 The ('onfincntal Congress fled from Philadelphia to Annapolis 
 in the days of the Revolution, but the Cuban Government main- 
 tains itself where it was first established. It is organized on a 
 constitutional basis, and its legislative and executive decrees are 
 
39 
 
 in a lino with all r.publicaTi prt'cedonts. It.-j Pri'siileut. Darloluuie 
 Masso, is uiulonbteilly already in i-oiiiiiuuii(.atioii with our Gov- 
 tTinnent. Gomez derives liis authority as i^encral tlio same im 
 Nelson A. Miles gets his autliority here and is fully asanienahlc to 
 the law. In no ease has the military authority ever refuseil to 
 bow to the will of the civil government, (.obedience to the law is 
 ns stron.Lrly ingrained in the Cuban army as in the American 
 Army. Its losses have been terrific, but the patriotic tiro burns 
 as brightly as ever in the liearts of those who survive. 
 
 If we.iudge of the future by the past, there is no (iui:'stion of 
 the ability and willingness of the i)atriots to materially aid our 
 forces in their cami)aign of liberation. They are strengthened iu 
 this desire by the official assurance of the President and of Con- 
 gress that it is a campaign of liberation, and not one of annexa- 
 tian, as the Spaniards assert. The history of the w;'.r in Cu])a luia 
 never been written. The American people know as little about it 
 as they knew of the wholesale starvation of tlie recnnceiitrados 
 four months ago. I*: exists in fragments and fag-ends, to be 
 gathered by some future foreign historian, as Botta gathered the 
 historical debris of the American Revolution. 
 
 The revolution began on February 2i, 189"). The first ob.iect of 
 IMartinez Campos was to isolate it to the i)rovince of Santiago. 
 On May 1 Gomez had COO soldiers, mostly cavalry. They were 
 stationed at Mejorana, about ~~) miles from the city of Santiago. 
 With :J00 of these soldiers, accompanied by Jose Marti, he started 
 for Puerto Principe to spread the insurrection. INIaceo was left 
 behind with 400 mounted troops. He broke for Hol-guin, one of 
 the principal cities of Santiago, 20 miles from the northern coast. 
 The Spaniards there wei'e thrown into a panic. They brought to 
 fheir aid the garrison of Las Tunas, 40 miles to the Avest. This 
 was what Maceo wanted. It left the way open to Gomez and his 
 troopers. Marti was killed in a little tight at Dos Rios and Gomez 
 passed safely into Puerto Principe. 
 
 Maceo promptly withdrew from Holguin and marched back to 
 Cauto Abajo. about 15 miles northwest of Mejorana. About this 
 time Martinez Campos aiTived at Manzanilio, 30 miles southwest of 
 Bayamo. Gu July 12 he began his fan:ous march to Bayamo. 
 Maceo on July H had heard that Campos was expected. Bayamo 
 is at least 70 miles west of Cauto Abajo. With Goulet, Masso, 
 Rabi, and Guerra, Maceo advanced toward Bayamo. He had 
 about 1,200 men, the cavalry being armed with machetes and the 
 infantry with everything that could be found in the shape of a 
 shooting iron. With these men Maceo waylaid Campos at Pera- 
 lejo. The Spanish General Santocildes was killed and Campos 
 escaped to Bayamo without even an escort, the Spanish force 
 being utterly routed. Campos concentrated his forces, returned 
 to Manzanilio. and went back to Havana. 
 
 Meantime Gomez set Camaguey allame with insurrection. A 
 constituent assembly was called, representing every province, and 
 a civil government established. Gomez was made commander in 
 chief and Maceo lieutenant-general. The mulatto general had 
 gone back to Banabacoa, M miles southeast of Cauto Abajo. 
 While here ho received orders from Gomez to organize a column 
 for the invasion of the western part of the island. Havana was 
 nearl}' .")00 miles away. On receiving these orders. Macro marched 
 to Baragua, 10 miles north of Cauto Abajo. There he was joined 
 by Quintin Bandera and Luis Feria. incr'-asing his army to l.'Jnu 
 men, of which 700 were cavalry, (teneral (iomez :irri\e 1 at Ba- 
 
40 
 
 ragna on October 11. On October 22 the invading column began 
 its march, under the direct command of Maceo. On November 1 
 it was joined by oUO cavalry under Generals Miro and Santana. 
 
 All tills time Campos was making preparations anew to squelch 
 the insurrection. The Spanish official figures credit him with 
 172, 29.'} men. Add to these 50,000 Spanish volunteers recruited in 
 Cuba and 10,000 regulars newly arrived, and his total force, al- 
 lowing for losses", was not below 200,000. Cami^os made the mis- 
 take of underestimating the strength of the i)atriot3. He looked 
 upon them as a lot of bushwhackers and was entirely unaware of 
 their plans. The intention was to break into Puerto Principe, 
 south of Las Tunas. On November .1 scouts reported 3,000 Span- 
 iards awaiting the advancing column, 12 miles southeast of Las 
 Tunas. 
 
 Maceo sent General Capote, with 300 men, to make a feint on 
 that city. It was masterful strategy. The Spanish column tore 
 back to the city to defend it, and Maceo's troops rushed through 
 the gap. On November 7 Maceo entered Puerto Principe. Gomez 
 left the column with a small escort, promising to rejoin it with 
 rcenforccments within a month. The insurrection was spreading, 
 and the Spanish troops, who had been flanked at Las Tunas, were 
 on Maceo's trail. General Echague, who commanded the pur- 
 suers, followed Maceos column over a hundred miles, but finally 
 gave it up after numerous skirmishes and went down to the Carib- 
 bean coast, to Santa Cruz del Sur. 
 
 jSIaceo's forces grew in numbers as he advanced into the more 
 thickly populated country. By the end of November he had left 
 the city of Puerto Principe on his right. The eastern trocha was 
 only GO miles away. This had been constructed in the ten-years 
 war and had been strengthened by Campos. The ditch ran from 
 Moron, on the northern coast, to Jucaro, on the Caribbean shore. 
 By this time Campos was fully awake. He had 16,000 troops along 
 this trocha, with a chain of blockhouses, a railroad, a telegraph 
 line, and ironclad cars. Echague and his troops had been brought 
 from Santa Cruz del Sur by steamer, and Avere among the 16.000 
 now confronting the wily mulatto. At o'clock on the morning 
 of November 20 Maceo broke from the woods at Ciego d'Avila, 12 
 miles north of Jucaro, swerved to the right, and crossed the trocha 
 between two small forts. Before the Ciego gan-ison was awake 
 he had pried up the rails, cut the wires, and was sweeping west- 
 ward like a prairie fire. 
 
 Thus the second plan of Campos to head off the insurrection 
 failed. The march had been through a land of forests and fields, 
 and the roads were little better than mountain paths. On the day 
 that Maceo passed the trocha Gomez joined him with General 
 Sanchez and General Roloff. For two days the troops remained 
 in camp. It was the first rest they had taken since the start. 
 Havana was still nearly 300 miles away. Terrible work was be- 
 fore them. They were about to enter a province gridironed with 
 railways and defended by 80,000 Spanish troops. The column had 
 increased until it numbered 5,000 men. 
 
 On December 2 they broke camp at dawn. Before 8 o'clock the 
 road was disputed. Two scjuadrons of cavalry swept upon the 
 Spanish army under Suarez Valdez, while Maceo passed his flank 
 and made for the boundary line between Puerto Principe and 
 Santa Clara. After this fight the infantry and cavalry under 
 Maceo separated, Qnintin IJandera, with 1 ,000 infantry, was sent 
 into the valley of the Trinidad for recruits. He knew the country 
 5.513 
 
41 
 
 thoronghly. Within ten weeks he rejoined Mnceo's column near 
 Havana with 1,000 well diillod and fairly armed patriots. 
 
 On December ;] Macoo's eoliimn crossed the JntiLionico and en- 
 tered Santa Clara. Gomez led the advance. Ho was ambushed 
 by a Spanish column of bOO men. under Colonel Segura. M.iceo, 
 hearing the firing, charged the Spaniards in the rear, fighting 
 hand to hand over brush an<l fallen logs. Segura waaroutud, and 
 the Cubans captured many arms and much ammunition. 
 
 By this time Havana began to exhibit some anxiety. Campos 
 reassured its citizens by saying that he had planted a rat trap for 
 Maceo. He wanted the Cuban column to enter a triangle marked 
 by the cities of Sagua. Colon, and Cienfuegos. when ho would 
 surely annihilate it. These cities were crowded with li-oops and 
 the intervening country cobwebbed with railroads. Maceo and 
 Gomez dashed into the rat trap with their usual fury, swerving 
 north and south, and making mysterious curves and zigzags. At 
 Mai Tiempo on December 10 the 4,o00 Cubans struck a large body 
 of Spaniards in an immense guava plantation. 
 
 The Spaniards were commanded by Colontl Molina, now mili- 
 tary governor of Matanzas. Maceo and Gomez promptly charged 
 them, swinging down into a railroad cut and hacking c'own a 
 wire fence. Molina three times formed a hollow square, but each 
 time the square was broken by the Cuban cavalry, and the Span- 
 iards finally scattered among the gixava bushes and sugar cane, 
 losing their regimental colors, 140 rifles, and 10,000 cartridges. 
 Two hours later Maceo charged a strong Spanish column criming 
 to the relief of Molina. This was promptly smashed, and had no 
 sooner gone to pieces than a third column was encountered. This 
 was dispersed with ease, the Spaniards flying in all directions. 
 Over 8.000 Spanish troops were in these three columns. 
 
 Havana was only 130 miles away, but between it and the Cu- 
 bans were 80,000 Spaniards under command of Campos. Tlie 
 most of these were infantry. The Spanish cavalry was worth- 
 less, and Campos had more field artillery than he could use. The 
 Cuban general, Lacret, made a dash into the heart of Matanzas, 
 cutting railways and burning stations. Gomez and Maceo moved 
 into tiie sugar plantations and crossed the River Anabana into 
 Matanzas. On December 21 they came upon Suarez Valdez like 
 a thunderclap. He fled precipitately. At midnight Maceo camped 
 at Santa Elena. In the gray of the morn he discovered a Spanish 
 column in a grove of palms near by and quickly routed it. 
 
 Then came the most brilliant days in the history of Cuba. 
 Gomez and Maceo were welL within the triangle. Campos tried 
 to spring his rat trap. He had gathered his troops at Colon to 
 strike a decisive blow, but Maceo moved like a meteor. At mid- 
 night of December 22 Maceo camped within 2 miles of Colon, 
 and Campos was sure of trapping him in the morning, but the 
 Cuban column faded with the stars. Campos was fooled as 
 "Washington fooled Cornwallis at Trenton. Zigzag strategy was 
 again brought into play. Carefully and stealthily Maceo threaded 
 his way through the sugar fields in the dusk of the morn until 
 the main road was reached, when the column once more si)urred 
 to the west. Campos was dumfounded, but acted with surprising 
 energy. The rat trap was still open. 
 
 Telegrams to Havana and Matanzas set his whole army in mo- 
 tion by rail. His 7,000 troops at Colon were sent to Coliseo on the 
 trains, where he again lay en perdu, awaiting Cuba's matchless 
 chieftain. Then a new and porteutious feature of the war sent a 
 
42 
 
 cokl cliill thrui;gh his spinal marrow. A pillar of smoke arose in 
 the south, and then another in the east, and a third in the west, 
 and a fourth in the north, nntil the sun was blotted from the 
 heavens. The sugar plantations were aflame. Meantime Gomez 
 swept down iipon Roque, while Maceo dashed for Coliseo. At 
 Roque Gomez tapped the telegraph, which disclosed the concen- 
 tration of the Spanish troops and laid bare the plans of Campos. 
 The wires were cut and the rails were displaced, and tlie concen- 
 tration of 40,001) troops was paralyzed. The trap remained un- 
 sprung. 
 
 Campos sweated with agony, but still retained his presence of 
 mind. Maceo was ad\-ancing in five parallel columns. The mid- 
 dle column was ambuscaded by Campos in a sugar plantation. 
 The generals were not 300 feet apart. The mulatto patriot de- 
 ployed to the right and loft and answered the Spanish fire. Two 
 great wings of 4,000 men were enveloping him. His matchless 
 genius arose to the situation. He dispatched aids to his flanking 
 columns with orders that .spoke for themselves. Within twenty- 
 five minutes the city of Coliseo was in flames and the village of 
 Sumidero was ablaze. One was to the east and the other to the 
 west of Campos. 
 
 Meantime Maceo himself set the cane on fire in the immediate 
 front of the Captain-General. Campos became hopelessly involved 
 between three lines of flames. He sounded a retreat and put for 
 Matanzas, fancying that it was Maceo"s intention to capture that 
 city. The victorious Cubans swept westward like avenging spirits, 
 while clouds of smoke arising from a hundred bxirning plantations 
 l)ewildered the Spaniards and left Campos himself dazed and ap- 
 l)arently unconscious of what had struck him. 
 
 Tiien Maceo appeared at the gates of Havana. It was Christ- 
 mas week. He had been nine weeks in the saddle. He maintained 
 his position in front of Havana four months, while the whole 
 western end of the island was wrapped in a pall of smoke, and 
 $fi0.000,000 in property went to ashes. Campos never recovered 
 his footing and was recalled to Spain. And this is only one chap- 
 ter, but a glorious chapter, in the history of the efforts of the 
 patriots to give the blessings of freedom to Cuba. 
 
 era LAST SUNDAY IX C'l'BA. 
 
 It was March 13, our last Sunday in Cuba. The day was spent 
 in Matanzas, a city of 48,000 inhabitants. There was not a fleck 
 in the sky, A cool breeze swept over the bay, tempering the heat 
 of the sun. A blue haze veiled the distant mountains and brought 
 vividly to mind the Blue Ridge of Virginia. Standing near a 
 Spanish blockhouse on a height above the city, the lovely valley 
 of the Yumuri lay below us on the left of the ridge, dotted with 
 palms, seamed with silvery streams, and carpeted with the rich- 
 est vegetation of the island. On the left extended the San Juan 
 Valley, not so picturesque, but equally as fertile, stretching to 
 the west until lost in tropical thickets, lurking places of Cuban 
 l^atriots. 
 
 No forests were to be seen. The moiintains are covered with 
 scrub, so thick that it can be penetrated only by the use of a 
 machete. It was a perfect spring day — like a day in June in New 
 England. But the air was not filled with melody, and there were 
 few signs of insect life. The mellow note of the robin was not 
 heard, nor the cry of the catbird. Even the mocking bird and the 
 blackbird were missing, and there were no shrill screechings from 
 ■paroquets. No qiiail, no finches, no woodpeckers, no cardinals, 
 :.-4; 
 
43 
 
 no orioles, not oven n srounJ chippN. The onlv buds t.i he siH'n 
 \Yore lazy bu/.zartls ami littK' doves not larger than wn-nn. The 
 Spanish soldiurs were trajjpintf the doves and potting thiir tiuy 
 bodies in stows, seasonod with ^arlii- and swett p'j)pfrH. 
 
 Near by stood a stone church, surrounded by a low wall of ma- 
 sonry. It was surmounted by a ^ilt cross and was known as tho 
 Church of the Black Virgin. The doors stood witlo oi»cn, but 
 there were no services and no rectory nor outbuildin^js. The'altur 
 was covered with soashells, and an image of the Bhick Virgin ap- 
 peared above it in an artificial grotto, crucifix in hand. The 
 church was built in the last century by a Spaiiisli grandeo to com- 
 memorate some momentous event in the history of his fanuly. 
 The bell in the belfry was cast over two hundred years ago. 
 Services were held only twice a year. The yard was shadeil by a 
 row of Spanish oaks, natives of the Balearic Islands. Catalan 
 troops were quartered in the yard and evidently inbmde 1 to cut 
 away the oaks, make embrasures in the walls, and use the place 
 as a redoubt in case of an assault on the city. It completely com- 
 manded both town and harbor. 
 
 Standing on the wall and gazing to the southeast, a railroad 
 train pulling out for Santa Clara, Sagua la Grande, and Cienfue- 
 gos was in full viev,-. A trail of steam marked its windings among 
 the blockhouses until lost to sight in the abandoned plantations 
 on the other side of the harbor. The train was hardly out of sight 
 before two companies of Spanish troopers entered the city not far 
 from the railr< ad station. They came from the direction of 
 Guanabana and left a cloud of dust behind them. It was after- 
 wards ascertained that they had had a little brush with Betan- 
 courfs men near La Vieja, 5 miles southwest of Guanabana. 
 Viewed from the Church of the Black Virgin they looked like a 
 detachment from the bodyguard of the Queen of Liliput. They 
 rode over the stone bridge crossing the San Juan, and disappeared 
 in the narrow streets of the city. 
 
 Below the church on the right of the road an exquisite resi- 
 dence attracted attention. Its white walls gleamed in the sunlight 
 from an embowerment of orange trees and sapodillas. Palms 
 and oleanders shaded the iimer court, and its front was aflamo 
 with the royal purple of the hilnsous. The guardia civil in our 
 entourage, finding that one of the party spoke Spanish, becauio 
 extremely talkative. The mansion, he said, was owned by a 
 sugar planter, now in Europe. It was one of the finest residences 
 in the province. Certainly no more sightly and healthy spot 
 could he found. It overlooked the bay and the city, and it was 
 fanned by cool sea breezes. 
 
 The rarest tropical fruits were propagated on its gronnds. and 
 it contained the richest furniture luid an art gallery valued at a 
 high figure. Its owner had abandoned the island in disgu•^t. His 
 sugar i«lantations had been destroyed and an income among the 
 hundreds of thousands sent skvward in smoke and fianie. Ihtstily 
 gathering what was left, and thankful for thesaf»ty of his family, 
 he had sought a peaceful retreat across the water, leaving all ho 
 possessed in Cuba to be sold. Some of his plantations had brought 
 only §G an acre. Three thousand acres of the finest soil for to- 
 bacco had brought only .$11,000. Tho Matanzas mansion was ii\y- 
 Bolutely valueless. He could not get even an ofifer for it. In tho 
 opinion of the guardui civil, an offer of $4,500 would be eagerly 
 accepted. , ■ , , 
 
 A moment afterwards he was relating a queer story, which ho 
 
 3543 
 
44 
 
 said was rife among the Spanish residents of Matanzas. They 
 believed that Henry M. Flagler, of New York, had been visiting 
 the city incognito, and had secured options on many valuable 
 pieces of property therein, with a view to making it a great winter 
 resort for Americans. JNlatanzas was nearer to the terminus of his 
 railroad in Florida than Havana, certainly not more than fifteen 
 hours' sail. Its beauty, salubrity, pure water, fruits, and rail- 
 road connections would make it far more desirable than Nassau, 
 and the ex]ienditure of two or three millions of dollars in improve- 
 ments would eventually piit it on a par with Nice and Riviera and 
 make it a central winter watering place for the world. 
 
 This story passed current in Matanzas. The Spaniards regarded 
 it as proof positive that the United States intended to annex 
 Cuba, and used it as a lever to force those with patriotic leanings 
 into the support of the new autonomic government. Meantime, 
 Flagler himself was at St. Augustine, apprehensive lest a declara- 
 tion of war should send a Spanish fleet to ravish the coast of 
 Florida, and the Ponciana, Palm Beach, and Royal Palm marvels 
 be leveled to the ground. Within two weeks afterwards the Sec- 
 retary of War was strengthening the defenses of St. Augustine 
 and sending additional comijanies of artillery to man the new 
 guns. 
 
 The return to town was made after a final view of the famed 
 Valley of the Yumuri. Near the gorge where the stream breaks 
 from the valley into Matanzas Bay there were signs of cultiva- 
 tion. Two men were hoeing near the river bank. A field glass 
 disclosed their color, but failed to record the crop they were cul- 
 tivating. No one was allowed to till any ground outside the city /" 
 except by order from General Molina, and these were the only 
 men handling a hoe that had been seen since our entry into Cuba. 
 The reconcentrados use their .skeleton fingers and sticks in plant- 
 ing tomato vines between their squalid huts, and thank God that 
 they are allowed even this poor privilege. 
 
 FKTE UAY IX MATANZAS. 
 
 Down the heights rolled the volante over a winding road, the 
 sun growing hotter every minute. We stopped to inspect a small 
 camp of reconcentrados. The palm-leaf huts were black with 
 age and covered with dust. They were built in the shape of an 
 inverted Y, without doors, and open front and rear. It was a 
 camp of starving children, half naked, and squalid be3'ond belief. 
 Some were mere skeletons; others were swollen in the body and 
 limbs, dropsical affections, caused by want of proper food. On 
 entering the camp the palms rustled as scores of chameleons 
 darted uj) the huts, and a hundred of the child sufferers gathered 
 aroTind the visitors, surveying them mournfully and extending 
 their tiny hands. Only the most active were among the group, 
 each hut containing some who were unable to arise, and who lay 
 upon the ground, open-eyed, awaiting their fate in patient resig- 
 naUon. 
 
 The mothers were either at the hospitals or ranging the streets 
 of the city seeking sustenance. The heat of the sun was intense. 
 Not a breath of air was stirring. The hot air arose from the hot 
 road and fairly quivered in the hot sky. At the heels of the 
 strangers were the children, heading them off at every turn, and 
 pleading for alms. Among thom was a little blonde, neatly 
 dressed, and apparently in perfect health. She wore a gold chain 
 around her neck, and was as pretty as an ideal picture, but wa.s 
 as persistent in her cries for help as those on the last verge of 
 
 P 
 
45 
 
 starvation. Before the phenomenon could bo explained, n. visitor 
 throw two djzen coppers into tho group. Tliey disappeared liko 
 corn thrown among famished chickens. In an instant the rash 
 philantiiropist was surrounded and fairly mobhed. Ho literally 
 had to light his way to his volante, and the party continued iUi 
 journ^'V iluwn tho hill. 
 
 In the outskirts of the citj', while passing a beautiful residence 
 of ^loorish architecture, there was a far more attractive develop- 
 ment. From the inner court trooped four ladies in Spanish at- 
 tire, wearing black silk masks. They ranged theiuf^elves upon 
 the walk and coiuettishly threw kisses at tho strangers. To say 
 that the party was astouislied does not cover the situation; they 
 were astounded. In an instiint, however, one of them politely re- 
 moved his hat, and the others followed suit. The ladies shouted 
 ill silvery tones, "Biienas Americanos." The carriage rolled on, 
 and in front of a rich mansion on the opposite side of the street 
 there was a similar performance. 
 
 Within ten minutes the streets were filled with ladies en 
 masque. All wore the masks so familiar on harlequins in panto- 
 mimes. It was about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. As tlio party 
 approached the hotel barbaric music was heard. It had a weird 
 sound— something like tho drumming of Sioux Indians before 
 roasting a captive. On alighting at tho hotel the unearthly music 
 redoubled in volume and a motley procession turned tlie corner. 
 All the saloons were open and around the tables sat Spanish offi- 
 cers and civilians drinking light wines and smoking cigarettes. 
 The streets were filled with barking dogs and shouting children 
 carrying wooden rattles. At the head of the procession marched 
 a group of gigantic negroes, bearing aloft iimiges, among which 
 was a representation of the Black Virgin. 
 
 Tho music was monotonous and horribly discordant, but it had 
 a barbaric rhythm, and to this rhythm tlie negroes kept step. 
 They beat the ground with their heels and acted liko Buffalo Bills 
 Indians in a ghost dance. Some were scantily arrayed, and their 
 actions savored more of the voodoo than any other ceremony. 
 Following this advance guard were a hundred or more men and 
 women arrayed in variegated costumes, all wearing black silk 
 masks. All were shouting and singing and some dancing a la 
 Egyptienne. It was a heterogeneous crowd with no regard for 
 order and regardless of comment. A few overenthused would 
 leave the procession and dance around and embrace spectators on 
 the street. 
 
 The reconcentrados shrank into the doorways and side streets 
 as the noisy column swept past them. For once their plaintive 
 ci'ies were stilled, and they furtively watched the surging mob. 
 There were horns in the crowd and all sorts of strange noises. 
 As the day died out in the gleam of tho electric lights the tumult 
 increased. By midnight there was a regular saturnalia. Every- 
 body was riotously merry. The i)ro(ession kept in motion, and 
 tiie music became so barbaric that even tho dogs howled in i)ro- 
 test. The parks and pla/.as were alive with frivolity. Everybody 
 seemed to be having a great time. The mas(iueraders were sport- 
 ive and accosted each other in terms more affectionate than pol- 
 ished. At times they whirled in waltzes under the palms and 
 anon joined hands and sang loudly under the electric lights. 
 
 Whenever the procession reappeared all greeted it with loud 
 cheers and joined in the singing. The gigantic negroes stuck to 
 their work manfully, and the dogs moaned with agony as the music 
 3513 
 
46 
 
 increasea in power. The saloons were filled to overflowing and 
 the consumption of light wines was enormous. With all the de- 
 lirium and paroxysms there was no intoxication. Even after mid- 
 night a steady stream of carriages poured along the streets filled 
 with masked ladies and girls, hilarious and joyful, who exchanged 
 short comments with pedestrians and at times sent kisses right 
 and left from the tips of tlieir fingers. Not until near daylight 
 did Ihe noisy scenes subside. The American visitors sought their 
 beds amid the turbulence, and went to sleep undisturbed l>yeitlier 
 the tooting of horns or the tintinnabulation of bells. It had been 
 fete dav in Matanzas. Its citizens had been honoring the natal 
 day of "their patron saint. Whether the Black Virgin was the 
 patron saint or not, it was evident that she was so regarded by 
 the negroes. 
 
 A DAY ON THE TRAIN". 
 
 On Monday. Mcirch 14, I traveled from Matanzas to Sagua la 
 Grande. In the first-class car there were half a dozen Spanish 
 officers, the mayor of Santa Clai-a, a friar, and two of Clara Bar- 
 ton's relief expedition on their v.-ay to Sagua la Grande and Cien- 
 fuegos. The palace car had cane seats, an unswept floor, and 
 windows washed only in the rainy season. Tliere was no drinking 
 water, there were no racks, and no other conveniences. Every- 
 body smoked, although ladies occupied seats in the car. 
 
 The Americans alone carried grips, and the Spanish officers 
 filled the vacant seats with swords tied in buckskin bags, canes, 
 kiggage rolled in red blankets well strapped, and lunch baskets. 
 They chatted like magpies, but lacked politeness; for when ladies 
 entered the car at way stations tliey were left to shift for them- 
 selves in a search for seats, no one offering to remove the luggage, 
 swords, and baskets of the officers. The day was hot, the sun 
 scorching, and the interior of the car suffocating. All the win- 
 dows were open, and the passengers were showered with cinders. 
 
 My colleague on the journey wore a silk hat and a four-in-hand 
 tie, and carried a silk umbrella. The hat attracted more atten- 
 tion than the Representative himself, and everybody regarded the 
 umbrella with astonishment, as no rain had fallen since October. 
 
 Wherever my colleague went he created a sensation. If ho 
 alighted at a way station, the reconcentrados stopped their plain- 
 tive pleadings as he approached and gazed at the tile as though 
 overcome with awe. Even the friar in the car. who wore a hat 
 that looked as though it jnight have been made in the days of Gil 
 Bias, never took his eyes from the Congressman's hat. It had a 
 fascination for him that seemed overwhelming. 
 
 The American statesman, however, seemed to be absolutely un- 
 aware of the stir created by the hat. At times he smoothed the 
 fur with a white silk handkerchief, while the little negro porters 
 regarded him in open-mouthed wonderment and a corporal's guard 
 of Castilian infantry ran out of their ironclad car to view the un- 
 wonted sight. Nor did his umbrella remain inconspicuous. It 
 got mixed\ip with the sabers of the Spanish officials, dropped to 
 the floor every half hour, and finally tripped the Congressman 
 himself, nearly tin-owing him from the train. The monk evi- 
 dently considered it a fit traveling companion for the hat. 
 
 He fanned himself for an hour or more and dropped asleep. He 
 awoke as the train stopped at Liinonar. Here a gigantic negro, half 
 naked, entered the car and began to sell tickets in the Havana lot- 
 tery. The alcalde of Santa Clara was his first customer, and the 
 military men were eager purchasers. Last of all came the padre. 
 
 3543 
 
•17 
 
 He selected Ins ticket with much care, pnitl fur it in jmycr money, 
 Bomethuji? liko the ohl American postal currency, drevr out a book 
 of in-ayers in Latin, whispered langiiidly over it for live minutes, 
 and atcain fell asleep. 
 
 At Jovellanos the Spanish fjuard on the platform of the depot 
 came to an order arms as tlio passen^^ers descended from the 
 train. The Americans fancied that an arrest was about to be 
 made, but the ^uard remained as motionless as statues, wliilo the 
 corjoral in cummand whirled himself- amonj? the crowd and 
 finally delivered a telegram to an ofticer, who did nut trouble him- 
 self to return his salute. Jovellanos was a lively place, and the 
 hackuu'U were as noisy and demonstrative as tlnse in a New 
 England town. Against the side of the depot, fronting the plat- 
 form, there was a bar '20 feet long. It was (luickly besieged, and 
 the demand for lemonade, limewater, and light wines was im- 
 mense. 
 
 The tumblers used in concocting lemonade would shame a weiss- 
 beer glass. They held nearly a quart, but it was circus lemon- 
 ade, circumscribed as to ice. Behind the bar there was a furmi- 
 dable array of bottles on a dozen shelves that would tempt the ap- 
 petite of a connoisseur in wines. There was Chateau Y(iuem of 
 various ages, Chateau Margaux, Perez sherry, old port, and 3Ia- 
 deira— almost everything, in fact, outside of blue seal royal 
 .Tohanuesburger; but the gem of the collection was old Otard 
 brandy, imrporting to have been made in 180 ), and retailed at ■^l 
 a bottle in silver. When the train from Cardenas arrived and was 
 joined by one from Guines, ou the Piiiar del Rio road, the crush 
 on the platform was ter\-ific. 
 
 The reconcentrados shrank from the crowd, fearing an applica- 
 tion of the canes of the Spanish officers. Aside from this, the al- 
 calde of the city was present, wielding a gold-tipped baton of 
 el)ony. his insignia of office, and directing the guardia civile to 
 keep the starving women and children at a distance. He was an 
 appointee of the new autonomist cabinet, and he greeted the mayor 
 of Santa Clara with true official courtesy. They di-ank together 
 with much unction, and finally each paid for his own drink. 
 
 As the train moved out the famished Cubans lined the track be- 
 yond the station, pleading mutely but pitifully for food. Not 
 long afterwards a ruined sugar plantation was passed. The black- 
 ened chimneys stood near the track, surrounded by a fence of 
 di-iven jnles, fashioned from royal palms. Under the action of 
 the sun the piles had become as white as snow. They looked as 
 though they had had a coat of whitewash. The whole country 
 was a desolate waste, barring a wild, tropical outgrowth. There 
 were hedges of Spanish I)ayonets and roadways .^liaded for miles 
 by lofty palms, but no signs of cultivation. 
 
 Neither hut nor hacienda was to be seen, and no living animal. 
 Even the birds had left the country, and where the soil was not 
 blackened by lire it was lle;ked by the moving shadows of buz- 
 zards on the wing. The only evidences of occupation were the 
 Spanish blockhouses that appeared on nearly every elevation. To 
 the south arose the blue range of the Quimbambas, iiatcheil with 
 light-gray chaparral, at the foot of which the daring Maceo turned 
 the flank of Martinez Campos less than three years ago. The 
 counti'y was rolling and seamed with small streams of running 
 water. 
 
 As the train approached the town of Cervantes the ] adro 
 aroused himself from his lethargy, closed his Latin prayer book. 
 
48 
 
 and lighted a cigarette. Later on he opened a lunch basket and 
 tilled the car with the flavor of cold boiled ham. He had bought 
 .sapadilloes, pomegi-anates, and pawpaw.s at Jovellanos, and he 
 regaled himself thoroughly b.v drinking a pint of claret snugly 
 ensconced among the goodies in the basket. While at Cervantes 
 a boy came up to the car, offering for sale a string of tiny flutter- 
 ing "birds. Tiieir legs were tied and they were no larger than 
 wrens. 
 
 I leaned out of the window and bought the string for a peseta. 
 The Ijirds resembled the mourning doves so common in Florida, 
 although they were much smaller. They struggled for freedom 
 as they lay in my lap and savagely pecked at my fingers. There 
 were at least a dozen of them. I drew out my pocketknife and 
 tried to liberate them, but their legs and feet were so closely inter- 
 woven that the knife was useless. Thereupon I summoned' all my 
 patience and deliberateh' began to untie the twine. The Spanish 
 officers watched my movements with evident interest. 
 
 Within twenty minutes one of the tiny captives was free. As 
 he darted over the priest's hat and out of the door, I .shouted, "Go 
 to Gomez." The officers looked glum. They evidently under- 
 stood the words and were in no laughable mood. Each bird was 
 tied separately and all were knotted together with the same cord. 
 Five minutes elapsed before the second victim was released. ' ' Go 
 to Garcia! " I shouted, and it shot out of an open window before 
 the faces of the officials of the Queen Regent. One young lieu- 
 tenant in a rich uniform smiled, and the mayor of Santa Clara 
 laughed outright, but the older officers moved uneasily in their 
 seats and looked very grave. A third bird was released, with in- 
 structions to "Go to Bermudez." No one smiled. 
 
 I had unconsciously touched an exceedingly sensitive military 
 nerve, and a "carraho," vengefully uttered, indicated that I was 
 treading on dangerous ground. 
 
 It was a warning heeded by the interpreter, who was seated at 
 my side. In a low tone he said that Eermudez was raiding Santa 
 Clara, and that he had recently executed a Spanish colonel who had 
 tried to seduce him from his allegiance to the Cuban Republic. In- 
 dignation blazed from the eyes of the officers, who awaited the 
 flight of the fourth captive. It was freed in silence, and remained 
 in the car some time before it found its way to the outer world. 
 The Spaniards were still in an ill mood, and furtively watched 
 every movement. As the bonds of the last bird were loosed and 
 it wafted Itself into the sunshine the train entered Colon. Most 
 of the officers were at their journey's end. but the war cloud was 
 not dispelled. Enough remained to chill the atmosphere of good- 
 fellowshi]). 
 
 The friar resumed his Latin breviary, and the new military pas- 
 sengers were quickly informed of what had happened. I lighted 
 a cigar and listened to the interpreter "s reminiscences of the ten 
 j'ears' war until the bovmdary line was crossed and the train 
 stopped at Mordazo. It was a small town, but death was in the 
 air. Tlic reconcentrados were absohately without food or shelter 
 and were dying like sheep in a rinderpest. A few lay in the hot 
 sun, starving and naked, awaiting the end in utter despair. 
 
 At o o'clock Santo Domingo was reached. It was a little place 
 of 800 inhabitants, where 2,700 victims of Weyler's brutality had 
 died within three months. Here the destination of the party was 
 changed. 
 
 A dispatch from Sagua was received announcing the sudden 
 
40 
 
 w!l!, \ii^^^ Z''^^- *"' ^"***"' THrH-T... I?,.r ^r^nth t.^k iw to 
 
 at the statun .., frl.^ 
 
 Clara, ami a tl.ir.l ^,, ' ," ^''V** 
 
 the wroiiK' train, it wns n. !/ 
 
 Coveml my inist.ik. . l mj : 
 
 iKm.l. ami lua.l- a 1 r.-ak f..r ll.e .^..^ua l.aii,. i.n. »« 
 
 uisjijijK'arijiir aiouinl « iurv«», li.Hvirsr H fr-nl i.f \,]'\, 
 
 huui it. In an m ■ ..,.,.- 
 
 tion. Here 1 \va> ,.y 
 
 town, unable to n. „ 
 
 stand others. I feit i * 
 
 milf-s from any oaMH. N ^i 
 
 of EnglK.h. All I conM ..;u wa. " .-«KUa.- .^ ,..„tci 
 
 Uu- utket ajft-nt. ami .^hook hib hoa«l. All the ; ; u'onu 
 
 iiml th.-re were none t.. follow tlieju until the ^i.r, . , .iiuj,' thiy' 
 ih.re was no railroad .norvice at ni;;lit Ucaube ..f tho activitv of 
 the insurjfeutii. ' 
 
 While Rt'indinf,' absorliod in h .luiMnlnrv. u rer..nrentra<lo atn 
 pe.irid before me. He was ^'aiint and tiiin. I»ui his ra;;K"d rai- 
 m nt was ckan. He divine.! tlie situition like a ffahh. Pointinjj 
 to tlie nurth.'iist. he imitated the puninR of a hKouio ive and 
 
 plated til' • of his ri«ht liand in the imlin oi his loft. I 
 
 to^K "i^- nain had stupi ,-,1 .,r..un<l il,.- curve, and the 
 
 monceii; ,n to run up tlie traik in the hot sunliKlit I 
 
 followed hau at a dead jump. The rear of the train wa> .juickly 
 in si^'ht. It had stoppe.! nt a ^frade croBsinj,' a (luarler of a iiiiiu 
 away. B.fore I eonld reach it it was oil aynin. I waved my 
 hat. but there wa.s no re!<|M(j)8e. 
 
 There was a wine shop filh-d with Spani.-h .soldiers at the jjrado 
 crossing. They re,'arded nie with much . uriosit v as I entered the 
 shoj). VVavinu' my hand towanl them. I shout.-d ' Vinos! " and 
 silently invited them to drink. They eau' rly accept e<l the invita- 
 tion, and halt a dozen bottl(>8 of liyht wine were plac«<l on the 
 t;ibles. The soldiers were (iallotfos. Thev Hvmpathi/.ed with me. 
 but were utterly unable to Rive me any information. Mcnttmo 
 my interjireter apiK-are^l. .Mi.ssiu;; me, h«- had sprun;: Irom tho 
 train.andhadconieba. ktosjH'iid theni^;ht with me. HereiK.rt- d 
 that the lonductor wjls about to hold tlie train when h«' saw mo 
 rnnnint; toward it. but tlie Siiunish ofticers interf.-riHl. They 
 had not forgotten the liberation of the birds. "Let hbn goto 
 Gomez!' and "Let him go to Ik-rmudez! ' thev cri.-d. They 
 •dluded to me a> an •American i>ig." an<l saiil that the w.ilking 
 to.Sagua la Uratide w.LH g.MMl. Tiie interpret^-r warne.l the .on- 
 ductor that h.- wotild have to return wiieii the tram reached 
 Sagiia. as tlu- In-'at. d pa^.^M-nger was a Fedt-ral d<'puty. an>l the 
 Spanish oflicers roarer! with lauKhter. The conductor refustnl to 
 stop, and the train hjipcI on. 
 
 After a p.ir' ' Mth the (Jalle-os. the int< : 1 my- 
 
 srlf hold a con r. A dittpatch wa" wnt t :; irk<r 
 
 atSaguala<ii ..... rming hiin that 1 ) ' ■ , in.- train 
 
 and would come up to >agua on tin- foil. .\ Tli. n tlio 
 
 mayor wiLs w.ui:ht. He kejit theonly drug • town, and 
 
 received his visitors ratiiei coldly ' We leii imn and ent«-red a 
 little restaurant on the corner. It wa« reeking with garlic and 
 tlie fare V. ' ' ! but the proprietor w;i« urbane ami attentivw 
 and the \\ • nt. 
 
 After il ; .-.ought »i..- ..r,..,» <•..,.,. ,r,i, for hnlging. Aa 
 
:}.^'<»Kr o^ 
 
 Ifl" ^^ 
 
 50 
 
 we were crossing the plaza toward the cathedral, the mayor ap- 
 peared with his baton of office and urj^ed us not to go near the 
 priest. He said that the paflre was a bitter Spaniard and that we 
 would bt" driven from his door with contempt. 1. however, per- 
 sisted, and was received with xha most cordial hospitality. While 
 conversing with the priest the station agent arrived with a dis- 
 patch announcing that a special train had left Sagua in search 
 of the lost Federal deputy. At the same moment the whstle of 
 the locomotive was heard. The priest parted with his visitors 
 apparently with sincere regret. We boarded the train, sainted 
 the chagrined conductor, and arrived at tSagua at dark. There 
 Consul Barker warmly greeted us and conducted us to the hotel, 
 amid hundreds of starving reconcentrados. Two days afterwards 
 we received a health certificate from the health officer at Havana, 
 departed on a New Orleans steamer, and landed at Key West the 
 next morning, thanking God that we were once again under the 
 Stars and Stripes. . „ ^, ^ 
 
 These, Mr. Chairman, are a few of the experiences of the Con- 
 gres.sioual delegation that visited Cuba in March. I have not 
 dwelt upon the number of reconcentrados who were starved to 
 death, because these were fully detailed in the statements of the 
 visiting Senators, and I fully agree with them. At the leiist. over 
 200,000 persons had died of starvation under the Weyler order 
 when we left Cuba. This order was rescinded by General Blanco 
 a week before the declaration of war. Since then the sufferers 
 must have been nearly exterm nated. Whatever food was left by 
 Miss Clnra Barton for their sniiport was sei.ed l>y tlie Spaniards, 
 and death has undoubtealy performed its work unchallenged. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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