'$97

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA

" If you or iiny other American correspondent dares to enter
my camp and write the truth concerning our condition, Carram-
ba! I'll shoot you!" See page 334.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CDBA.

A Review of the Various Stories Circulated in
The United States Concerning the Present Insurrection.

BY
GEORGE BRONSON REA,
« • e
(FIELD CORRESPONDENT OF "THE NEW YORK HERALD"-.

"Most modern wars may be ultimately traced to national
antipathies which have been largely created by newspaper invec
tives and by the gross partiality of newspaper representations."
Lbckt's "England in the Eighteenth Century."

ILLUSTRATED BY WILLIAM DE LA M. CARY, FROM PHOTO
GRAPHS TAKEN BY TEE AUTHOR.

NEW YORK:
GEORGE MUNRO'S SONS, PUBLISHERS,
17 TO 27 VANDEWATER STREET.

COPTRIGHT, 1897,
ET
GEORGE BRONSON REA.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER. PAGE.
I.— Attacks on the Author.— Correspondents in
Habana, etc  21
II. — Atrocities  31
III. — Atrocities. — (Continued) .... 57
IV.— Rebel Justice  73
V. — The Starvation Pake. — An Answer to " The
Real Condition of Cuba To-day" . . 87
VI. — How an Editor and Author was Imposed Upon
by the "Laborantes" in Habana. — Cor
recting Certain Misleading Ideas in " The
Story of Cuba"  123
VII. — A Review of the Leading Fakes Appearing
in the New York Dailies During the
Year 1896  149
VIII.— Prominent Fakes  207
IX.— The Author Meets Gomez .... 235
X. — Gomez at Santa Lucia ... . 249
XI. — Gomez's Attack on the Correspondent. — A
Fitting Sequel to an Eventful Day . 259
XII. — Gomez at La Luz, or the Victory (?) of the
Impedimenta  265
XIII. — Gomez at San Gervasio .... 276
xiv. — mlrabal and zayas. — death of two brave
Leaders Deserted by Thetr Commands
When They Fell  282
XV.— Maceo's Bravery at Galops ... 295
XVI. — Maceo's Defeat at La Palma. — Story op a
Midnight Raid  305
XVII. — Last Trd? op the Author to the Camp of
Gomez  314

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE.
Gomez Threatening to Shoot tiie Author (Frontispiece).
Captain-General Martinez Campos  33
Lieutenant-General Valeriano Weylbr . . . 115
Antonio Maceo  207
Maximo Gomez  235
George Bronson Rea  314

The author desires to acknowledge the kindness of the
editor of the " New York Herald " for the use of the
photographs taken in the field while in their employ* of
the editor of the " Philadelphia Eecord " for his courtesy
in permitting him to reproduce his contributions to that
paper, and to the editors of the " Evening Post," " Morn
ing Advertiser," and " Commercial Advertiser," whose
editorials are reproduced throughout the following pages.

DEDICATION.
To the editors of the American press and to the Mem
bers of Congress, who have beeu systematically and willfully
imposed upon by a clique of spurious and unscrupulous
citizens, aided by incompetent and malicious correspond
ents, this book is respectfully dedicated. The author
has acquired the right to approach the subject from the
standpoints revealed in the following pages, by having ex
posed his life on many occasions to ascertain the truth,
and the only object in exposing the utter falsity of the
many stories cited, is a desire to see fair play, and to call at
tention to a campaign that has made our press and highest
legislative body appear ridiculous in the eyes of the civil
ized world.
George Bronson Rea.
Brooklyn, Oct. 15, 1897.

INTRODUCTION.
On the 18th of January, 1896, I left Habana to join the
insurgent army, under Maximo Gomez, as correspondent
for the " New York Herald." I remained with the differ
ent forces of the Cuban " army " until the latter end of
September, when I returned to Habana and embarked in a
vessel for the United States. In these nine months of
hard campaigning I witnessed many of the heavy skir
mishes and guerrilla fights that have been misnamed bat
tles. The most important of these occurred at:
Capture of train at Seborucal by Gomez. Jan. 26, 1896.
Santa Lucia. Eight. Gomez and Aldecoa. Jan. 27.
Penalver. Fight. Gomez and Linares. Jan. 31.
La Luz. Fight. Gomez and Ruiz. Feb. 1.
Quivican. Trap set to capture Scovel and myself while
attempting to enter the town to dispatch correspondence.
Feb. 2.
Guara. Night excursion with Col. Roque in an attempt
to capture the town. Feb. 10.
San Antonio de Las Vegas. Fight. Maceo and Segura.
Feb. 15.
Jaruco. Burned and looted by Maceo. Feb. 17.
Moralito. Fight. Gomez and Maceo, with 8,000 men,
against several Spanish columns under Linares, Segura,
Aldecoa, and others. Feb. 18.
1 Catalina de Guines. Fight. Gomez and Maceo, with
8,000 men, against several Spanish columns under Linares,
Segura, Aldecoa, and others. Feb. 18.
El Gato. Fight. Maceo and Hernandez. Feb. 19,

XIV INTRODUCTION.
Tinajita. Skirmish. Rear guard of Maceo and Span
ish column in ambush. Feb. 21.
Guira. Fight with train at railroad crossing. Feb. 22.
La Perla, or the fight of Guamacaro. Maceo and Gen.
Prats. Feb. 24.
Ibarra. At railroad crossing. Maceo and  Feb.
26. Portela. At railroad crossing. Maceo and  . The
author was wounded at this fight. Feb. 29.
Santa Cruz. Town captured by Maceo. March 1.
Minas. Fight with train. Maceo and  . March 2.
Nazareno. Fight. Maceo and Aldecoa. March 3.
Rio Bayamo. Fight. Maceo and Aldecoa. March 3.
Tapaste. Rear-guard fight. March 4.
Morales. Fight. Maceo and Melguizo. March 5.
Madruga. Fight with railroad train on crossing near
the town. Maceo and  . March 5.
Acana. Fight with train at railroad crossing near this
estate. March 7.
San Francisco. Fight. Maceo and Melguizo. March 7.
Diana. Fight. Maceo and Vicuna. March 8.
Rio de Auras. Fight. Maceo and Molina. March 9.
Nueva Paz. Fight. Maceo and Tort. March 12.
Batabano. Town burned and looted by Maceo, Ban-
deras, and Tamayo. March 14.
Waterloo, Toscana, Neptuno. Spanish columns in am
bush. Maceo and Hernandez. March 16.
Galope. Fight. Maceo and Inclan. March 17.
Nueva Empresa. Fight. Maceo against Linares and
Inclan. March 19.
La Tumba. Fight. Maceo against Linares and Inclan,
re-enforced by Echavarria. March 19.
Cayajabos. Fight. Maceo and Lieut. Col. Frances.
March 19.
Rubi. Fight. Maceo and Delgado against Inclan.
March 21.

INTRODUCTION. XV
San Rafael. Fight. Maceo and Delgado against Inclan.
March 23.
La Palma. Town entered and partially burned. In
surgents repulsed with heavy loss. Maceo, Diaz, and Du-
casse, with 3,000 against 150 under Capt. Pozo. March
30. San Diego de Ios Banos. Unsuccessful attempt to take
the town. March 31.
El Toro. Attack on Heliograph Tower by Maceo.
April 1.
San Claudio. Fight. Maceo and Devos. April 11.
Tapia. Six times within the month, the Spaniards,
under various generals, undertook to defeat the Cuban
leader at this encampment. April.
Cacarajicara. Fight. Maceo and Inclan. April 30.
The author was two leagues distant from the scene of the
fight, but arrived the following morning, May 2.
Vega de Morales, Sebastopol, Quinones. Fight. Maceo
and Altamira. , May 5.
El Gano. Fight. Maceo and Inclan. May 6.
San Andres. Town captured and burned by Maceo.
May 22.
Consolacion del Sur. Attacked by Maceo, defended by
Col. Gelabert and Gen. Molins. May 23.
Descanso de Las Lajas. Fight. Maceo and Suarez
Valdes. May 25.
Plantation La Teresa. Attacked by Sotomayor. July.
La Gloria. Skirmish. Bacallao and Lono. August 1.
San Francisco. Skirmish. Aguirre and Ochoa. Au
gust 20.
Plantation Cayajabos. Fight. Aguirre and Moncada.
August. Plantation Viuda. Fight. Aguirre and Albergoitte.
August. It will be seen by this list that there was at least one
Cuban general who heroically endeavored to attain his

XVI INTRODUCTION.
ideal by fighting for it. As day after day I witnessed him
at the head of his men, directing the fray from the front
ranks of the firing line, I could not but feel a certain ad
miration for the man who, despite his color, was so far the
superior of the many " opera-bouffe " generals in the
Cuban Army of Liberation. My sympathies naturally
went out to this gallant band, abandoned to their fate in
the hills of Pinar del Rio, to withstand the best they could
the repeated onslaughts of the thousands of well-armed and
equipped soldiers dispatched to annihilate them. Their
companions in the East, under Gomez, Garcia, Rodriguez,
and others, apparently had but little concern about the
exit of the campaign in the West, for not one move was
made to send a commaud to that district of sufficient im
portance to distract the enemy's attention from the brave
mulatto, Antonio Maceo, whose handful of men had so far
carried the brunt of the war, leaving the other " famous "
chiefs to lay around the hills and plains of Camaguey and
Santiago de Cuba, where, to all accounts, they passed the
time wrangling amongst themselves instead of trying to
fight the Spaniards. On the other hand, Maceo devoted
himself strictly to the campaign; he never refused a fight,
and often when the enemy did not bother him for a few
days, he went looking for them to remind them he was still
alive. Even during the two months that his men followed
the trails of the Spanish columns, picking up the car
tridges that were dropped from their well-filled belts, to
fight them with later on, he never deliberately ran away on
their approach, but would wait for them to come up, and
give them the best fight possible with the scanty ammuni
tion on hand. Is it any wonder that my letters to the
" Herald," while he was alive, had a tendency to favor the
Cuban cause?
After returning to the United States I was once more
requested to return to the field for the " Herald," to re
port the exact condition of affairs in the district of Las

INTRODUCTION. XVU
Villas, where Gomez was at the time operating, and, ac
cording to his countrymen in Florida, making preparations
for another invasion of the western provinces.
The task was not an easy one; for at that time more
than twenty-five correspondents, representing papers from
all parts of the country, were scattered throughout Florida,
waiting for a favorable opportunity to enter Cuba and find
Gomez. It is hardly necessary to add that the Spanish
authorities were also very vigilant in deterring these men
from carrying out their designs. I left New York on the
13th of January, of this year, entered Cuba through Ha
bana, and arrived at Gomez's head-quarters, in front of
Arroyo Blanco on the 29th of the same month. During
this first trip I had very little time to study the real condi
tion of affairs, as my sole aim was to reach Gomez and re
turn to the coast with my letters, and endeavor to send
them through to New York before those of a fellow-corre
spondent representing another large New York daily. And,
I may add, that it was the most difficult mission I ever un
dertook; for although I had the good fortune to catch up
with him, it was only accomplished by riding night and day
through a country infested with Spanish columns and guer
rillas. This will explain why my first three letters still
seemed to favor the Cubans; but once I had time to look
around and study and investigate for myself the methods
and tactics employed by the Cubans in that district, I
began to see the true rottenness of the whole affair, and
then when I returned to the camp of Gomez and found 150
men instead of the great army I naturally expected to see,
and to find that the great westward march so much adver
tised was only a feint, and that the real tactics of the
" renowned " leader were nothing more or less than a
game of hide-and-seek in the forests and jungles of La
Reforma, and, unlike Maceo, he never seemed inclined to
meet the enemy, I considered it was my duty, not only to
the " Herald," but to the American public, that the whole

XV111 INTRODUCTION.
truth should be made clear. My purpose was still further
strengthened after my last trip to Gomez's camp during
the month of March, when the old chief, after publicly in
sulting my country, my countrymen, our Congressmen and
Senators, our President, the paper I represented and its
owner, he openly attacked my motives for coming to his
camp, and, in a manner that could not be mistaken, threat
ened to shoot me or any other American correspondent
that dared to write the truth concerning the real condition
of affairs in the insurgent camps.
Before leaving the insurgents, I sent a letter to Gomez, in
which I candidly explained to him the reasons for my de
parture for Habana. The letter will also, to a certain ex
tent, tend to explain the motives which have led me to take
a step little in accordance with the sentiment and desires
of many of my fellow-citizens. The letter is as follows:
" To the Commander-in-Chief oe the Army oe Lib
erty.
" Maximo Gomez:
" Esteemed Sir,— When you receive this letter, I will
be on my way to the United States, or imprisoned in some
Spanish dungeon. I have decided, to take this step, be
cause, after the last interviews held with you in your en
campment, I am convinced that further work in my ca
pacity as correspondent is useless — more so, as you have
prohibited me, under penalty of death, to write the truth
about the actual campaign.
" According to your idea, I came here with the sole idea
of earning a paltry salary; but I hope to be able to demon
strate to your satisfaction that there still remain a few of
those ' mercenary Americans ' who respect the truth and
the welfare oE their country in preference to money.
" As the American people and the journal that I have
the honor to represent are classified in the same category
of ' mercenarios,' and ' that our only desire is to prolong
the war to sell arms to the Cubans,' you will hardly be
surprised at my conduct.
" Your insults cast upon my country, the paper I repre-

INTRODUCTION. xix
sent, and upon myself, can not always remain occult, be
cause, although I am a lover of liberty, and consequently
of the Cuban cause, I am first, and above all, an American,
and believe that my first duty is to tell the truth to my
countrymen, before they take a step which might com
promise us with the European powers.
" I have the honor to be
" Your obedient servant, " Geo. Bronson Rea."
On my immediate return to this country, I found that
instead of receiving my statements in the manner they
were offered, I was bitterly denounced for having dared to
speak the truth, and although the insults of Gomez were
uttered publicly before his small " army " assembled at
Los Hoyos, up to the present time 1 have been unable to
present the facts before the American public.
Then again when I looked over the files of the papers and
realized the full extent and depth of the miserable and un
scrupulous attempts of other correspondents to embroil
the country into a war with Spain, based on issues created
by their own imaginative brains, 1 determined to write a
book exposing the whole business; and although I feel that
in doing so I will make many enemies, yet I feel confident
that there are enough sensible people in the country who
will accept the statements in the spirit in which they are
made, and if the perusal of the following pages, will at least
open the eyes of a few of the readers to the enormity of the
criminal abuse the Cuban sympathizers have made of our
press, then I will feel that my experience in the field has
been amply repaid.
George Bronson Rea.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.

CHAPTER I.

Attacks on the author. — Difficulties of American correspondents in
Habana.— Row great insurgent victories are manufactured. —
Conduct of early correspondents.— The factories for war news
in Florida. — A few examples of Iheir work. — Failure of the
" press censors " in Key West to forward Mr. Scovel's truth
ful account of Maceo's death to his paper.
In view of the persistent campaign of misrepresenta
tions concerning the causes of the existing condition of
affairs in Cuba, I have once more determined to undertake
the difficult and thankless task of making a few statements,
founded on facts, which can be readily supported by a
careful study of the newspaper files and by the writings of
other impartial and conscientious correspondents.
My assertions will not be based on the yarns or reports
of the Habana " laborantes " or interviews with unknown
or unimportant persons in Cuba — a fault too much in
dulged in by other writers on the subject.
The question of our intervention in the affairs of a
hitherto friendly government is too serious to be influenced
by any lying inventions or " fakes " to further the inter
ests of any one cause, and I hope the ensuing impartial
facts will tend to open the eyes of the readers to a more
thorough understanding of this perplexing question.
For a long time 1 entirely abandoned the idea of writing
my personal experiences in the field with the insurgents,
as they would undoubtedly create considerable comment

22 EACTS AND JfAliliS ABOUT UUJJA.
and throw a flood of light on the inside history of this
much-advertised struggle, and so prove prejudicial to a
cause openly espoused by the majority of my countrymen
and their representatives in Congress.
My silence has been misinterpreted, and the Cubans have
not refrained from boldly attacking my motives, and it is
a significant fact that the truth of one of my articles has
never been denied, though my former life has been greatly
criticised, and the only crime I have been found guilty of
was the enormous one of having abandoned my profession
of electrical engineer and at one jump reaching the posi
tion of field correspondent of the " New York Herald,"
who printed my letters over my signature. This was con
sidered enough to condemn me in the eyes of the " world-
renowned " editor of the Cuban insurgent organ pub
lished in Paris.
The " intrepid war correspondent "of a leading New
York daily, who never leaves the safe environments of the
city, and who sees the most marvelous battles, and cele
brates astonishing interviews with unknown Cuban chiefs,
and mixes names and geography in such a manner as to
cause the insurgents to jump one hundred and fifty miles
in an hour, has also had the affrontery to invent the story
about my being expelled from the camp of Gomez for lying.
During my last experience in the field with the Cubans,
I was compelled, by a sense of justice, impartiality, and
respect for the truth, to faithfully fulfill my obligations to
the great paper that employed me, and to lay aside for the
time my sympathies, and state in a clear and distinct man
ner a few facts in regard to the actions of the insurgents in
the field, and to expose several downright " fakes " that
had been perpetrated on our people by unscrupulous cor
respondents. Whatever I have stated has been done openly and fear
lessly, and the letters have borne my signature as a proof
of good faith, and can be relied on as the truth, or as near

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 23
to it as is possible to approach in a question where such an
extraordinary amount of prevarication is the leading and
most prominent characteristic. Owing to the danger at
tached to fiuding out the truth, the American public has
been grossly deceived by many of the correspondents sent
to Habana as representatives of our leading journals. Some
have been imposed on by the swarm of " laborantes " * who
infest every corner of the large centers of Cuba. The cor
respondent, ignorant of the Spanish language, on his ar
rival in Habana has to secure the services of an interpreter,
and it is a well-known fact that nine tenths of the men
available for such a post are naturalized Cuban-born Am
erican citizens, and their sympathies are actively engaged
in furthering the extension of the insurgent propaganda.
Thus at the very outset the correspondent is handicapped
in his search for the truth, and is subordinate to the will
and influence of his prejudiced assistant. Any other Am
erican who goes to Cuba to investigate for his own benefit
is subject to the same influence, and is thrown in contact
with the large number of insurgent sympathizers who are
invariably naturalized American citizens, and who haunt
the hotel corridors, newspaper correspondents' offices, and
the American consulates. These men are always ready to
tell you of a great Cuban victory and the large number of
Spaniards who were killed, etc.
Shortly after the news concerning some insignificant
skirmish, some one starts the ball rolling by confiding to
his neighbor that he has just heard from a very intimate
friend employed in the palace, that the Spaniards lost so
many between killed and wounded. Of course this is sup
posed to be a strict secret; but in all such cases, before the
" laborantes " have finished spreading the tale, it invari-
* Laborantes, is the term applied to that class of Cuban sym
pathizers or passive insurgents, who, lacking the spirit to take up
arms and fight, invent all'manner of stories, etc., to further their
cause in the cities and especially to influence the representatives of
the American press. It is derived from the word labor — to work.

21 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
ably results that the whole Spanish column has been wiped
out of existence, and the commanding officer taken pris
oner. In this state it reaches the newspaper correspondent and
the American who is doing a little private investigation.
It is sent by the secret mail to Key West, where the paid
correspondents of the "Junta" add a little more from
their own versatile imaginations, and then it is forwarded
to their respective papers, to appear the following morning
as latest news from the field.
An American who is known to be studying the situation
in Habana will be sure to note one fact, and that is: while
the Cubans are continually coming to him with all classes
of improbable stories, he will rarely find a Spaniard who
will volunteer any information.
Filling his note-book with the stock stories of atrocities,
battles, rapes, and other horrors attributed to the Spanish
troops by interested parties, and which every street gamin
in Habana is thoroughly posted in, he returns to the
United States, and in due course of time drifts into Wash
ington, there to offer his collection of " fakes " as evi
dence before the committees.
These same stories have been repeatedly published by
papers which have openly espoused the Cuban cause, and
although they may have been convinced of their absurdity
or falsity, yet for the sake of keeping the public mind in
flamed against Spain, facts are suppressed, and truth and
impartiality are not considered.
During the rule of Martinez Campos as captain-general,
any real accredited correspondent of a foreign newspaper
could have accompanied the Spanish columns by simply
applying at the palace for a pass, and I candidly believe
that if the then resident correspondents in Habana had
shown the least desire and grit to find out the truth by
seeking it in the field of battle, instead of sitting around
the cities listening to " laborante " yarns, the present tone

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 25
of the American press would be more conservative on the
Cuban question. But the great war correspondents pre
ferred to accept as truths any yarn that the Cubans told
them, and the Spaniards had such an established reputa
tion for " falsifying " reports that it really wasn't worth
the risk to attempt to change the current of popular opin
ion, so the farce was pushed along until the advent of
Weyler, who strictly prohibited them from joining either
side, and now the Spaniards roam around the country, and
all manner of atrocities are attributed to them on the mere
testimony of interested parties, and no impartial person of
reputation can accompany them to prove or disprove the
accusations. When they did have the opportunity of joining the Span
ish columns to find out the truth, no one had the interest
to do so, probably fearing public opinion, and now, when
the whole world would like to learn the truth, they are
harred from doing so by Weyler's order. Over a year was
given them to ascertain the Spanish method of warfare,
and it was not deemed of enough importance; now that
Weyler has excluded newspaper men, he is charged with
trying to conceal his many crimes. Whether this be true
or not it is difficult to affirm; but the fact remains, that
for over a year not one newspaper sent a representative to
study the situation from the Spanish side on the field of
battle. In referring to the resident correspondents in Habana at
that time, it is only just to state that Dr. Wm. Shaw
Bowen, of the " New York World," must be excepted
from the others referred to.
Is it any wonder that Weyler prohibited correspondents
from traveling through the country, and looked with sus
picion on the reputable members of the press, when the
representatives of two leading dailies of New York City
deliberately invented the " fake " story of the great battle
of'Colon, and another from his room in the Hotel Mascotte

26 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
discovered the capitol of the Cuban Republic at Cubitas,
and capped the yarn by an interview with the president
and members of the provisional government — can Weyler
be censured for expelling the latter from the country?
Weyler's order, instead of benefiting his cause, had the
opposite result; for the pro-Cuban correspondents seized
on every yarn, and added to it to suit their different views
of the case; and as a consequence the American public has
been forced to witness the most revolting and audacious
campaign of systematic misrepresentations and willful
lying that can be found in modern history.
The editors of hitherto impartial newspapers were gross
ly deceived by the stories brought in by unscrupulous
Cubans, and in their desire to place " news " before the
public, the yarns were bought and printed as latest news
from the field.
The great factories for " war news," situated in Florida
and presided over by Cubans rivaling the celebrated Baron
Munchausen in the fertility and absurdity of their inven
tions, were kept going at full blast, though any intelligent
person who would take the trouble to study their reports
could readily see that names, dates, and places were mixed
to such a degree that they openly stamped the productions
as worthless. The newspapers made the mistake of em
ploying Cubans as Florida correspondents, with the above
result. Last fall, when the campaign in Pinar del Rio was at its
height, the " laborantes " in the great factories of " war
news " were overtaxed, and it's a wonder that the insane
asylum did not claim half of them as inmates, judging
from the reports that poured into the editor of one of our
prominent dailies.
There was not a correspondent in the field at the time,
and it allowed them a wide scope for their imaginations.
Victory after victory was gained by the Cubans: the col
umn of Col. Manrique de Lara was first massacred^ to a

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 27
man in the hills of the Siguanea; then he was reported to
have been lost, and finally he was triumphantly found to
have passed over to the insurgents. Version after version
was turned out by the mill and sent to different papers*
hoping to create a sensation, and after it was all over, the
author was informed by the Cuban soldiers in the district
of Trinidad that Lara had tired of trying to get them to
fight, and had joined forces with Col. Palanca in the dis
trict of Placetas, where he had operated for forty days.
The city of Santa Clara was captured by Quintin
Banderas, and another great victory scored. Even Mr.
Richard Harding Davis had occasion to speak of this down
right lie in one of his articles. Weyler attacked Maceo in
the Rubi Hills, and a whole column was blown to pieces
by the dynamite mine prepared by a Jacksonville boy, Mr.
Linn, and the greatest insult and calumny perpetrated dur
ing the war now followed by the invention of the inconceiv
able charge of murder when Maceo fell. This was the
direct result of employing Cubans as correspondents. Un
der the guise of the Habana postmark, this story was con
cocted iu Jacksonville, and cabled to the papers in !New
York, who reproduced it in good faith.
This startling story had the desired effect, and the whole
country was soon ringing with indignant denunciations of
the treacherous conduct of Dr. Zertucha aud his alleged
companion in crime, Marquis de Ahumada. Notwith
standing that both Zertucha and Gen. Weyler wrote letters
of explanation over their signatures to prominent New
York papers, the calumny had already taken deep root in
the minds of a public who had been carefully and studi
ously led to believe that the Spaniards were capable of any
crime, and they chose to accept as truths the unsigned aud
cowardly statements of men who preferred the security of
Florida hotels to the more dangerous and honorable work
. of liberating their country by taking up arms and fighting

28 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
in the field. Despite all future efforts toward vindication,
the name of Zertucha will remain synonymous with that of
Benedict Arnold and other traitors.
This is probably the most deplorable outcome of the
affair, for notwithstanding that he has been vindicated by
the Cuban leaders in the field in the presence of the author,
the "New York Herald " alone had the courage to give
publicity to the story in its news columns.
A story has recently been told me by the correspondent
of one of our leading weeklies, who was in Key West dur
ing the months of December and January, and which I
have ever reason to believe. It will throw a flood of light
on the methods employed by the pro-Cuban representa
tives of our press in Florida. Mr. Sylvester Scovel, the
daring young correspondent of the " New York World,"
after waiting several weeks in Florida for the promised dis-
batch-boat to come along, finally decided to risk the danger
of landing in Habana by the regular passenger steamers.
This he accordingly accomplished, and his first step was
to visit the scene of Maceo's death, and hurry back with
the full, impartial account gathered from the insurgents.
This story, he afterward informed me, completely ex
onerated Zertucha and the Spanish government from any
treachery in Maceo's death. His story was sent in good
faith to his paper, and he started for the camp of Gomez,
where I met him, and in the course of our conversation he
described his letter, and added that it ought to have been
published by that time in the " New York World."
I was quite surprised on subsequently referring to the
files of the " World " to find that the story had not ap
peared, and for a time it convinced me that the paper was
not treating the question with that impartiality which it
boasts of.
But my friend, who was in Key West at the time
Scovel's letter arrived, assures me that when the contents
were read by the coterie of " Cuban press news censors,"

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 29
it was carefully stowed away in the safe of the agent, and
no account was rendered to the home office of its receipt.
It was not to the interest of the Cubans at that time for
the truth to be known, as it suited their ends better to
have our Congress take some steps based on the infernal
lying report invented by themselves. To such an extent
did this story gain credence, that it is an established fact
that our gullible Congressmen were on the verge of com
mitting some hasty action in denunciation of Spain for
breaking all laws of civilized warfare by assassinating
Maceo under cover of a flag of truce.
But the truth is a hard thing to suppress, and will
sooner or later come to light to act as a boomerang on
the perpetrators of such outrageous " fakes," whose only
aim is to draw this country into a war with Spain to attain
their own selfish ends.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 31

CHAPTER II.
ATROCITIES.
Eftorts of Cubans to attract attention to their cause. — Scovel's ac
count of atrocities.— Campos' humane policy. — Bad faith of
rebels. — Spanish clemency. — Cubans in the East. — Their " op
pressed " countrymen in the West. — Harangue of Gomez at
Galeon. — The invasion. — Atrocities and crimes by Plateados
and rebels. — The cruelty of Bermudez.— Incident witnessed by
Mr. Scovel.— Discontent of the Conservatives. — Recall of Cam
pos. — Cubans responsible for appointment of Weyler. — Alde-
coa's generosity. — Conduct of Cubans. — Retaliations of the
guerrilleros. — Charges of outrages upon women without foun
dation. — Incidents. — Prowess of both sides in using profanity.
— Duplicity of peasants.
During the two years that the Cubans have been striving
to throw off the yoke of Spain, they have repeatedly en
deavored, with little or no success, to enlist the sympathies
and the active intervention of our government in their
behalf. Their first step was to excite popular sympathy,
believing that this alone would influence Congress to rec
ognize their struggling army as belligerents.
This failed, and the next scheme was to horrify us by
reports of wholesale butcheries, murders, and rapes per
petrated by the Spanish soldiers on the persons of defense
less and innocent non-combatants living in the country.
With this subject I intend to deal in this chapter, and
while I do not attempt to deny them all, neither will I de
fend one side to the injury of the other, but will try to pre
sent a few facts hitherto not generally understood in this
country, and that I have learned during my long residence
on the island of Cuba previous to and after the outbreak.
The blood-curdling reports of these atrocities forwarded

32 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
to their papers by correspondents who have never seen the
island, or, at the best, have never left the safe environments
of Habana, have been instigated by the ever-ready Cuban
" laborante." I have no doubt that many of them are
true; but it has been so much overdone that it is hard to
distinguish between the truth and the " fake," and my ex
perience has proved that it is very difficult to get at the
truth, for in all my investigations on the island — although
I am morally convinced of many executions in the field — I
have never seen but two murdered " pacificos " credited to
the Spaniards. I may add, that the correspondent who
forwarded to his paper the long list — covering an entire
page — of murdered " pacificos " found in Pin ar del Rio,
did not personally view one of their bodies. He petitioned
Maceo for data relating to the subject. To satisfy him,
the insurgent chief sent couriers to all his subordinates,
ordering them to turn in statements signed by witnesses.
The order was carried out, and the correspondent was
soon deluged with these documents, and as I personally
aided him in translating and deciphering the hieroglyphics,
I am in a position to state that whole batches of them were
written, signed, and witnessed by the same identical parties.
More than twenty such documents were sent to me, and as
I did not consider them of sufficient importance, turned
them over to my companion, and they were incorporated
in the list. I believe that many of them were lond-fide
cases; but others are doubtful, and considering the source
of information, should not be taken as conclusive evidence.
These statements were to be forwarded to our State
Department at Washington, as a basis on which to justify
intervention; but as they were compiled by interested
parties, their weight is insufficient to warrant such action.
I believe that my friend Scovel accepted the documents
in good faith, and as some of them were afterward corro
borated by other insurgents, he naturally concluded that
they must all be true.

CAPTAIN-GENERAL MARTINEZ CAMPOS. Page 33.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 33
During the time that Martinez Campos was supreme in
command of the Spanish forces in Cuba, one of his first
official acts — which will always redound to his credit — was
to inaugurate a policy of clemency and forgiveness to all
who would surrender to the proper authorities and return
to their allegiance.
No specified time was fixed in his offer of pardon for the
insurgents to come to a decision, but the decree was made
a standing one. There is no doubt as to the good faith of
Campos in issuing this " bando," and the large numbers of
rebels who took advantage of it were immediately set at
liberty and returned to their homes unmolested.
He endeavored by all honorable means to persuade them
to lay down their arms and to prevent dissatisfied ones
from joining the rebels. The depleted condition of the
Spanish treasury was all that handicapped him in finding
work for the unemployed masses, and even then he started
several important public works in which large numbers were
employed. There is not a Cuban who will openly charge
Campos with deception, and all coincide in that he has
been honorable and impartial in his dealings with them.
So much is he respected that, in conversation with Gen.
Gomez, the old chief told me that he would permit no one
to utter a disrespectful word against him in his presence,
and if the offense was repeated, the person would be or
dered out of camp.
But was this policy of Campos appreciated and responded
to in the same spirit by the insurgents? ' They said, while
Campos was in good faith, his government was treach
erous, and that, therefore, they had no scruples in taking
advantage of his generous offer.
Probably one third of all the Cubans who had taken up
arms and afterward surrendered to the Spaniards, did so in
good faith, and accepted their pardon as a parole of honor,
and returned to their homes convinced of their error. But
with the other two thirds this was not the case, for not one

34 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
of them had the slightest idea of remaining quiet and ac
cepting the pardon in the spirit it was offered. Many who
had joined the rebels had left their business in an unsettled
state, which compelled their return to make a final adjust
ment; others had a desire to see their families and sweet
hearts once more; and still others came with the prear
ranged mission to recruit and spy on the Spaniards'
movements, or to gather arms, ammunition, or accoutre
ments, and, once their particular mission was performed,
they promptly returned to the insurgent forces in the field,
in violation of all sense of gratitude or honor. I have
heard several boast of having accepted the pardon at three
different times and place?, and in the next breath bitterly
denounce the Spaniards for their duplicity and treachery.
According to a popular adage, " All is fair in war," and in
this alone can the Cubans defend their conduct in this case.
But while they were continually pursuing this line of
tactics, to the certain knowledge of the Spanish military
authorities, it speaks well for the latter that they refrained
from inflicting the penalty which would have been em
ployed in similar cases in any other country. Campos
went further, and again proved himself as an honorable
and humane chieftain by issuing orders to his column com
manders to treat with clemency all prisoners taken in the
field, and to remand them to the towns for trial. While
Campos did not execute those who were captured with
arms in their hands, or the large number arrested for con
spiracy, yet many were deported to the penal colonies at
Ceuta and Fernando Po, or remained imprisoned on the
island. Even at this treatment the Cubans set up a howl,
and loudly called on the world to witness the " barbarous "
conduct of their " oppressors." What other course could
be pursued? If liberated, they would soon return to the.
field, and if they did remain in the towns, it was only to-
surreptitiously carry on the insurgent propaganda. In
view of this phase of. the question, what, method. could hava

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 35
been pursued to effectively and humanely crush the move
ment? Perhaps some of our prominent Cuban sympa
thizers could no doubt propose a solution to this pertinent
question, based on lines entirely novel and diametrically
opposite to the system employed by Weyler, which is but
a repetition of the methods in vogue since the human race
began to war one with another.
The rebels had no standing, either with the Spaniards or
with outside governments, despite all efforts to secure their
recognition as belligerents. They were considered as ban
dits, and treated as such, and although the volunteers and
Conservative party clamored for the imposition of the death
penalty, Campos steadily refused to order their executions
on the charge of rebellion.
Only the leaders were exempt from pardon; and it speaks
well for Campos that he regretted having signed the death-
warrants of the three unimportant sub-chiefs who were
captured, tried, and convicted. This pacific policy of the
old marshal, while the rebellion with its combined horrors
was continually spreading, is what caused the Conservative
party to demand a change. The column commanders and
the soldiery were also antagonistic, and desired more scope
to act according to circumstances when prisoners were
captured on the field. Their discontent on seeing the suc
cess of the insurgents in evading conflicts, and their negli
gence to fully carry out the captain -general's orders in the
field, was one of the real causes of his failure in checking
the westward march of Antonio Maceo.
Up to the month of December, 1895, very little was
heard about atrocities, and, in fact, none had occurred. The
real commencement, of what might be properly termed a
reign of terror, was when the Cubans broke past the Span
ish columns into the province of Matanzas.
To better understand their conduct from thence on, a
brief description of the distribution of population will |?e=r
necessary.

36 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
In the eastern provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Puerto
Principe, and the eastern half of Santa Clara, the country
folk are in the large majority, Cubans. The vast central
plain is thickly covered with the rich, nutritious Parana
grass. Large cattle-ranches abound through the fertile
country. The majority of the inhabitants are employed in
some capacity in connection with this industry, and, there
fore, are very hardy, excellent horsemen, and accustomed
to an out-door life. Along the coasts are several very rich
sugar districts, and through the mountains of Santiago de
Cuba are found large coffee and cocoa plantations. If we
except the two short railroads running from Neuvitas to
Puerto Principe, and from Santiago de Cuba to Cristo,
there are practically no lines of communication, and travel
is necessarily by horse. Naturally, every man has his horse,
and all are expert riders, and, as a class, are very indepen
dent. They are the ones who carried on the last struggle
for ten years, and who have always been first and foremost
to second any uprising against the existing government.
They are to Cuba what the Western cowboy and miner
are to the United States. The negro element predominates
to a greater degree than in other sections, and are more in
telligent, independent, and better fighters. Here the
negroes have managed to shake off their dependence on
the whites, and have established well-paying coffee and
cocoa plantations. Many of them enjoyed comfortable in
comes, and were m every respect superior to those of their
race m the West. The Maceos, Banderas, and the Ducasse
brothers were representatives of this class. On the arrival
of. Gomez and Maceo, the majority of them joined the
rebel ranks, ready to repeat the work of their younger
days. The hopes of the rebel leaders lay in winning over
the population of the two eastern provinces, and owing to
this reason, property of the families residing in the country
was respected.
In the western provinces, instead of this independent

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 37
and restless class of Cubans, we find an entirely different
element. Not having seen or suffered any of the effects of
the ten years' war, they were naturally lukewarm and in
different to the cause of liberty. They had drifted into a
lazy and unambitious way of living, which made them the
prey of the thrifty and crafty store-keepers and landowners.
Their shiftless way of living added to the prevalent de
pression in business, and their lack of administrative ability,
soon caused them to run heavily in debt to the " bode-
guero " or general store-keeper, who, as a rule, was a
Spaniard. All Spauiards who come to Cuba, join the volunteer or
ganizations to escape active military duty in Spain, or, pay
the sum of four hundred dollars, which exempts him from
this arduous service. It is needless to say that nine tenths
enlist as volunteers, and are so much in pocket. The
Cubans complained of being oppressed, and whether their
plea was right or wrong is not for me to say in this article,
as it would necessitate a review of the existing laws and
political situation. I lived in Cuba for five years previous
to the insurrection, and spent the best part of my time in
the country, and I must say that if the Cubans were op
pressed, I failed to discover in what manner; for in no
other; country is liberty of action more enjoyed than in
Cuba, and in no place have I witnessed more glaring in
fractions of law and decency than in this much-oppress
ed (?) country; and I may add, that if we could transport
some of the popular dance-halls to the city of New York,
I am afraid our friends — Anthony Comstock and Dr. Park-
hurst — would need the assistance of a dozen Chapmans to
break up the indecent performances.
I do not wish to be understood as saying that all Cubans
are to be included in this denunciation, for nowhere have
I met a more refined and cultured people than the upper
and middle element of Cuban society, who are the first to
decry these dances so shamefully exhibited in full view of

38 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
passers-by. If any one is to blame, it must be the authori
ties, who permit such shocking and immoral exhibitions to
take place. But this only goes to show that the Spaniards
cater to what they believe to be an institution peculiar to
the country, though having its origin in the old Congo
dances so immodestly practiced by the negroes.
Suffering under these imaginary or real abuses, the in
surrection came with its opportunity of revenge. Through
the western provinces the Spanish element was uppermost,
and their small stores were scattered through the country.
Towns and villages were found at short distances from
each other, and all had their garrison of local volunteers,
composed largely of Spaniards. In these provinces were
also the great sugar and tobacco districts, from which Spain
derives the bulk of her revenue, and which the insurgents
had sworn to destroy.
In the province of Pinar del Rio are found a large pro
portion of Canary Islanders, or " Islenos," as they are
commonly termed.
This element were mainly small tobacco farmers, and
scarcely without exception, stanch in their support of the
Spanish crown, and were, one and all, incorporated in the
" Instituto de Voluntarios."
Another important point must be added, and that is:
while the insurrection had been in full blast for about a
year in the East, and carried on exclusively by " Orient
als," there had been no determined effort on the part
of their sympathizers m the West, to second or support
them. Several half-hearted, miserable attempts at upris
ings had occurred, but were generally suppressed in a few
days, or the leaders, finding that the persecution was too
active, and that the people refused to flock to the Cuban
standard with the enthusiasm expected, and having fulfilled
their compromises, shortly after surrendered and were par
doned. As I was present in the western provinces before
the invasion, it gave me sufficient time and opportunity to

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 39
feel the pulse of the people in regard to the war, and it
was not very flattering to the Cubans. The majority
were not in favor of it, and desired to be quiet, so as to
grind their cane, and only joined the movement when
forced to do so by lack of employment, hunger, or the
burning of their home3.
The Spaniards claimed that the war was forced on the
western provinces, and I must admit the truth of such a
statement. My view has been strengthened by conversations with
various rebel chiefs. I am also borne out by the harangue
of Gomez to his army, assembled on the borders of the
swamp at Galeon, on March 7 th, 1896.
He had been bitterly denouncing the cowardly conduct
of two chiefs during the fight at Santa Rita the day pre
vious, and ended by saying: " It is a shame and a disgrace
that we, a handful of ' Orientals,' under Gen. Antonio
(Maceo) and myself, have been forced to carry the war to
the western provinces and teach these people what it is to
fight for their liberty, and even then they expect that we "
— here he included the name of Juan Bruno Zayas — " shall
do all the fighting and bear the brunt of the war."
Any impartial person who was in Cuba during the early
months of the rebellion, will have to coincide with this view
of the case, for no one had the least idea that the move
ment would be carried to the West, where everybody was
opposed to it.
Naturally, the chief aim of Gomez was to excite them
into action, and the only way was to burn and destroy all
their hopes of gaining a living. With this end in view,
the invasion was earried out. The "Orientals" were
deeply incensed at the indifference displayed by their coun
trymen in the West. They had suffered and borne the
brunt of the last war, and were now determined to make
the others feel the misery and bloodshed incidental to this
peculiar system of guerrilla warfare.

40 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
I have had to digress from my subject to explain these
matters, as it will help to enforce and make clear what I
now have to state.
The insurgents, up to the time they entered the province
of Matanzas, had comported themselves with fair- discipline
and credit, but once they entered the rich, populous sugar
country, they seemed possessed of the very devil. Mounted
on the finest horses that could be stolen from the rich
country farmers, they managed to march around the slower
moving bodies of Spanish infantry massed to intercept
them. In this manner they avoided any serious engage
ments, and were able to move around at their will, though
several times they met with slight checks from the many
columns marching against them.
Their line of march was marked by one continual volume
of heavy black smoke arising from the burning caue-fields
and sugar factories, and even at a distance of fifty miles
the sun appeared as seen through a smoked glass. Like
the Israelites of old, their path was marked " by a column
of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night," though in
this case the signs were reversed, and followed instead of
leading the way. The opportunity that a new, rich coun
try offered for looting and sacking, could not be resisted,
and many were the homes invaded in the search for
clothes, riding-boots, arms, and money. Although the
stealing of money was apparently frowned on by Maceo and
Gomez, they could do but little to check such a disorderly
and undisciplined horde.
The opportunity for revenge came also, and many who
had long outstanding grudges against the Spaniards, now
took advantage of the panic to accomplish their ends.
Many peaceable farmers and persons living on the out
skirts of the towns were found murdered or hanging by the
road-side with placards on their breasts bearing the mark
of some insurgent chief. While I do not propose to charge
all the chiefs with having approved of these actions, yet

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 41
they were due to the state of anarchy caused by the sudden
appearance of the rebel army, and the responsibility must
be shared by all.
Independent bands of outlaws and robbers appeared in
all directions, having for their only object theft, murder,
and rapine. By these parties many innocent women were
assaulted, and a large number of peaceable Spaniards met
violent deaths. They operated under the cloak of the in
surrection, and could not be distinguished from the rebels.
They acknowledged no chief, and it is only fair to state
that Gomez and Maceo tried hard to catch these mis
creants. When captured, the limb of the nearest tree generally
claimed them as ornaments. Of course this was not
known to the Spaniards, who insisted that they were real
insurgents. They were dubbed " plateados," or plated
Cubans. Probably the majority of the murders and vio
lations that took place in those two terrible months and
attributed to the rebels, were committed by these spurious
patriots. The vanguard of the invading army was not without its
share in the general condemnation. Many farmers and
members of the volunteer organization were hung on the
flimsy accusation of being spies.
The Habana papers daily recorded the finding of victims
with the invariable insurgent placard pinned to their
clothes. The charges were various, and ranged from " plateado "
to working on the railroad in defiance of insurgent de
crees. The regiments of Bermudez and Nunez, who led the
march, were charged with many crimes, and it is a current
saying amongst the Cuban peasants, that Bermudez was
worse than Weyler, and his trail could be recognized by
following the line of his victims dangling from the trees.
The climax was reached when he hanged twenty odd paci-

43 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
ficos (Canary Islanders) to one single tree in the province
of Pinar del Rio. Spanish farmers and the families of the
local volunteers were compelled to move into the town to
escape the wrath of the rebels. The favorite charge
against male members was that of conveying information
to the Spanish commanders.
This was carried on " with a vengeance " by Bermudez
in the southern and western districts of Pinar del Bio. As
I have before stated, the majority of the inhabitants were
Islenos, and stanch in their support of the existing govern
ment. Not being iu sympathy with the revolution, they
did all in their power to damage its progress, often forcing
their families to act as spies.
Instead of endeavoring to win over this element by kind
and humane measures, Bermudez inaugurated a reign of
terror, executing many, and forcing the families into the
towns. This policy did much to damage his cause in the West.
The pacificos, who were at first favorably inclined to join
the rebels, changed their minds, and enlisted as volunteers
and guerrilleros.
The majority of assassinations committed by them later
on, may be traced directly to their desire for vengeance.
After the invasion was effected, Bermudez was left in
command of the province of Pinar del Rio. Sotomayor,
Gil, Socorras, Perico Delgado, and Llorente were detailed
to certain districts as sub-chiefs.
Then* conduct on the departure of Maceo for the East
may be more readily judged, when it is known that on his
return in March he made several important changes. The
cruelty of Bermudez was not discovered until Maceo had
been some time in the province; the pacificos, fearing his
wrath, held their peace; but it leaked out at last.
To the credit of Maceo (who I have every reason to be
lieve was a humane chief), Bermudez was relieved of his
command and placed under his immediate orders. Col.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 43
Juan Ducasse — a bright young mulatto, of French descent
— was ordered to the command of the Southern Brigade.
The staff of Maceo were kept in complete ignorance of
the charges against Bermudez; but rumors and surmises
were rife as to the real cause. The writer shortly after
made a trip through the district formerly under the com
mand of Bermudez, and is in a position to truthfully state,
that the rumors were not without foundation, for, I found
the few pacificos remaining in the country, to be in mortal
dread of him and his men. Many were the tales told me
of his unwarranted cruelty and blood-thirstiness. So much
did he fear assassination, that he never slept without his
side-arms strapped on, or eat a meal in a farmer's house
without his trusty Winchester resting on the table by his
plate. It may not be out of place to relate an incident
that occurred in the presence of Mr. Sylvester Scovel, at
the insurgent camp at Punta de Palma, and it will go far
toward proving the extreme cruelty of Bermudez.
I met Scovel two days afterward, and he expressed him
self as being shocked at the barbarity displayed.
Surrounded by his officers in a small farm-house, Ber
mudez was evidently in good humor. Two guards came
in leading a young mulatto charged with stealing and ter
rorizing the pacificos living in the district. He could not
have been such a desperado, for he had only one arm.
After his accusers had finished their tale, Bermudez or
dered them to carry him away. Now, this simple com
mand coming from him, was generally considered equiva
lent to a death-sentence, and the prisoner realized its full
meaning. He suddenly drew his knife from its sheath,
crying out: " You are not going to kill me! You will not
kill me!" Everybody drew back surprised and alarmed,
expecting that he was going to make a lunge at the chief;
but he turned the blade on himself, and inflicted two ter
rible wounds in his breast, from which it was impossbile
to recover.

44 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Bermudez, who had stood watching him with his peculiar
cynical smile, now called the guards to carry him away and
finish him.
The poor fellow begged for the few minutes that still
remained of the life that was surely ebbing away as a con
sequence of his own folly. It is only natural to think that
such a request would be granted by one having the least
feeling of compassion. Bermudez simply waved his hand
to the two negroes of his escort to carry him out and " ma
chete " him. In the presence of Mr. Scovel this barbar
ous and inhumane order was executed. With a few blows
from their machetes the tragedy was ended, and the body
hauled away to be buried in a shallow hole scooped out with
hoes. Scovel also got a snap-shot at the scene with his
camera, but unfortunately the plate was afterward lost.
Is it a wonder that Maceo deprived such a man of his
command? though it would have been more to his credit
had he degraded him, instead of shortly afterward promot
ing him to the full rank of brigadier. Bermudez was brave,
and one of the few good fighters in the insurgent army,
and had quite a following. Maceo, therefore, could not
afford to openly degrade him, especially when " Ios
guapos " were scarce; and the only course left to him
without openly antagonizing his large following, was to
place him in command of a " flying regiment," under the
personal orders of himself.
__The other district commanders in Pinar del Rio were also
charged with some gross violations of Cuban laws. Brig.
Gil was relieved of his command and forced to retire on
the charge of intoxication and general incompetency. Sev
eral ugly rumors (afterward confirmed) prevailed, charg
ing a prominent chief with persecuting the daughters of a
highly respectable family, reputed to be relatives of the old
patriot, Jesus del Sol.
Two of the insurgent chiefs in the province had been
outlaws for a number of years, and many crimes were laid

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 45
at their door, though I am not in a position to certify or
deny these charges. They were Perico Delgado and
Socorras. Federico Nunez, another chief, was also accused
of being a bandit before the war.
While this was going on in Pinar del Rio, similar scenes
were being enacted in the other provinces.
The invasion was carried to the extreme west of the
island, and the same conduct was persisted in along the
entire line of march. Insurgents have told me that even
a woman was hung in Habana province. Suspected of
being a spy, she was arrested, searched, and compromising
papers found concealed under her garments. Her feet and
hands were bound, and she was left hanging, with a notice
pinned to her dress warning others not to follow her
example. The manager of a large sugar estate near Bahia
Honda was accused of sending information to the troops
on the approach of Maceo, and was taken out and
butchered. An American sugar boiler, Mr. George Saxon,
barely escaped with his life. Houses and small towns were
burned, and the inhabitants left destitute and dependent
on Spanish charity.
While all this was transpiring in the field, can we im
agine that the feelings of the Spaniards were anything but
vengeful, and that they desired a change of policy?
Their complaints to the home government about Marti
nez Campos, and the constant clamoring for more ener
getic action, finally ended by the resignation and recall of
Campos. Rumors were rife as to who would be his suc
cessor, and I firmly believe that the Cubans themselves
were largely responsible for the appointment of Weyler.
When the Conservative party insisted on the recall of
Campos, the Cubans were busy discussing the merits of his
probable successor. The appointment of Gen. Weyler —
who was at the time an insignificant and obscure factor in
reigning Spanish politics — was not anticipated at first; for
although he was acting captain-general of Cataluna, he

46 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
was supposed to have Republican tendencies. The Cubans,
in their loud comparisons (echoed by the press) of the vari
ous generals eligible to the post, singled out Polavieja and
Weyler as the most cruel, and most to be feared. Even the.
newspapers openly announced that the naming of Weyler
would cause all hitherto peaceable persons to take up arms
or leave the country. Continual harping on what they
would do if the " monster " Weyler came, I am convinced,
is what finally decided the Conservatives in urging his ap
pointment, and the Ministry overlooked party prejudices
and acquiesced in their demand.
On the recall of Campos, the command fell temporarily
to Lieut. Gen. Sabiis Marin, pending the arrival of Weyler.
The same humane policy laid down by his predecessor was
adhered to by Marin, who did not wish to make any radical
changes for the short time he was to remain in power.
Shortly after the recall of Campos, the author left Ha
bana (Jan. 18th) to join the insurgents as correspondent
for the " New York Herald," and is witness to the fact,
that no executions or so-called atrocities attributed to the
Spaniards, occurred in the districts of Habana province
through which he traveled. To more fully characterize
the conduct of the Spaniards in the field, I will recall an
incident which fell to my notice, aud which was published
by the "Herald."
When Gomez broke camp at the sugar estate Santa
Amalia, situated about fifteen miles to the east of Ha
bana, he left several sick insurgents to be taken care of
and cured. About a week afterward, the column of Gen.
Aldecoa came marching in that direction. On learning of
his approach, the sick men fled to the adjacent factory,
called Portugalete, hoping to escape capture. Aldecoa
learned of their presence, and his first question on arriving
at Portugalete was for them. On being informed of their
hiding-place, instead of ordering their capture or death, as
everybody supposed he would do, he sent his surgeon to

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 47
assist them and leave sufficient medicines for their recov
ery. The vanguard and main body of the column passed;
but when the extreme rear guard came along, they turned
the rebels out, and despite the assurances of witnesses that
Aldecoa had protected them, the sick men were forced, at
the point of the bayonet, to hurry along and catch up
with the main body to verify their statements. One poor
fellow fell by the road-side and expired. When Aldecoa.
was at last reached, he was highly incensed at the conduct
of his soldiers in daring to disobey his orders, and ended by
compelling the guards to escort the rebels back to where
they were found. This incident is true in all its details,
as 1 was present when the sick men reported their kind
treatment to Gomez on his next visit to the estate. It
will go toward demonstrating that all Spanish generals are
not the monsters they are accused of being. An incident
of this kind would have been appreciated by the chief of
any other army; but not so Gomez. When he saw the
favorable impression I had received by the narrative, in
stead of lauding it, he talked and argued for more than an
hour, trying to convince me that all Spaniards were rogues
and cut- throats, and in the above case Aldecoa must have
been actuated by some double motive. Then he tried to
explain that Aldecoa was not fit to hold the command of
column, for, if so, his orders would have been respected by
the rear guard. His argument had but one object, and
that was to prevent me from writing the truth in regard
to the matter. These facts can be borne out by the man
ager of the estate, who was present. This gentleman is
an American, and is still in charge of the factory.
Pending the arrival of Weyler, it would be well to note
the progress of the rebellion, and some of the causes that
soon after led to so many executions and assassinations by
the guerrilleros.
As the invasion spread to the West, the territory was
parceled off, and small commands were left in the dis-

48 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
tricts as a nucleus for recruits to flock to. All families
living in the country that were known to be stanch Cubans
were protected, and a certain respect paid to their prop
erty. These families had the free entrance and exit of the for
tified towns, and were soon actively engaged in smuggling
out arms and provisions for the insurgents. The move
ments of the Spanish troops were closely watched and im
mediately reported to the go-betweens living on the out
skirts. It was owing chiefly to this system of spying that
various commands were able to successfully defy all efforts
of the Spaniards to force them to fight.
The writer speaks advisedly from experience, in saying,
that if the Spaniards had cleared the country of " paci
ficos " a year ago, when the Cubans initiated their policy
of forcing the tories to the towns, the rebellion would have
received a severe check, for every " pacifico " that entered
the towns was an insurgent spy at heart, and long before
the Spanish columns assembled in the morning, the rebels
were apprised of their activity, and in many cases knew
exactly what roads would be marched over. It is needless
to state that the advice was acted on accordingly, and while
the Spaniards were industriously searching for the enemy
in a certain district, the Cubans were as industriously gal
loping miles away in the opposite direction. In no place
was the writer more impressed with these tactics than in
the province of Habana, where he spent five weeks with
Gen. Aguirre. In the northern district of Habana the
Cuban brigade numbered nine hundred armed men operat
ing between the capital and Seiba Mocha.
To entrap this small Cuban force, more than 7,000
soldiers, divided into eight operating columns, were
stationed at Minas, Jaruco, Aguacate, Seiba Mocha, Ma
druga, San Jose de las Lajas, Santa Maria de Rosario, and
Guanabacoa. All the other small towns were garrisoned
by sufficient regulars and volunteers to prevent their de-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 49
struction. Many sugar factories through the country were
also defended by small detachments.
To a person unacquainted with insurgent tactics, it would
appear almost impossible for the Cubans to escape defeat,
as they would in any other country. I also had my doubts
while with Aguirre, but I felt reassured by the calm, mat
ter-of-fact way he had of directing his march. I soon
learned to be as unconcerned as the others, for as I sat
near the chief on various occasions, and listened to the
scouts and " pacifico " spies come in and report the move
ments of the enemy quartered in the nearest towns, I then
understood how this insignificant band could so successfully
escape a fight. Aguirre's tactics were simply a game of
hide-and-seek with the enemy, in which the Cubans were
continually moving in the direction opposite.
The Spanish sympathizers who remained in the country
naturally aided their side at every opportunity by enlight
ening their countrymen as to the whereabouts or location
of the insurgent camps. This information was at times
carried into the towns, and some Cuban would discover the
offender and denounce him to the insurgents. On his re
turn to his home he would be arrested, and his immediate
execution followed. Many entirely innocent farmers were
thus denounced by private enemies, and it is a fact, which
can not be denied, that any person so accused received
little mercy at the hands of the Cubans. They do not
attempt to deny executions of this class, and, in fact,
boldly proclaim them as being justified by the class of
offense. Here is where the insurgents are inconsistent, for if they
are justified in executing spies, are not the Spaniards en
titled to employ the same penalty? But when the Span
iards kill a farmer charged with being a spy, or, for aiding
and abetting the revolution, the Cubans loudly call on the
world to witness their barbarity, and boldly state that the
man was killed because he was a Cuban.

50 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Now, on the other hand, when they kill a man because
he is known to be a Spaniard and a volunteer, and caught
in the identical crimes, they grow angry if accused of em
ploying the same methods as their enemies. All well-
known Spaniards and lukewarm Cubans, in the face of
such treament, were compelled to take refuge in the towns
to escape the fury or vengeance of the rebels. The time
soon arrived when all persons obnoxious to the " Republic "
resided in the fortified centers, and those who remained in
the country must necessarily be Cuban sympathizers and
spies. The Royalist families ordered to the towns, were, as a
rule, hastened on the way by burning their homes and all
its furniture and belongings. Many also saw some male
member executed as a spy.
Entering the towns destitute, and with no prospects of
retrieving their fortunes, or of finding employment, and
with a desire for vengeance gnawing at their hearts, is it to
be wondered at that the mass of the males joined the volun
teers and guerrilleros as the only means of insuring a live
lihood, and of accomplishing their revenge? I feel justified
in asserting that the Cubans themselves were responsible
for the terrible list of assassinations that now took place.
The arrival of Weyler and the change of policy that he
represented was quickly taken advantage of by the guer
rilleros. In Mr. Stephen Bonsai's book on " The Real Condition
of Cuba To-day," he states in various places, that the guer
rilleros are a body of jail-birds, ex-convicts, and cut-throats
released from Spanish prisons to do the dirty work in
Cuba. I beg to differ on the question, and while I would
not attempt to defend their actions, yet it is a well-known
fact that seven eighths of these guerrilleros are native-born
Cubans, or men who have resided a long time on the island,
and are acquainted with the country. There are prob
ably more native Cubans in this body of irregular soldiery

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 51
thau in the entire insurgent army. The causes that lead
them to enlist have already been explained.
At every incursion into the country these men found
some victim. Every one of them had some grudge to pay
off, and the first victim was the Cuban who denounced him
to the insurgents, and was the cause of his family being
left homeless and destitute.
All operating columns had a detachment of these guer
rilleros in the vanguard acting as guides, and conveying in
formation to the commanders regarding the Cuban insur
gent families living near the line of march. I am quite
satisfied from investigations — and even those of the insur
gents themselves — that the Spanish line officers had little
to do or say in these crimes committed by their underlings.
Even in the long list of alleged murders already referred to,
the crime has invariably been charged to the guerrilleros,
especially so in the districts of Bahia Honda, La Palma,
Consolacion del Sur, and the extreme western portion of
the province. Private vengeance was also reputed to be
the motive in some cases.
Many reports have reached us of the murders and out
rages upon girls and women living in the country, and as
far as my experience and investigations go, I must de
nounce the majority of them as pure falsehoods. While in
the company of Scovel, in Pinar del Rio, we were informed
of just three cases, and the informants confessed that the
assailants were punished by the commanders of the Span
ish force to which they belonged. Other cases were found
to be without any foundation. Last January, Scovel and
myself were absent from the main force of Cubans under
Gomez for about three days, and happened to encamp in
the factories Tomasito, aud Penalver, shortly after the
Spanish columns of Aldecoa and Linares had departed.
The neighboring " pacificos " related how the Spanish
soldiers had criminally assaulted every female living in the
" barracones " situated near the factories. I investigated,

52 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
and in both cases could only find a few brazen negro
women, who proudly exhibited several silver pieces as their
harvest for the preceding night's orgies. I have no doubt
that many of these tales had their origin in similar cases.
In this class of war we must expect to hear more or less of
these outrages, and I think it may be safely stated that,
on the whole, the present insurrection in Cuba has given
rise to fewer cases of violation than any other war of mod
ern times. If it were true that so many assaults had
taken place, it is only natural to suppose that the insur
gents — who are largely of the same temperament as the
Spaniards — would have been equally as guilty; yet it
speaks well for the " morale " of their forces, when I can
truthfully state, that during my entire experience in the
field, I only wituessed three negroes court-martialed for
this offense, and swift punishment by death followed. No
doubt many cases have occurred where the victim has been
afraid to denounce her despoiler, and the miscreants have
therefore escaped. I may further add, that many insur
gent chiefs and soldiers have their wives and mistresses
safely hidden away in the depths of the forests and hills,
and the late rebel chieftain, Quintin Banderas, always
traveled accompanied by several " ladies."
As for murdering women and quartering children, such
myths exist only in the imagination of the Cubans whose
connection with the war consists in making cigars in the
big factories of Florida, paying over a certain per cent, of
their earnings to help support others in comfortable posi
tions, and, above all, to vie with each other in seeing who
can invent the most improbable stories of Spanish " bar
barity." Acting on the old adage that " the pen is
mightier than the sword," the emigrant " patriots" seek
to impose their stories on the American press for a gullible
public to read and believe. It would seem that the Cubans
who are in charge of the campaign at this end of the line,
are working on the principle laid down by Barnum, in that

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 53
the American public likes to be humbugged, for it is
hardly probable that they expect us to implicitly believe
all their yarns. During all my experience in Cuba, I can
not even recall one single instance where the Spaniards
have been charged with a crime of this sort by their ene
mies in the field, or by the people living in the country. I
have often heard that the women were at times subjected
to harsh treatment and to insults. This was invariably
charged to the soldiery, and it should not be considered
strange, nor should we be surprised that such is the case.
Any war will furnish the same stories, and as far as insults
are concerned, we have only to pass through any rough
section of one of our large cities to hear just as bad. Sol
diers have never had a very high reputation for using
choice vocabulary, and the Spaniards are no exception to
the rule. In this question it is hard to say whether they
can claim any superiority over the Cubans or not.
I have several times witnessed a wordy war between the
Spaniards in a fort, and the Cubans off in a secure place
behind some rocks in the bush. Neither seemed to have
the courage to take any decided step; the Cubans would
not advance to make an assault, and the Spaniards wisely
refrained from making a sally. The interchange of shots
and " compliments " forcibly reminded me of two West
Street truckmen when they get in a tangle. The effect of
the comparison is heightened as each side invites the other
to come out and show themselves: " Come out of there,
you blankety, blank, blank, blank cowards, and see how we
will 'machete' you!" etc., etc., etc., shout the valiant
rebels. " Get out from behind those rocks, you 
' mambi,' and see how quick you will swallow some ' pills '
of Dr. Mauser! Do you think we are  fools? If you
want to give ' machete,' come over here and do it, you 
cowards!" The daring attack on some fort passes into
history, and it is announced as another great victory gained.
As the first streaks of dawn appear, the " besieging army "

54 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
is seen hurriedly making its way toward the nearest hills,
and as the distance between them and the fort widens, the
far-away echo of choice " compliments " and mutual invi
tations to come around again, is wafted to one's ears by the
morning breeze.
As for swearing, it would tax a saint to refrain from
using expletives if he was forced to march day after day in
pursuit of an enemy whose acknowledged tactics are to wear
him out by long marches across a country whose climate is
more deadly than the enemy's bullets, and then to arrive
at some farmer's house from where the insurgents have
just decamped, leaving their fires burning and huge chunks
of fresh meat scattered around to further prove their prox
imity, and upon questioning the farmer, he replies that he
is in complete ignorance of when they left, or which road
they took, and all the time he is lying. Is it any wonder
that he and his family are treated harshly, and are bundled
off to town and their house burned? When the Cubans
have compelled all Spanish sympathizers to live in the
towns, and only permit such as acknowledge their author
ity to remain in the country, and who are nearly all con
nected in some manner with their civil government, is it
any wonder that the Spanish commanders, tired of the
eternal duplicity of this class, have become enraged at
times, and convinced that the farmer is an insurgent spy
or letter-carrier, and who deliberately lies about the move
ments of the rebels, causing the column to march many
weary miles in vain, can he be censured for using his pre
rogative as general in time of war by taking the law into
his own hands and ordering the culprit to be shot? How
many of our generals in the late civil war would have put
up with so much nonsense, because England or France
might have been shocked at so much bloodshed? There
has been too much sentiment wasted on the present rebell
ion in Cuba, for war can only be answered by war, and if
the rebels chose to initiate it, and also take the first step in

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 55
committing these atrocities, then they should be content to
suffer the inevitable consequences, and when the enemy
retaliates, they should remain quiet, and not call on the
world to witness the suffering they have brought on them-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 57

CHAPTER III.
atrocities. — ( Continued. )
Proclamation of Gomez. — Incident at Jaruco. — Incident at La
Palma.— Nunez hangs prisoners. — Maceo relieves Bermudez. —
Murgado hangs " pacificos." — Letter of warning from Du-
casse. — Maceo's letter to the volunteers.— Disobedience of the
order. — Ducasse's lettei to Vigoa.— Diaz and Ducasse liberate
prisoners.— Nunez's " generosity." — Towns captured by insur
gents. — Cubans do not capture prisoners on the field.— Aran-
guren's meritorious action. — Maj. Rojas kills prisoners. —
Pedro Diaz at San Pedro.— Cuban clemency.
During the early part of the war, the Cubans recog
nized the necessity of taking some action toward gaining
sympathy for their cause in this country, and one of the
most effective steps was to issue a proclamation by which
all prisoners captured from the enemy were to be liberated.
The following general order was therefore prepared and
circulated by Gen. Gomez: [Translation."]
" Art. 1. — All prisoners taken on the field of battle, or
who shall fall into the hands of the troops composing the
Army of the Republic, shall be immediately liberated and
returned to their commands, excepting in cases where they
voluntarily desire to enlist in the Army of Liberty.
" The wounded abandoned on the field shall be recover
ed and cared for, and the unburied dead shall be interred.
" Art. 2. — All persons arrested for violating the order
of July 1st shall be tried by a summary court-martial.
" The General-in-Chief,
"M. Gomez."

58 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The part of the circular relating to the release of pris
oners has invariably been obeyed by the higher chiefs, when,
on rare occasions, they have been fortunate enough to capt
ure a fort.
The good effect produced amongst the Cuban sympa
thizers in this country, was calculated to aid them in press
ing their claims for belligerency, and, on the whole, the
insurgents deserve considerable credit for their conduct in
the few cases where they have actually succeeded in taking
a few prisoners.
Owing to the peculiar class of warfare waged in Cuba,
large numbers of the enemy are never captured, and we
must not be led into comparing this struggle with others
we are accustomed to read about, where the contending
parties face each other and occasionally get mixed up in
hand-to-hand fights, and really take each other prisoners.
It is a very rare occurrence in the Cuban insurrection, for
a Spanish soldier to fall into the clutches of the rebels, and
while we can safely applaud their action in liberating the
unfortunate individual, yet it would be also fair to take
into consideration, that, despite all reports to the contrary,
the Spaniards have pardoned and liberated probably ten
insurgents to every prisoner freed by their antagonists.
During my experience in Cuba, I have witnessed about
sixty-five good fights, and I can only recall but two in
stances where the insurgents captured any one belonging
to the enemy, and then they were not troops of the line,
but volunteers, anxious to be captured so as to get clear of
the fight. INCIDENT AT JARUCO.
At the burning of Jaruco, Maceo's men made overtures
to the small garrison of six volunteers defending one of
the block-houses. As they were Cuban-born, and only
wanted such an opportunity to join their countrymen, the
propositions were accepted, and they surrendered and gave
up their arms. They were led to where Maceo stood

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 59
watching the fight, and he ordered they should be held till
morning, and then they could either remain or return to
the town.
These men plainly demonstrated the difference between
the Cuban and Spanish soldier fighting under the flag of
Spain. While the Cuban volunteers miserably allowed the enemy
to intimidate them, their companions in the other forts re
peatedly rejected all overtures, and heroically held out
against overwhelming odds until morning, when the fear
of re-enforcements compelled the rebels to abandon their
diabolical work of destruction.
INCIDENT AT LA PALMA.
During the attack on the small town of La Palma, gar
risoned by one hundred and fifty regulars, under command
of Capt. Pozo, the insurgents, on entering the main street,
were fired on from behind the windows of the houses.
From all places of concealment the Canary Islanders — who
form the majority of the inhabitants and belong to the
volunteers — resisted the entrance of the insurgent fire
bugs. The rebels suffered severely that night, and some
of them entered a house and dragged out a poor fellow
clad in his night-clothes, and trembling with fright. He
was led up the hill to Maceo, and charged with being a
volunteer, and of having fired on them from the house. On
examination, he proved to be an " Isleno," and a member
of the volunteer company located in the neighboring town
of Vinales. I stood by Maceo while he examined the man
in an under-tone, and while he admitted his connection
with the volunteers, he stoutly persisted in stating that he
was only on a visit to La Palma, and did not have his
rifle to engage in any fight, and that his accusers were mis
taken in their charge.
Some of the men belonging to the brigade of Banderas
had made the arrest, and the poor fellow no doubt had heard

60 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
the many tales of cruelty attributed to them. Fully be
lieving that he would be killed, he implored Maceo to spare
his life. He was told that the Cubans did not execute
prisoners, and therefore he had nothing to fear. But on
looking around at the stern, hard faces of the motley
crowd, lighted up as they were by the bright glare of the
burning town below, he evidently thought that they were
only deceiving him, and redoubled his protestations of in
nocence and pleadings to be spared.
I had moved over to ask him some questions regarding
the strength of the garrison below, and other data neces
sary for an accurate description of the fight. When I had
finished, Maceo beckoned to two brawny negroes of his
escort, who led him away.
Maceo informed me he was to be held prisoner until the
morning, and would then be liberated. Whether he inten
tionally deceived me or not, I can not say, but one thing is
certain, after that night, my suspicions were aroused, and
I never afterward put much faith in the stories told me
by insurgent chiefs.
Perhaps the two negroes misunderstood his sign, or were
filled with a desire to avenge the deaths of their comrades
below, for shortly after they conducted him aside, my eyes
caught the flash of an upraised machete a few rods away in
the high grass, and a swift downward cut, followed by a
hoarse, gurgling ugh-h, could be heard amidst the crack
ing of the rifles.
The negroes afterward laughingly told me that the man
fell with his head split clear down to the shoulders, and that
they rolled the body down the hill so his friends would find
him in the morning.
In justice to Antonio Maceo, I must say that he always
appeared to me as the most humane and forgiving of the
Cuban chiefs; for only twice during my stay with him did
I witness an execution, though many occurred in near by
districts where his sub-chiefs held sway.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 61
Shortly after the construction of the Mariel Trocha, six
Spanish cavalrymen ventured too far outside the lines on a
foraging raid, and while asleep in the dwelling house of
the Susi plantation near Cayajabos, the rebels, under Fed-
erico Nunez, pounced down on the house and captured the
unguarded Spaniards without firing a shot. After various
letters had been sent to Gen. Arolas on the subject, they
were taken out aud hung by the road-side.
Maceo was, to all appearances, very indignant when he
learned of the affair, and ordered Nunez to report and
explain matters. I believe that the officer was reprimanded
aud temporarily deprived of his command for his conduct.
Like Bermudez, he was too valuable an officer to lose, as
he was the only one who thoroughly understood the
enemy's position along the " trocha," and his services
were necessary in passing parties through the swamp.
In the last chapter I had occasion to refer to the cruelty
of Bermudez and his subordinates. Maceo ordered Juan
Ducasse to supersede him, on account of his terrible reputa
tion. Some time elapsed before the new chief could notify
all his subordinates of the change in commanders, and
that in the future, all matters of life and death must be re
ferred to him for the final decision.
One of Bermudez's underlings — Major Tomas Murgado
— whose " patriotic " duty consisted in loafing around the
Rangel hills, levying contributions of food and other sup
plies on the few farmers in the district, and enjoying the
society of the peasant belles under the plea of sickness, had
completely terrorized the " pacificos " by his high-handed
actions. Several were hung by his orders on trumped-up
charges, and when Ducasse was informed of the proceed
ings, he sent the following letter of warning to his subordi
nate. This document will bear out what I have already said on
the subject.

62 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
[Translation.]
" LIBERATING .ARMY OF CUBA.
" Second Brigade. Gomez Regiment.
" No. 102.
" Having received advices that several executions have
taken place in the district under my command, without my
previous knowledge, by the forces under your orders, I
hereby direct the present letter to you, so that in the future
you will abstain from doing so, without filling the required
legal forms necessary in such cases.
" Kindly acknowledge the receipt of this communica
tion. " ' Country and Liberty.'
" Head-quarters in the field, May 10, 1896.
" The Colonel (Chief of the Southern Brigade),
" J. Ducasse.
"To Major Tom as Murgado."
A copy of this letter was given me by Col. Ducasse, who
was complaining of the cruelties practiced by his predeces
sor. As stated, the majority of the inhabitants had fled to
the towns to escape the persecution of Bermudez. To be
long to the volunteer organization — and in some cases to be
even a relative of a volunteer — was considered by him as
sufficient crime to warrant the death penalty, or some other
severe punishment.
In dispatching Ducasse to this part of the province,
Maceo hoped that his young and humane lieutenant would
be able to counteract the bad example of Bermudez. Du
casse set out to reorganize the forces in the district, and win
back the confidence of the " pacificos," who were Cubans
at heart, and only needed benign measures to win them
over heart and soul to the cause. It was an uphill task,
but he partially succeeded in the end. His attention was
then directed toward inducing the volunteers to desert.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 63
Many of these only needed some assurance of protection to
join their countrymen in the bush. Maceo had already
fully realized the amount of damage to the revolution
caused by Bermudez, and had issued a special order offer
ing privileges and guarantees to those of the volunteers
who would desert and join the rebels.
The following translation of the document will also bear-
out my statements regarding the former conduct of the
Cubans, for if the volunteers were not afraid of the venge
ance of Bermudez, this circular would have been entirely
uncalled for. [Translation.]
" REPUBLIC OF CUBA.
" Invading Army. Head-quarters of Second in
Command.
" No. 806.
" This head-quarters authorizes you to offer all classes of
guarantees to those individuals of the Volunteer Corps
that may present themselves to you, and also to shelter
their families from the persecution of the Spaniards by
placing them under the protection of our civil authorities.
Procure by all means that when a volunteer deserts and
joins our forces, he will bring with him arms and ammuni
tion, and will drag with him as many companions as pos
sible. " ' Country and Liberty.'
" El Toro, June 2d, 1896.
" A. Maceo.
" To Col. Juan Ducasse, Brevet Chief of the South
ern Brigade of Pinar del Rio."
A copy of this was handed to me by one of Maceo's aids
shortly after it was written at the Toro encampment. This
circular did not have the effect desired, for, although a few
took advantage of it, they feared to take a step that would

64 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
end in death if their plot to desert was discovered by the
ever-suspicious Spanish troops.
A Cuban is the last one in the world to retain a secret,
and, like the women of the paragraphers, they are restless
until the news is imparted in " strict confidence " to some
one else, and for this reason they probably could not rely
on each other to concoct any large plot to desert and carry
over their arms to the rebels.
As a result of this circular, I am only aware of about
twenty who succeeded in escapiug from San Cristobal,
Artimisa, and Candelaria, nearly all joining the camp of
Col. Bacallao at La Gloria. Others were deterred by the
harsh treatment received by one of their number at the
hands of a Cuban prefecto, who was either ignorant of
Maceo's order, or willfully disobeyed it, by threatening to
kill the volunteer, who, responding to the circular, deserted,
and presented himself in good faith to the nearest Cuban
authority. This incident was also reported to Ducasse, and to his
credit, he ordered the following communication to be sent
to the prefecto. [Translation.]
" No. 108.
" An individual of the Volunteer Corps who is to-day
under our protection, has come to my presence complaining
that he has been threatened by a sub-prefect, or a soldier
in your district. This is brought to your notice to investi
gate the charge and remit to my head-quarters the. delin
quent, to impose on him the corresponding punishment.
" You will also be held responsible for any future actions
of this class committed by individuals under your orders.
" ' Country and Liberty,'
" Puerta de la Muralla, June 17, 1896.
"J. Ducasse.
"To the Prefect, Francisco Vigoa,"

FACTS and FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 65
It will be seen that Ducasse had a difficult task to repress
the blood-thirsty habits of men accustomed to holding full
sway in matters of life and death; and when we consider
that this is but a representative case of others that oc
curred in the province, it is not difficult to believe that
the reign of terror already described has not been over-
exaggerated. During the skirmishes that took place at Balisa and
Atica del Cura (province of Pinar del Rio) on the 13th
and 14th of June, 1896, Pedro Diaz and Vida.l Ducasse
claimed to have captured eighteen prisoners of war, and
after taking away their arms, gave them their liberty. I
have every reason to believe in the truth of this report, as
I have also read several letters from insurgents who took
part in the fight, and all the reports coincide. I believe
that this is the only instance where the Cubans have actu
ally captured prisoners on the field of battle, and was ef
fected by surrounding a detachment of 125 soldiers and
volunteers, the insurgents outnumbering them three to
one. The majority of the Spaniards escaped through a
ravine, thanks to the intelligence of their guides.
Antonio Nunez, another rebel leader, once captured six
poor devils who were trying to earn a living for their
starving families by repairing the railroad near Manacas
(Santa Clara.)
This victory over six unarmed men was considered of
great importance, as it gave the Cubans another oppor
tunity to display and advertise their unbounded " gener
osity." The men were turned over to the Spanish lieu
tenant commanding the detachment at the factory
Gratitud. A receipt drawn up in due form was exacted,
and the Spanish officer, to save their lives, signed it.
The document was considered as valuable evidence in
their favor, and Nunez took great pains to see that I
copied it for publication in the United States. It is suffi
cient to say, that when I thoroughly understood the details,

66 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
his little bid for notoriety was squashed; for in this case, I
can not see how the Cubans deserve any extra credit for
their conduct, as the men were unarmed, and their only
crime consisted in trying to stave off the starvation and
misery that had already appeared in some districts as the
result of the rebel raids. As this is one of the few cases
where the rebels claim to have delivered over prisoners of
war, the facts should be well digested, as other claims are
probably founded on similar achievements.
It is true that the insurgents captured the small
town of Guaimaro after a " siege " of four days. And
why shouldn't they? The strangest part of it, to an
American, is that they didn't capture it the first day, in
stead of presenting the ridiculous spectacle of 4,000 men
lying around behind trenches and breast-works, afraid to
expose themselves, and waiting patiently for a few Ameri
cans, who manned the artillery, to shell the block-houses
garrisoned by the " enormous number " of 150 men.
Any other army would have stormed the town and had
it over with in half an hour.
It is also true that many towns were entered during the
invasion, and a few of the garrisons, composed of local vol
unteers, surrendered and delivered over their arms. But
these exploits can hardly be classed as military achieve
ments, as the towns in question were not even fortified,
and the insurgents could come and go at their pleasure;
and the volunteer garrisons were largely composed of
native Cubans, secretly in favor of giving in to escape a
fight, and when the insurgents demanded their surren
der, they quietly complied without firing a shot, and
afterward defended their action on the plea of being out
numbered. These are the only occasions where the Cubans ha*re
been able to display their boasted generosity. When the
towns were once fortified and garrisoned by detachments
of regulars, we have never heard of them surrendering (ex-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 67
cept at Guaimaro). On the contrary, it has been demon
strated time and time again that a dozen determined
Spaniards, protected by any rude block-house or breast
work, have not only been able to hold out against over
whelming odds, but have as persistently defied their ad
versaries when threatened with dynamite and artillery.
As a further illustration of the regard in which the
Cubans are held by the Spaniards, it is only necessary to
recall that the few officers who have surrendered to them
have been summarily tried by court-martial, and either
shot or sentenced to imprisonment by their superiors. I
recall an incident that occurred on the 28th of February,
189 6. Maceo had eluded the pursuing Spanish columns
and gained the northern coast of Habana province. Mid
way between Habana and Matanzas is situated the small
village of Santa Cruz del Norte. Near by is a large sugar
factory owned by D. Marcelino Gonzales, whose brother-
in-law, Capt. Villanueva, was the military commander of
the district. The property in the village, as well as alL
other edifices in the vicinity, were owned by the same
party. To protect these interests, a garrison of eight weak-
minded country bumpkins, under command of a corporal
of the civil guard, was quartered in a small frame house,
surrounded by. a high stone wall. Maceo, at the head of
4,000 armed men, appeared suddenly in front of this fort,
and demanded its surrender, threatening, in case of re
fusal, to burn the village and put the garrison to the
sword. It was simple folly for this handful of men to
offer resistance, and they accordingly surrendered. The
corporal was afterward arrested by^the military commander,
and remanded to Habana to be tried for cowardice.
With the exception of the above-mentioned cases, I can
not recall where the Cubans have actually captured any
number of prisoners on the field. It is possible that 1 am
in error; but during my twelve months' experience' with
: their principal chiefs, I failed to witness or hear of any

68 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
other like events. All fights are reported to the chief of
the department and division, and as I also failed to hear of
any such feats from the various prominent chiefs, it is only
safe for me to deduce that none had occurred.
It would indeed be unjust to omit the incident of the
capture of several Spanish officers by Nestor Aranguren.
This really meritorious action took place within sight of
Habana, on the railroad to Guanabacoa. A train was held
up, and the officers belonging to the near by garrison were
taken prisoners, and the following morning were all lib
erated, with the exception of one, who was a native Cuban.
He was hanged as a traitor by the rebels. This episode
may be classed as the most daring in a war famous for its
dearth of heroic achievements, and is also a redeeming
feature of this otherwise carnival of blood and crime.
All Cuban chiefs have not liberated their prisoners, as
we have already seen in the case of Federico Nunez and
Bermudez, and while present in the insurgent camp near
Sebabo, I overheard Maj. Rojas openly boast of having exe
cuted several prisoners. It seems that the late Gen. Zayas
captured a small detachment of eight civil guards, and
selected Rojas for the delicate task of conducting them to
the vicinity of the nearest fortified town to be turned over
to the Spanish authorities. Some of the prisoners grew
very insolent, and mocked their captors while on the
march. The fiery temper of the young Cuban resented
the insults, and he openly bragged how he ordered five of
them led aside and put to the machete.
He also related how he had refused to lead his troop
during the night raid on Esperauza if prohibited from
using his machete on all male " pacificos " found in the
town. It speaks well for his superior, Gen. Zayas, that he or
dered the blood-thirsty young officer to remain with him
during the attack. The troop was led by the second in
command.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 69
For some time the Cubans have been gradually working
up to the point, where all males not in the revolution, are
looked upon as being as much of an enemy as the Spanish
soldiers and volunteers.
During the various night raids that I have witnessed —
notably at Jaruco, Catalina, Batabano, La Palma, San
Andres, and Consolacion del Sur — the insurgent soldiers in
variably have been ordered beforehand to burn, loot, and
destroy all the houses in the town. The order to loot,
"arrasar con todo," was more forcibly dwelt on than the
others, so that the soldiers could supply themselves with
clothes, shoes, and other little delicacies only procurable
during such attacks. It has always been strongly urged to
respect women and children, but whether this command
has been faithfully obeyed can only be ascertained from the
victims themselves.
As I never had the opportunity to converse with the in
habitants of a looted town immediately after the affair,
I am unable to make any statement on this phase of in
surgent behavior. A night attack offers an excellent op
portunity for all classes of crimes and outrages without the
fear of discovery and punishment. The history of the war,
no doubt, can supply many such instances.
On my return from the camp of Gomez to Habana, dur
ing the month of March, I had occasion to halt at the
Cuban prefectura of Pitajones, situated in the Trinidad
hills. While swinging in my hammock, enjoying the cool
shade of the thick forest, I overheard my servant and two
wounded rebels engaged in a rather warm and excited nar
ration of their exploits. The two soldiers related how they
were wounded during the night raid into the near by vil
lage of San Pedro. Pedro Diaz led the attack, at the head
of the Trinidad brigade. In the course of their story, they
made the rather startling announcement, that just before
the attack, the officers gave orders to the effect, that all
male " pacificos" were to be put to the sword, once the

70 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
village was entered. As this was in direct variance to all
that I had seen and heard of their humane measures, I
called the two men and requested a repetition of their
story. They probably mistook me for one of the Americans
known to be fighting with Gomez, and therefore considered
me as one of their officers. Their statement was made
with a certain show of pride and brag, and did not vary
from what I had previously overheard. I told them "they
certainly must be mistaken, for I did not believe that Diaz
had issued any such order, and if they circulated such a
story I would have them arrested, and sent to him to be
punished for spreading lies injurious to the cause. I can
didly believed them lying at the time, and used the threat
to see what effect it would have. I was considerably sur
prised to find that the soldiers did not flinch or appear at
all disconcerted; on the contrary, they persisted in assert
ing that they had spoken the truth, and therefore had
nothing to fear. They also said they were willing to
accompany me to Diaz's camp to verify their statements.
In view of their attitude and the free manner which
characterized their story, I was forced to arrive at the con
clusion that at last one Cuban chief had determined to
throw off the mask and treat as enemies all those not with
the rebels.
From the above instances it would seem that the insur
gents have captured very few prisoners on the field of
battle, and therefore have little to brag about. Their fail
ure to distinguish themselves in this line is due to two
causes — first, that instead of being in a position to accom
plish such a feat, by pursuing the enemy and engaging in
a pitched battle, the exact reverse condition of affairs are
found, for the insurgents are generally the pursued, and
will never stop and present a front for more than a few
minutes, and then only to check the advance of the Span
iards long enough to allow their companions to make a

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 71
safe retreat, and in many cases the "impedimenta" is
abandoned completely, and owe their escape to Providence,
while the fighting men disperse and every one looks out
for himself.
This will explain why so many fall into the hands of the
Spaniards, and are either sent to prison or killed on the
spot. This last, is also the second reason why the insurgents
have failed to announce the capture of prisoners on the
field of battle, for, if by any chance they are in a position
to do so, it can be safely wagered that they will not take
advantage of the opportunity, but will dispatch the victim
then and there, so as to make it appear he has fallen dur
ing the fight.
This argument has often been advanced as an explana
tion why the Spaniards never report prisoners taken on
the field.
The same rule will work both ways, with the difference,
that while the Spaniards occasionally succeed in capturing
some of their slippery antagonists and afterward sending
them to the towns for trial, I have never heard of but one
or two cases where the Cubans have actually captured any
Spaniards on the field of battle.
It may be safely stated that nine tenths of the Spaniards
reported captured by the insurgents have really surren
dered when unable to hold out longer in their besieged
fort. Now, in all countries it is an established law that
such prisoners shall be respected.
If we examine the question from this standpoint, we find
that the Cubans have been claiming an unnecessary amount
of credit for their boasted humanity. They claim the
praise by alleging that the Spaniards kill all prisoners,
while they release them. The failure of the Cubans to re
port prisoners captured on the field, and the fact that in
sixty so-called battles, witnessed by the writer, not one
regular Spanish soldier of the line was captured, gives rise

72 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
to two logical conclusions — that the Cubans prefer to kill
them on the spot, or they have never been in a position to
really play the part of captors.
Such being the case, then why such a clamor over the
" atrocities and barbarity " of the Spaniards, who have
steadily pardoned and liberated all insurgents who have
voluntarily surrendered to the proper authorities?
' It is also true that many who are captured with arms in
their hands are tried and executed on the charges of rebell
ion and incendiarism, but still, many escape with a term
of imprisonment.
Are the Spaniards justified in treating these Cubans as
traitors, and applying the full penalty of the law in such
cases? What would the United States government do if placed
in a similar condition? For it must be remembered, that
the rebels will not face a battle, but hide and roam round
the hills and forests to emerge at night, when they are
positive that the enemy is not near, to burn and loot the
near by town and village, leaving hundreds of families
homeless and destitute. How did our soldiers treat the
Indians, who carried on the same class of warfare? Our
statesmen can well study out and suggest some radical
measures to be applied in Cuba, but it would be well to
first consider the origin of that saying so current in the
West: " That a dead Indian is a good one." And when
they have thoroughly studied the subject, and are satisfied
of the causes that gave rise to the saying, then if they can
consistently rise up in Congress and deliver a speech con
demning Spain, let them do it. How easy it is to see the
mote in our neighbor's eye and overlook the beam in our
own.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 73

CHAPTER IV.
REBEL justice.
Gomez orders the execution of four men for stealing wearing ap
parel. — The cold-blooded execution of a negro at Jamaica. —
Rebel general the executioner. — Another soldier hung for steal
ing. —Murder of Don Sebastian Ulacio. — Murder of Don Isodoi o
Alren.— Incident at Jiquiabo. — Apezteguias' reply to Gomez.
— Desire to kill Mr. O. B. Stillman, of Boston.
As is already well known, when the rebels first entered
the province of Matanzas, and were not actually engaged in
showing their heels to the pursuing Spaniards, they de
voted their spare time to burning and looting houses, and
raising " Old Harry " in general. This was in part
authorized by the leaders, and to an impartial observer it
seems strange that after these outrages had been going on
for over two months, Gomez should suddenly take a notion
to stop them by executing some of the offenders.
He no doubt realized that the policy was working great
injury to the cause, both in Cuba and the United States.
So at the first opportunity he arrested four poor devils
of his command, charging them with the enormous crime
of . stealing female wearing apparel and money. Mind,
that no penalty was attached to stealing men's apparel, for
this was the only manner by which the insurgents could
procure a change of clothing. The leading officers, with
money at their disposal, could send to the towns and pro
cure clothes, while the poor soldier had to do the best he
could. When all the men's clothes had been appropriated,
there was nothing left but those of the other sex, and as a
skirt or dress would easily make two shirts and a crude pair
of pantaloons, they were eagerly sought after.
The unfortunate victims were tried, and, as usual, when

74 EACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Gomz is the accuser, he oversteps all ideas of justice and
decency, by openly charging the court to bring in a verdict
of guilty.
His subservient subordinates meekly complied with his
wishes, and the death-sentence was imposed. This oc
curred on the estate Luisa, near Guira de Melena, during
the month of January, 1896. Gomez now had an excuse
to display his unlimited authority, and he determined to
make the most of his opportunity.
The execution was widely advertised amongst the " paci
ficos," so that the news would reach Habana, and incident
ally the newspaper correspondents.
Early the following morning the army was assembled in
hollow square formation, and the condemned men were led
to the place of execution. Now was the chance for Gomez
to deliver one of his favorite harangues, and he went at it
with a vim. The evils of stealing were loudly condemned,
and as these victims were caught transgressing this funda
mental law, their blood must atone for the stain cast upon
the insurgent banner.
The old hypocrite seemed to forget that from himself,
down to the most insignificant soldier in the files, they were
all as morally guilty of the crime as the poor fellows sin
gled out to be sacrificed to the savage Dominican's vanity.
The firing squad was told off, and the stain on Cuba's
banner was soon purged. The men were buried where they
fell, and scores of insurgents have since told me that the
affair was an outrage, and no chief but Gomez would have
dared to order such an execution.
There is no doubt Gomez honestly endeavored to make
an example, to check the disorder and lawlessness prev
alent at that time; but it would have been more forci
ble, had he started in with some of the higher chiefs who
openly countenanced such proceedings.
The most tragic and theatrical scene that was my fort
une to witness during my experience with the Cubans, was

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 75
the cold-blooded execution of a negro at Jamaica, situated
on the San Jose highway, about twelve miles from Habana.
Gomez had accomplished one of his so-called startling
marches by encamping for the night at the factory Portu
galete. This " audacity " was due to the fact that Weyler
had not yet initiated his active campaign, consequently,
there was not a Spanish column nearer than Habana. This
situation was perfectly understood by Gomez, who took ad
vantage of it to draw near the capital, and give the corre
spondents another chance to hysterically declare that
Habana was in imminent danger from an insurgent attack,
and represent his army as knocking at the gates of Habana
with the pommel of their machetes. Twelve miles is rather
a long distance away to knock on a gate; but such a tri
fling matter never bothered our pro-Cuban representatives
of the press.
While encamped at Portugalete, a young negress made
the complaint that a soldier of her own color had made
improper advances and had attempted to assault her in her
own house. From the description given, the offender was
apprehended during the night, and conducted to the dwell
ing-house where Gomez was quartered. A court-martial
was hastily convened, and it was decided to execute him if
he proved, on identification, to be the guilty party.
The march was resumed the following morning to the
east (or away from Habana), and the column halted at
the Jamaica cross-roads to await the coming of the negress,
who had been sent for to further identify the accused.
The inhabitants of the little village had all vacated their
houses to get a glimpse at the renowned rebel leader. A
group of them had pressed close to the column in their
eagerness to hear the words of wisdom for which Gomez
was so celebrated. Far down the road could be seen the
forts of San Jose. The negress, escorted by two rebels,
appeared coming in our direction. The prisoner stoutly
protested his innocence, and begged to be liberated. Gomez

76 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
paid no attention to his supplications, and the occasion
offered another fine chance for a flight of oratory for the
benefit of the groups of gaping and awe-struck inhabitants.
As the negress drew nearer, the culprit, evidently fearing
her testimony, threw himself on his knees, and raising his
hands in entreaty, craved forgiveness, and committed him
self by saying:
'" My general, pardon me this time, and I will never do
it again!" " He confesses!" shouted Gomez, as he stood up in his
stirrups and waved his machete toward the column, stretch
ing away in a broken line down the road.
" Have mercy, my general! I didn't wrong the woman!"
implored the now terrified soldier, as he groveled in the
dust at the feet of Gomez's charger.
" He confesses again!" shouted Gomez; and turning to
his men, he asked: " What shall we do with such a
reptile?" " Kill him — kill him!" came back from a dozen hoarse
throats. " Kill him!" came like an echo from Gomez. " Shoot
that miscreant, and be quick!" thundered the old chief,
as he made a move to draw his revolver.
With his eyes almost bulging from their sockets, and
trembling like a palsied person, the doomed negro tried to
move back, but his legs failed to support him. His last
heart-rending cry for mercy dwindled to a hoarse moan as
Gomez again thundered out:
" Kill him!"
I was suddenly startled by seeing my friend, Col. Jose
Roque, whose face was livid and distorted with passion, dig
his heavy spurs into his charger, causing the animal to
snort and bound forward like a shot out of a catapult; at
the same time the rider drew his heavy forty-five caliber,
Smith & Wesson, and fired two shots in quick succession
into the terror-crazed wretch.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 77
¦ Both bullets took effect in the negro's breast, and he
sunk to the ground without uttering a groan. Roque
again spurred his horse, causing him to paw the air over
the prostrate body, and after emptying the revolver into
the unfortunate victim, he allowed his charger to come
down with both fore-feet on to the mangled and bleeding
mass. The animal kicked and pawed the remains before
Roque drew him away.
All this occurred so rapidly that everybody was stupefied
with horror for the moment, and a deep silence prevailed.
As Roque saluted his general, the old chief once more
raised himself in his stirrups, and again waving his ma
chete, shouted:
"Long live Col. Roque, the man without fear!"
(" Viva el Colonel Roque, el hombre sin miedo.") From
far down the macadamized road came the answering vivas
of Gomez's army. The irony and satire in this cheer was
probably not noticed by many, but Gomez himself must
have been aware of it, for before the last echo had died
he once away, more shouted :
"Long live our unstained banner!" ("Viva nuestra
bandera sin mancha!")
Cheers for Gomez, the government, the Republic, and
everything conceivable now followed in great confusion.
The bugler sounded the call to march, which was re
peated by the others at the head and rear of the column.
The scene seemed so cruel and barbarous, that I was
completely shocked for a minute, and as Roque returned
to my side and expressed himself as being greatly satisfied
with his deed, I could not but feel a momentary repulsion,
and I told him that I was surprised to see a person who I
had always held in the highest esteem as a refined and cult
ured gentleman, to stoop so low as to take the place of a
common executioner. I expressed myself to him very
freely at the time, as I thought it would have been far
more to the credit of himself and the Cuban cause, if the

78 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
man had been led to one side and properly executed by a
squad of soldiers detailed for the purpose, instead of being
shot down in such a manner by one of the foremost Cuban
chiefs. Roque defended his action by saying that when he
thought of his own wife and family, who were still in the
country, and the possibility of their being insulted in a
similar manner, he could not control his feelings from
gaining the upper hold on him. He admitted that he was
temporarily blinded by passion; but now that it was over,
he didn't care what the people of the United States would
think about it, and I could so write if I chose to. Col.
Jose Roque is a graduate of a dental college in Philadephia,
and is considered as one of the most intelligent and able
officers in the Cuban army.
Just as Gomez was about to start, two soldiers were or
dered to see if the negro were really dead, as the muscles
were still twitching. These " learned " doctors came to
the conclusion, that although he had been shot through
with six ounces of lead, there were still signs of life, and
before the rest knew what they were about to do, they
placed the muzzles of their rifles to the man's head, and
literally blew it to pieces. The brains and clots of blood
were spattered over the ground, and the crowd of awed and
horrified villagers drew back at the sight of such a butch
ery. Gomez now determined to once more resort to his " ora
torical powers," and addressing the " pacificos," said:
" Tell Gen. Weyler that the Cubans do not allow vio
lators of women to remain in their ranks to stain our pure
and spotless banner by their deeds. When the Spanish
columns pass here to-day or to-morrow, show them these
blood-stains and the place where you will have buried this
rascal, as proof of what Gomez has said to you."
He finished by commanding the " pacificos " to bury
the body and report the fact to the Spanish authorities.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 79
The column now moved down the small lane that en
tered the highway at this point. I waited to see the
negress who had made the accusation. On arriving at
the corner and seeing the terrible punishment that had
been meted out to her assailant, she nearly went into hys
terics. I tried to ask her some questions, but could not
obtain a rational answer; and at last I was compelled to
hurry along to overtake the rear guard, which was dis
appearing down the lane.
On a subsequent visit to this neighborhood, I learned
from the farmers that the negress had afterward said,
" That the dead man had not violated her, but had only
made certain improper advances, and fearful that he
might kill her if she refused, she fled and reported the
matter to his superiors.
On another occasion, a few days later, at Rio Bayamo,
a young mulatto was led into camp charged with stealing
money from a " paeifico's " house. Gomez ordered him
to the escort to be held for execution. I will never forget
the look on the condemned man's face, and his brother
came to me and begged me to intercede with Gomez to
spare his life. " You are an American, and the general
will listen to you. Tell him my brother is innocent, and
that the charge has been trumped up against him by an
officer who wishes to hide his own crimes. Oh, senor, my
brother is innocent, and even if he were guilty, is he alone
to be condemned? Are not many of our officers and men
equally as guilty as he? For you can see for yourself —
look! and see all the gold, silver, and jewelry in the pos
session of various officers. You know that they didn't
have them when they came to the war. They have been
taken out of houses in the country. Do talk with Gomez,
and see if you can save my poor brother's life."
I was greatly stirred by the man's appeal, and promised
to see the old chief in his behalf; but when I arrived at
head-quarters, Gomez was taking a nap and could not be

80 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
disturbed. 1 made some remarks to several of his staff on
the case, and they said he would probably be liberated.
Shortly afterward I left camp with the regiment of Roque,
who were going to make a night attack on the town of
Guara. Two days afterward, while passing along the same
road, we found the body of the condemned mulatto hang
ing by the road-side, with the placard, reading, " for pla
teado " pinned to his clothes.
I was indignant at this, and told Roque so, and also
added that if the law was enforced, many otherwise rep
utable officers would justly merit the same fate.
I have seen insurgent officers gambling at cards, and the
money that passed over the table during a sitting, has fre
quently passed the five thousand dollar mark. Not one of
the men had a cent when they took up arms, and the only
way they could procure it, must necessarily be by looting
and stealing from the houses in the country.
Most of these executions have been carried out for the
effect produced amongst a certain class.
While writing on the subject of atrocities, it would not
be out of place to relate the circumstances of various cases
that have been brought to my notice.
The information comes from sources that can not be
challenged. I intend to select only a few of the most im
portant, and which may be taken as samples of what has
occurred. I will first take the case of Don Sebastian Ulacio, whose
death at the hands of Aranguren caused a profound sensa
tion throughout Cuba and Spain.
The following facts have been given me by the principals
themselves. Both Aranguren and Aguirre in turn told me
the same story, and the insurgent sympathizers can not
possibly find any fault with such authority.
It was during the month of February, 1895, that the
sugar-planters in the provinces of Habana and Pinar del
Rio, were in that unsettled state as to whether they could

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 81
grind cane or not. Don Sebastian Ulacio — formerly a very
rich planter and manager of the Jesuits' sugar interests in
Cuba — had been forced by reverses of fortune to sacrifice
one piece of property after another, until at the time of the
outbreak only the estates Calderon and Tivo-Tivo remained
in his possession. Tivo-Tivo is the first small estate that
catches the traveler's eye on the east-bound train from
Habana, and is situated near the railroad station of San
Miguel. This factory had ceased to make sugar with its own
machinery, and the cane was shipped to the larger factory
of San Miguel for elaboration.
His other factory, " Calderon," or San Juan de Dios,
situated near Jibacoa, in the province of Habana, was also
a very small, old-fashioned affair, and barely paid expenses.
The order of Gomez prohibiting the planters from grind
ing cane was only obeyed by the few who were without
sufficient capital to pay for fortifications. Ulacio deter
mined to cut his crop and send it to San Miguel, and
actively engaged in making the necessary preparations.
His tenants (" colonos ") were not of the same opinion,
and refused to aid him, fearing insurgent vengeance.
Aranguren informed me that Ulacio then threatened to
denounce the " colonos " as insurgent sympathizers if they
did not get ready to work by a certain date.
The rebel leaders were at this time in the eastern part of
the province, and on being informed of the attitude on his
part, Aguirre ordered his subordinate to make an investi
gation. On the 20th of February, 1895, Aranguren arrived at
Tivo-Tivo, and sent in a messenger to request Ulacio to
come out and talk matters over. On receiving the mes
sage, Ulacio jumped up excitedly, and picking up his rifle,
said: " Tell him that I will make no compromise with auy
d  d rebel, and will not permit anybody to dictate to me
in my own house, much less a boy like Aranguren!"

82 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
In the face of such an answer the young chief ordered
eight men to disarm and bind the old Spaniard securely.
He made a brief but ineffectual struggle, and was secured
by the overwhelming number of his foes. Without any
ceremony he was led out, a rope placed around his neck,
and finally hung in his own yard.
The tragic ending of this old planter caused a wave of
indignation to sweep over the entire island; and it will be
well to bear in mind that his only offense was his refusal
to acknowledge the ludicrous and self-important decrees of
a Cuban leader, who did not dare remain in ono place
long enough to assert his authority and see that his orders
were carried out.
It was only on the persons of unprotected and isolated
planters like Ulacio that the insurgents could show their
authority, for wealthier ones had forts and garrisons to
defend them against such attacks.
This unnecessary murder was applauded by the mass of
the insurgents, and when Gen. Gomez was informed of the
fact, he is reported to have said, that he was sorry the
Cuban laws provided for only one lieutenant general, for he
would like to promote Aguirre to this rank for authorizing
the execution, and if Maceo should die or be killed, he
would be ordered to fill the vacancy.
These words were told me several times by young Carlos
Aguirre, who accompanied Gomez at the time, and when
I first met him at Galeon, on March 7th, 1896, he laid
great stress on this fact, so I might boom his uncle in the
" Herald." There is no necessity of criticism in this case, as all fair-
minded persons who read, can judge for themselves of its
merits and justice.
Another unfortunate case was that of Don Isodoro Abreu,
the aged and inoffensive manager of the large sugar factory
Loteria, situated near Jaruco, and owned by Rafael
Fernandez de Castro, a prominent autonomist deputy to

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 83
the Spanish Cortez. Gen. Aguirre informed the writer
that Castro and his manager were implicated in a plot to
assassinate him through the medium of an ex-bandit called
Machin, who was to join the rebels, gain the good-will of
Aguirre, and drop poison in his food.
The plot was so absurd, that the writer is inclined to
believe that the story was only an excuse to hide the real
cause, which Aguirre unguardedly let drop on another
occasion. Castro had gained the enmity of the Cubans by his re
fusal to espouse their cause, and also by fortifying his prop
erty to prevent its destruction. It seems that Aguirre had
repeatedly endeavored to appoint an interview with the
deputy, for the purpose of extorting a payment of taxes for
the Cuban treasury. His letters were ignored, and when
finally the estate was defended by troops, Castro sent word
that he would not listen to any more propositions.
Aguirre longed for revenge, and openly stated that if he
caught Castro in the country he would hang him; and one
night the innocent manager, Don Isodoro, was captured,
and, without any ceremony, was hung by the road-side.
Machin was afterward caught and executed in the same
manner; but the deputy has not ventured to leave Ha
bana, and so escaped a like fate. The high reputation en
joyed by both Castro and Abreu is sufficient to offset the
absurd charge put forward by the Cubans.
Another similar case was that of the factory Jiqu-
iabo, situated a few miles from Loteria, and owned by D.
Carlos Pedroso.
Located in the factory-yard was a detachment of twenty
civil guards, and the owner relying on their protection,
disregarded the circular of Gomez. The old chief was
frantic with rage when informed of the fact, and ordered
Aguirre to destroy the buildings and put everybody to the
sword found working there.
The small garrison surrendered to the overwhelming

84 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
forces of the insurgents; but instead of carrying oat the
orders from Gomez, Aguirre entered into negotiations with
the owner for the payment of a sum of money to spare the
property. A large amount was agreed upon, aud one half
was to be paid the following day, and the rest within a
specified time. The first half was promptly paid, and, ac
cording to Aguirre, when the time expired for the other
payment, the owner pleaded for more time.
In the meanwhile, the Spanish columns were frequently
using the place as an encampment, which greatly angered
the Cubans, who could not pass through the valley without
having a skirmish with the enemy.
Maj. Valencia was ordered to watch his opportunity to
encamp on the place, and if the money was not forthcom
ing, to apply the torch. While here, he detected the own
er's cook placing a white powder in his food. Nothing was
said at the time, and when the meal was served, the cook
was ordered to take a seat, and the poisoned food set be
fore him. On being commanded to eat, he turned pale,
and commenced to tremble, and after a short cross-exami
nation, finally admitted his guilt, saying, that he had been
hired to do it, but refused to implicate the person who had
instigated the proposed crime. He took his sentence very
coolly, and did not flinch when Valencia ordered him to be
killed. Two stalwart negroes of the major's escort led
him to an adjacent cane-field, and with a few blows from
their heavy machetes his body was soon hacked into pieces.
The factory was then burned. The owner, who was in
Habana, was ignorant of the fate of his property, and, it
is said, he was making arrangements to pay the balance of
the money the following day.
It is hardly probable, under the circumstances, he would
risk his valuable possessions to instigate the poisoning of
the rebel officer. But Gen. Aguirre claimed that he was
at the bottom of it, and threatened to hang him, if he
caught him in the country.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 85
Another prominent Cuban planter who would fare harsh
ly, if caught by the rebels, is the Marquis of Apezteguia,
the leader of the Conservative party, and a large owner of
shares in the magnificent sugar central, Constancia,
located near Cienfuegos. The cost of protecting his vast
interests has amounted to more than $30,000 per month.
Gomez was furious at this decided stand, and sent a letter
to the marquis, saying that he was coming to hang him to
the highest limb of a " guasima " tree. It is reported that
he answered Gomez by telling him he was very discourte
ous, but that he would be very glad to have him come, as
all the " guasima " trees had been cut down, and the lofty
chimney of his factory had been prepared with a block and
tackle to hoist him up with. It is needless to say that
Gomez has never succeeded in carrying out his threat, and
the only damage done to the property was the burning of
outlying, unprotected cane-fields.
Two of the most prominent American land-owners in
Cuba, are Mr. 0. B. Stillman, and Mr. Atkins, of Boston,
owners of the estates Trinidad and Soledad, the former
situated in the valley of that name, and the other near
Cienfuegos. During my last trip to Gomez, and shortly
before returning to Habana, I met a young rebel lieuten
ant in the hills near Trinidad, who gleefully explained to
me how he had placed a dynamite bomb under the furnace
of the factory managed by Mr. Stillman.
The explosion, fortunately, did little damage, owing to
ignorance displayed in placing the bomb, and the factory
was soon again in running order. From the peak of a
neighboring mountain we were gazing on the beautiful
panorama of the valley below us, and my Cuban friend
called my attention to the smoke curling up from the lofty
chimney. " There," said he, " is a place worked by one of your
infernal countrymen. He is a very ' shameless fellow,'
for I have twice endeavored to blow up his factory, and

86 PACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
each time he goes to work, and in a few days it is again in
perfect running order. On my next attempt, I will be sure
to catch him and his manager, Mr. Turner, and blow
them up with the house, and then we will have no more
Americans to contend with, aud the place will be aban
doned for us to encamp in." He then wanted to know, if
I thought that some other American would come down to
manage the estate if Mr. Stillman and Mr. Turner were
hung? I told him that as it was a stock company, the others
would undoubtedly send new men to fill the vacancies.
This had a powerful effect on him, for he cursed and
grumbled, and finally concluded that the Yankees were
a set of " sin verguenzas " (shameless rascals) to persist
in disobeying the laws of the Cuban Republic.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 87

CHAPTER V.
THE STARVATION FAKE. — AN ANSWER TO "THE REAL
CONDITION OF CUBA TO-DAY."
Fertility of the " Florida War News Co."— Initiation of the starva
tion campaign. — Programme of Estrada Palma. — Why prop
erty was not destroyed in the East. — Motives for destroying
property. — All misery attributed to Weyler. — First stage in
the drama of annihilation. — Charity of the authorities. —
Gomez's raid of fire. — His circular prohibiting further destruc
tion.— Second scene in the drama. — Spanish soldiers feed the
"pacificos." — Mr. Bonsai's error.— What the fakirs can not
tell us.— Number of " pacificos " in country.— Order of Maceo
to destroy property.— The concentration in Las Villas. — Gen-
Gomez warns the author. — Text of Weyler's decree. — Enforce
ment of the decree. — Gomez issues counter-order. — Rebels re"
sponsible for suffering.
The comparative inactivity of Gomez during the last
two campaigns, and the total absence of any striking mili
tary operation on the part of the insurgents in general,
temporarily diverted the interest from this feature of the
question — at least, until the "old dodger" should once
more carry out some of the daring movements he is always
bragging about, but never accomplishes.
The great " war news factories " in Florida were at
a loss to find some new fields for Gomez to conquer, and
as they had already run the gamut of all the principal
towns and villages in Cuba, there seemed to be no other
way but to attribute glowing descriptions of columns cut
to pieces in the mountains and out-of-the-way places, where
it was certain that no one could easily corroborate or deny
their yarns.
It was at this stage of the game when the author of this

88 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
book and the correspondent of the " New York World "
(Mr. Scovel) arrived at Gomez's camp, and by their letters,
completely disclosed the systematic campaign of lying that
had been carried on by the " war correspondents" of
Habana and Florida.
It was learned that Gomez had not done any fighting of
consequence since parting with Maceo, and that instead
of the glorious victories attributed to him, his time had
been chiefly occupied in wrangles with the provisional
government, revealing a desperate effort on his part to im
pose his views and authority on the members of the assem
bly. In these internal dissensions Gomez at last came
out victor.
The letters of the author to the " Herald," in which
the rottenness of these stories were exposed, coupled
with the description of the real condition of affairs, to all
appearances, had the beneficial effect of terminating, for a
time at least, the wonderful Munchausen-like stories of
great Cuban victories and heroic " machete " charges.
The Cubans who carry on the war from the United
States immediately set up a great howl, and deluged the
" Herald " with letters, asking if their correspondent was
not paid by the Spanish government to write such articles.
There is no doubt in my mind that many of the Cuban
emigrants to this country have been as completely misled
by the " fakes " as our own countrymen.
Accustomed as they are to finding the average American
correspondent so pliable in their hands, allowing his sym
pathies to gain the ascendency over his appreciation for the
truth, and when some one more independent than the
others writes the plain unvarnished facts, they can not un
derstand it, and immediately charge him with doing it
from a double motive, and with them, this always takes the
form of trying to blackmail the Juntaj or to accept a cer
tain remuneration from the other side; it never occurs to
them that a man could speak the' truth, for truth's sake.

EACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 89
Seeing their hopes blasted of attributing to Gomez any
other great victories while there was a correspondent on
the spot to write the truth, the " laborantes " (Cuban and
American) looked around for some new sensation to keep
the mind of the American public inflamed against Spain.
The topic was soon found, and everybody started in to
boom it along. The starvation campaign was now initi
ated, and so well did it take, " that one newspaper corre
spondent in Habana received telegraphic orders from his
home office to ' work up ' American starvation in Cuba."
" Accordingly, the word was passed around, and the cor
respondents in Habana began to see horrible scenes of suf
fering in the interior, where all of them took precious
good care never to go." *
The fact that a certain amount of misery existed in Cuba
was not sufficient to meet the ends of these correspond
ents, and they proceeded to " investigate " the records, to
see how they could plausibly lay the blame on the Span
iards, aud once more revel in their favorite theme of Span
ish brutality and barbarity.
Whether they did investigate, is open to grave doubts,
and the sequel would indicate that they were once more
either imposed upon by the " laborantes," or they willfully
distorted facts, and ignored the previous history of the war
by "raking up" the decree of reconcentration issued by
Weyler, and calling on the world to behold the most ini
quitous proclamation of modern times.
Not satisfied with this, they began to discover multitudes
of American citizens starving to death in this war-worn
isle, and even our consuls were dragged into the scheme to
make it more effective. The sequel is still fresh in the
minds of our public, who will remember that our Congress
was so imposed upon by these misrepresentations that they
were led to appropriate the sum of $50,000 to succor and
aid the starving " Americans."
* Extract, editorial " Evening Post."

90 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
If we recall the notices sent from Habana at the time,
we may well be astonished to find that there are a few
people still living in Cuba, and they do not show any in
clination to " shuffle off this mortal coil " and be carted to
the cemetery in the " lechuza;" on the contrary, they are
still as sleek and comfortable-looking as " boniatos,"
Spanish beans, aud garlic can make them.
That there is misery in Cuba is beyond question. All
who have visited the island during the last twelve months,
and have carefully studied the progress of the campaign of
both Cubans and Spaniards, have come away convinced
that the manner in which the war was being carried on,
would, sooner or later, lead to a famine — the inevitable re
sult of so much wanton destruction.
This long-anticipated calamity, precipitated no doubt by
Weyler's decree of reconcentration, has at last commenced
to be felt, although not to such an extent as many would
have us believe, and while its effects may be more keenly
felt in the large centers of population in the western prov
inces, it is because these districts have been in a precarious
condition for over a year.
Now, the inside history of the causes of the misery exist
ing in Cuba to-day, can be readily studied by a perusal of
the files of the very newspapers which have unjustly re
frained from referring to facts, and have laid the blame on
Weyler. While I do not pretend to pose as a defender of Weyler
and his methods of carrying on the war, neither can I
champion the cause of the insurgents in the part I will at
tempt to explain, and which will irrefutably fasten upon
them the " barbarous crime " charged to their chief an
tagonist. Facts have been overlooked in the prevalent desire to
censure the Spaniards. The Cubans, who have repeatedly
gloried in announcing their determination to destroy the
island, have naturally remained quiet, and silently chuck-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 91
led in their sleeve, when they saw the success of their
scheme to attribute to Weyler the awful results of the
policy initiated by themselves.
Let us take, step by step, the various stages that have
led up to this phase of the present situation in Cuba, and
the following statements I defy any one to contradict, and
adhere to the truth.
To begin with, the Cubans started their campaign by
proclaiming that all cattle, horses, and food products were
to be confiscated for the benefit of the Republic, and on
these grounds everything is supposed to be at their dis
position. All Cubans were expected to place their property and
interests at the service of the insurrection, as the rather
autocratic programme of their delegate in New York
clearly states.
This document is peculiar in its details, as it contains
information not generally understood by the majority of
Americans. The following is a literal translation of this
interesting circular.
" PROGRAMME.
" DIRECTED TO THE CUBANS, SPANIARDS, AND
FOREIGNERS.
"By Estrada Palma, the successor to Marti.
" Art. 1st. — All Cubans are obliged and in duty bound
to contribute to the independence of the island of Cuba,
either with their interests or with their person. All those
who take up arms in favor of Spain will lose their property,
and he that has no property shall be expelled from the
island of Cuba, and those who emigrate through cowardice,
and have interests in Cuba, the Cuban government will
confiscate the half of their estate, and they will only be
allowed to return when the government sees fit.
"Art. 2d. — Those who contribute to the independence
of the island of Cuba, from the time they enlist in the

92 eacts and fakes aibout cuba.
Cuban army will begin to earn their salary, payable on the
triumph; and if they should die, their families would col
lect the benefit the same as though in active service.
" Art. 3d. — The Spaniards who do not take part against
the independence of the island of Cuba will have their per
sons and property respected; but he who even serves as
volunteer, or protects the Spanish government with his in
terests, will be expelled from the island, and his estates
confiscated. "Art. 4th. — The Cubans will not be responsible,
neither before nor after the triumph, for the property of
foreigners that may be destroyed during the war.
" Art. 5th. — All soldiers of the Spanish government
who cross to the files of the Liberators shall enjoy the
same rights as our own soldiers.
" New York, August 15 th, 1895.
"T. Estrada Palma."
It will be seen from this that after inaugurating their
campaign of destruction they emphatically refuse to be
responsible for any property destroyed during the war.
This plan was premeditated and carefully planned during
the early months of the war, as the date attached to the
document clearly proves.
The work of destroying sugar estates and property in
general, did not extend to any great proportions while the
outbreak was confined to the East. The reasons are clear
— for the majority of the inhabitants living in the country
were Cubans and negroes who favored the cause, and
either took up arms in its favor, or remained in their homes
to be of service in the more difficult role of go-between
or spy. Their property was therefore respected.
As already explained, their countrymen in the West
were composed of a different element, and were lukewarm
in the question of their country's independence. This feel-

facts and fakes about CUBA. 93
ing on their part is also readily accounted for, and may be
explained by going back to the original claim of the Span
iards — that the insurrection was not the outcome of a
popular dislike for the government, or a general desire to
be free, but was nothing more or less than a movement
plotted and carried out. by a number of discontents living
in the United States, who, when they saw that liberal re
forms were likely to be granted to the island by Spain,
seized the opportunity to foment the present insurrection.
By sending various expeditions commanded by men of
prestige amongst the Cubans of the last war, they were
able to give it a decided impetus in the East, where were
found the few remaining veterans of the last war.
Those in the West, on the contrary, seemed to have
little interest in the outcome of the struggle, and only de
sired to be permitted to take off their crop in peace, and,
with their gains, secure their families against want during
the hard times sure to follow.
The crop previous had been an exceptionally poor one
from a financial standpoint; because, for the first time,
the powerful effects of the beet-root competition had made
itself forcibly felt, causing the price of crude sugar to fall
to four reales per twenty-five pounds (two cents a pound.)
Many poor planters and factory owners who had not the
machinery or administrative ability to make sugar at this
price, were forced to the wall and failed. Those who did
struggle through, were considered very fortunate if their
expenses had been covered, and all looked forward with
bright hopes to the time when they could start the next
crop, and perhaps gain something from the slightly ad
vanced price of sugar.
To prevent these people from working, and to force them
to join the insurgent standard, the western raid, or " inva
sion," as it is pompously called, was accordingly planned
and carried into effect.
Spain also drew the bulk of her revenue from the sugar

94 FACTS and FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
and tobacco industries centered in these provinces, and the
insurgents fondly believed, that once this source of revenue
was destroyed, it would be a question of but a few months
when the Spaniards would quietly give up the struggle.
At least these were the arguments openly put forward by
the Cubans, and as they profess to thoroughly understand
the Spanish character, it does not reflect much credit on
their vaunted knowledge, for we have all seen how the
" mercenary " Spaniards have positively refused to evacu
ate on losing their income. It seems to have produced
the opposite effect, and created a strong desire to retain
possession of the island as a matter of pride and honor.
Another motive, and probably the most important of all,
was to force the intervention of foreign powers by destroy
ing the property of their citizens. The nationality of the
planter did not save his crops, as the torch was applied in
discriminately to American, English, French, and German
property. The Cubans labored under the delusion that some of
these governments would insist on immediate indemnifica
tion from Spain. The Spanish treasury was known to be in
a rather depleted condition, and therefore it would be impos
sible to meet these demands, and the rebels confidently ex
pected that it would result in some controversy or conflict
that would redound to their benefit.
When Gomez entered the sugar-cane district, or that
part of the island situated between Sancti Spiritus on the
east and Artimisa on the west, he ordered all cane to be
destroyed. The plan at that time, as explained by Gomez, was to
burn only the cane-fields, hoping that by removing the
prime material, it would accomplish the end he was striving
for, and preventing the successful outcome of the crop,
deprive the government and planters from any pecuniary
advantage that might accrue to them, and at the same
time destroy all hopes of the poor farmer gaining a live-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 95
lihood, and thus add recruits to his army. We have all
seen how this policy was successfully carried out.
Thousands of acres of the finest sugar-cane were thus
completely ruined.
This burning of the crops blasted all the hopes of the
poor peasant or planter to again regain his former prosper
ous condition.
Thousands, unwilling to join the rebels, and findiug
themselves without any prospects, and with little or no
money, moved their families into the towns, in the vain
hope of finding employment.
It will now' be necessary to refer to a recent work pur
porting to explain the causes of the present situation.
" The Real Condition of Cuba To-day," from the pen of
Mr. Stephen Bonsai, is a striking example of the style of
current literature on the Cuban question; and while I en
tertain the highest respect for the author in person, I can
not but feel that it is my duty to correct certain misleading
ideas which a perusal of the book in question is sure to
create. Mr. Bonsai has graphically described what he saw while
on the island. With that part I have nothing to say. The
idea is given us that the " pacificos " are herded together
like sheep in low-lying, swampy outposts, far away from
the reach of charity, and where they can not obtain employ
ment. That they are in a pitiful condition can not be denied;
but the writer has made the mistake of attributing all this
misery to the reconcentration decree of Weyler, without
referring to the previous causes that led to the present
situation. As his statements have been considered as val
uable evidence for our Senators to base their actions upon,
I feel justified in calling attention to the following facts,
which can be borne out by the writings of any newspaper
correspondent who has gone into the country to see for
himself, or to simply go over the files of our newspapers.

96 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
In the question concerning the destruction of villages
and towns, I would also like to refer to another work by
one of our foremost journalists. The " Story of Cuba,"
by Mr. Murat Halstead, contains, among other inaccuracies,
a list of towns and villages destroyed, and they are all
charged to the Spaniards. It seems hardly probable that
an experienced newspaper man like the author would allow
himself to be so imposed upon, for I can positively state
that all these towns were burned by the other side, and as
still another proof, I may add that I personally witnessed
the insurgent night attacks on several of these towns, and
overheard the orders of Maceo to his soldiers.
Let us now return to the subject, and turn back to the
months of December, 1895, and January, 1896. As we
have seen, the insurgents were then at the zenith of their
power, and the work of destruction was going merrily on.
Homes and fields, factories and stores, all disappeared be
fore the devouring torch. The families who had seen
their homes, with all their clothes and belongings, de
stroyed by the rebels, what became of them? As this was
the first stage in the drama, it is highly important that
this question should be answered correctly. Did they re
main in the country and seek refuge in the hills or forests,
or did they flock to the towns held by the Spanish soldiers?
The correspondents who were in Habana at the time, wrote
to their papers, and described the pitiful condition of the
thousands who flocked, terror-stricken, into the cities by
every train, and called attention to the throngs,, who
swarmed along the highways, fleeing from their burning
homes. They told us the story that moved us to compas
sion, of how young girls, women, and aged grandmothers
came into the towns with hardly any clothes with which to
cover their nakedness, and the writer adds that there were
many who had to remain on the outskirts until some friend
sent them sufficient wearing apparel to permit them to
enter.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 97
Surely our Congressmen and people have not forgotten
these circumstances.
The plan of the insurgents was well laid, as many of the
unfortunate peasants, after depositing their families in the
towns, and unable to secure work to keep the wolf from
the door, bid adieu to their families and joined the rebels,
where they at least were sure of food for themselves, and
the possibility of looting some town or store, the proceeds
of which they could send to their neglected ones, starving
or living by charity in the towns.
So was caused the first rush of the country people into
the cities. How did these people live, and how did they
obtain food? If it was in any other country, we might
think that the women obtained some remunerative em
ployment, but in the Latin countries their sphere is very
contracted. The majority can not aspire to anything
higher than seamstress or washerwoman.
They were all destitute, and needed the assistance of
charity. Mr. Bonsai says, in speaking of the towns of concentra
tion, that they were situated at " strategic points, and not
towns, where possibly work might have been obtained or
charity active in assisting them." From this we infer
that charity was a virtue unknown to this present genera
tion of Spaniards.
Let us see how much charity was employed in succoring
these unfortunate victims of insurgent barbarity.
„When the thousands were pouring into the towns, how
difl they live? If we again turn back to the writings of
reputable correspondents, we will find that in each town a
" Junta de Socorros " was formed — generally under the
presidency of the mayor — and each day huge caldrons of
beef and vegetables were cooked and distributed to the
famished people.
There was no distinction shown in this estimable charity.
It was a current saying at the time that many Cubans de-

98 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
serted their families and expected their enemies to care for
them. The writer insists that such was the case, for he
traveled through the country towns at the time, and in
variably found the authorities dealing out rations to all
persons, irrespective of political creed. It sufficed that
they were known to be without resources.
But is this not a very remarkable proceeding on their
part? For we are given to understand by other writers
that the Spaniards' only desire is to exterminate the race,
and here we actually find them giving nourishment to the
very people whose existence so greatly disturbs them.
But this is not all. The other part is still more surpris
ing, and I hope that my pro-Cuban confreres will not feel
hurt when I call their attention to the files of the New
York papers of January 13th, '96.
We find here the announcement that Capt. -Gen. Campos
has called on all people to subscribe to a fund for the relief
of the sufferers, and, wonder of wonders! he heads the list
with $2,000, and is followed by Lieut. -Gen. Arderius with
$1,000, and the Spanish Bank with $6,000. But he does
not stop here, for he further requests the officers and sol
diers of the army to contribute one day's pay toward the
fund, and, will wonders never cease? — the " barbarous,
blood-thirsty murderers " actually complied with his re
quest. Think of it! Hispanophobes, the " dirty, low,
ignorant " Spanish soldiers showed themselves to be better
Christians than the multitude of native Cubans here in the
United States, who, from the secure precincts of our coun
try, were sending out expeditions, in violation of all law,
to help destroy the homes of their less fortunate country
men, and their much-abused enemies were generously con
tributing to succor the victims!
I say less fortunate, because these poor farmers had not
the few dollars necessary to pay their passage to Key West,
and so escape the horrors of the war. How many Cubans
have left their country on the outbreak of the war to

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 99
escape fighting for its cause, and how many once here have
gone back in the various expeditions? It is all very nice
to lay around Florida and New York inventing great vic
tories in favor of their cause, but it is an entirely different
thing to go and face the bullets.
Of course, the fact that the Spanish army had gener
ously aided the suffering Cubans, was not commented on
by our pro-Cuban praes. The Spanish government fur
thermore showed their interest in the situation of the un
fortunate families, by allowing them to make the uniforms
for the army. These were formerly made in Spain, and
gave employment to many women whose sons, husbands, or
fathers were fighting for their country's integrity in far-off
Cuba. How many governments would take work away from
their own worthy people and bestow it on the families of
their enemies to keep them from starving? Does this con
duct tend to convice us, as Mr. Bonsai would have us be
lieve, that the Spaniards' desire is to exterminate their
Cuban-born subjects? In the face of such conduct, is it
just to overlook the crimes of the rebels, and censure only
those that are imputed to the Spaniards? Under the auspices
of the government, other work, at sewing, etc., was found
for thousands of needy females, and, as far as possible, this
system is still carried on in various towns. These plain
facts ought to counteract any charge of uncharitableness
against the Spaniards.
Let us again return to Gomez, who was now (Jan. 1896)
roaming around the province of Habana, destroying the
fields and country houses. The Spaniards were not press
ing him as actively as before, owing to the political crisis
in Habana. Thanks to their superior cavalry, they man
aged to frustrate all the plans of their enemies to force
them to fight. When closely pursued, the torch would be
applied to the cane-fields as they passed through, and the
Spanish columns would be forced to make a wide detour

100 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
to again overtake their elusive antagonists. For two
months this campaign of fire was carried on without inter
ruption. It is folly to believe that any army, however well
organized, could have prevented this destruction.
The planters were filled with consternation at the rapid
spread of the movement, and the devastating policy so per
sistently pursued by the rebel leaders. A meetiug was
called in Habana to devise a way to* financially aid those
who had lost their cane. Business was at a standstill,
traffic was blocked, and a feeling of insecurity pervaded
the community from the awful effects of the reign of
terror. The success of their movement had far surpassed the
wildest dreams of the rebel leaders. Flushed wilh success
in eluding the pursuit of the Spanish columns, and swelled
with importance over his few farcical and bloodless victories,
Gomez imagined that his triumph was near at hand. He
mistook the consternation and alarm of the people, with
the incidental paralyzation of business, as a direct acknowl
edgment of his supremacy. He believed that the planters
would now implicitly obey his different proclamations and
decrees, issued at every stage of the game. Accordingly,
he graciously condescended to prohibit the further destruc
tion of cane-fields, if the planters would obey his orders.
On the 12th of January, 1896, at the sugar factory Mi
Rosa, situated in the southern part of Habana province,
he issued the following:
" CIRCULAR.
" REPUBLIC OF CUBA. LIBERATING ARMY.
" Inasmuch as the work of grinding sugar is now sus
pended in the western provinces, and consequently the
burning of cane-fields is no longer necessary, 1 hereby order
as follows:
" Aet. 1st. — The burning of cane-fields is positively
and absolutely prohibited.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 101
" Art. 2d. — Any person, whatever his rank or position
in the army, who disobeys this order, shall be treated with
the utmost severity of military discipline and of the moral
order of the revolution.
" Art. 3d. — The boiling-houses and machinery of sugar
estates shall be destroyed in the event of their owners or
managers attempting to resume work, notwithstanding this
order for their protection.
" Art. 4th. — The persons and agricultural property of
all peaceable inhabitants of the island of Cuba, whatever
their nationality, shall be respected.
" Head-quarters in the field, Jan. 12, 1896,
" The General-in-Chief,
"M. Gomez."
It would seem from this order that the insurgents re
frained from any further burning of cane. For awhile
Gomez himself adhered to his own order; but the same can
not be said of his subordinates, who never lost an oppor
tunity to burn some outlying place, just to let the people
in the towns think they were accomplishing some great
movement, and to set the " laborantes " spreading their
wonderful tales of how " Ios muchachos " captured the
garrison of some sugar estate, and then set the place on
fire. I think that I am justified in saying, and the statement
can be borne out by others, that, notwithstanding this cir
cular of Gomez's, not a day passed when the smoke of
some burning field could not be seen from Habana. From
actual experience the author can state that fields were fired
on the flimsiest excuses, and very often from sheer wanton
ness or deviltry.
Gomez overlooked the fact that men with huge capital
at stake, would resort to any extreme measure in order to
protect their interests. All planters with sufficient ready
cash to pay for fortifications and the maintenance of a body

102 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
of troops, silently laughed at his proclamations, and went
ahead with their customary arrangements to work, and
have made sugar despite all his anathemas, decrees, circu
lars, and armed efforts to the contrary.
Some planters did not have the foresight to call on the
government for troops, but went ahead with their prepara
tions, completely ignoring Gomez's ultimatum.
The second act in the drama now appears, and those
who have been misled by other stories should follow closely,
as the following facts have never been presented in other
works where the Spaniards are represented as being re
sponsible for all the misery.
Enraged at the open disobedience of their orders, the in
surgents now commenced the second step in their policy of
annihilation. Sugar factory after sugar factory was
burned; the outlying farm-houses of the " colonos " and
the homes of all persons obnoxious to the cause met a like
fate. Families driven to town by the persecution of the
rebels were warned not to return to the country. The
farmers were prohibited from carrying their products to
the markets.
The object was a double one, and reveals to us the same
identical spirit of " barbarity " attributed later on to the
Spaniards. The insurgents hoped by refusing to allow food to enter
the cities, the government would be forced to expend large
amounts to feed the needy people. This was only another
of the many methods devised by them to hasten the hour
of Spain's bankruptcy.
Now again comes another pertinent question.
How, then, did these people manage to exist at all?
They did not dare to venture into the country in their
search for food, for fear of the vengeance of the insurgents.
How were the Spanish authorities able to continue the
work of feeding the unfortunates?
Our rabid " Hispanophobes " will again be surprised to

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 103
learn that the " barbarous " Spanish soldiers spent a large
part of their time roping-in cattle and driving them to
corrals located near the towns, for the benefit of the peace
able inhabitants. Suppose they did capture some cattle
whose owners were still living in the country, and refused
to pay for them except in notes payable some time in the
future? The insurgents call this a high-handed outrage.
But the Spaniards have at least given some show of legality
to their actions, even if they should refuse to recognize
their notes later on. As their government is the one ac-
knowleged by foreign nations, who has a better right to
levy a forced contribution? If, when the Spaniards take
the cattle to feed the families of their enemies, and are
called thieves and other harsh names for doing so, by what
name shall the insurgents be designated when they com
mit the same actions? If the Spaniards are despotic in
this question, what can be said of the actions of the rebels,
who have publicly announced that all cattle shall be con
sidered as the property of the " Republic?" And even then
they are not as decent about it as their enemies, for they
give nothing in return.
When the insurgents hang a poor farmer for driving his
own cattle to town to realize a few dollars to cover the
nakedness of his family, according to many, they should be
placed on a pedestal and worshiped; but let a Spaniard
so much as confiscate the cattle that are running wild
around the country, and authorize the starving " paci
ficos" to lasso them and lead them to town for the public
benefit, the insurgents are again horrified, and their general-
in-chief writes to our President, informing him how the
" demoralized " Spaniards are teaching the people to steal.
When they have announced that they will not be held
responsible for property destroyed during the war, is it,
logical to suppose that they will indemnify every poor
' farmer whose oxen have disappeared down their voracious
throats?

104 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
We have seen that the towns were already overcrowded
with unfortunate refugees from the outlying districts.
Public and private charity were active in supplying their
wants, despite the assertions of other writers to the con
trary. Owing to the reign of anarchy, business and trade
were at a stand-still, and no work could be secured for the
sufferers. Charity could not always stand such a drain.
Seeing that their little game of bankrupting Spain did
not have any immediate results, the rebels now initiated
the third and most appalling stage of their terrible cam
paign against the suffering non-combatants.
To accomplish their end, all small towns were entered,
the torch applied, and once more we were forced to wit
ness the pitiful spectacle of thousands left destitute and
homeless in one short hour. There was no possible excuse,
from a military standpoint, by which the rebels could de
fend this policy, except the general desire to destroy and
lay waste the island. These small towns were not even
garrisoned, so they can not justify their actions by claim
ing that they were strongholds of the enemy. The only
advantage to be gained was in taking away a possible en
campment that might be utilized by them. But the Cubans
did not seem to understand that they were as free to use
the villages for the same purposes, providing the Spaniards
did not come and drive them out.
Mr. Bonsai speaks of but eight towns of concentration
in the province of Pinar del Rio, and goes on to explain
that these were selected because they were strategic points.
If he had given the subject a little more study, he might
also have added, and at the same time given it a touch of
impartiality, that these eight towns were the only ones that
could have been selected, for all the others had been de
stroyed by the Cubans. The " New York Herald," of
October 15th, 1896, published an article aud map for
warded by the author from the field. This was some time
before Weyler issued his"bando." A glance at it will

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 105
clearly prove that the misery existing there to-day can not
be justly imputed to Weyler's order; for we find, out of a
total of about sixty towns and villages, only eight have
escaped from any effects of the insurgent torch. About
twenty have been only partially burned, while forty, or
two thirds of all the towns and villages in the province,
have entirely disappeared.
No warning was given the unsuspecting inhabitants to
vacate their homes and carry their valuables or clothing
with them; but, like lightning out of a clear sky, the rebels
would swoop down — generally under cover of darkness —
and burn, loot, and destroy the peaceful little town. The
inhabitants were then sternly ordered to seek shelter in
some fortified center, where their pitiful condition would
cause another drain on the Spanish treasury.
When speaking of the overcrowded condition of the
cities, did any of our starvation " fakirs " refer to this in
cident to explain the situation when they industriously en
deavored to influence our Congress to intervene in the
question on the strength of their distorted assertions? Is
it right and just that I, as an American, should stand by
without uttering a word of protest, while other unscrupu
lous citizens are trying to place our country in a false posi
tion? For I claim the right to be heard in this question,
by having exposed my life a hundred times, to be able to
write the truth, and therefore my statements should have
more weight than others who have remained in Habana
enjoying themselves, and, at their best, have only made a
trip over the regular lines of travel, to return to the United
States later on and pose as authorities on the Cuban ques
tion. What have these men seen? What can they tell
us? Suppose they essay to enlighten us on the subject of
atrocities. I am confident that not one American corre
spondent, outside of Mr. Scovel and myself, can truthfully
state that he has actually seen a dead " pacifico " in
the country, and therefore all the atrocity rot is but a

106 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
cock-and-bull story learned by rote from the "labor-
antes." Suppose they tell us about the starvation in the
country. They have already worked our Congress up to a
high pitch by the exaggerated yarns of thousands of Am
ericans starving to death, and we have all witnessed the
outcome of their lies; for, hunt as they may, our consuls
in Cuba have been unable to expend more than $7,000 in
relieving distressed Americans.
In connection with this great bid for intervention, I will
refer to an editorial that appeared in the " Evening Jour
nal " of August 18th, 1897:
" Gen. Lee's report of the distribution of part of the
money appropriated by Congress to relieve distressed Am
ericans in Cuba substantiates all that the ' Evening Jour
nal ' said at the time the money was voted. By the utmost
diligence, Consul-General Lee has only been able to spend
$10,000 of the amount, and it is reasonable to believe that
he has raked Cuba with a fine-toothed comb."
These correspondents will not inform us, that when all
the small, undefended towns were destroyed by the insur
gents, and while thousands of helpless families were hud
dled in the fortified centers, how the fire-bugs, not satisfied
with the misery already caused, initiated another campaign
against these towns.
They will not inform us how the insurgents give such
places a wide berth during the day-time, and, when the
peaceful, unsuspecting families are soundly sleeping, about
midnight, the rebels will steal between the forts, like our
creeping Indians, and once more strike terror into the
hearts of the people by their unearthly yells and indis
criminate shooting, how they break into the stores to get the
petroleum, how the cans are hastily distributed, and how
the midnight marauders delight in their diabolical work of
burning. These Hispanophobe writers will not tell us that,
for some time past, the authorities have ordered all the oil

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 107
to be stored in one of the forts, and is only served out
when they are positive that the purchaser is absolutely in
need of it.
They will not tell us (probably because none of them
have ever witnessed such a scene) how the insurgents, once
inside the forts of a town, burn, plunder, and destroy, aud
have absolutely no commiseration for the pitiful condition
of the pleading women and children. Neither can they
tell us how these same unfortunate victims, roused from
their sleep by the terrible sound of musketry and by the
stifling smoke from their burning houses, have barely
escaped cremation. Can they tell us how these poor
women have been forced to gather up their children and
fly naked through the blazing streets, many of them
wounded by the cross-fire between the forts and the demons
who run hither and thither armed with fire-brands? Can
they tell us how these poor creatures have vainly appealed,
with heart-rending agony, to the inflexible insurgents to be
allowed to save at least some wearing apparel, and how,
after the town is once ablaze, many of them drop in the
middle of the street, overcome by the heat of the fiery fur
nace? Can they tell us how the insurgents, on burning a
town, instead of trying to capture the forts, devote all
their time to looting aud stealing whatever valuables they
may find, and how this same looting is not confined to the
stores, but the houses of the unfortunate families who are
living on charity are entered, and clothes and every article
of value taken?
No. These starvation " fakirs " can not enlighten our
people on these matters, for the simple reason they know
nothing about them except what is told them by the lying
" laborantes " in Habana.
But the author, who has witnessed several such scenes
while with the insurgent chief Maceo, can testify to their
truth, for he has entered three towns while the insurgents
were at their diabolical work. Unarmed, and at the immi-

108 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
neut risk of being shot from the forts, I have left Maceo
and his staff, and run the gantlet of the forts for the ex
press purpose of ascertaining the truth.
I think if some of our reputable correspondents could
have witnessed, as I have, the midnight attacks on Jaruco,
Batabano, La Palma, San Andres, Consolacion del Sur,
aud other places, they would not have charged the Span
iards as being the only barbarous and cruel people in ex
istence. Mr. Bonsai says: "It is upon the aged mothers and
fathers, the helpless wives and sisters, and the innocent
children of those who are fighting for their liberty, that
Gen. Weyler is waging his most successful warfare."
On whom was the war waged during these night attacks
on towns?
According to the idea prevalent in this country, the an
swer would be, " Against the Spanish forts." But I say —
and my statement is backed up by experience — that once
the rebels enter a town, they give, no attention to the ene
my's forts. If they did, we would probably have heard
of various towns captured outright, for the insurgents can
fight, and would fight, if more discipline was enforced.
While we hear of towns being raided aud burned, we have
never heard of but one that surrendered. Such being the
case, what kept the insurgents there all night if they were
not occupied in looting?
Again, I have heard people decry the valor of the Span
ish soldiers because they did not leave the forts and chase
the marauders out. Under similar circumstances, I think
our own soldiers would act in the same manner; for, owing
to the darkness, it is difficult to estimate the number of
the foes, and as it is well known that the insurgents exe
cute such operations in force, it would indeed be foolish
for the handful of Spanish soldiers to leave the protection
of their forts and run the risk of being cut to pieces by
overwhelming numbers. By remaining inside their works

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 109
they are safe until morning, when the midnight " fire
bugs " depart, and disappear once more in the hills and
forests. There is little danger of being captured, for the
history of the war does not record an instance where a
place has been taken by assault.
We have seen that all the small towns and portions of
the larger ones had been destroyed by the rebels. The per
tinent question again arises of how and where were these
people housed and fed? Did they return to the country,
or did they still remain in the towns? This is another im-
jiortant point, for Mr. Bonsai informs us that over 400,000
people were suffering from the effects of Weyler's order.
I call attention to this statement, for if such was the case,
then the majority of the townspeople must have moved
into the country, where they subsequently died aud were
buried, and again resurrected by the promulgation of
Weyler's decree of reconcentration. As this is quite im
probable, then perhaps they were hibernating in some out-
of-the-way corner of the mountains. As the author has
penetrated into the innermost recesses of these hills and
mountains in company with the insurgents during their
desperate efforts to locate (?) the Spaniards, and has
never seen any trace of these " pacificos," it is only logical
for me to come to the conclusion that Mr. Bonsai has
made the mistake of summing up all the " pacificos " that
had been burned out previously by the insurgents, and has
taken advantage of Weyler's decree, to fasten upon him the
responsibility of all the suffering. Now I wish to state in
all seriousness, and I believe that Mr. Scovel will coincide
with me, that in the province of Pinar del Rio, at the
time Weyler issued his order, there could not have been
more than 2,000 " pacificos " living in the country, who
could have been affected by its enforcement. I have trav
eled for days through this province, and many a weary
league has been covered before arriving at an inhabited
house where a square meal could be procured. The f am-

110 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
ilies residing in the hills could not have exceeded fifty, and
their ranches were miles apart. The larger portion lived
near the towns, where they went regularly to buy supplies.
1 also journeyed through the province of Habana, where
the proportion of the inhabitants still remaining in the
country was larger than in other provinces. Even here
their number was relatively small, and all were in a state
bordering on destitution; for, although they seemed to eke
out a fair living, despite the drains and exactions of the
rebels, they were forced to make trips to the towns for
salt, clothing, coffee, soap, and other indispensable articles,
which invariably found their way into the insurgent maw
later on. The townspeople were already suffering from
the lack of food, and noticeably so in the identical centers
of concentration afterward discovered by Mr. Bonsai.
How was this scarcity of food brought about? This is
another question that should be answered correctly, and
only those who have had experience in the field can under
take it. As is already well known, the insurgents subsist
entirely on the products of the peaceable farmers; and in
many cases the operating columns of Spaniards have to
follow suit, especially so when they are out in the field for
any length of time. Although the Spanish forces always
carry a certain amount of dry provisions, it is not to be
expected that they are going to deny themselves a little
legitimate foraging in the shape of cattle, pigs, or sweet
potatoes — more so, when they are confident that if they
should respect this class of property, the insurgents would
only come after them and would not be so considerate. I
have often heard insurgents, on stealing the last pig of a
poor " pacifico," justify their conduct by telling the
farmer that he was a bad Cuban, and ought to be hung
for trying to preserve the animal for the Spanish soldiers
to take away when they came along. The peasants and
insurgents are notoriously improvident and wasteful.
They have been living off their crops since the commence-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. Ill
ment of the war without making any determined effort to
supply the deficiency. Except in a few places located in
the hills, the rebels have made no attempt to systematize
their commissary department; and even then the civil
officials intrusted with the supervision of this work, en
tirely ignore the wants of the fighting element, for as long
as they have sufficient food for themselves, little thought
is given to the others. In my idea, the " pacificos " are
infinitely better off leading their precarious existence in the
towns than they would be in the country, where they are
the prey of the rebels, who force them to work and plant
vegetables, and when the crop is ripe, instead of the poor
farmer deriving any benefit from his labor, the insurgents,
or " majas," swoop down on him and do not leave until
the last potato is consumed, and then the ignorant dupe is
told to plant some more, as in that manner he can con
tribute to the cause of "Cuba Libre" without fighting.
Nine tenths of all the people living in the western provinces
previous to Weyler's order, were in some way connected
with the insurgent civil government, holding positions as
" prefectos," " sub-prefectos," " inspectores de tal y cual
cosa," or one of the many offices created under their
elaborate system.
All cattle was claimed by the " Republic," and woe be
tide the unfortunate individual caught killing an animal
for his own consumption, although said animal may have
been his personal property. The beeves were slaughtered
by a regular butcher appointed by the "prefecto," and
portions were distributed to only those who recognized the
rebel authority and served it in some capacity.
As a further proof of the insane desire of the rebels to
lay waste the island, I may cite the order Maceo issued
to his subordinates. The following is the translation of
the one sent to Jose M. Aguirre, the chief of the Habana
district. Aguirre personally gave me a copy of it while I
was in his camp:

112 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
[Translation.]
" REPUBLIC OF CUBA. INVADING ARMY.
"Head-quarters of the Second in Command.
" Allow me to impress on you the necessity of employ
ing all means to destroy the railroads in your district, and
to blow up trains and bridges with dynamite.
"It is also convenient to destroy all edifices that may
offer refuge or shelter to the Spanish troops, and at the
same time render useless all corn and tobacco found de
posited in your territory.
" El Roble, June 9th, 1896.
"A. Maceo."
Here is a cold-blooded authorization to blow up trains with
their freight of innocent humanity, and also free license to
burn every house in the country, for the order can be
twisted by an unscrupulous official, and made to justify his
actions when destroying the property of some personal
enemy. The situation when Weyler began his first active cam
paign in Pinar del Rio against Maceo was simply this:
The insurgents under arms numbered about 6,000. They
were well supplied with ammunition, and had sufficient
food in the hills to last them a long time.
Scattered throughout the country were some 2,000
" pacificos," who were insurgents at heart, or they would
not have been there. They made their trips into the
towns, smuggled out provisions and other articles for the
use of the rebels, and also acted as spies. Every move of
the Spaniards was immediately communicated to the rebels.
On the other hand, if the Spanish soldiers requested in
formation as to the whereabouts of the enemy, they invari
ably professed the most profound ignorance, or, what is
still worse, sent them off on a wild-goose chase. The
insurgents would not present a front, nor would they vent
ure from the secure shelter of the hills or swamps.

FACTS and FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 113
Let us drop sentiment and sympathy for awhile, aud try
to see what any other general would have done if placed in
Weyler's position.
His first step to insure the success of his movements
would be to eliminate all possible spies from the country.
As all who remained outside the towns were long since
recognized as such, they were ordered to concentrate in
the fortified centers within a specified time, or be con
sidered as enemies, and dealt with as such. At the expira
tion of the time, many who still remained in the country in
open defiance of the edict, were captured and sent as pris
oners to the towns. Notwithstanding all reports to the
effect that they were butchered, I feel confident in de
nouncing them as vaporings of correspondents who have
repeated the yarns of the Cuban descendants of the cele
brated Baron Munchausen. As a foundation for my asser
tion, I will have to digress a little from the subject on
hand, and relate an incident connected with my last trip to
the camp of Gen. Gomez during the month of March.
The camp was located at the grazing farm of Los Hoyos,
iu the eastern part of the province of Santa Clara. The
word " camp " must not be taken in the sense generally
understood in this country. Resting-place would be more
appropriate. While I was present in the province, the re-
concentration decree was put in force, and I had ample
opportunity of studying the situation at close quarters.
The majority of the inhabitants, on being informed of the
order, quietly obeyed, and those who disregarded it were
rather roughly hustled into the towns on the passing of
a Spanish column. Notwithstanding their exertions, it
was almost an impossibility to round-up all these coun
try men. Quite a few families took refuge in the depths
of the thickest forests, building for themselves a rude hut
of palm branches, and leading a life exposed to many
hardships and privations. For three months I made con
stant trips through that section of the country between

114 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Trinidad and the Trocha of Jucaro-Moron, and came to
be personally acquainted with the majority of the families
living on the route. When the decree went into operation,
I was near Trinidad, and on my return to Gomez's camp, I
found all the houses of my former friends deserted. The
local rebel " prefectos " led me into the woods, and there
I found various families. On questioning them, they
stated that they preferred to remain in the field, to be
nearer some relative who was with the insurgents. I
closely cross-examined them as to the conduct of the Span
ish troops while enforcing the order of reconcentration.
In all that district, I could not find one single case where
the insurgents charged the Spaniards with 'cruelty or with
killing the " pacificos." I heard of where they had sur
prised an encampment up in the Trinidad hills, and capt
ured eleven sick insurgents, who, according to my inform
ants, were subsequently killed. I also shortly afterward
viewed the body of a dead rebel found in the highway near
Arriero, which was shockingly mutilated. This episode
was the basis for my charge of barbarity against the Span
iards. During my next trip, I continued my investigations on
this line; but, despite all my efforts, I could not hear of an
authentic case where they had killed the peaceable people.
When I again returned to Gomez's camp, I had occasion lo
converse with two of the leading officers of his staff, and
the topic turned on the reported slaughter of " pacificos "
in Pinar del Rio. Among other things that I said was:
"Gen. Weyler must be given credit for not killing the
' pacificos ' in the district of Sancti Spiritus. No matter
what his reputation may have been in other places, I am
certain that in this section, the atrocities attributed to him
have not occurred, for I have traveled through every corner
of it, and have not heard of a case." My insurgent friends
(Col. Fermin Valdez Dominguez and Dr. Abreu) probably
repeated my words to Gomez, for during a heated tirade

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL VALERIANO WEYLER. Page 115.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 115
against Americans in general, and myself in particular, he
suprised me by asking: "What do you mean by saving
that Weyler has not caused any ' pacificos ' to be murdered
in this district? What do you mean by trying to paint
that monster as an angel, when you know it to be differ
ent? I will have you to understand that the district
around Sancti Spiritus is reeking with the blood of his
victims. Young man, you have got considerable nerve to
come into my camp and attempt to contradict the reports
of my subordinates, who have written to me about these
atrocities." I told Gen. Gomez I didn't care a rap for the reports of
his subordinates, and if they stated so, they had willfully
lied, either to him or to me; for my assertion was based on
a thorough study of the question, and the very officers who
had made these reports to him had previously stated to
me that they were ignorant of any such outrages. I have
called attention to this, as I believe that if this condition
of affairs existed in Sancti Spiritus, it is only logical to
presume that it was the same in other parts; for if the
Spanish soldiers committed themselves to these bloody ex
cesses in Pinar del Rio, it is only natural that they would
continue to do so in Santa Clara, more especially as the
same columns carried out both campaigns.
It may not be out of place -to again dispel another erron
eous idea, gathered from the work of Mr. Stephen Bonsai.
The celebrated decree that has caused all the trouble is
here reproduced from this author's book, with some other
conclusions of his own that follow it.
" I, Don Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, Marquis of Tene-
rife, Governor-General, Captain-General of this island, and
Commander-in-chief of the Army, etc., etc., hereby order
and command:
" 1. That all the inhabitants of the country districts, or
those who reside outside the lines of fortifications of the

116 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
towns, shall, within a delay of eight days, enter the towns
which are occupied by the troops. Any individual found
outside the lines in the country at the expiration of this
period, shall be considered a rebel, and shall be dealt with
as such.
" 2. The transport of food from the towns, and the
carrying of food from one place to another, by sea or by
laud, without the permission of the military authorities of
the place of departure, is positively forbidden. Those who
infringe upon this order will be tried and punished as aiders
and abettors of the rebellion.
" 3. The owners of cattle must drive their herds to the
towns, or to the immediate vicinity of the towns, for which
purpose proper escort will be given them.
' ' 4. When the period of eight days — which shall be
reckoned in each district from the day of the publication
of this proclamation in the country town of the district —
shall have expired, all insurgents who may present them
selves will be placed under my orders, for the purpose of
designating a place in which they must reside. The fur
nishing of news concerning the enemy which can be availed
of with advantage, will serve as a recommendation to
them; also, when the presentation is made with fire-arms
in their possession, and when — and more especially when —
the insurgents present themselves in numbers.
" Habana, October 2], 1896. " Valeriano Weyler."
" With the exception of the foregoing document, which
I was able to copy from the archives of the general stall in
Habana, these ' bandos ' have not been publicly published
and promulgated as is required by law. It is only charitable
to suppose that even Weyler and the palace authorities
have some sense of shame, and had no desire to attach
their names to a document which was, as they knew it
would be, the death-sentence of thousands and thousands
of innocent people, particularly of women and children.
" In Havana, Matanzas, and in Santa Clara, the ' bando '

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 117
was sent to the governors of the various military districts,
its contents made known to the leaders of guerrillas and
columns in the fields, who were intrusted with the task of
informing the country people that they must leave their
homesteads and all their belongings, and remove to the ap
pointed stations of concentration. They were not allowed
to bring with them any property but what they could carry
on their backs, and before starting for the stations — where
they were destined to die from starvation and epidemic
disease — they saw their homes go up in flames, their crops
burned down, and their cattle and oxen confiscated. In
some places the peasants very naturally resisted such an
inhuman order, especially as it was not delivered in due
legal form, and in many instances they were shot down.
" Inhuman as has been the treatment of these non-com
batants at the hand of the local guerrillas — who are, as is
well known, composed exclusively of convicts and jail-birds
from the Spanish penal settlements, liberated for the pur
pose of doing the butcher's work in the war — together with
the local scamps, who were enlisted for their local knowl
edge of the country and the people, there are instances
where the fear of them has caused even greater atrocities
than their acts."
In making the above assertions, Mr. Bonsai seems to
have entirely ignored or willfully neglected to take into
consideration the following facts. He says that the order
was not publicly published. How, then, does he explain
that the day following its creation the full text was pub
lished in the leading papers of this country? As he did ¦
not arrive in Cuba until three months after its promulga
tion, he may be excused for not seeing its publication in
the different papers of the island. Now, in speaking
about its enforcement in the province of Santa Clara, I
wish to state that he is quite in error. The papers there
all reproduced the " bando;" and as for the assertion, that
the " pacificos " were in ignorance of it until they were
savagely notified by the " unspeakable guerrillero," it is
simply ridiculous, and denotes a great lack of knowledge
as to how news travels in the interior of Cuba. The day

118 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
following the first notice of its enforcement in Santa Clara,
every " pacifico " in the country knew of the details, and
they were already scheming out the most feasible way to
circumvent the order. Many did not wait to be officially
notified, but packed up and made tracks for the nearest
town. Those who are thoroughly acquainted with insur
gent tactics are well aware that one of their favorite
schemes on the issue of some order by the Spaniards is to
offset it with another — one whose text is in direct opposi
tion. So it happened in this particular case, for Gomez
issued stringent orders, that any " pacifico " caught Hear
ing the towns on any pretext should be made prisoner, and
although I can not say that I ever heard of the full penally
being imposed, yet it was thoroughly understood that the
punishment was death. No one but those authorized by
the highest insurgent chiefs were privileged to make these
trips. To enforce the order, pickets and guards were sta
tioned at convenient points overlooking the various ap
proaches to the towns. These squads even attempted to
prevent me from holding communication with my courier,
and would have done so if I had not shown them a letter 1
had received from Gen. Gomez, which he kindly con
descended to sign for publication in the "New York Her
ald." This letter, and another one signed by Cisneros,
acted as an open sesame. When these guards made such
a fuss over a person known to be a correspondent, what
would they not do to a poor " pacifico " who had no re
dress? So we see that Mr. Bonsai is again mistaken in his
conclusions, for even if they cared to see the publication of
the decree, they were prevented from so doing by the rebel
guards. Those who did manage to enter the towns in
obedience to Weyler's orders did so before Gomez had tho
trails covered with his pickets. How were those who re
mained in the country to be notified?
The few newspapers that found their way to the country
were immediately gobbled up by the insurgent chiefs, and

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 119
those that contained anything that might prove in any way
prejudicial to the cause, were suppressed, especially iu any
case relating to the concentration of the " pacificos," or to
the surrender of the rebels.
So we see, that even if Weyler did instruct the " guer
rilleros" and column commanders to notify the inhabit
ants, he was taking the only sure method within his power.
Now, Mr. Bonsai again leads us to believe that these peo
ple were the possessors of considerable household furniture,
but had to limit their load to what they could carry on
their backs. If he had ever visited these " bohios," he
would have seen that the people had barely any furniture
to speak of, and then it was of the rudest home-make, and
was hardly worth the trouble to cart to town. As a rule,
the furnishing of these huts consisted of one cot for the man
and wife, worth three dollars, and two or three chairs, worth
about seventy-five cents apiece. In many, a few boards
were arranged on " horses," and served as a table; in
others, this luxury was dispensed with, and the meals were
served on the floor. Where the family was very large, the
best part of them slept in hammocks made from sugar-
sacks. Knives, forks, spoons, plates, and cooking utensils
were at a premium, owing to the repeated pilfering of the
insurgents. To such an extent has this stealing and loot
ing been going on, that at the present time there remain
but few cooking-pots and kettles in the country, and the
majority of both rebels and " pacificos " have been forced
to cook their food by roasting it over the coals. Of clothes
these people had barely enough to cover their nakedness,
for, if by any chance a farmer was known to have more
than one change of clothes, some half-nude rebel would de
mand it.
Blankets and bed-clothing had already been transferred
to a secure place on the pommels of the insurgent saddles.
When Mr. Bonsai says, they only brought with them what
they could carry on their backs, he speaks the truth; and

120 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
if my experience counts for anything, I can help out his
assertion, by stating that I have often witnessed these same
people with all their earthly possessions tied on their backs
and moving to a new place in the woods.
That their houses have been burned, is also true; but this
is another thing that does not disturb the average Cuban,
for, armed with a machete, they can build another one just
as good in two days. " Their crops were burned down, and
their cattle and oxen confiscated." This statement appears
rather startling, after what has already been said on the ac
knowledged policy of the rebels. It is safe to state, that
when this order was enforced, precious few crops remained
standing, and as for the confiscation of the cattle, the in
surgents had already declared that all cattle should be con
sidered as the property of the " Republic." If this is not
confiscation, what is it? If, according to the insurgent
creed, these cattle were theirs, can we censure the Span
iards for capturing the property of their enemies, especi
ally when the cattle are to be employed to feed their right
ful owners and keep them from starving?
I think I have conclusively shown that Mr. Bonsai is
mistaken in his interpretation of the decree and of the
manner of its enforcement. I might continue to prove
where he is wrong in other places, but the above is suffi
cient to dispe.1 many of the absurd charges against the
Spaniards, and to fasten on the other side their just share
of popular censure for the many crimes they have been
guilty of.
I have said that any general would take the precaution
to clean the country of spies. If in doing so, he has to in
jure some very obnoxious enemy, can he be blamed for so
doing? Remember that Weyler only ordered this to protect
himself, and it can not be considered as a direct retalia
tion, for we have seen that the rebels had been enforcing
their concentration orders for over a year.
The country once rid of these dangerous characters,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 121
what would be the next move? The enemy refuses to
fight, so all hope must be abaudoned of terminating the war
by force of arms. What remains for a general to do in
such a case? Our Cuban friends would like to have us be
lieve that Weyler should then give up the struggle, and
grant them independence. But this is not war. War is a
profession, and a general that would give in so quietly, and
consent to be beaten without even suffering a defeat, would
not be worthy to wear the stars. They will not fight; the
only road left open is to starve them out. This is the only
vital point of any enemy of this kind. How is this to be
done? The insurgents have already driven off the bulk of
the cattle to secure hiding-places in the hills and forests.
They have made midnight excursions to the corrals, lo
cated near the towns where the cattle destined to feed the
unfortunate non-combatants were inclosed. What has
been their conduct in such cases? Whenever possible,
they have driven them off to their fastnesses in the mount
ains, and again they have killed the animals then and
there, allowing the meat to become putrid before it can be
used to feed the unfortunates. There was still a large
number of cattle roaming around the country, set free by
the rebels to insure themselves against starvation.
Now comes the Spanish soldiers, and when they are
unable to lasso one of these animals they shoot him, and
the carcass lies there and rots. Many cattle have disap
peared in the face of such a campaign.
The rebels will never sacrifice one of their beeves if they
can capture one from the enemy's corral. They do not
seem to think, when they are doing this, that they are
hastening the hour when their neglected families in the
towns shall be without food.
But that is the situation in a nutshell: — by their own
wanton destruction of crops, and by persistently making
raids on the corrals, they have placed their peaceable coun
trymen in a precarious condition. The Spanish soldiers

132 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
can not bring in any more cattle, for there are but few
left, and so the miserable and unfortunate townspeople are
suffering, and there is no doubt that many have died from
hunger. Yet, in the face of these historic facts, we find
writers — like Mr. Bonsai and others — who deliberately and
willfully present the situation from a false point of view,
and attempt to influence our Congressmen to compromise
themselves, by acting on unreliable and prejudiced informa
tion. It may not be policy for me to take a view diametric
ally opposite to the prevailing drift of popular sentiment
or sympathy, and appear to side entirely with Spain in this
matter; but when I am morally certain that I speak the
truth, gained from personal experience (and that is more
than any of the "fakirs" can say), aud when I see how
my country is being imposed upon by a gang of utterly
irresponsible people, I feel it is my duty, as an American,
to state my experiences for the public good, and I do not
care for public sentiment in the matter either, for I know
that this sentiment is but the creation of misstatements
published by our sensational press.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 123

CHAPTER VI.
HOW an editor and author was imposed upon by
THE " LABORANTES " IN HABANA. — CORRECTING
CERTAIN MISLEADING IDEAS IN " THE STORY OE
CUBA."
Mr. Halstead's high reputation. — Some striking truths. — The
legends of the machete. — The leal sphere of the machete in
this war. — Terrible charges are myths. — Correspondents who
have seen fighting. — The only " charges " of the war. — The
Amazon myth.— None with the Cuban army. — The few women
with Maceo. — A real live Amazon. — Spaniards guilty of foster
ing myths. — The destruction of towns according to Mr. Hal
slead. — List of towns burned.— Spaniards not guilty. — Experi
ence with the " laborantes " in Habana. — " Pake " letters of
Mr. Mannix. — Mr. E wing. — The champion liar (Walter S.
Whitcomb). — Other errors.
Foremost amongst the different works that have been
published purporting to explain the conditions underlying
the present situation in Cuba, is the rather misleading
compilation of Mr. Murat Halstead.
In " The Story of Cuba," Mr. Halstead frankly tells us
what I have tried to enforce in this work — that the atmos
phere in Cuba is so charged with lies and incredible inven
tions of the imaginative Cuban and Spanish brain, that it is
indeed almost impossible for a fair-minded person to escape
from their influences.
To one who has studied the question in the field, and is
thoroughly conversant with the situation from an experi
ence of this kind, it is clear, that while Mr. Halstead has
been keen enough to see the impossibility of the various
feats attributed to both Spaniards and Cubans by their
partisans in Habana, yet he has not entirely escaped from

124 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
being imposed upon by unscrupulous " laborantes," and
of giving space in his otherwise meritorious work to various
yarns that only a person who has been on the field for a
long time can contradict.
Mr. Halstead has long enjoyed a- high reputation for his
excellent work as a writer and editor, and his established
character for impartiality is high above the accusation of
having treated the subject from a prejudiced point of view.
The following rectifications are therefore not intended to
cast any reflections on his personal views, but to prove how
even our best writers have been influenced and imposed
upon by the lying agents of a cause, whose sole aim is to
further their own interests by inveigling our Congress into
a false position by recognizing their belligerency.
I feel that I am justified in approaching the subject
from this standpoint, so that the author and the many
readers who have perused his book with interest can ap
preciate some of the difficulties a newspaper correspond
ent has to contend with in his struggle to ascertain the
truth in the island of Cuba.
I am also further justified in doing so, by the fact.that
our Congressmen and Senators, relying on the established
reputation of the author, have been influenced to a certaiii
extent by the contents of his book, and as we have already
witnessed the deplorable spectacle of our legislators rising
to make a speech or submit a resolution based on utterly
unreliable sources, I feel that the true facts concerning the
cases in point should be made clear.
The most striking truths pertaining to the present
trouble are found in the seventh chapter. Mr. Halstead
wisely says:
" There is something touching and pathetic in the credu
lity of the Cubans regarding the matters most vital to
them. I say Cubans without qualification, for they are
all — with such rare exceptions that we do not need to
quote them — against the continuation of the rule of Spain.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 125
Their distinctions are in degrees of desperation. The
present generation, at least, has grown up in an atmos
phere of rebellion, and politics means conspiracy. They
have not lived generously on the news of the day, as the
Americans and Englishmen and Frenchmen do, also the
Germans, Austrians, and Italians in a lesser degree, and
their faculty of discrimination is not trained. The space
that should be occupied exclusively by fact is largely re
served for fancies.
" I was present when some shocking news was told by
an eye-witness, who had been personally engaged in a
bloody affair, and there were those at hand filled with ex
citement, asking leading questions, when a cool gentleman,
an American, with perfect command of the Spanish lan
guage, interposed, saying: *¦ Let us get this story as it is;
do not try to get him to tell it any worse than it is; it is
bad enough.' Nothing can be stated too wild to find be
lievers, and exaggerations are heaped upon each other
until the truth is lost even in outline. A romance that
the Spanish minister had used money to get up a riot in
Washington found ready believers; so will the wild fancy
that Senator Sherman was once in the slave trade. There
were full particulars one day of a furious engagement near
Havana. There had been a heavy government train, so
the tale was told, on the wav through the disputed country,
attacked and captured by Maceo, when a Spanish column
came along and the insurgents retired with cartridges and
other spoil, but left thirty wounded in the hospital, all of
whom were murdered. All the details any one could de
sire were furnished. There was no train, no fight, no
murder — nothing at all. ' Perfectly trustworthy ' corre
spondence by secret lines of communication arrives stating
highly important matters altogether imaginary. There is
so much confidential information, ' highly unimportant if
true,' that the human understanding is bewildered, and a
great deal of it finds its way into print.
" The Cuban stories are rather more fantastic than the
Spanish official reports. This is the result of military re
pression, with its smoldering hates and rivalries and jeal
ousies, and the elaborate hypocrisies, the sinister finesse of
malignant politeness — a part of the penalty of tyranny.
"It is the Cuban custom when stating the grievances
that caused the war, to neglect the more substantial

126 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
grounds of dissatisfaction with the Spanish form of govern
ment, and tell of personal affronts and outrages, and both
sides are free in charging against antagonists the supreme
crime of barbarous and fiendish treatment of women.
Gen. Weyler has, above all, been assailed with accusations
of brutalities that are incredible. It would be indelicate
to hint the class of crimes that one is assured have more
than anything else distinguished his career, aud the Cubans
are surprised if you dare to doubt the authenticity of their
animosity. They go on to implicate entire Spanish regi
ments in criminalities so hideous that to the sober under
standing they seem preposterous, and yet are insisted upon
to the last detail of infamy. Consideration for human
nature invites incredulity.
" The Spaniards are equally facile in their accusing con
versation, and with the list of offenses the Cubans charge
upon them they return upon the Cubans, and the first
thing in the indictment on their side, too, is that women
have been abused."
The author of this book, in another part, has fully ex
plained that the majority of these stories are purely imagi
nary, and the result of his investigations convince him that
the Cubans are as much to be condemned in this matter
as their enemies. While there are but few authentic cases
that can be charged to the Spaniards, the evidence against
the other side is strikingly brought to light in the condition
of many females who are found in the hills and escorted to
town by the Spanish columns.
" Gen. Weyler invited questions and answered freely
touching the tales told of himself. I do not refer now so
much to the general tempest of detraction, but to the
special wonders of cruelty; and he was fiercely earnest in
denouncing all representations of his enemies as false,
and said it was strange indeed that he should be attacked
by the American newspapers for what he did not do, and
at the same time those papers had only sympathy for the
rebels who committed all they imputed to others. They
were themselves the fire-bugs, the murderers, the destroy
ers, the ravishers, and the pretense of patriotism covered
it all, He was charged with having dozens of prisoners

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 127
shot every morning — the rifle-firing heard just at day
break — a crash of rifles — a morning ceremony — the bodies
of the dead had been seen — the disposition of the bodies
had been made known. ' All this was imposture, and false
entirely,' said Weyler. ' Why,' said he, ' Campos killed
three, and I have killel none — not one. And I shall kill
no one, unless it may be some guilty leader who has been
proven to deserve death. '
" I could not doubt the truth of what the captain-gen
eral told me about the killing of prisoners; for those who
said there were dozens shot daily named no one, and could
not tell what prisoners, if any, were missing. There could
be no reason for shooting obscure men in secret, save mere
killing, and it has not come to that. The prisoner-shooting
stories located at the fort were not so, and yet they turned
up every day, always about the same.
" The foundation for the persistent rumor seemed to be
that loaded rifles were discharged in the morning. Gen.
Weyler said that not only had he not ordered any execu
tions, when no one else had a right to do it, but he would
deal severely with officers who killed prisoners without his
express order. There have, however, since been execu
tions by shooting at the fort, not consistent with Weyler's
statement. But one who meant to have men shot as a
daily lesson would be unlikely to assume the personal re
sponsibility for the executions, and proclaim it to the news
papers of the United States and all civilized lands. The
monster Weyler is said to be, would boast of his bloody
work — make a merit of assassination, never deny a crime,
but with the fallen fiend declare, ' Evil, be thou my
good.' "
It will be seen from the foregoing that I am not the
only one who has attempted to place in evidence this phase
of the question. If a person of the high qualities of Mr-
Halstead, who does not have to stoop to inventions for the
purpose of calling attention to himself and adding to his
reputation, is made the dupe of these " laborantes," can it
be expected that the young and inexperienced foreign
correspondent will escape the same influences?
In the same chapter, Mr. Halstead takes up the subject
of the celebrated Cuban aim — the machete, Here is one

128 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
instance which clearly proves that the " laborantes " have
succeeded in impressing upon him the oft-repeated legends
of deadly machete charges and hand-to-hand conflicts.
The result of their work is seen in the following:
"The 'machete' is the sword of the Cuban soldiers,
and will be famous forever. The Cubans handle the ' ma
chete ' so constantly that they do it gracefully and deftly,
cutting open green cocoanuts with a single blow, and with
out spilling a drop of the milk or touching their fingers;
and, it is said, in battle the Spanish rifle-barrels are some
times clipped off, while it is a common incident for a sol
dier to lose an arm at a blow. The most dreaded cut, the
one when the blade rises — the same motion as in trimming
thorn bushes — is the more terrible blow, because it is queer
and seems uncanny, and to be a diabolically cunning and
tricky style of fighting.
" There is a peculiar wild, shrill cry the Cubans give
that announces a machete charge — a * rebel yell,' sure
enough, fierce and prolonged — and it means going in at
the high speed of horses for war to the knife, and there is
no doubt and no wonder that the Spaniards are alarmed
always by that battle-cry.
" There has been more hand-to-hand fighting in Cuba
than in any war of modern times."

" The stroke of business that it is the joy of the Cubans
to perform is to harass and develop the Spaniards with a
skirmish fire, picking off the officers by sharp-shooting,
and if a favorable opportunity offers, to ride in, sword in
hand — and the sword is the dreadful machete. On a horse,
with this tremendous knife uplifted, the Cuban rebel is at
his best, and there never was cavalry more formidable.
" It is this horseba'ck and machete method of fighting
that the mulatto brothers — the Maceos — prefer, and that
has made them terrors as well as heroes.
" The nature of the warfare between many columns of
Spaniards and squadrons of insurgents, cavalry and com
panies of footmen, is such that there are numerous incidents
of ambuscade and skirmishes that are games of hide-and-
seek, and of deadly encounters hand-to-hand, and also of
long-range firing, when the Spaniards have the advantage,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 129
through abundant cartridges, of making the most smoke
and having the greatest obscurity in which to prepare pict
uresque reports. The insurgents have become experts in
barricades and devices of rough fortifications for their pro
tection, which may be forgiven them as fighting men, for
there never was a war not utterly savage in which the
wounded were so ill-cared for."
The insurgent soldier — whether he is a fighting man, or
belongs to the civil government, or to the impedimenta —
as a rule always carries his machete. Every farmer and
laborer living in the country is also armed with this weap
on. In fact, it may be said that every Cuban is in pos
session of a machete.
The last time I saw Gomez and Maceo together (their
last meeting), on the San Gervasio estate, near Galeon, in
the province of Matanzas, their combined forces numbered
about 10,000 men, representing the local commands of Las
Villas, Matanzas, and Habana. Of this number probably
4,000 were armed with rifles, the rest with machetes aud
revolvers. These 6,000 men in any other army would
have been prized as a valuable cavalry adjunct, and would
have been profitably employed to throw against the enemy's
squares and other important maneuvers where cavalry is
indispensable. If these legends of celebrated machete charges had any
foundation, is it not probable that Maceo, the prince of the
machete, would have felt proud to be in command of such
a splendid force?
But I noticed that before he started on his westward
march through the swamp, he ordered aside about 1,000
of these useless " impedimenta," forming a command
pompously called the " Sanguilly Regiment of Sappers aud
Miners." Lieut. -Col. Ferier was placed in command, and
ordered to use the swamp as a base of operations to destroy
the neighboring railroads. On Maceo's arrival in Pinar
del Rio, all the rest of this useless force was ordered to be

130 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
dismounted aud to continue the campaign on foot, as he
was disgusted with the laziness of the undisciplined mob,
who rode their fagged-out horses until the poor beasts
dropped from sheer exhaustion.
In all the various fights I have witnessed while with
Maceo and Gomez, I have never had the fortune to see a
hand-to-hand fight, for the simple reason that none had
taken place.
Notwithstanding that the insurgent forces were invari
ably composed of more than one half cavalry armed with
the machete, it is a notorious fact, that at the first sound
of firing, these "valiant chargers" are inspired with the
all-pervading desire to explore the country in the direction
opposite to where the enemy is known to be advancing,
and the paths, trails, and roads are soon filled with in
numerable small " exploring parties," who never cease to
urge ahead their drooping steeds until the rumble of the
rifle discharges die away in the distance. This habit of
clearing out when the enemy is known to be near grew to
such proportions, that the mere rumor of their approach
was sufficient to throw them into paroxysms of fear, caus
ing them to pack up hastily and make for that end of the
camp furthest from the expected attack.
While Maceo and his men were encamped at Las Lajas,
situated on the slope of the hills behind Consolacion del
Sur, this circumstance occurred so often, that Maceo was
compelled, on two occasions, to mount his fleetest horse,
and ride for about a league to beat back the terror-
stricken crowd with the flat of his sword.
Some cowardly idiot, who had been out foraging, had
spread the news that the " gringos " were coming, and the
others had acted on the wise principle, that " he who (hears)
aud runs away, lives to — do the same another day."
If the great number of men armed with good machetes,
and relegated to the impedimenta, where they were looked
down upon, cursed at, and compelled to stand all sorts. o£

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 131
indignities, could have been led by some enterprising
officer of dash into a few light charges, to break them in,
the Cuban army might have been proud of this otherwise
useless body. But the prevalent idea to prolong the war
without fighting, and to save their precious skins to better
enjoy later on the " liberties " of the " Republic," has
had its effect in the disgraceful conduct so often witnessed
on the so-called fields of battle.
While I have been speaking of the impedimenta in gen
eral, it must not be thought that the regular fighting men
are spared in this criticism; for although I have seen many
excellent examples of long and short-range fighting where
the soldier was in comparative safety, I have never seen
and have heard of but few authentic cases of hand-to-hand
fighting; and when Mr. Halstead makes the remark that no
war has seen so much of this class of combats, it is only
further evidence that he has been made the dupe of inter
ested parties in Habana. I do not pretend to say that
none whatever has occurred, for then I would be as guilty
as those who claim so much of it; but, taken on the whole,
I think I may be pardoned in correcting Mr. Halstead's
assertion, by saying, that no war of modern times has seen
so little of hand-to-hand fighting than the present farce in
Cuba. When I state that I never witnessed a charge, I
wish to except the unsupported dash of Maceo and his
escort at the fight of Galope, where the bulk of his army
were cowardly running away, while Maceo was holding in
check eight times his own number.
Mr. Sylvester Scovel, who accompanied Gomez and
Maceo for some time, has had the same experience; for
although he has witnessed two or three unsuccessful starts,
they were never carried to the extremity of engaging the
enemy at sword's length.
Mr. Grover Flint, of the " New York Journal," graph
ically described the fight at Saratoga between the Spanish
column of Gen. Jimenez Castellanos and the insurgents

132 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
under Gomez. As I have heard several other accounts of
the same affair, I do not hesitate to say that Mr. Flint was
fortunate enough to witness one of the really meritorious
fights of the war, and although his story is considered by
many as slightly exaggerated, owing to the fact that he had
accepted a commission in the Cuban army, it must stand
as the best account of a " battle " in Cuba, as depicted by
an eye-witness, and as such should command attention.
There are just two more American correspondents that
have seen any fighting in Cuba. Mr. T. Robinson Dawley,
Jr., the correspondent of " Harper's Weekly," spent a
few weeks in the province of Santa Clara during the early
part of this year, and witnessed two or three unimportant
skirmishes, and Mr. Karl Decker, of the " New York
Journal," who succeeded in reaching the camp of Gomez
about the middle of March, and remained there two or
three days. Whether he saw any fighting or not he has
failed to state in his letters.
Mr. Grover Flint, of the " Journal," Mr. Sylvester Scovel,
of the " World," and the author of this book, are the only
ones who have actually witnessed the hard campaigning in
Cuba while the insurrection was at its height last year,
and, as far as I am informed of their experiences, they
have never seen any of these famous charges so persist
ently recorded by the pro-Cuban press of our country.
I may state this advisedly, for between the three of us
wo have witnessed all the celebrated fights of the war.
The "machete" charge that occurred at Mal Ti-
empo during the invasion, was the only real action of
the kind that can be truthfully claimed by the rebels as a
victory. In any other war this would be classed as a skir
mish, but the Cubans and Spaniards like to speak of it as
a great battle. It is strange that the insurgents, after
making such a dash, have not repeated the performance.
But an explanation is necessary. The battalion of Ca-
narias was composed of raw recruits, who were given their

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 133
Mauser rifles on disembarking at Cienfuegos, and, without
any drilling, were hurried off to the field to check the
march of the rebels.
When Gomez and Maceo charged upon them they did
not have sufficient training to form a square properly, and
this, added to the fact that the " new-fangled " mechanism
of their Mauser rifles bothered them, gave the rebels their
only opportunity of the war to carry out their charge suc
cessfully. Gomez and Maceo were highly elated at the outcome of
this fight; the army was enthusiastic on their victory, and
eagerly anticipated their next meeting with the enemy.
This occured at El Colmenar, and Gomez rashly essayed to
repeat the charge of Mal Tiempo. But instead of a
column of raw recruits, he found he had to deal with the
hardened veterans of the enthusiastic young general, Garcia
Navarro, who received the rush with composure. Gomez
attributed his failure to a ditch that crossed the field near
the enemy, and had escaped his notice; but other trust
worthy Cubans frankly admit that the Spanish line was
perfectly formed, and characterized the order of Gomez as
a (" locura ") crazy idea.
The only other instance that I am positive of where the
insurgents have inflicted any real damage with the ma
chete, occurred near the city of Santa Clara during the
month of February, 1897.
This was not a charge, but an ambuscade, and not di
rected against troops of the line, but against inexperienced
volunteers. Maj. Carlos Mendiete, of the Cuban brigade of Santa
Clara, and his troop of ninety men were in ambush await
ing the enemy.
On passing, the hidden Cubans sprung up and succeeded
in killing sixty-four with the machete. Owing to the
number of men slain, this affair ranks next to Mal Tiempo,
where the Spaniards lost nearly 200, It will be seen from

134 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
these two instances that the celebrated machete charges, at
their best, are extremely unimportant from a military
point of view.
There is also an old tradition handed down from the last
war, that an insurgent, with one blow of his machete, cut
through the rifle-barrel of a Spanish soldier. The legend
also states that said rifle is guarded amongst the relics in a
military museum in Spain.
Nearly every one who has been in Cuba has had this
story dinned into his ears, and generally accepts the state
ment with a grain of salt. I am quite confident that the
present " trouble " does not record a similar instance, for
the simple reason that the steel barrels of the Mauser and
Remington rifles are just a trifle too heavy to allow of
being cut off like slices of Bologna sausage.
There is a number of very thin-barreled sporting rifles
which have found their way into Cuba in various expedi
tions, that might possibly be cut part way through by some
muscular rebel, but it is very doubtful. There is little
doubt, however, of the terrible havoc caused by these heavy
blades when either side comes near enough to permit their
use. In speaking of Maceo's fondness for the machete, it is a
significant fact that the brave mulatto never carried one
during this war, but took special pride in a fine old Toledo
saber blade, with the old-fashioned Cuban finger-grips for
a hilt. A machete greatly prized by the Cubans is the
Paraguey model, from the factory of Collins & Co., at
Hartford, Conn., and without doubt it is the best blade
used in Cuba. The majority of the machetes in possession
of the insurgents are of such poor quality, that a good blow
is sufficient to snap them off at the handle.
In another part of his book, Mr. Halstead again demon
strates that he has been led to giving credence to the popu
lar myth concerning the existence of Amazons in the ranks
of Cuba's army.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 135
"WOMEN IN THE CUBAN FORCES.
" There has been so much that is imaginary in regard to
the Cuban war made to serve as true to fact, that some of
the really queer things occurring are not respectfully re
ceived. At first no one believed, who had not seen them,
that there were women in the Cuban army; but there is no
doubt about it. They are not at all miscalled Amazons,
for they are war-like women, and do not shun fighting, the
difficulty in employing them being that they are insanely
brave. When they ride into battle, they become exalted,
and are dangerous creatures. Those who first joined the
forces in the field were the wives of men belonging in the
army, aud their purpose was rather to be protected than
to become heroines and avengers.
" It shows the state of the island, that the women find
the army the safest place for them. With the men saved
from the plantations, and the murderous bandits infesting
the roads and committing every lamentable outrage upon
the helpless, some of the high-spirited Cuban women fol
lowed their husbands, and the example has been followed,
and some, instead of consenting to be protected, have
taken up the fashion of fighting."
Further on, Mr. Halstead reproduced a letter written by
Mr. Grover Flint to the " New York Journal," which
shows that even this daring correspondent has also fell a
victim to the yarns circulated in the bush. As I happen
to be fully informed on this subject, I take the liberty of
correcting these misstatements.
When I joined the Cuban army under Gomez, I did not
see a female with his forces. To all my questions on the
subject of Amazons, the Cuban officers would simply an
swer, with a smile, that too plainly gave me to understand
that I had been made a dupe of the Habana " patriots."
On my arrival at Maceo's camp, near San Antonio de las
Vegas, I beheld a very handsome-looking woman dressed in
a short riding-habit, and as my eye caught a glimpse of a
fine horse bearing a richly decorated lady's side-saddle, I
came to the conclusion that at last I was to see the far-
famed Amazons. My hopes were further strengthened

.136 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
when the beautiful horsewoman turned and exposed a fair-
sized revolver strapped to her waist. Surely this must be
the chief of the savage regiment that had acquired such re
nown through the efforts of our " war correspondents;"
but her regiment must be encamped in some other direc
tion, for I had failed to see it as I came through the camp
to Maceo's head-quarters. After holding a short interview
with the mulatto chief, I requested him to introduce me to
his fair follower. This he accordingly did, aud at the
same time he surprised me by also introducing her hus
band, Dr. Hernandez. My " dreams " of witnessing these
terrible chargers led by the beautiful " Amazonas Cu-
banas " were soon dispelled, for I learned that the lady
had insisted on joining the rebels only when she found that
her husband was determined to accept a post on Maceo's
staff as assistant surgeon. They had joined his force in
Pinar del Rio, and far from taking part in any of the
fighting, always found a safe place in the rear, where she
assisted her husband to bandage the wounded. Maceo was
opposed to allowing women to accompany their husbands
or lovers on the march; but in this particular instance he
was considerate enough to overlook the fault, as the parties
were refined, and did not annoy or attempt to force them
selves forward. As a rule, they dined at his table, and he
never permitted any talk that might be offensive to his fair
guest. He finally left the couple in charge of a hospital
located in the swamp near Galeon. It is clear that the
informants of Mr. Flint have confused the two Mrs. Her
nandez reputed to be with the insurgents.
The escort of Antonio Maceo really contained that
greatest of euriosities — a live, fighting Amazon. She was
a little negro girl, about eighteen years old, and, far from
being ferocious, was a tender and compassionate little soul
in her way. She had followed her lover to be near him,
and to do so more effectively, had taken her place in the
ranks, and actually carried a machete and a small nickel-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 137
plated Remington carbine. The boys created her an hon
orary captain, and addressed her as " mi capitana." When
the time came to fight, she was always found at her post
in the firing line, " pegging " away at the enemy with as
much enthusiasm as the others.
During one of the many fights at Tapia, a bullet shat
tered her arm, compelling her to go to the hospital to be
cured. This seemed to take all the spunk out of the bravo
little fighter. When she returned to her command aud
hunted for her old lover, she found he had been killed;
but like a great many others, instead of mourning his loss,
she quickly found another, and the pair escaped from
camp without a pass, crossed the " trocha " through the
swamp, and made their way to " Cuba Libre " in the East,
where they could live happy together without the constant
fear of being captured by the " gringos."
In all the forces of Maceo in Pinar del Rio, there was not
another female who could be called an Amazon, though
several dissolute women followed the commands of Ban-
deras and Ducasse, and many more had secure hiding-
places in the hills, which were only known to those who
had placed them there and supplied them with the necessi
ties of life. With the few exceptions already noted, I
can state positively that few women have ever joined the
insurgents to follow their fortunes in the field.
Gomez and other officers will not allow them to remain
in camp. In other parts of the country are also found
many women living in out-of-the-way and obscure places,
whose husbands, lovers, or some male relations are fighting
with the insurgents; but to state that whole companies of
Amazons are enrolled in the regular forces, and to attri
bute to them such feats of daring as have been published in
our country, is the height of exaggeration, and would indi
cate that our people have no idea of the character of the
Cuban women. To any one who has traveled or lived in
Cuba, it is almost impossible to conceive these refined, deli-

138 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
cate, beautiful, and tender flowers transformed into the
blood-thirsty Amazons so vividly portrayed by many ver
satile writers. A more lovable or devoted type of woman
hood can not be found in all the world, and while many of
them have made many sacrifices, and undergone many
hardships for the cause that lies nearest their hearts, it is
almost a calumny to depict them as common soldiers, min
gling freely with the most vile and brutal elements, with
all the contamination that such association implies. The
same modest, retiring, womanly characteristics of the
wealthy class of Cuban ladies are found to the same extent
in the wives and daughters of the humblest " colono or
guajiro;" so that it is impossible to claim that they are re
cruited from this source.
Mr. Flint was also led to believe that in the regiment of
Antonio Nunez there were two pretty women who were
armed, and even done some fighting. As 1 met this par
ticular regiment about two weeks after the date stated
' (Jan. 7th, 1896), and failed to see any " beautiful Ama
zons," I feel perfectly safe in stating that Mr. Flint was
imposed upon. Mr. Scovel accompanied this regiment,
which was a part of Gomez's army during the " invasion,"
and was with them up to three days previous to the date,
and also failed to see any such female prodigies. Mr. Flint
also describes the case of Cristina Lazo, who is repre
sented as being locked up in the Jaruco jail. He savs:
" On the 19th of February, the forces under Maceo invaded
the place and liberated the prisoners. Cristina burned the
prison, made a speech to the townspeople to prevail on
them to join the rebels, and then marched away with the
Cuban troops."
As I happened to be present during the night attack on
Jaruco, and witnessed all the proceedings of that terrible
night's work, and did not see or hear of this mysterious
female heroine, neither before nor after the attack, I may
be pardoned for again stating, that the correspondent was

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 139
once more imposed upon by the omnipresent Cuban nov
elist. Mr. Rappleye is also quoted as having stated in one of
his early letters: " There are four women with Gomez.
They are white women — one of them an American. They
are the wives of some of his officers. They are dressed in
masculine attire, as a pair of bloomers have never been
landed in the island of Cuba. They ride horseback with
Gomez's staff, and each carries a Mauser rifle and ammuni
tion. They have taken part in several engagements, and
so far they have escaped being wounded."
Mr. Scovel and myself were the only two American cor
respondents who had reached the head-quarters of the old
chief at the time Mr. Rappelye was in Habana, and as
neither can recollect of having seen nor heard of the ap
pearance of this gentleman in the rebel camp, it is again
apparent that this story was either an invention of his own
brain or was inspired by some " laborante " in Habana.
The Spaniards are guilty of having fostered and given
weight to this myth, by reporting the capture of some
Amazon during their fights, and of keeping up the farce
by occasionally stating that they have been seen riding at
the head of the insurgent forces. It is again safe to say,
that the officers making these reports were troubled with a
very elastic imagination. The affair, if sifted down, would
probably show that some " ranchero's " wife has been
taken, and led to town in obedience to the concentration
order. From my experience in the field, I feel entirely justified
in asserting that all the stories regarding the existence of
Amazons with the Cuban insurgent army are downright
" fakes," and have been invented by unscrupulous corre
spondents, or inspired by Cubans, who have nothing else
to occupy themselves with.
There is another topic which Mr. Halstead has touched
upon that would indicate his source of information was en-

140 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
tirely untrustworthy, and which is found in the chapter
dedicated to the destruction of property, and entitled,
" The Record of Desolation and Despair."
The opening words credited to Maximo Gomez, if true,
goes to further demonstrate the cunning of the old chief
in attempting to shift the blame on to the Spaniards for
what he is guilty of having ordered to be done. He says:
" Cuba to-day presents pools of blood dried by conflagra
tions. Our enemies are burning the houses to deprive us,
according to them, of our quarters for spring. We will
never use reprisals, for we understand that the revolution
will not need to triumph by being cruel and arbitrary."
This is a rather queer statement for Gomez to make, in
the face of such irrefutable evidence of his policy of anni
hilation that has been recorded in the reports of our State
Department aud the columns of our reliable newspapers.
The list of sugar estates, furnished by the Spaniards, as
having been destroyed by the Cubans, is in the main cor
rect; but as I have noted in another part of this book, the
list of burned towns charged to the Spaniards is another
evidence of the misleading statements our correspondents
in Cuba have to contend with.
To further prove the unreliability of this list at the time
Mr. Halstead's book appeared, I will reproduce the list,
with corrections of my own. As I was in the field at the
time, and witnessed the attacks on some of these towns,
and as I have had occasion to be correctly informed of the
location and situation of all the various towns in the West,
to be able to send through my letters to the " Herald," 1
can vouch for the accuracy of the following, which can be
corroborated by the official records in Habana, or by the
letters of other correspondents. The burning of all these
towns was charged to the Spaniards.
* Los Arroyos, Pinar del Rio. Destroyed by Western
Brigade of Pinar del Rio.
* Still used by the Spaniards as fortified centers.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 141
* San Juan Y Martinez, Pinar del Rio. Partially
burned by Western Brigade of Pinar del Rio.
* Viuales, Pinar del Rio. At time of writing had not
been burned.
* San Diego de Ios Banos, Pinar del Rio. At time of
writing had not been burned.
Torriente, Matanzas.
Aurora.Flora. Not a town. (In all probability is meant to be
a sugar factory near Bolondron.)
* El Cristo, Santiago de Cuba. Destroyed by Cubans.
* Ranchuela, Santa Clara. Not burned.
Salamanca. Boniato.
* Bejucal, Habana. Destroyed by Gomez (partially).
* Catilina (de Guines), Habana. Destroyed by Gomez
(partially). * Jaruco, Habana. Destroyed by Maceo.
Los Abicus.
* San Juan de las Yeras, Santa Clara. Destroyed by
Zayas (partially).
* Paso Real (de San Diego), Pinar del Rio. Destroyed
by Bermudez (totally).
* Los Palacios, Pinar del Rio. Destroyed by Bermudez
(totally). Santa Cruz (de Los Pinos?), Pinar del Rio. Destroyed
by Bermudez (totally).
* Bahia Honda, Pinar del Rio. Destroyed by Sotomayor
(partially). Rnque, Matanzas. Destroyed by Lacret, or forces under
his orders.
Maia.
* Los Abreaus, Santa Clara. Destroyed by Cubans
(partially). Dos Vacos.

142 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
* Cayajabos, Pinar del Rio. Destroyed by Delgado
(totally). * Cabanas, Pinar del Rio. Destroyed by Maceo and
Delgado (totally).
San Diego de Nunez, Pinar del Rio. Destroyed by Soto-
mayor and Gil (totally).
Quiebra Hacha, Pinar del Rio. Destroyed by Delgado
(totally). * San Jose de Ios Ramos, Matanzas. Destroyed by
Lacret (partially).
Puerto Piton.
San Ramon de Ios Yaguas, Santiago de Cuba. Destroy
ed by Jose Maceo, or forces under his orders.
* Bainoa, Habana. Destroyed by Cardenas (partially).
* San Nicolas, Habana. Destroyed by local bands (par
tially). * Ceiba Mocha, Matanzas. Destroyed by Rafael de Car
denas (partially).
Benavides, Matanzas. Destroyed by Rafael de Cardenas
(partially). Ibarra, Matanzas. Destroyed by local bands in Ma
tanzas. * Navajos, Matanzas. Destroyed by Lacret (partially).
* Corral Falso, Matanzas. Destroyed by Lacret (par
tially). Cartagena, Santa Clara. Destroyed by local bands.
* Moron, Puerto Principe. Not burned.
* Melena del Sur, Habana. Destroyed by Diaz and
Castillo (partially).
It will be seen by this list, that instead of the Spaniards.
the rebels are guilty of causing this unwarranted destruc
tion. Mr. Halstead clearly states that the burning is charged
to the Spaniards. It is hardly probable that any Spaniard
would accuse his countryman with having committed these

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 143
acts, so we must fall back once more on the " reliable and
conscientious " know-it-alls in Habana.
When people of this class will willfully deceive such
a person as Mr. Halstead, can we ever expect to get at the
truth of what is passing in the interior of Cuba? Here is
a country that lies within a few hours' sail from our shores,
and yet we are more accurately informed of what occurs
in Central Africa, than we are of what really happens in
Cuba. There is a certain class in Habana who profess to have
direct communication with the rebel chiefs, and occasionally
give to our correspondents some letter purporting to come
direct from the camps of Gomez or Maceo. Some corre
spondents, in their anxiety to make a " scoop," do not
wait for the " laborantes " to furnish them with such docu
ments, and as the editors of their papers and the American
public have no feasible way of discovering the truth, they
coolly invent a letter from Gomez out of their imaginations,
and the innocent public marvels at the enterprise of their
favorite sheets.
During the latter part of the month of March, 1897, I
was in Habana awaiting a steamer to take passage for
New York. The rebel leader, Juan Rius Rivera, had been
captured the day before, and, according to Spanish custom,
he was incarcerated " incommunicado," meaning that no
one was to hold communication with him.
While sitting in the office of one of our American news
paper correspondents, I noticed a young Cuban come in,
take a seat, and devote himself to writing. For more than
an hour he industriously plied his pen, and then calling
the interpreter aside, held a mysterious conversation with
him for a few minutes, and on leaving, he handed over his
manuscript, neatly done up in a blue envelope. I inquired
who the mysterious gentleman was, and the interpreter
came over to my side, and after glancing furtively around,
to see that no one was within earshot, he told me in a

144 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
whisper that he was one of the leading Cuban delegates in
Habana. In a short time, my friend, the correspondent, came into
the office, and the interpreter handed him the blue en
velope. After reading its contents, he turned to me, and
said: " Well, Rea, here is some 'great stuff.' An inter
view with Rius Rivera, who was only captured yesterday!
That is what I call good work."
I then explained to my friend that a leading Cuban dele
gate had been in here for over an hour inventing the yarn,
and demonstrated the utter impossibility of its containing
a word of truth.
" Oh, that's all right," answered the other; " the other
fellows haven't got hold of it, and it's very good reading,
and will make a good story." I do not know whether the
story in question ever reached the composing-room; but I
cite the instance, as it is a fair example of the manner in
which " important " insurgent letters reach Habana.
Mr. Halstead's book contains several such letters, fore
most amongst them being part of the celebrated " fake "
interview originating in the brain of Mr. Mannix, the cor
respondent of the " New York Times " and other papers.
Further on we find: " A letter from Gen. Gomez, dated
March 15 th, said to have been written near the Matanzas
border, was secured by John T. Rays, an American on the
staff of the rebel commander-in-chief, and delivered by
him to an insurgent mail-carrier at a point not more than
twelve miles from the city of Habana."
I met Gomez on the 7th of March, and there was no
such person connected with his staff. I have met him
since then, and did not hear of the American officer named
above. It is just possible that some Cuban got the spelling
of my own name mixed up, and brazenly charged me with
receiving the communication. If such is the case, then it
would also bear the stamp of falsehood, as on the date
mentioned I was with Maceo in Pinar del Rio.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 145
Mr. Halstead also reproduces a letter from the same
source, reputed to have been written by Maceo, which is a
fitting sequel to the one from Gomez.
Mr. Halstead wisely concludes by saying: " The verifica
tion of the letters of the Cuban chiefs is an uncertain busi
ness; but it is known that the insurgents in the field do
have communication with their friends in the Cuban cities
and in this country, and there are constant surprises at the
success of their dangerous mail service."
Elsewhere we are informed of the case of Wm. Ewing,
" a veteran of our last war," who states he has seen service
with Maceo, Gomez, and Garcia, and had been in twenty-
one engagements.
During my last trip to Gomez's camp, I inquired of vari
ous officers if they remembered this party, and the reply
was always in the negative, and as I am positive that he
was not with Maceo, it appears to me that this is another
case of a fictitious personage. Mr. Scovel, who was also
with Gomez at the time Ewing is reported to have joined
his army, has never spoken of him.
The only veteran of our war who has seen service with
the rebels is an old German-American mechanical engineer
named Ulrieh.
This gentleman stated that he had been " colonel " of
an artillery corps, and, as such, solicited a rank from
Gomez. He would probably have received some recogni
tion if he had not made the mistake of criticising Gomez's
tactics. This touched the old chief on a tender spot, and
he refused to treat Mr. Ulrieh decently afterward. This
gentleman's family lived in Brooklyn, N. Y., and from
there moved to Toronto, Canada; but by no stretch of the
imagination can he be confounded with Ewing, as I left
him in the hills of Brujo last August. One of the most
glaring examples of lying " heroes " is found toward the
end of Mr. Halstead's book,* where the adventures of
Walter S. Whitcomb, of Springfield, Mass., are detailed.

146 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The following extracts from his interview with a
" Journal " reporter will expose this American Munchau
sen: " I was mustered into a company, and if I had been able
to speak the Spanish language better, I should have_ been
given a command, for I had some military experience,
having served three years with the New Hampshire State
Militia in Keene, N. H.
" I soon found out how badly ammunition was needed,
for at the time, you know, they had scarcely any arms,
and were only provided with machetes. All sorts of queer
guns were carried, but only a few Mauser rifles.
" I was astonished to find four companies of women with
Maceo's army. They were of ages from fifteen to fortv,
and were intensely patriotic, and very brave. They all
carried machetes, and I afterward saw them in several en
gagements, in which they displayed as much courage as
the men, fighting right in the face of bullets, and cheering
on the men like demons. Many of them were mounted on
horses and mules.
" I was in this camp about five weeks. There were
about 12,000 men in all. Every morning we were called
up at five by the trumpeter, and a few hours were spent in
drilling. We had several skirmishes with the Spanish, and
in nearly every case we drove them back, taking prison
ers, who readily joined our ranks. Gen. Maceo succeeded
in these weeks in taking possession of the entire province
of Piuar del Rio.
" The insurgents are far more familiar with military
tactics than the Spanish soldiers, who seem to lack organi
zation, and are cowards of the worst sort. Why, one of
the women whipped five of them one day with her sugar
cane knife. They will never get possession of the island."
But why reproduce any further extracts from the con
versation of this cheerful liar, who deserves a place as
editor in the war news factories of Florida, for he never
reached the camp of Maceo in Pinar del Rio, and it is a
question if he ever saw the island of Cuba.
The authenticity of the reports circulated in Habana is
again brought into prominence by the reproduction of a
letter of Mr. Creelman's, who states that the battle of

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 147
Cacarajicara was a Spanish defeat; but Maceo was not
there, being six miles away, looking for another attack.
While Mr. Creelman is correct in regard to its being a
Spanish defeat, his information as to the whereabouts of
Maceo is decidedly erroneous, for the mulatto chief per
sonally directed the fight.
The rather dramatic incident that is reported as having
occurred between Weyler and Bernal is from the pen of
Mr. Lawrence, whose stories to the " New York Journal "
caused Weyler to expel him from the island. Judging
from other letters signed by him, his sources of informa
tion are of the regular Habana pattern, and as he did not
personally witness this altercation between the two gen
erals, it is only logical to presume that he obtained it from
the same parties who furnished the " news " concerning
the capture of Santa Clara and Pinar del Rio. Bernal has
since operated successfully under the orders of Weyler, aud
has, to all appearances, been on the most friendly terms
with the superior, who, it is alleged, allowed himself to be
so grossly insulted.
There are many other minor errors that appear from
time to time in " The Story of Cuba;" but as these are
only the natural outcome of an experience acquired during
a brief residence in the tainted moral atmosphere of Ha
bana, the author can hardly be censured for arriving at his
conclusions.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 149

CHAPTER VII.
A. REVIEW OF THE LEADING " FAKES " APPEARING IN THE
NEW YORK DAILIES DURING THE YEAR 1896.
The capture of Habana. — Efforts of Cubans to persuade Congress
to recognize their belligerency. — The capture of Pinar del Rioi
and other " military achievements " of Mr. Frederick Law
rence.— " Fake " letters of Mr. Mannix. — "Fake" letters
from Maceo.- — Mr. Lawence's audacity in Washington. — Fer
tility of the Cuban imagination. — " Fake " story of Americans
with Maceo. — A descendant of Ananias. — Spanish imaginative
powers, — Mr. Wm. Ryan's celebrated story. — Another fakir. —
The column of Col. Lara. — The shark story. — The dyna
mite " fake." — The " Mail and Express " " correspondent." —
The Barton story. — Cardenas Armas' pamphlet. — Col. Struch's
story. — Sylvester Scovel's report on atrocities. — The Junta
located at last. — Efforts of a newspaper to present Gomez with
a sword. — Experience of Richard Harding Davis. — " Fake '
interviews with Gomez.
Various times I have had occasion to state that our in
formation regarding Cuba, as derived from our newspapers,
is largely composed of what are known as " fakes," or
articles which do not contain a word of truth, written either
by some imaginative police-court reporter who has never
seen the island of Cuba, or by the many refugee Cubans,
who, as a rule, make their head-quarters in Florida, and
pretend to carry on a regular correspondence with some in
surgent chief.
It is to be regretted that many of our own correspond
ents, representing the foremost papers in the country,
have also been guilty of this same sin, and have so persist
ently distorted facts, that it is almost impossible to detect
the truth when it does appear. It is safe to assert that the

150 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
owners and managing editors of the various papers having
correspondents in Cuba, invariably endeavored to get the
real facts of the question, and it is also safe to assert that
they have been as systematically imposed upon.
The great majority of these baseless yarns emanate from
the clique of Cuban " laborantes " in Florida aud Habana,
and it is an undeniable fact, that hardly one of their stories
stand the test of time, it being very often the case that
their falsity is exposed within a few days. Telegrams bear
ing the stamp of Key West, Tampa, Jacksonville, and
other Florida points, may invariably be looked upon as ut
terly worthless and false. This has been conclusively
proven time and time again; but our papers, notwithstand
ing that they are almost certain the " news " is too improb
able to be exact, continue to give space to the lies, and
indirectly encourage the " criminals "to repeat the offense.
If " faking " on a serious question that might involve two
countries in war is not a crime, then a law should be passed
that would make it so.
This evil really commenced when the westward march
of the rebels took effect. I have gone carefully over the
files of our leading newspapers for the last year and a half,
and find that fully two thirds of the information in regard
to Cuba is either entirely false, or that it has been written
by otherwise reputable correspondents, who have been mis
led by the wild and improbable tales circulating in Ha
bana. To more fully emphasize my assertions, I reproduce in
this chapter the most prominent of these " fakes " or mis.
information. The head-lines and quotations are copied to
the letter from the various journals cited, and can easily
be verified by simply turning to their respective files.
The first great " fake " circulated in the American
press during the year 1896 by the ever-ready Cuban alarm
ist, may be called the capture of Habana by the insurgent

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 151
army under Gomez. The invasion had spread rapidly to
the West, despite the efforts of the Spanish columns to
check their advance, and as no authentic news came from
the field, a grand opportunity was opened for all manner
of absurd rumors. The " laborantes " were not slow in
taking advantage of this occasion, and while Gomez was
known to be skulking around the country in the vicinity of
Habana, their agents in this country invented the follow
ing report, which was gobbled up by the agent of a leading
news association and circulated as news. Here are a few
extracts from various papers that were led into the trap.
The " New York World," of Jan. 9th, 1896, says:
RUMORS OF HABANA'S FALL.
"Boston, Jan. 6th.— The ' Traveler ' has received the
following dispatch:
" Batabano, Cuba, Jan. 6th. — At 10:30 this morning
the cable operator here received the following dispatch:
" Cubans have captured the city (Habana). Moro Castle
alone holds out. Gen. Campos —
" Here the dispatch ended abruptly, as cable communi
cation between Habana and this point was cut off."

"Key West, Jan. 6th. — Jesus Petuna received this
dispatch: " Gen. Gomez has the Spanish hemmed in on all sides,
and before night Habana will be in possession of the
patriot troops."
Other leading papers were also led into printing the ab
surd yarn.
The " New York Evening Post," in an editorial on the
subject, says:
" The Cuban insurgents are evidently doing some pretty
effective raiding, and the Spanish troops are active, but
neither side is waging war with anything like the fury of
the newspaper correspondents. How much this rivalry

152 FACTS and fakes ABOUT CUBA.
(which is often little more than a rivalry in lying) tends to
befog all foreign news, especially any news connected with
war, or rumors of war, the general public is but dimly
aware. Some three weeks ago one of the associations had.
Habana all but captured, and on Saturday its fall was only
a question of days. But yesterday that news agency with
drew for a time from the war, admitting that there was no
likelihood of the insurgents making a serious attack on
Habana. This left its competitor a clear field, and accord
ingly it, in its turn, was undertaking this morning to capt
ure Habana out of hand.
" The one great aim of the Spanish generals has been to
protect commerce, to hold the cities, especially seaports,
meanwhile praying that the elusive insurgents might be
caught where they would have to deliver battle. To guess,
therefore, that from what is probably only a daring raid of
flying guerrillas near Habana, that a regular and success
ful assault is to be made upon that city, only betrays the
nervous strain to which the news-gatherers are subjected
in their heroic determination to let no scoop escape."

The " New York Sun " of Jan. 8th, devotes an editorial
to a criticism of this story. In its desire to accentuate its
motto, " If you see it in the ' Sun ' it's so," and to boom
the association under its control, it saw here an excellent
opportunity to get a whack at its rival, the Associated
Press, and the blow was delivered with a vengeance. Some
extracts from this article are as follows:
FAKE NEWS FACTORY.
The Last Imaginative Feat of the Chicago Associated
Press.
" The Chicago Associated Press on Monday evening cir
culated a report that Habana had been captured by the
insurgents. Strangely enough, this startling announce
ment did not come direct from Habana, as it very promptly
would have done if the insurgents were really in possession
of the Cuban capital; but it was projected upon the public
from Boston, obviously the head-quarters of the representa
tive of the Chicago Associated Press in Habana. "

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 153
Through a United Press dispatch (or, in other words,
the " Sun "), cabled from Habana, not from Boston, the
public were informed that the city was in a tranquil state,
etc.

Chicago, Jan. 7th. The " Dispatch " says:
" The existing condition of Cuban affairs has set the
Associated Press foundry to working overtime. Last night
it handed over Habana to the insurgents, and the Associ
ated Press issued extras, which startled and affrighted
the quiet Chicago citizens from their first naps, and
brought them out of their beds. There is no real cause for
alarm. Mr. S  frequently has these spells, and they
never amount to anything serious."

Pittsburgh, Jan. 7th. The " Leader " says:
" The Associated Press has captured Habana. It woke
Gomez last night, took him into the fortified city as easily
and gracefully as if this sort of thing was part of the daily
routine of Chicago journalism, and seized everything in
sight except Moro Castle, which was left for later diver
sion, and having given Campos his coup de grace, and
formally wound up the war, it put the finishing touch to
the night's work by roasting the United States Congress,
and indicating that Cuba Libre, now placed on its feet by
Chicago, would now seek the alliance of some other gov
ernment than ours."

The " Fort Wayne News " says:
" The Chicago Associated fakir is still doing business at
the old stand and in a manner peculiar to itself."

The " Sioux City Evening Tribune " says:
" The Associated Press took Habana this morning. This
remarkable military feat was engineered from Chicago.
Mr. S  , manager of the ' fake ' factory, directed the
movements from the top of the Masonic Temple He used
the great Yerkes telescope to help out his far-seeing eye,
and flashed his signals with a two-pound diamond stud."

154 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
But why go on with any further extracts that undeniably
prove the falsity of the report and the gullibility of our
news-gatherers. I do not believe, like the editors of the
above-mentioned papers, that Mr. Stone was responsible
for this " fake," but am charitable enough to suppose that
his agent was imposed upon by the numerous Cuban
Munchausens who throng our cities. If they were not
the real instigators of the report, they at any rate were in
terested in keeping it in circulation. To further impress
the public with their importance, the following canard was
published in the " New York Recorder " on the 6th of
Jan., 1896. The head-lines are sufficient:

NEW YORK JUNTA READY TO START.
Offer of a Swift Vessel to Convey Them to Cuba. — Will
Join in the Attach on Haba?ia.
A Junction With the Members of the Provisional Govern
ment will be Effected, and the Whole Executive Body
will Encourage Gomez's Army by Their Presence.

By way of San Antonio (Texas) we were also informed
that the Cubans would occupy Habana by the 1st of Feb
ruary. All this news was all the more astonishing, when it
is known that the Provisional Government was at the
time in the province of Puerto Principe, five hundred miles
from Gomez's army.
Some of the most amusing features connected with this
story were the interviews with self-important Cuban lead
ers published in various journals. The consummate skill
with which they turned every incident to their advantage
was really remarkable, and as long as they could get re
porters to swallow their statements, they can hardly be
censured for " working the game for all it was worth."
Senor Fidel Pierra, when interviewed by a reporter from
the " Recorder," " scoffed at the statement that Gomez

PACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 155
did not intend to take Habana, and positively declared that
Gomez would make the attack and take the city with only
2,000 men, but would only remain long enough to ransack
the city for arms and supplies, aud to recruit."
Other Cubans at the Junta report having received posi
tive information that Roloff is to head the attack on
Habana, and that the signal is to come from the inside.
Despite the fact that the story was denied by nearly
every paper that had a representative in Cuba at the time,
it was continually cropping up through the efforts of the
" laborantes." The promptness with which the Cubans availed them
selves of the various " fakes " and misstatements circu
lated by their agents, is shown in their desperate efforts to
influence our Congress to recognize their belligerency be
fore sufficient proof could be gathered to counteract the
prevailing sentiment in their favor.
To accomplish this, a delegation of prominent insurgent
representatives hurried on to Washington, established head
quarters, and immediately began their propaganda. They
first made a call on the Secretary of State, leaving " im
portant " documents for his perusal, and then hied them
selves to the Capitol to feel the pulse of our Congressmen
and Senators.
The opportunity was not one to be lost; the conflicting
reports of insurgent victories, coupled with the heralded
capture of Habana, would soon be denied, and all their
energies were concentrated into forcing our legislators into
a position that could not be defended later on.
In the " New York Sun " of Jan. 9th, 1896, we read:
" Many of the more active and enthusiastic friends of
Cuba in Congress are impatient at the delay in reporting
the resolutions, and are becoming very restive under the
discipline that compels them to await their turn with all
sorts of routine business of less importance and not at all
pressing.

156 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" Mr. Quesada said to-day that there was no truth in
the reports that Habana had fallen.
" Mr. Quesada says further, that the moral effect of the
sympathy of the United States for Cuba would be entirely
lost if Congress waits until Habana falls before recogniz
ing them as belligerents. The insurgents' victory would
then be complete, and action by Congress would be super
fluous. " The visiting committee are prepared to give Congress
all the information possible as to the state of affairs in
Cuba, and they are confident that the end of the war is at
hand. For this reason they are anxious that Congress
shall take sueh action as it proposes at once."
It redounds to the good sense and credit of Secretary
Olney that when he condescended to grant the commission
an interview, he expressly stipulated that the affair should
be informal, and that no standing should be given Mr.
Palma in his capacity as " Envoy Extraordinary " to the
United States from the Cuban Provisional Government.
Many of our leading legislators in Washington, while
undoubtedly in favor of Cuban independence, were quick
to see the trap that was being laid for them, and wisely
refrained from uttering other than diplomatic words on
the question. The majority sagaciously committed them
selves to saying, that if Habana should be taken, of course
the United States would feel justified in acknowledging the
victory by conceding belligerent rights to the Cubans.
Other Congressmen, more hot-headed and less conserva
tive, could not remain quiet until reliable information
could be obtained, but insisted on pushing forward the
Cuban question at every opportunity.
At this time one of the first to submit a resolution in
their favor was Congressman Willis, of Delaware. The
text of his resolution clearly demonstrates that he based his
motion entirely on sentimental grounds. He concluded
by saying:
" We, as a nation, are under no obligations, either upon
the basis of treaty rights or the rule of national comity, to

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 157
longer withhold our recognition of the Cuban belliger
ency." But the leaders were in no mood to be forced into action,
and the resolution was promptly objected to, and passed
on to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
But this did not deter others from following with like
movements, and we find that, two days after, Mr. Kyle, of
South Dakota, introduced in the Senate a concurrent reso
lution empowering the President of the United States " to
receive such persons as may present themselves, satisfac
torily accredited to act in behalf of the Cuban insurgents,
and on production of evidence showing that they have
established a seat of government on the island of Cuba,
and that a majority of the native - born residents are
actively supporting and defending it with arms, or are in
sympathy with the cause, extend belligerent rights to the
revolutionists." This resolution was not so bad, as it seemed to indicate a
desire to be more thoroughly informed on the subject; but
on close observation it readily appears that it is only an
other ruse of the Cuban committee to force legislation to
formally recognize and accredit them.
The results of such a move are apparent, and if it had
been acted upon, our government would have found itself
. placed in the compromising position of having to recognize
Mr. Palma, and accept his statements as an authority
on which to base more decided action.
This was also referred to that congressional grave-yard
of untimely and unwise bills — the Committee on Foreign
Relations. Our legislature at Albany was the next to feel the influ
ence of the popular hobby, and again we find Mr. Warner,
of Niagara, coming to the front with the resolution,
" That the President and Congress of the United States
be and are hereby petitioned to extend to the insurgents of
Cuba a formal recognition of their rights as belligerents."

158 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The resolutions were adopted, and once more we see what
effect the false reports of unprincipled " news-gatherers "
can have on a body of men who should wait for more
authoritative evidence before committing themselves to an
action that could not be defended.
While the more conservative of our statesmen were
patiently waiting for some excuse to justify their actions,
the Cubans were actively securing "evidence" to
strengthen their claims.
The " New York Times," of the 13th of January, in
forms us, under date of Washington, that a member of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee said to a fellow-member,
" that he had reason to believe that the Cubans were even
better off than the best reports placed them, and that the
city of Habana was in greater peril than it appeared to be
from the press dispatches."
To the careful reader it is apparent that this assertion is
made on the strength of some testimony given by Henry
Cavlmg, a correspondent from Copenhagen, who arrived in
Washington the week before. (I may state that not one of
the correspondents then resident in Habana can recall such
a party, and I am therefore led to believe that it is only
one of the many cases where our Congressmen have been
imposed upon by irresponsible persons.) He had passed
freely through all parts of the island, unlike some of the
American correspondents, and was " calmly confident that
the Cubans would be able to take Habana, and that they
would find many supporters awaiting them there."
All reputable correspondents who were in Habana during
that time, state that the city was in no peril, and no fears
were entertained for its safety; and yet we find our sedate
Congressmen being taken in by one who " calmly "
states — " calmly " is good, and is no doubt appropriate —
for if he had not been calm, the story would probably have
choked him.
Another canard was now circulated, having the same ob-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 159
ject as the rest — to precipitate legislation before the facts
became known.
In a vague, mysterious manner the rumor was set in
motion, that France was so far in favor of recognizing the
Cubans that the government was already negotiating with
the Cuban insurgents to recognize them, in return for a
reciprocity treaty when they finally established their Re
public. Of course this was meant to hasten action on the
part of Congress, foolishly hoping that our government
would forestall the other in securing such a " valuable con
cession." Gomez, about this time, executed another of his " won
derful " marches, and again came within twenty miles of
Habana; this was sufficient to once more start the story
about Habana's capture.
The " New York Journal," on the 16th of January, is
made the victim of the Florida correspondents, by publish
ing the notice, that " Lacret is besieging Matanzas;" but
on perusal of the article in question, we find no reference
made to the alleged siege.
Many statements appear to the effect that the Cubans
are recruiting in Texas and other places, and yet we see no
attempt made by our government to stop such glaring in
fractions of international law.
Other articles are published that, if true, would have
warranted at least the investigation of our authorities; but
it is safe to deduce that the stories were downright
" fakes," or that our government openly abetted the fit
ting out of armed expeditions against a foreign nation, and
as this is hardly probable, we must return to the first sup
position, and once more we find that the Cuban " labor-
antes " have found the ever-ready victim to swallow their
improbable tales.
In the " New York World " of January 12th, 1896, we
are informed, under the head-lines of "Cuba's Flying
Squadron," that the steamers " Neptuno," " Edgerton,"

160 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
"Scythian," and "Foxhall" compose the fleet, and will
carry " generals " and guns. This imposing squadron was
being fitted out at the Perth Amboy " navy-yard," ac
cording to the sharps.
Capt. F. C. Miller, of the Red D line, was heralded as
the new " admiral of the Cuban navy," and a copy of his
resignation, handed in to his old employers, was also
printed to give more weight to the story.
The reporter honestly winds up his article by the fol
lowing: " At the head-quarters of the Cuban revolutionists, the
policy is never to deny any activity or daring scheme at
tributed to them. That is their attitude toward this latest
story of the Cuban fleet. If the seeker after information ask
ed them if it were true that they had purchased the Cunard
fleet and were fitting them out with howitzers, they might
give a perfunctory denial of the rumor; but at the same
time they would shrug their shoulders, and wink in a way
calculated to convince one that they were keeping some
thing from him."
The head-lines give the impression that generals are
rather a common article to carry around on board ship
and mix up with guns.
Again the " Sun " of the 16th gets in one of its peculiar
articles, which, coming from them, " it's so," and " should
be relied on and believed before like stuff from the fellow
in the A. P."
We are told that another expedition has landed in Cuba
near Bahia Honda, and many arms and munitions of war
turned over to Maceo. As I never heard Maceo or Miro
refer to this expedition — in fact, they always claimed that
the first landing of arms in Pinar del Rio was made by the
" Competitor " — I am justified in saying that the " shine
for all " sheet was mistaken.
The " friend of Cuba," Senator Call, of Florida, who
has always been agitating for the annexation of the island,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 161
had to do something to appease the clamoring of the people
who elected him (the Cuban element of Florida), and so,
notwithstanding the fate of previous motions, he offered
another resolution, directing the Secretary of State to
send to Congress all dispatches from the United States
Consuls in Cuba concerning the present war.
Mr. Sherman said that it would not be prudent to make
public at that time these documents, as the trouble was
still going on and the consuls would be subjected to the
enmity or persecution of the Spaniards or insurgents.
Mr. Call then gave notice that he would move, at an
early date, for a direct vote on the question of recognizing
the Cubans as belligerents.
Mr. Piatt, of Connecticut, made the only real sensible
and conservative speech of the day, by pointing out that
this was a question primarily within the jurisdiction of the
Executive. " Moreover, the recognition of the insurgents
was not to be viewed as an act due them, but as a question
affecting the United States.
" If such recognition was accorded only for its moral
effect and sympathetic reasons, then it would be considered
under international law, and justly considered, as an offense
against the parent country."
The lengthy debate pro and con on the Cuban question
at that time is no doubt familiar to all. The limited space
of this work does not permit me to enter into all the de
tails of this side of the case, as these speeches, debates,
resolutions, discussions, etc., based on misinformation,
would necessitate a volume double the size of this. I will
confine the rest of the chapter to the real newspaper
" fakes " and inventions.
[New Yoek Hekald, March 23, 1896.]
MACEO FIGHTING NEAR HABANA.
He Crosses the Pinar Del Rio Border After an Engage
ment With Villars.
6

162 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Maceo was encamped at the time near Bahia Honda.
All the leading papers of March, 1896, contains a report
that the steamship " Bermuda " landed a large expedition
near Mariel, and this was the key-note for many corre
spondents to fill their papers with all classes of improbable
yarns. The truth of the case is, that the filibuster disem
barked her cargo near Asseradero, in the province of San
tiago de Cuba, 7Q0 miles distant.
This fact afterward came to light, and was published by
the same papers that had circulated the former report;
but it is very queer that in so doing, they did not see the
many " fakes " that bore the signatures of their staff corre
spondents. The most imaginative of these so-called " war
correspondents " was Mr. Frederick Lawrence, of the
" New York Journal," whose letters really deserve a place
in the same category as the author of " Baron Munchau
sen." His first great "fake," based on the landing of
this expedition, is found in the " Journal " of March 29th,
1896. The head-lines are sufficient:
REBELS CAPTURE PINAR DEL RIO.
Spain's Stronghold in the Western Part of Cuba Fallen.
The Hot Fighting Done by American Artillerymen of the
"Bermuda."- — No Chance for the Garrison Against
Their Hotchkiss and Gatling Guns. — Gen. Maceo De
stroys the Town.
The same edition of the " Journal " also startles us with
the picture of a Cuban maiden called " The War Angel of
Ayoleta." A very interesting story is told of her advent
ures aud death, but the word " fake " is sticking out
plainly between the lines. The supposition that the " Ber
muda " landed in Pinar del Rio is evidently again taken as
the plot; but as we have seen that Maceo did not see the
" Bermuda," and even if he had received the expedition,
it is amusing to conjecture how he could have fought the
battle near QuemM.Q de Guines,, which is in the Sagua dis-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 163
trict, more than 300 miles from his camp in the hills of
Cuzco. [New York Times, March 29, 1896.]
This paper once more contains a letter from their " dar
ing war correspondent " in Habana, who, it will be re
membered, discovered the capital of the Cuban "Repub
lic " from his room in the Hotel Mascotte in Habana.
This time he appears with a series of bogus letters alleged
to have been written by leading rebel chiefs. The head
ings are as follows:
CUBITAS IS THREATENED.
But the President of the Cuban Republic is not Alarmed.
His Ringing, Patriotic Letter. — An American Citizen, He
Insists That the Colony is not Spanish, but Ameri
can. — Gomez Promises to Pay for Damages. — Maceo
Tells of His Plans, but Says the Spaniards May Read
Them and Not Learn Anything.
The letter from Cisneros was supposed to have been
written from the imaginary City (!) of Cubitas, in answer
to one addressed to him by the correspondent. According
to insurgent accounts, the " president " aud provisional
government were at the time in Najasa. The letter from
Gomez has already been commented upon in another chap
ter, and the unreliability of the correspondent is still fur
ther demonstrated, when he states, " That John T. Rays
was for some months in charge of the delivery of Gen.
Gomez's personal mail, and at Caron de Posos (!) some
weeks ago he was seriously wounded, and nearly captured
by the Spanish troops, but his fiery steed carried him safely
back into the rebel camp."
As already recorded, this personage was a purely ficti
tious one; but not satisfied with this, W  has the
affrontery to once more invent a character to give force to
his " fake " letter from Maceo:
" Captain Stuart, formerly a British army officer, but

164 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
for nearly a year with Gen. Antonio Maceo, and from
whom at various times communications have been pub
lished in the American papers, sends the following letter
from his chief."
There was never such a person as Capt. Stuart in
Maceo's camp, and there is but little doubt that he only
existed in the brain of Mr. Mannix, the correspondent of
the " New York Times," who signs himself " W."
The " New York Journal " of March 29th, 1896, pub
lishes a letter from their special lady correspondent, Kate
Masterton, who from her room in the hotel hears the
morning volley fired from Moro Castle, and jumps to the
conclusion that six prisoners are being shot inside the walls
of the rocky fortress. A very vivid and touching story is
thereupon written to her paper, and the readers are led to
believe that the execution of patriots is a regular morning
diversion of the Spanish soldiers. Mr. Halstead has called
attention to this erroneous idea in his book on Cuba.
The " Journal " again gives to the public another
" highly instructive " article on the war from the pen of
Mr. Lawrence, in which Maceo is reported to be at the
head of 25,000 men (!), and other " interesting " data.
Mr. George Bryson, at that time correspondent of the
" New York Herald," sends the following on April 2d,
1896:
MARIEL'S STRONG LINE CROSSED.
Again Maceo and His Chiefs Bid Defiance to the Spanish
Strategic Defense.
Gomez himself it was who on March 24th penetrated the
heart of Santa Clara.
Maceo was encamped near San Diego de Ios Banos on the
date referred to, and the attack on Santa Clara was led by
Vidal. We are again regaled by one of Mr. Lawrence's great
"scoops" in the "Journal" in its issue of April 2d,
1896.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 165
BURNED BOTH CITIES.
Pinar Del Rio and Santa Clara Destroyed by Maceo and
Garcia.
" The capture of the cities of Pinar del Rio and Santa
Clara by the insurgents who occupied them several hours
and left them in flames, is a severe blow to the Spanish
armies. " Weyler thought he had Pinar del Rio so strongly
guarded that it was absolutely impossible for Maceo's
forces to break in.
"But in the middle of the night of March 25th they
came re-enforced by men from the ' Bermuda ' expedition,
and literally laid the town in ashes."
Talk about Munchausen; it can't compare to this! On
this particular night, the fagged-out army of Maceo was
resting, after an unusually long march, at a small farm
near the base of the Pan de Guaijibon, little dreaming of
the great victory gained for them by the enterprising
" Journal " man. And then to charge them with captur
ing Santa Clara in the bargain !
The town of Santa Clara is only about 350 miles from
Pinar del Rio, and the Cubans would have to do some pretty
"tall" traveling to cross the trocha and the intervening
territory to carry out the orders of their commander-in-
chief, Mr. Lawrence; but such little physical impossibili
ties are nothing to him when he starts out to capture a
city and make a " scoop."
We now have another story from the " laborante "
sources in New York City, which finds a place in the
" World " of the 6th of April, 1896.
PINAR DEL RIO TAKEN?
Carlos Garcia Sends News of a Great Victory for the
Cuban Forces.
Six Thousand Spanish Troops in a Panic.
The dispatch says that the " Bermuda " expedition
landed fifty miles from Habana without opposition.
" Then Maceo and Garcia joined forces, and with 9,000

166 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
men and eight pieces of artillery they swept down on the
Spanish stronghold," etc., etc. The dispatch was re
ceived by Mr. Stern, who makes his home with the wife of
Gen. Garcia in New York City. The dispatch was written
at Manzanillo (!), 700 miles from the alleged landing-
place near Habana. It was dated April 2d, and published
in the " World " on April 6th, and gives full details of the
" fake " fight alleged to have occurred in the other ex
tremity of the island.
Mr. Lawrence again springs upon us another of his mar
velous novels in the " Journal " of April 6th. The head
lines are sufficient.
HOW THE WOMEN BATTLE IN CUBA.
Amid Bullets and Machete Strokes, None Braver Than
They.
Death of Isabella Verona in the Thick of the Fight at La
Palma.— Two Other Girls Cut Down a Man Who Un
willingly Slew Their Sister. — The Heroine of Habana
Hill. — Two Spanish Officers and Three Soldiers Fell
by the Unerring Aim of Florencia Palmas. — Women
Cavalry.
This story is one of the most improbable emanating from
this " brilliant war correspondent." I was present with
Maceo at the attack on La Palma, and if there were any
women around, they must have been invisible ones, for
they were not present in flesh and blood.
" Maceo has returned to Habana province from Pinar
del Rio, cutting his way easily through the 50,000 (!)
troops stationed west of Habana to intercept him." —
(Grover Flint, in the "Journal," April 9th).
[New Yobk World, April 3th, 1896.]
MACEO TO GEN. WEYLER.
Cuban Leader Dares Spanish Commander to Come Out of
Habana and Fight.
Reported Twelve Miles Away. — Defiant Message Sent by
Driver of a Party Taking a Ride in Suburbs for Pleas
ure.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 167
[New York Recorder, April 13ih, 1896.]
A REGIMENT GOING TO CUBA!
Forming hi Delatuare, and Composed of Tried Old Vet
erans.
It Will Be Ready by May 1st!
Once more the enterprising " scooper " of the " Jour
nal " scores a beat. The battle of San Claudio furnishes
the opportunity. The head-lines are:
SHE FOUGHT LIKE A TIGRESS AT BAY.
Senor a Alvarez's Gallant Attempt to Rescue Her Hus
band.
Too Weak to Follow Him Through the Lines, She Was
Surrounded by Soldiers. — She and Two Cubans Who
Had Joined Her Were Cut to Pieces by the Span
iards. — Fell Shouting, " Viva Cuba Libre!" — And
Five Thousand Insurgents Answered the Cry, While
the Enemy Crossed Their Swords in Recognition of a
Woman's Courage, etc., etc.
This story is utterly false.
The " Journal " now comes out with another great
journalistic feat by reproducing a letter alleged to have
been written by Maceo in his camp in the Cuzco Hills,
Pinar del Rio Province.
It is as follows:
" W. R. Hearst, 'Journal,' New York, — Responding
to the request of your correspondent, I have to say that I
consider the battle of last Saturday, when my troops put
to flight the Alfonso XIII. Battalion, the most important
accomplishment of the Cuban army during the war, be
cause it taught the men confidence iu themselves, and also
because it gave the Spaniards to understand that they have
no contemptible foe to deal with. The rout of that bat
talion will make cowards of the common Spanish soldiers
who may be sent to fight us in the future. Since the bat
tle, my soldiers have been filled with the desire to meet
the men on trocha in combat. I can hardly restrain them,
and I feel satisfied that if it was my policy to attack the

168 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
trocha at this time, the Spanish army would be cut to
pieces. " Nothing that I could say about the kindness of the
American press, especially the ' Journal,' in the cause of
Cuban liberty, could adequately express the gratitude that
fills my heart and the heart of every true Cuban. You
have armed the weak, and made us strong to go on to
victory. Freedom for Cuba was never closer to realization
than it is now. Your correspondent informs me that
doubts have been cast upon the victory at Pinar del Rio.
Let me assure the Americans that we struck that city a
heavy blow, putting the troops to flight, burning many
houses, and capturing enough arms to place weapons in the
hands of many of my men who had none before.
" (Signed) Antonio Maceo."
This " fake " only demonstrates to what extremes the
correspondent was forced to, in order to substantiate his
former achievements in that line.
In a few words, I can prove that this letter is a bogus
one. On the date mentioned, Maceo was at Tapia, and
had not received any letters from the correspondent in
Habana. In fact, it was almost impossible to send com
munications across the trocha, and the " pacificos " living
near Bahia Honda, and other places on the north coast,
did not dare venture near the towns, for fear of being de
tained. The first courier to reach Maceo from the
province of Habana, was Maj. Raoul Marti, who, after
several unsuccessful attempts to cross the trocha on dry
land, finally had to cross through the swamp of Majana.
He arrived at Maceo's camp at Los Robles on the 8th of
May, and his men returned to the Bast on the following
day, bearing the huge package of correspondence that had
accumulated for some time. In that package I sent a let
ter to the " Herald," that reached Habana about two
months afterward, and was published on July 3d. The
letter itself clearly proves its origin, for, as we have al
ready seen, Maceo did not capture Pinar del Rio, and there
fore could not have deliberately lied. Those who are fa-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 169
miliar with his letters can also see what appears to be a
very small mistake; but in this particular case it is strong
evidence against the authenticity of the letter, for the
mulatto chief has never been known to sign his full name
to an official document.
GONZALES TRAPS SPANISH TROOPS.
Olivier's Column, Infiladed by Rapid-fire Guns, Fled
in Rout and Panic. — Maximo Gomez Holds a Re
view in Honor of the Rebel Colonel's Victory.
Gomez's Forces Seize Arroyo Blanco in the Southern Part
of Puerto Principe.
When I met the rebel commander-in-chief last January,
he was besieging the same town, and even had a dynamite
gun to help him out with, and then had to give it up as a
bad undertaking. TROCHA IS CROSSED.
Maceo Sends 1,000 Men Through Weyler's Famed Wall. — ¦
Not Ready to go Himself.
(James Creelman in " New York World," April 27, 1896.)
No large body of men crossed the trocha at that time.
The papers of April 28th again report an expedition as
having landed in Pinar del Rio. The " Bermuda " is
once more named as the successful filibuster. This report
is from the Florida " press foundry."
INSURGENTS ADVANCING.
Twenty Thousand from the West are Now in Habana
Province.
Patriots Capture Three Hundred and Eighty Spanish
Troops, and Take Their Uniforms and Put Them On
Their Own Men.
" The insurgents have been gradually massing their
forces in the province of Habana for the last thirty days.
Now there are about 20,000 in the province, commanded
by the following officers: Jose Maceo, with about 5,000, at
Guira de Melena; Lacret, with about 5,000, in San Jose

170 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
de las Lajas, about eight miles from Habana City; Pedro
Diaz and Castillo, with about 4,000, near Guines; Jose M.
Aguirre, near Bainoa and Jaruco; Juan Masso, near Quivi-
can; Francisco Carillo, near Bejucal, and Collazo, ¦ near
Santiago de las Vegas."— (" New York Sun," April 30th,
1896.) And they didn't capture Habana!
Not one of these officers was in the places referred to.
" Gomez is reported to be in Matanzas with over 10,000
men, and headed toward Habana. He has artillery, and
is said to be preparing for a pitched battle." — (Creelman,
in the " World " of May 1st.)
ATTACK ON THE TROCHA.
Maceo Makes a Fierce but Futile Attempt to Break the
Spanish Line.
(F. W. Lawrence, in the "Journal " of May 2d, 1896.)
On this date Maceo was at Cacarajicara, in the hills
near Los Pozos. RELIEF NEAR FOR MACEO.
Maximo Gomez is Rapidly Marcliing Toward the Trocha
to Attack the Spanish Troops.
(F. W. Lawrence, in " New York Journal " of May
4th, 1896.)
Maximo Gomez was in Camaguey, where he had enough
to attend to without coming to help Maceo.
" On the 16th of May the ' Journal ' furnishes a pict
ure of Col. Adele Pilotro, of Vuelto Abajo ( !) in Matan
zas. She was commissioned by Gomez to lead a regiment
operating in the same district as her husband," who is rep
resented as a colonel in the Spanish army.
Can anything be more absurd? Yet we find a paper
that presents the yarn for an enlightened public to read.
The " Journal," in its issue of May 19th, publishes the
written statement of Mr. F. W. Lawrence, that was sub-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 171
mitted to the Secretary of State (Mr. Olney) as a true re
port of the situation in Cuba.
Despite the fact that the " Herald " and other papers
had conclusively proved the story of the capture of Pinar
del Rio and Santa Clara as false, and that time would
verify the accuracy of these statements, we find that Mr.
Lawrence has the audacity to endeavor to influence Mr.
Olney by insisting on the truth of this " fake." It will be
well to bear in mind, this correspondent never was in the
field, and consequently never witnessed any of the blood
curdling atrocities he so vividly describes, but, like many
others, has relied entirely on the stories told him by un
scrupulous people in Habana. To give many of his let
ters the semblance of truth, they have been credited to an
imaginary correspondent in the field. Now, it is a well-
known fact that Mr. Scovel and myself were the only
newspaper correspondents that were ever with Maceo in
Pinar del Rio, and all others who claim to have been
with him can be classed as "fakirs." It is only
charitable to suppose that Mr. Lawrence was systematically
and completely imposed upon by the "laborantes" in
Habana, and implicitly believed all that was told him, for
it is hard to believe that the representative of such a
leading paper would so persistently prostitute a legitimate
and honorable profession as to invent the series of let
ters which bore his signature, and were read by thousands,
who accepted them as being a faithful account of what was
passing in Cuba. From a certain standpoint, ordinary
" faking " is permissible, especially when the object is to
simply amuse; but when it is carried to such an extent
that the stories threaten to rupture the amicable relations
of two nations, it is time to cry a halt.
Mr. Lawrence says in his " report ": " The representa
tives of all the foreign governments in Habana receive
their information through the same unreliable channels
through which information is passed to the newspaper

172 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
correspondents. It is invariably scrutinized and altered
to suit the Spanish authorities before it is made public.
On the other hand, it is quite as true that unreliable in
formation and exaggerated reports are constantly being
offered to correspondents and others by the insurgents and
their sympathizers. This false news from the insurgent
side is, however, without the official stamp. Such news
as goes to the correspondents and others through the
Cuban head-quarters there, under the sanction of the
authorities of the Cuban Republic, is, my experience
teaches me, invariably reliable.
" These statements, I think, dispose of any question
which may arise concerning the reliability of the announce
ments made by American newspaper correspondents in
Habana which have been denied by the Spanish authorities."
In the light of subsequent events that have exposed the
falsity of this gentleman's letters, it is evident that his only
defense lies in the foregoing statements, which would tend
to prove that he was " taken in and done for " by the very
people he holds up as models of veracity; for it is a well-
understood fact that the " laborantes " in Habana, who
pose as agents of the Cuban Republic, are the most un
reliable and unpr incipled originators of false reports in re
gard to matters concerning the present struggle. This does
not apply to the real agents, some of whom I have met and
conversed with, and found to be as truthful as possible
under the circumstances.
The most deplorable outcome of Mr. Lawrence's work
is, perhaps, the spectacle of our august Senator from Ala
bama, Mr. Morgan, delivering a speech on the floor of the
Senate, in which he declares that the testimony of Mr-
Lawrence furnished him with the best facts in regard to
the situation in Cuba.* No comments are necessary.
* Senator Morgan has used the same report as authority on other
occasions, when he delivered one of his stock speeches denouncing
Spain.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 173
The " New York World," of May 19th, 1896, furnishes
us with an excellent example of the fertility of the Cuban
imagination. This story is a sample of what can be heard
in Habana every hour of the day, and strikingly demon
strates all that I have tried to make clear on the subject.
A Cuban, by the name of Pomares, arrives on the Habana
steamer; the always-on-hand reporter button-holes him,
and is simple enough to swallow this story. Pomares
says: "The insurgents, under Gen. Zaragosa (!) attacked
a strong force of Spanish troops under Lieut. Melias! He
figures the Spanish loss at 2,200 (!), and the insurgent
losses at from 500 to 7Q0. The scene of the battle was
near Guanabacoa, or within five miles of Habana." Think
of it! A lieutenant in command of a force that could lose
2,200 men, and then consider that there is no insurgent
chief named Zaragosa, and that the entire rebel force in
that part of the province only numbered 750 men all told,
under Aguirre, and then say whether the originator of this
story is not worthy a place in history by the side of Ananias
or not!
The " New York World " is again imposed upon by
some " fakir " who pretends to be a special correspondent
iu the camp of Maceo in Pinar del Rio. The letter is
dated May 5th, 1896. The head-lines are:
AMERICANS WITH MACEO.
A Reckless, Dare-devil, Hard-fighting Squad Who are a
Cuban Mainstay.
Mayer, the lowan, as a Leader. — A Fearless Fighter and
Cunning Schemer, Who Handles a Machete Like a
Native. — He is in Command of Maceo's Guard. —
A Correspondent From the Insurgent Camp Says the
Men are Well and in High Spirits.
These fictitious Americans are all named, and the letter
contains other remarkable "information." Their names
are given as:

174 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" Solon Mayer, of Iowa; Baltimore is represented by
Jack Kane, a happy-go-lucky Irishman, who has been here
a year and who has done excellent service. Then there are
Frank Palmer, of Michigan; R. Doyle, of Mobile; Leroy
Hemming, of Maryland; S. Coon, of Mobile; Converse
Allen, of Atlanta; Ellis McDougall, of Tennessee; John
Wainwright, of Louisiana; Peter Dillon, of Texas — all
good, hard-fighting, laughing Americans, and good fel
lows," etc., etc.
The " special correspondent " might just as well have
added the name of his father, grandfather, and other rela
tions, without fear of being detected in " faking " at that
time. The only Americans in Pinar del Rio on the 5th of May
were Mr. Ulrieh, Capt. Kaminsky, Charles Smith, a sailor
from the "Competitor's" crew, and the author of this
book. " New York World," May 28th, 1896, via Key West.—
" Maceo has taken prisoner Gen. Segura on the trocha."
—(From the Key West " war news factory.")
Maceo was at the time near EI Toro, 100 miles to the
west of the trocha.
The " New York Sun," of August 29th, 1896, pub
lishes a letter dated from Boston, and it will be readily
seen that the party interviewed deserves a medal as the
champion liar. The head-lines are:
FIVE HUNDRED MEN LANDED IN CUBA.
Lieutenant Alvared in Boston after a Success ful Expedi
tion.
Landed at Bartmer!
This descendant of Ananias is reported to have said:
" The insurgents have fifty men, all from the State of
New York, and all sharp-shooters, who are expected,
Alvared says, to devote themselves to securing an oppor
tunity to get a shot at Weyler. Weyler knows this, Al-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 175
vared says, and by way of revenge, he orders his soldiers to
assault all women and little girls.
" It is impossible, Alvared declares, even to hint at the
atrocities reported committed, it is supposed, by order of
the Spanish general.
" A month ago he discovered a Cuban newspaper in the
pocket of an American named Charles Churchill, of Penn
sylvania. By Weyler's command, Churchill was wrapped
in an American flag and burned to death. Four American
sea captains were witnesses of this, the lieutenant says."
He claims to have been an adjutant to Antonio Maceo!
[New York World.]
RAIDED A HOSPITAL.
More than Forty Sick and Wounded Cubans Butchered.
Four Prisoners Murdered. — Soldiers Told of Atrocities as
if They Were Common Sights to Them. — General
Ordered Surgeon Killed. — Hospital Fired After the
Massacre, and Bodies of Those Who Died Outside
Tossed Into the Flames.
Here we have an example of the imaginative powers of
the other side. The correspondent reports that his infor
mation was derived from the soldiers of the column of Ser
rano Altimira. All this was supposed to have happened
on the retreat after the fight of Quinones.
I happened to be present at the fight at this place, and
I may state in all seriousness, that even if a dozen hospitals
had been located near the road in full view of the Span
iards, they never would have stopped to capture them, for
the way they retreated along that mountain highway, with
Maceo's men on their flanks, left them no time to waste on
side issues. Sufficient to say, that they left twenty dead
scattered along the road, to be devoured afterward by the
wild hogs.
To my certain knowledge, there was no such hospital in
that section of the country, and therefore either the corre
spondent has invented the story, or his alleged informers
were full of " aguadiente."

176 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The Key West " foundry " again imposes one of its
staple productions on the " New York Herald " of June
8th, 1896.
MACEO'S AMAZONS TAKE REVENGE AT THE
TROCHA CONFLICT.
They Settle Scores With Machetes.
Wounded Men Their Prey.— With Their Aid, Contrary to
Spanish Reports, Maceo Crossed the Government
Line.
" In the recent attacks which the rebel chieftain, Anto
nio Maceo, made on the trocha, four companies of Cuban
women took part.
" The Amazons fought furiously! Nearly every one of
them had suffered grievous wrongs from the Spaniards, and
took this opportunity for revenge.
" They rushed on the wounded Spaniards, hacking them
with machetes.
" Maceo tried to stop the slaughter; but the women
were thoroughly aroused, and would not obey the com
mand. Finally Maceo had to threaten to shoot the women
unless they stopped killing the Spaniards."
(Note what the author says about Amazons in another
chapter.) The Junta in New York now comes to the front with
this " important " news in the " New York Journal " of
June 16th:
SPANIARDS DRIVEN FROM TWO BIG CITIES.
Puerto Principe and Jiguani Taken by Gomez and
Garcia.
Hard Fighting in Both Sieges, But the Patriots are Com
plete Victors.
Puerto Principe and Jiguani are still held by the Span
iards, and have never been taken, except in the imagination
of the Junta.
We now come to a very interesting and startling inter-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 177
view published in various papers of June 24th, credited to
no less a personage than Wm. Ryan, Collector of Internal
Revenue for the Eastern District of Virginia, who arrived
in New York from Habana on the steamer " Yumuri."
If the interview alleged to have taken place is true, then it
is clearly evident that Mr. Ryan contracted the prevalent
" disease " of exaggeration while in Habana, or was so
simple as to be fooled by some " laborante " joker, for
he asserts that his arrival in Habana was known before
hand to the rebel, General Maceo, who made a special visit
to the city for the purpose of seeing him. Mr. Ryan also
says that he makes regular visits to the capital disguised as
a negro laborer, for the purpose of having his picture
taken, and to hold conferences with the Cuban leaders,
and a lot more, ad nauseum. This story is not worth while
denying, as the stamp of Munchausen can be readily seen
at a glance.
The " War Angel of Ayoleta " again crops up in the
" World," and again she is killed in a fight with Maceo,
at Quemado de Guines, near Sagua, where he had gone to
receive an expedition.
This time she is dubbed the " Angela de la Guerra "
(Angel of the War), and her name is Matilde Agramonte
Varona. A very touching and pathetic story is unfolded;
but it is clear that the author has plagiarized the " Jour
nal's " old " fake," and transformed it so as to appear as
original. The " Journal " of June 5th presents a " fine story,"
entitled:
CANNON MADE FROM TREES!
The Cuban Insurgents Have the Strangest Artillery of
Modern Times.
A purely imaginary article.
The Key West " foundry " is waking up, and we find
in the " World " of July 20th from that source, the fol
lowing:

178 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
GEN. INCLAN A PRISONER.
Ambushed by Gen. Maceo, it is Reported, and his Force
Routed.
Spanish Loss More Than 300.— Battle Fought Near Cuban
Chieftain's Head-quarters in Pinar del Rio Close to
the Trocha. — Insurgents Were on the Aggressive. —
Captive General to be Held as Hostage to Save the
Lives of Cubans in Spanish Hands.
This story found its way into the columns of other
papers, and according to the " foundry," Maceo had
opened negotiations with Weyler to exchange him for
Sanguilly. Of course this yarn is also unworthy of denial; but for
the benefit of those who have not followed Cuban events
very closely, I may say that it is absolutely false. Maceo
did not capture Inclan, and on the date referred to, Maceo
did not fight a battle, but was quietly encamped back of
Tapia, nursing his wounded leg.
The " Journal " of August 14th has a very interesting
article on the death of Charles Govin. In a letter to the
" Herald," I submitted similar evidence of this Ameri
can's death at the hands of Ochoa, the Spanish general.
There is every reason to believe, from circumstantial evi
dence, that he was killed by the Spanish column.
While the story is largely true, the man who is reported
to have furnished the information is evidently an impostor.
He says:
" The following details of the death of Mr. Chas. Govin
was formally reported to Maj. Van Cucia (probably mean
ing Valencia) by seven of his soldiers, who were eye-wit
nesses, and then came under my personal notice, I being
then in the district where the murder took place.
" Julio Rodriguez Baz."
This party claimed to hold the rank of major in the in
surgent army.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 179
Now, when a copy of the " Journal " of the above date
arrived in Cuba, 1 was with Gen. Aguirre, and encamped
very near the place where Govin was reported to have been
killed. Valencia, Aranguren and others were there, and
not one of them knew of such a person as Maj. Baz.
As I have since read a very interesting article in the
" Sun " from the imaginative brain of this same Baz, re
ferring to several exploits in which he and Maceo took
part, I do not hesitate to denounce him as a" fakir."
The Tampa branch of the war news " factory " now
breaks the monotony by the following in the leading
papers:
SPANISH COLUMN LOST.
Big Force Said to Have Gone Over to Cubans in Santa
Clara.
" A big Spanish column is reported to have gone over to
the insurgents in a body in Santa Clara Province.
" The force left Remedios about a month ago, under
Col. Laza, with instructions to raid and burn the insurgent
hospitals in the Siguanea Mountains. No advices have been
received from them since then."
I have had occasion to speak of this " fake " in another
part of the book. The column was once reported as lost
in the Siguanea Hills, and again, as having been massacred
to a man by the rebels, and now we see that they have
joined the patriots. The facts are these: The column of
Col. Manrique de Lara, stationed at Trinidad, tiring of
inactivity — for the insurgents in that district positively
refused to fight— had co-operated with the column of Col.
Palanca in the Placetas district.
The " laborantes " in Trinidad, ignorant of what kept
him away for such a long time, probably spread the report
in Habana that he had not been seen or heard from since
he left that town.
On this foundation the "mechanics" in the "shops"

180 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
at Tampa turned out the various " productions " that
found a ready market.
The most unscrupulous and inconceivable invention of
alleged atrocities, bearing the mark of the United Press,
appeared in the " Evening Sun " and " Journal " of
October 6th, 1896.
The head-lines in the " Sun " are:
WEYLER— BUTCHER.
New Phase of His Shocking Crimes Against Civiliza
tion.
Prisoners Fed to Sharks. — Every Night Some Prisoners
are Taken. Out, Marked as Released in the Books, and
Drowned in the Harbor. — Sixty-three Were Murdered
in This Way From September 1st to September
20th.— The Torture of Nothing but Salt Fish to Eat
and no Water, One of the Methods Practiced.
The headings in the " Evening Journal " of the same
date are:
CUBANS FED TO SHARKS.
Sixty-three Prisoners Disappear in Twenty-six Days,
and Marked as Released.
Cries Heard at Night. — They are Taken Outside the
Harbor, and the Silent Ferryman Comes Back Alone.
The morning edition of these papers reproduced the
story with " trimmings."
The " New York Herald " immediately cabled its corre
spondent in Habana to ferret out the truth of this story.
His answer published on the following day is:
" The report sent out that Capt. -Gen. Weyler has
thrown prisoners to the sharks was evidently started by
Cubans to impress sympathetic Americans. In the ab
sence of all proofs, it may be regarded as wholly ridiculous
and false."
The " Herald " also telegraphed to the Spanish min-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 18|
ister, Dupuy de Lome, requesting a denial of the atrocities
charged above. His answer is as follows: " Lenox, Mass.
" To the Editor of the ' Herald,' — I have not yet seen
the story to which you refer. These monstrous reports do
not merit denial. Their source is the same as those of a
similar nature made public and never confirmed.
" After the arrival in Cuba in the last four weeks of
40,000 soldiers, and when the campaign is about to open,
I expect the agitation that is coming.
"Dupuy de Lome."
A rather startling but inoffensive little " fake " appears
in the " Journal " of October 8th, 1896:
" EL COYOTE'S " LIFE TWICE IN DANGER.
Two Unsuccessful Attempts to Kill Captain- General
Weyler,
Mere Accident Spoils the Well-laid Plans of the Cuban
Conspirators. — Secret Enemies of Spain Invade the
Palace of the Representative of the Crown. — Dyna
mite in a Chocolate Cup. — Weyler Entangles Himself
in Wires Which Lead to a Bomb, etc., etc.
The same edition of this paper contains a very " inter
esting " editorial on the barbarity of the Spaniards, based
on the exploded shark story.
The " World " and " Herald " of October 13th present
two different views of a battle in Pinar del Rio.
The pro-Cuban " World " says:
MACEO CHASING SPANISH.
Another Hot Fight With General Echague, This Time
Near North Coast.
The conservative " Herald " says:
ANTONIO MACEO LOSES A BATTLE.
Leaves Hundreds Dead on the Field, Being Compelled to
Retreat in Haste.

182 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The Jacksonville branch of the " Florida News Co.*"
is now heard from.
NEW MENACE FOR WEYLER.
While He Watches Maceo, Gomez Pours Fresh Troops Into
the Western Provinces.
Gomez was still in the province of Puerto Principe, and
did not pour fresh troops into the western provinces, for
the simple reason that he had none to " pour " in.
The Amazon who achieves marvelous victories over
scores of Spaniards, is again heard from in the " New
York Sun " of October 20th, 1896.
SHE SHOT SEVENTEEN SPANIARDS.
A Cuban Woman's Desperate Part in Battle.
She did not Retire Before the Attack of the Regulars,
but Picked Them Off, Man by Man, Until They
Captured Her. — More Cuban Prisoners Slaughtered.
A highly improbable tale, and one that was never
verified. Key West sends to the " World " of October 23d:
GENERAL WEYLER BACKS OUT.
He Will not Fight Maceo in the Field after all His
Boasting.
Fears to Meet Campos' Fate.
How true this story was we have all seen, for only a few
days afterward, Weyler left Habana for the field, no doubt
forced to do so by the criticisms on his valor by the
" Florida Press Bureau."
The force of " editors" in Florida was seemingly aug
mented by a fresh staff of workers let loose from Mazorra,
near Habana, for, from now on their startling and un
founded inventions came in regularly to the press of the
country, and not one of their stories has stood the test of
time.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 183
The Key West " Mazorran " sends to the " Herald,"
on October 26th, 1896, this important news:
MACEO CROSSES THE WESTERN TROCHA.
Under Cover of the Bombardment of Artimisa, He Enters
Habana Province.
A Junction With Aguirre. — His Conduct at Cacarajicara
Merely a Feint to Outwit Spanish Generals. — They
Fell Into His Trap.
The " World " of the 29th of October prints a story
from the same source.
MACEO IN HABANA PROVINCE.
Gave Gonzalez Munoz the Slip in the Mountains.
" Maceo, with 2,500 troops, broke through the trocha,
and is now in Habana district. He went over to assist
Gen. Gomez in his march to Habana, Maceo left Gen.
Rios in charge of the troops in Pinar del Rio, with 10,000
men in the insurgent stronghold. The town of Artimisa
was wrecked, and many persons are reported killed," etc.,
etc. Maceo did attack Artimisa with his dynamite gun; but
subsequent events proved the falsity of the above reports,
for he could not force his way through the line.
This attack was made at night, and before morning the
rebels were well on their way to their secure hiding-places
in the hills near Cayajabos. As for Gomez marching on
Habana, we know that he was still the other side of the
Jucaro-Moron Trocha.
Key West to the " Herald " of November 2d, says:
(The " Herald " afterward corrected these false notices.)
GOMEZ TO LAY SIEGE TO HABANA.
Principal Cities and Toivns in Cuba the Objective Points
in His Campaign.

184 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Maceo Goes to Meet Him. — Startling Reports of a Move
ment in Force by the Combination in Columns. —
Ominous Silence of Gomez. — Waited Only for the
Disposition of Gen. Weyler's New Re-enforcements
From Spain.
We have all seen that the only towns laid siege to for
the last year have been Cascorro, Guaimaro, and Arroyo
Blanco, three unimportant villages in the interior. One
was really captured, one abandoned by the Spanish, and
in the last case, Gomez was forced to raise the " siege "
and retire on the arrival of re-enforcements.*
The " New York Herald " of November 3d, says:
SERIOUS CRISIS IN CUBAN AFFAIRS.
Revolutionary Leaders Declare that Lee Left Havana
Because of Strained Relations.
In the "Competitor" Case Cubans Say That Grave
Notes Passed Between Lee aud the Captain-General.
— Startling Remark Quoted. — Did Lee Say He Would
not be Surprised if He Should Return in a Cruiser?
" The foregoing dispatch was received from a corre
spondent in Jacksonville, Florida. It was impossible to
verify it, and under these circumstances it is published for
what it is worth." — (Editor's foot-note. )
The Junta now wakes up, and informs the " New York
Journal " of November 13th, that the Spanish general
Melguizo is wounded, and Echague killed.
Key West to the " World " of November 15th:
MACEO THREATENS TROCHA.
Groups of Cubans Noticed Yesterday Gathering Near
the Trocha.
" It evidently was their intention to pass the line near
Esperanza Vinales, but they were repulsed, and a number
shot." *. Since writing the above, the insurgents have captured the
town of Victoria de Las Tunas, and unable to hold it, set Are to
the houses and withdrew.

EACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 185
The geography of Cuba was undoubtedly unknown to
this enterprising " fakir," who places Vinales on the line
of the trocha. This town lies about 100 miles to the west
of the line.
The first chapter in the long series of absolute falsehoods
describing how whole columns of Spaniards were blown to
pieces by the dynamite mines at the rebel camp of Rubi,
makes its first appearance in the " New York Herald " of
November 15th. Our old and " reliable " friends at Key
West are ostensibly the authors of this stupendous " fake."
The head-lines are:
DYNAMITE ROUTS SPANISH TROOPS.
The Forces of Munoz, Gonzalez, and Echagus Advanced
Upon the Rebel Trendies, Only to Meet Death in a
Dreadful Form.
Trap of High Explosives. — Munoz Reported Killed, While
Echague had a Leg Blown Off.
Several distinct versions of this affair cropped up after
ward, and every one of them are traceable to the same un
reliable source of the " factories " in Florida.
While in Santa Clara last February, I met Pedro Diaz,
Charles Gordon, and others who were present with Maceo
in all his fights near Rubi, and they all emphatically de
nied and laughed at the stories circulated by their brethren
in Florida. " There is not one word of truth in any of
these stories," said Gordon. This may be borne in mind
when the successive " fakes " based on this same yarn are
noted further on.
The " Sun " comes out with the second chapter — this
time semi-official.
MACEO READY FOR WEYLER.
Writes Palma That He has a Trocha of His Own Nozv,
Sown With Dynamite.
This apparently official confirmation of the report would
suggest three solutions of the question. Either my infor-

186 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
mants who were there are mistaken, or the letter to Palma
was a bogus one, or the reporter invented the yarn. The
fact that such a trocha or barrier did not exist, can be
readily proven, for as yet the Spanish troops have not
found it.
The New Orleans branch of the " factory " soon
"caught on" to the scheme, and telegraphs the third
chapter to the " New York World " of November 16th.
WEYLER HAS SPIES HERE.
To Shoot Filibusters When Taken.
Weyler Orders Naval Commanders to Avoid Complications
by Drum-head Courts-Martial. — Gen. Echague's De
feat Terrible. — One Whole Company of the Aripiles
Battalion was Almost Annihilated.
No comments.
The head-quarters of the " factory " in Jacksonville
comes iu line with the next installment. Mr. Huau sends
to the " Journal " of November 17th:
HAS WEYLER ATTACKED MACEO?
Reports of Continued Fighting in the Pinar Del Rio
District.
For Three Days, it is Said in Jacksonville, Firing has
been kept up.
New Orleans comes to the front again with the following
to the "World:" MACEO'S POSITION IMPREGNABLE.
Captain Andrade, of His Staff, says the Ranges are 200
Miles Long, and Every Hill a Stronghold.
There was no such person on the staff of Antonio Maceo.
A very interesting yarn, which is too improbable to be
true, even if subsequent investigations had not proved its
falsity, is published by various papers from their Atlanta,
Ga., correspondent. The " World " of November 20th,
says:

Facts and fakes about cUBa. 187
A PRICE ON WEYLER'S HEAD.
Cubans Offer Sharp-shooters $1,000 Apiece for Officers
and 15,000 for the Captain- General.
" Mr. Carrol, an agent of a Chicago powder and dyna
mite firm, has just returned from Cuba. He went there
in, the ' Dauntless' expedition, and landed with a cargo of
arms sixty miles from Habana. A company of Texas
rangers armed with rifles which carry five miles, landed on
the island three weeks ago, he says, and these men are con
stantly on the watch for Spanish officers. The rifles,
needle-guns, wind-gauges, and telescopic sights weigh
twenty-eight pounds.
" The natives can not use them, but an insurgent ac
companies each sharp-shooter and carries a strong field-
glass. With the glass the native scans the country for
officers. When one is found, the ranger gets in action
with his rifle, firing from a rest- These Texans shoot
chiefly from tree-tops. For every officer killed or mortally
wounded they get $1,000. The man who kills Gen. Wey
ler is to get $5,000," etc., etc.*
And this is the kind of trash our reporters swallow and
forward to their papers for the enlightened American pub
lic to read.
The representative of the "Florida War News Co-"
located in New York, is undoubtedly the author of the
fifth chapter of the dynamite mine explosion furnished to
the " New York Journal," and achieves a great " scoop."
A large " sketch " (?) of dead and wounded soldiers scat
tered around amidst the debris of guns, gun-carriages, etc. ,
is called, " What a Dynamite Gun did in the Rubi Hills."
" (Photographed after the action of November 10th.
Taken by Lieut. Salcido, of Maceo's command.)"
Tampa now takes its turn, and sends to the " Journal "
of November 20th:
* This story undoubtedly served as the base for the various
thrilling accounts of the heroism displayed by these mythical ran
gers, published by the same paper later on. There was an expedi
tion, no rangers, and it is safe to say the famous rifles were also
imaginary. -¦ This is a notable example of how correspondents
impose on theirs employers.

188 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" It is further stated that Puerto Principe, Cascorro,
and Guaimaro are all in the hands of the Cuban leader,
Calixto Garcia, and his aids."
It's queer that the writer did not tack on the cities of
Santiago de Cuba, Manzanillo, Holguin, and a few others
that are scattered around the country waiting for the in
surgents to take them in their hands and try to hold them
for a few days.
The enterprising Key West man of the " Mail and Ex
press " sends to his paper on the 20th of November:
" Quintin Banderas, the insurgent leader, was reported
yesterday in view of the Pinar del Rio military line with
a strong force of insurgent cavalry and infantry, and
Cayito Alvarez is said to be with him."
The persons who thought they saw Quintin Banderas
near this trocha, must have been blessed with rather ex
ceptional far-seeing eyes, for this old fellow was at the
time in the province of Santiago de Cuba, 500 miles away,
and Alvarez was in the hills of Siguanea, 200 miles distant.
Another representative in Key West sends to the
" Journal " of November 22:
BUTCHER WEYLER IN FULL RETREAT, etc., etc.
Again in the " Mail and Express " we have: " From a
correspondent whose statements of facts may be relied on
as trustworthy. It was received this morning by way of
Key West!"
" Gen. Weyler has the largest body-guard ever known in
the history of war. In the hills of Pinar del Rio he is
now the center of a cordon of 6,000 men, whose duty it is
to care for his personal safety.
" The rank and file of the Spanish forces are incredibly
ignorant. Scores of them have never heard of New York,
aud only know of America in a vague sort of way, and
without the slightest conception of its area or population.
" The command of a firing squadron detailed to shoot
prisoners is an honor eagerly sought for by Spanish offi-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 189
cers. When more than three prisoners are to be shot at
one time, the squad is secretly ordered to leave one of the
condemned unhurt or slightly wounded. This is to afford
the commanding officer the pleasure of administering the
coup de grace himself."
It is evident that this correspondent fell amongst the
" workers " in Key West, and they certainly had a great
time with him, for his work would prove that he was
nearly as densely ignorant of Spanish methods as the poor
rustic soldier from the interior of Spain is of the United
States. The correspondent of the " New York World," in San
tiago de Cuba, sends the following story to his paper. It
has never been confirmed :
BUTCHERY IN EAST CUBA.
Every Night " Pacificos " are Taken From Their Homes
and Murdered.
Reign of Terror at Guantanamo. — Women Who Aided
Spanish Wounded Left on the Field, Arrested and
Maltreated.
Barton, Florida, also seems to have a small " factory "
of its own, and no mean one, either, if we are to judge
by this sample of its work in the " World " of November
24th: SPAIN'S ACT OF DEFIANCE.
" Competitor " Crew Tried by Court-Mar Hal, in Spite of
Treaty.
Lee's Protest Pigeon-holed. — State Department's Hint of
Our Disapproval Calmly Ignored. — Prisoners Allowed
no Counsel. — Not Even Permitted an Interpreter to
Tell What the Testimony Against Them Was. — Our
Consulate Kept in Ignorance. — Melton and the Other
Prisoners Forced to Sign Papers Admitting They
Were Filibusters.
The story was afterward referred to the regular corre
spondent of the " World " in Habana, and he answers as
follows:

190 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" The proceedings on November 14th, in the case of
the ' Competitor ' prisoners, were simply the taking of the
prisoners' declarations as a preliminary step to their formal
trial." We now find in the leading papers a story to the effect
that the Junta had dispatched an envoy to confer with the
Spanish Prime Minister, Canovas del Castillo, and the
results of his interview are given. The " World's " head
lines are:
AN ENVOY TO SPAIN.
A Diplomatic Agent of the Junta Goes to Madrid io
Suggest the Purchase of Cuba for $100,000,000.
News First Made Public. — Senor Cardenas Armas' Two
Conferences With Prime Minister Canovas, Who Said:
"Cuba a Nest of Vipers." — Responsible Financiers
Were Ready to Take Charge of the Transaction. —
Spanish Premier in a Passion. — Enraged at the Idea
of a Nation of Tradesmen Guaranteeing Spain's Word.
The " New York Journal " of November 27th comes
out with a denouncement of this story. In his pamphlet,
Cardenas says, that the London branch of the banking
firm of Seligman, offered to advance 300,000,000 pesos to
Spain, with Cuba as a guarantee, conditional on the peace
of the island being assured by a grant of autonomy to the
Cubans as ample as that enjoyed by Canada.
The " Journal " says:
" Seligmans made Spain no offer. So at least declares
the New York branch of that house. Messrs. Henry and
Jefferson Seligman ignorant of Cardenas Armas. Say the
whole Cuban story of purchase is a mystery to them. Once
offered to place bonds. But that was upon the proposition
of Cuba's assured independence and the cancellation of all
Spanish claims.
" The Cuban Junta does not confirm the story of Car
denas, and no one in authority knew anything about the
plan, and many ridiculed it."

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 191
If Seligman and the Junta speak the truth, why, it is
only logical to presume that this was another ruse to make
trouble between this country and Spain.
Other chapters of the dynamite yarn now appear. The
" Journal " of November 26th, says:
DETAILS OF GEN. WEYLER'S UTTER DEFEAT
BY MACEO.
Ordered an Advance on Three Sides of the Rubi Hills to
Trap the Rebel Leader's Men.
Gen. Echague Got There Too Soon. — Lost 500 Men, and
Was Driven Back. — On the Second Attempt, the Span
iard Found His Bird Had Flown. — Returns in Disgust
to Habana.
Evidently that same correspondent of the " Mail and
Express " was still sojourning with his friends in Key
West, for on the 26th of November, the following appears:
WEYLER MURDERED EIGHT HUNDRED.
Women and Children Included in His Rubi Butchery. —
Troops Horrified at His Conduct.
The best way to dispose of this yarn is to simply state
that the Rubi Hills did not have more than 100 " paci
ficos " at the time, and these were all connected in some
way with the insurgent civil government.
That old dynamite " fake " is a hard one to down, for
it is again resurrected in Jacksonville and sent to the
" Herald " of November 26th.
This time it comes from Lieut. Emanuel Ramos, who
has just returned from Cuba.
There must have been some mistake in the " factory "
at Jacksonville in turning out this crude article, for the
next day they see the grand opportunity that was lost, and
immediauely set to work to produce a more finished piece
of work. The result was " magnificent," and it was tele
graphed off to New York without further loss of time, and
is published on the 27th of November.

192 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
SAW DYNAMITE USED.
Jose Reyes Tells How Weyler Failed to Drive Maceo
From the Rubi Hills.
Killed by the Hundreds.
According to Reyes, whole companies of the Spanish
troops were blown into the air.
The " Sun " receives the same dispatch.
GENERAL WEYLER ROUTED.
Great Slaughter of His Men in the Rubi Hills.
Blown up by Dynamite. — He Lost 200 Killed and 1,600
Wounded in the Explosion. — His Total Loss in Two
Days' Fighting was 2,000 Killed and 4,000 Wounded.
—Maceo Lured Gen. Munoz's 10,000 Troops on Till
They Stood on Ground Honeycombed With Dyna
mite. — John Linn Touched off the Mine, and Maceo
Let Loose His Dynamite Guns.* — Five Hundred More
Men Were Killed in the Charge That Followed.—
Then Echague, With 10,000 Men, Took His Turn,
and Was Terribly Thrashed. — Habana Got an Inkling
of the Truth, and Weyler Hurried Back to Prevent a
Rising. — Col. Reyes Brings Here the Real Facts About
Weyler's Advance.— Maceo all Right.
The best evidence of the utter unreliability of these cor
respondents, and of their being without doubt lineal de
scendants of Munchausen, is found in the same papers a
few days afterward.
The officer who arrived in Jacksonville from the field in
Cuba, was named Felix de Ios Rios, who claimed to have
come from the camp of Maximo Gomez, in the eastern
part of the island. He left for New York on the steamer
and, consequently, was ignorant of the stories attributed to
him until his arrival. On being questioned, he denied the
Jacksonville report, and said he knew nothing of Weyler and
* John Linn, " the Jacksonville boy," was not with Maceo in
Pinar del Rio, but at the time of the above story was in the prov
ince of Santa Clara,. He never was with Maceo during the war.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 193
his campaign, and explained the " fake," by stating that
his friends in Jacksonville had confounded his account of a
fight in October between Maceo and Melguizo, with the
recent fights around Rubi with the captain-general. But
when the same officer states, later on, that Melguizo lost
2,000 men in the Rubi Hills, it is only too clear that his
short stay in Jacksonville inoculated him with the prev
alent disease.*
The correspondent of the " Journal " in Habana sends
to his paper the following:
BUTCHERED 300 CUBAN WOMEN.
Defenseless Prisoners Shot Down by Spanish Soldiers.
Under Weyler's Orders, Col. Struch Instituted a Reign of
Terror. — Destroyed Many Hamlets and " Captured "
Their Inhabitants. — His Men, Inflamed With Wine,
and Directed to Destroy the " Cattle," Fired Volley
After Volley. — Not a Single Soul Was Left Alive. —
Struch Was Rewarded for His Services to Spain, and
Openly Boasted of the Horrible Deed He Had Done.
The " New York Herald " of December 8th, in a dis
patch from its regular correspondent in Habana, states that
Col. Struch never made the statements attributed to him.
This disposes of the entire yarn.
The " New York World," of the 30th of November,
publishes a full - page list of " pacificos " reported to
have been murdered in the province of Pinar del Rio.
The headings are:
SPAIN MAKES WAR BY BUTCHERING PEACE
ABLE MEN AND WOMEN IN CUBA.
Detailed Authentic List, With Names and Places, of
Innocents Slaughtered by Spanish Guerrillas or
Regulars in Pinar del Rio Province.
* When the editor of the Herald saw how he had been imposed
upon in this matter, the true facts were published, and all Jackson
ville letters were held for authoritative confirmation or denial.
From then on, more than three quarters of such letters found
their way to the waste-basket.
7

194 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The Evidence Collected by a " World " Correspondent, and
Supported by Many Affidavits of Eye-Witnesses, Now
in Possession of the " World."
BUTCHERY OF CUBANS.
Non-Combatants, Including Women, the Chief Victims
in Pinar Del Rio.
Premium put on Atrocity.— Women and Children Sacri
ficed When Male " Pacificos " Grow Scarce.— Assas
sins go About in Disguise. — Soldiers, with Secret
Orders to Kill, put in Farmers' Clothes and Sent
Among Peasants.— Tell-tale Letter on a Dead Officer.*
—Prisoners Butchered on the Field, and Their Muti
lated Bodies Left for Carrion.
The second chapter of this letter is found in the
" World " of December 7th:
NOT WAR, BUT MURDER.
Spain's Path in Pinar Drenched With Innocent Blood.
Campaign of Atrocities. — Harmless Peasants, Their Wives
and Children, Sacrificed Without Mercy. — The
" World " Has the Clear Proofs. — Its War Corre
spondent Gathered iu the Field Appalling Evidence of
Savagery. — Bodies of Victims Mutilated. — Every
Kind of Barbarity Practiced by Troops of a Nation
Pretending to Civilization.
" Intelligent, trustworthy insurgents insist that more
than 3,000 innocent people have been killed in that prov
ince." 1 have already commented on this work of Mr. Scovel's,
and, while I am convinced that he was imposed upon in the
* This identical letter was shown to me by Maceo and Miro in
the month of February, or ten months before its publication in the
"New York World." This letter was not taken from a dead
soldier after the fight al Diana, as stated in the " World," for the
ficjlit took place about a month afterward. It was brought to
Maceo by some scouts, while he was encamped on the estate of
a French lady, near Coliseo, (Feb. 23.) I had become so accus
tomed to these " proofs " of atrocities, that without some more
convincing evidence from impartial sources, 1 decided to take no
notice of the letter in question, for I was not satisfied in my own
mind as to its authenticity.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 195
matter by the various insurgent chiefs in Pinar del Rio, :t is
with deep regret that I feel myself forced to correct a cer
tain statement made in connection with, and to give more
streugth to, his story. Whether the error in question was
intentional or a fault of the artist, I do not know; but it is
there, nevertheless, and as it tends to make the investiga
tion authoritative, and was so considered by many of our
legislators, it should be rectified. In connection with the
full-page story will be found a large map, which has the
following explanation printed below:
" Every black dot on this map indicates the spot where
one or more peaceable citizens, non-combatants, were
slaughtered by Spanish troops. The dotted line indicates
the route of the " World's " special correspondent on
horseback in personally investigating these atrocities."
As I was in the province of Pinar del Rio at that time,
and accompanied the " World " correspondent for over a
month, I can state, that out of the 120 places alleged to
have been inspected by him on his tour of investigation,
only about twenty were actually visited during the time he
was west of the trocha. And I may also state, in all seri
ousness, that for the space of more than a month, or while
we were together, we did not see one dead body, either
insurgent or " pacifico," and for two months previous to
our meeting, I was unable to collect any conclusive evidence
in regard to these alleged massacres. Many stories were
brought to my notice by the various insurgent chiefs: but
as they could never lead me to the spot to view the mur
dered person, nor could they even show me the graves, I
was compelled, through a sense of impartiality, to wait
until such time as I had ocular evidence on which to base
my letter. As I have never been able to have this desire
gratified, it will explain, to a certain extent, the reason
why my letters to the " Herald " were conspicuous by the
absence of these reports. It is fair and logical to suppose,
that if so many of these murders had taken place, I would

196 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
have at least seen the bodies of some of the victims,
as I was in the field longer than any other correspondent.
Mr. Scovel and myself have traveled together through
many parts of Cuba, and have been in many tight places,
in which he always exhibited the coolest nerve and
bravery. While I have nothing but admiration for his
reckless daring displayed on many occasions, I feel that
he has not fully realized the extent of the duplicity prac
ticed by the insurgents in regard to the question of atroci
ties; for Mr. Scovel will have to coincide in the fact, that
in all the different trips we have made together through
the country of Cuba, not once have we actually beheld the
body of a dead " pacifico," or an insurgent either, for that
matter. Scovel undoubtedly witnessed several glaring and
undeniable proofs of atrocities while he was in the district
to the east of the Mariel trocha, in the vicinity of Hoyo
Colorado. In these cases I can only join him in condemn
ing and denouncing the perpetrators of such outrages.
It seems very queer that, during the two months he was
in Pinar del Rio, Maceo and all his chiefs, employing the
utmost activity, could not furnish him with more cases
than is published in the " World;" for if he could accu
mulate only 200 such documents in that length of time, it
stands to reason that the assertion of the " trustworthy "
insurgent chiefs, to the effect that over 3,000 " pacificos "
were slaughtered by the Spanish troops, is another good ex
ample of the great elasticity of their tropical imagina
tions. Mr. Scovel was subsequently captured by the Spaniards
while attempting to return to Habana after an interview
with Gen. Gomez.
Notwithstanding the fact that he had done more to lower
the good name of Spain by employing the testimony fur
nished him by their enemies, and of even forwarding these
documents to our State Department, as the result of his
personal investigations, we find that instead of imposing a

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 197
sentence of imprisonment or death for the violation of the
existing military laws, which he had knowingly and re
peatedly defied, the Spanish authorities showed their hu
manity by liberating him. How many English, French,
or, in fact, generals of other nations, would permit such
flagrant violations to pass by without some punishment
being meted out to the offender? Take, for instance, the
present campaign of the English on the Nile, where the
commander-in-chief prohibited the correspondents from
marching with the troops on a certain expedition. Does
any one with common sense suppose that he would for one
minute stand any of the nonsense that has character
ized the campaign in Cuba, or would hesitate to sum
marily chastise an offender of this class, without regard to
his nationality? The release of Scovel should not be mis
interpreted as a sign of fear on the part of Spain, but
rather as a delicate compliment to the high officials who
interceded in his behalf, for, if Spain had decided to punish
him, the United States government could not have legally
demanded his release.
The " Mail and Express " of December 3d, 1896, has:
CLOSING IN ON HABANA.
The Latest News of the Insurgent Attack on Guanabacoa.
" New York World," of December 3d, 1896:
WEYLER DECREES DEATH.
He Has Given the Cuban People up to the Bayonet and
the Machete.
There is absolutely no proof to strengthen this story.
Key, West sends to the " Journal " of December 4th, the
following:
GENERAL WEYLER MAY BE HEMMED IN.
Gomez, with an Army of 20,000 Men, is Moving West to
Meet Him.

198 FACTS AND FAKES A"B"OUT CUBA.
Maceo, Strongly Intrenched in the H1II3, Awaiting an
Attack. — Captain-General, it is Reported, no Longer
Seeking an Engagement With His Wily Foe. — Cubans
are Ready for Battle. — Maceo Has Gathered His
Forces About Him, and Will Not Elude the Span-
. iards. — Much Anxiety Felt in Habana.
Note reports later on from same source contradicting*,
these stories.
The active correspondent of the " Mail and Express "
in Jacksonville sends on the same day:
TROOPS DESERT TO THE REBELS.
"A special from Key West (!) says that the Span
ish garrison of San Jose de Las Lajas, twenty miles south
east of Habana, abandoned their posts and joined the in
surgents." This is absolutely false.
" Maceo is reported to have exploded another mine be
tween Rubi and Cayajabos, and 500 Spanish soldiers were
killed or wounded. " — (Rev. A. J. Diaz, the Baptist Mis
sionary of Habana, was told this yarn by Cubans in New
Orleans. )
Note what has already been said on the subject.
Tampa sends to the " World " of the same day:
WEYLER WHIPPED AGAIN?
Two Hundred Wounded and Sick Soldiers Sent to Ha
bana From Points on the Trocha.
" Journal," December 5th:
WEYLER MAY BE LOST IN THE HILLS.
The " Journal," of December 6th, contains an absurd
story, entitled:
LO! ANOTHER AIR SHIP.
This One is to Fly Over the Spanish Camps in Cuba, and
Drop out Explosives.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 199
The " New York World," of December 6th, attempts
to clear up the mystery concerning El Inglesito, the insur
gent leader.
The story says that Julio Gold and Raoul Marti are the
same person; but the author of this book, who knows both
personally, is in a position to state that the " World " has
been imposed upon by some one anxious to make a few
dollars on the story.
The real Inglesito, or Alfredo Gold (or Gould), was a
major, under the orders of the chief of Matanzas Province.
Marti is a Frenchman, who told Maceo he had been a cap
tain in the French navy, aud the writer remembers him as
an engineer on the sugar estate, La Ceiba, before the war.
Marti was called by some " El Inglesito," from the fact
that he spoke a little English, and when any one asked
him if he was El Inglesito so much talked about, he
would never deny but that he was the man. Marti was
far the better man of the two, for Gold is of a simple
" guajiro " type, while the other has shown himself to be
possessed of many excellent qualities that go to make up
a soldier. Marti was the first Cuban to cross Weyler's trocha, was
wounded at Maceo's side during the- fight at El Descanso
de Las Lajas, near Consolacion del Sur, and finally arrived
in New York, and returned with the expedition under Ruis
Rivera. Gould, the original " Inglesito," was left by
Maceo in Matanzas in command of some 600 " impedi
menta." The Junta informs the " New York Times," of Decem
ber 8th, 1896, that private advices were received to the
effect that Gomez was now in the province of Habana.
Of course, there must be some explanation to account
for the stream of unreliable stories and " fakes " that
poured steadily into the leading papers. The " Morning
Advertiser," of the 18th of January, 1897, hits the nail on
the head in an editorial, entitled :

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" THE JUNTA LOCATED AT LAST.
/Since Senor Canovas, the Spanish premier, thought
it necessary to formally deny the existence, in connec
tion with the present rebellion in Cuba, of any treaties,
protocols or agreements of any kind whatever, it has been
ascertained that all the alleged instruments published dur
ing the week and reported to have relation with the present
uprising are " fakes." They are reproductions of treaties
a quarter of a century old, and forgotten by most people —
pure " fakes," so far as they have any bearing on the sit
uation of the day.
" But this, apparently, is only the beginning of the
truth. It is doubtful whether, of all the so-called special
correspondents alleged to be in Cuba, more than one, or,
at best, two, has ever strayed beyond the jurisdiction of
the United States. A Florida newspaper, in point of fact,
makes the by no means surprising assertion that the season
at Key West is unusually brisk and prosperous, owing to
the presence there of a number of newspaper correspond
ents, all of whom are dating their letters to their officers
from Habana or other points in Cuba.
" This opens up a wide field of conjecture. If Key
West is the newspaper Habana, what Gomez says or does is
evidently what the correspondential Junta provides that he
ought to say and do, colored by the individual fancy of the
correspondent and his special office instructions.
" Moreover, if this correspondential Junta succeeds in
firing the American heart, what raison d'etre has any
other Junta? In point of fact, is there any Junta except
that of the Habana correspondents happily idling away
their hours at draw poker at Key West, and meeting once
a day to swap lies and move the imaginary patriot forces
according to the will of the majority?
" With a copy of the ' Island of Cuba,' and a book of
travels before them, and an occasional interview with a
Key West cigar-maker over a cold bottle, what more does
the Junta want? Presto! there is the insurrection."
It is a well-known fact that at the time there were more
than thirty " war correspondents " in Key West trying to
devise a scheme to get to Gomez. One New York jour-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 201
nal had eight at one time in its employ. One of the
number was intrusted with the care of a diamond-hilted
sword, to be delivered to Gomez on arriving at his camp.
Another, a doctor, had under his care several large chests
of medicines and surgical instruments, donated by the
same journal. A swift yacht had been chartered to convey
them to different places on the coast of Cuba; but the
scheme failed, and after spending at least $25,000 to send
a man to Gomez without success, the plan was dropped.
The anticipated " scoop " on the ceremonies attending the
presentation *of the " priceless diamond-hilted sword "
from the " Journal " to the Commander-in-chief of the
Army of the Republic of Cuba, etc., dwindled down to the
following sequel, which must have been very bitter, to
Mr. Hearst. On the arrival of Mr. Sylvester Scovel at
Gomez's camp at Dagamal, he informed the old chief of
the desperate efforts of the " Journal " to present him
with this sword. Gomez already had heard various rumors
to the same effect; but instead of waiting to be formally
notified by the donator of the gift, he listened to the ad
vice and persuasion of Scovel, who at last triumph
antly carried off a signed note from Gomez to Hearst, in
which the old chief said that Sylvester knew what disposi
tion he wished to make of the pretty ornament. Think of
the feelings of Mr. Hearst on receiving a little note scrib
bled in a pocket memorandum-book of the correspondent
of his chief rival, telling him what to do with a present
that cost him many thousands of dollars! How little Gomez
thought he was destroying the greatest " scoop " of the
year! This desire to make a " scoop," and to call atten
tion to itself to increase circulation, is what prevented any
of their correspondents from reaching the field, for as soon
as Richard Harding Davis and Frederick Remington landed
in Habana, the paper immediately represented them as
being with the insurgents. While iu Cienfuegos I met
Davis, and we made arrangements to make a trip to

202 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Gomez's camp together. Our plans were all laid, and we
were ready to start the next morning. In the meantime,
the paper he represented arrived in the mail steamer from
Habana, and behold! it contained a full-page illustration of
Richard Harding Davis, mounted on a charger, (?) and load
ed down with cartridge-belts, repeating-rifles, and other
war-like trappings, and the readers were given to under
stand that this was he as he appeared traveling around the
country of Cuba with the insurgents. Mr. Davis was
registered in the hotel under his own name, and although
he had been systematically shadowed since his arrival in the
town, it is needless to state that when the Spanish author
ities saw the terrible picture in the " Journal," and then
looked at the hotel register, and came around» to get
a better squint at the original, they came to the conclusion
that Davis was a very dangerous character, and would bear
a little more surveillance. From, the picture in the " Jour
nal," one would think that their correspondent was some
great rebel leader, and this was probably the view taken
by the detectives iu Cienfuegos, who, waiting till Davis
was absent from the hotel, sent two servants of Gen. Pirn
into his room to search for documentary evidence. But
Davis came in while they were at work, and I was roused
from my siesta in an adjoining room by the sound of Span
ish curses and American " damns," and opened the door
just in time to see two undersized Spanish soldiers tum
bling out of Davis's room assisted by what for the moment
looked like a number fifteen boot. Of course explanations
were in order, and the muss was apparently smoothed over
to the satisfaction of all, but from the mutterings of those
soldiers, it would lead one to believe that Cienfuegos was a
very uncomfortable place for us to tarry in much longer.
The movements of Davis were carefully watched, which
prevented him from carrying out his intention of visiting
the camp of Gomez. This may have been considered as a
very bright piece of work by the " New York Journal,"

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 203
but they seemed to forget that the life of their correspond
ent was placed in jeopardy by this ruse to use his reputa
tion to increase their circulation. It is needless to say, that
if by any mishap he was arrested any distance outside the
lines, it would have gone hard with him, despite the efforts
of his paper in his behalf,
The " New York World " contains a series of downright
" fakes," no doubt forwarded to them by some of the
" war correspondents " mentioned in the editorial of the
" Morning Advertiser." The great feat at the time was
to obtain an interview with Gomez or some other leading
rebel chief, and the correspondents in Florida were evi
dently more than equal to the occasion. On January 18th
the paper presents a very neatly arranged " fake," with
double-leaded headers:
GENERAL RIUS RIVERA, MACEO'S SUCCESSOR,
SENDS FIRST NEWS TO THE "WORLD."
A World War Correspondent Lands on the Coast of Pinar
del Rio, and Finds the Great Rebel Leader.
First Tidings of the Insurgents Where the Fight Has Been
Hottest. — " We do not Want Americau Recruits.
We do not Even Want More Cuban Soldiers. We
Only Want More Cartridges."
This highly unimportant invention was supposed to have
been written " In the field, near San Cayetano, Pinar del
Rio, on the 8th of January, and sent by express courier
and special boat to the ' World.' "
The two following quotations are sufficient to expose this
"fake": " It is not true that a dynamite gun was used at Arti
misa. There were, perhaps, forty or fifty Americans with
Maceo when he entered this province, but I do not believe
there are half a dozen left."
The dynamite gun was used at Artimisa, as all the. iu-
habitants of that town can testify, and when Maceo en-

204 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
tered Pinar del Rio, there were only three Americans who
accompanied him, one of them being myself.
The second of these " fakes " is published on the 27th
of January, and is dated Habana, January 22d, via Key
West: " C. B. Hernandez, a Cuban messenger, has reached
Habana, after a perilous journey of over 400 miles, with a
message from Gen. Gomez, the insurgent commander-in-
chief. Mr. Hernandez's report is forwarded to Dr. Diaz, a
member of the Cuban Junta. It is dated Jaruco, January
19th." The utter falsity of the letter is proven, when the mes
senger says he found Gomez in camp near Las Esoaleras de
Jaruco, a point not thirty miles from Habana, while the
real camp of this chief was near Santa Teresa, in the
province of Santa Clara, 300 miles away.
The third of these " fakes " appeared in the " World "
and " Sun " on February 10, 1897:
The head -lines in the " World " are as follows:
WE WANT NOTHING FROM SPAIN. CDBA
HATES SPAIN.
A Special Correspondent's Account of an Interview With
Gen. Gomez in His Santa Clara Camp Ten Days
Ago.
The " World " Has Received From a Special Correspondent
the Following Report of an Interview With Gen. Max
imo Gomez, the First That Has Been Received from
the Insurgent Commander-in-Chief for Two Months.
Camp of Gen. Maximo Gomez, near Salado, Province of
Santa Clara, Cuba, January 29th, 1897.
The " New York Herald," two days afterward, exposed
this "fake." It says:
" In view of the pains taken by the ' Herald ' to ob
tain the truth with regard to the movements of the rebels
and the sentiments of their leaders in relation to the
scheme of reform offered by Spain, it is necessary to refer

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 205
to a syndicate story purporting to give an interview with
Gomez. The report contains many inaccuracies."
The editor then goes on and conclusively proves the
worthless character of the interview. To further assist in
the good work, I might state, that there was no such
camp :n that part of the province of Santa Clara, and that
Mr. Sci.vel and myselt were the only correspondents who
interviewed Gomez at that time.*
* The ITew TV-k Sua " persisted in calling attention to this
" fake " interview, by using it as an authority in editorials.

¦•¦^¦W',

i p
]W^,X
^ v..
- *- <i6-
.* '
¦Cf.aj^WW^.C^^v
ANTONIO MACEO.
From sketch taken in the hills of Pinar del Rio.
Page 207.
FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 207

CHAPTER VIII.
PROMINENT "FAKES."
Maceo's death. — Unscrupulous and ciiminal attempt to plunge the
country into a war with Spain. — The origin of this dastardly
and cowardly invention traced to Mr. Huau, of Jacksonville,
by the correspondent of the " Chicago Record." — Our Con
gress belittled and imposed upon by spurious citizens. — The
Ruiz case. — The starvation " fake." — Congress again bam
boozled into appropriating a sum five times in excess of what
was needed. — The Olivette "search outrage." — Letter of Mr.
Davis. — The Cisneros case, and declarations of Gen. Lee.
The climax in this campaign of atrocious lying on the
part of the Cubans employed as press correspondents in
Florida, is now reached. The country was startled on the
9 th of December by the report of Maceo's death, published
in all the papers, from the official report of the Spanish
authorities in Habana.
Without referring to all the various rumors thai; were
published in denial and confirmation of the report, I will
reproduce a few extracts from the leading papers, to more
thoroughly accentuate the charge of willful misrepresenta
tion on the part of the Cubans or their sympathizers. We
have been led to believe that the Spaniards were the only
prevaricators and falsifyers of news; but none of their mis
statements can equal the infamous story now set in circu
lation by the Cubans.
Maceo was dead; he had crossed the trocha without
being discovered by the Spanish sentinels; his presence in
the province of Habana was unknown to the Spaniards;
his force was attacked near Punta Brava by the battalion of
San Quintin, under Maj. Cirujeda, and in the fight Maceo

208 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
fell. This is, in brief, the story first put in circulation by
the government, and which time has corroborated. The
Cubans were at first loath to believe that their hero had
fallen, and all manner of denials came from their different
leaders. The loss of their bravest fighter naturally hurt
their cause to a certain extent, and something had to be
done to offset the effect produced by Spain's victory.
Maceo's physician, Dr. Zertucha, unwilling to fight
under any other chief, surrendered to the Spanish
authorities. " Aha!" said the Cubans, " this man is a
traitor, and has betrayed his general;" and then the entire
" staff " of the Jacksonville branch of the " war news
factory " set to work to concoct a story that would fasten
the infamous crime of treason and treachery on the doctor
and his alleged companion in crime, the Marquis de Ahu-
mada. The same idea was undoubtedly thought of by the other
branches of the " foundry;" but instead of all working
together on the same story, we find that each one invented
a different yarn. Of course, this is easily explained, for if
the Jacksonville product was allowed an exclusive monop
oly, the other branches would be forced to one side for a
time, and they would have to stand by and see all the
golden shekels pouring into the hands of the Huau con
cern. The " Herald " of December 13 th, 1896, contains two
distinct accounts of his death:
" An extraordinary story has reached the ' Herald,'
through Cuban sources, that Gen. Antonio Maceo, the
leader of the insurgent forces, was poisoned by one of his
followers, who was in league with the Spanish leaders. It
is said that an attack was made by Spanish troops for the
purpose of concealing the real method of the Cuban lead
er's death. One reason for not producing the body, it is
said, is because a post-mortem examination would reveal
the poison.
" The agent of the Junta in Jacksonville (Mr. Huau)

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 209
received a letter from Cuba which threw another light on
the story. His advices were, that the insurgent chieftain
was, on December 7th, decoyed into ambush, under the
pretext that Marquis de Ahumada, the acting captain-
general, desired to hold a conference with him, and then
killed in cold blood. All his staff, except the surgeon,
Dr. Maximo Zertucha, were slain."
A thousand and one different versions, all accusing the
Spaniards with treachery or assassination, now followed in
rapid succession from the various branches of the " fac
tory. " It made little difference how much these reports
conflicted, as long as they were accepted and published by
the press and the authors received their pay.
As all these " correspondents " were Cubans or Cuban
sympathizers, it suited their purpose to do all in their
power to blacken the name of Spain, and to prolong the ex
citement which their lies had created.
The Junta at New York heard, by the way of Jackson
ville, that Maceo and his staff crossed the trocha, where
they were met by the Marquis de Ahumada, and assassi
nated with machetes. Another dispatch from Jackson
ville said that Maceo kept an engagement with Ahumada
to arrange plans for a cessation of hostilities on a basis of
Cuba's independence, and was treacherously murdered.
A dispatch from Atlanta contained a statement that the
failure to produce Maceo's body was because its mutilated
condition would shock even Spanish sensibilities. Another
dispatch said, that Maceo received advices from Gomez that
the commander-in-chief was preparing an invasion of the
West, that would take him to the very gates of Habana,
and that the moral effect would be good if Maceo should
cross the trocha and join him. Acting on this advice,
Maceo accordingly crossed the trocha; his movements were
known to the Spaniards, who set a trap for him, and he
was caught and killed.
It would fill a good-sized pamphlet to reproduce all the

210 FACTS AUD EASES ABOUT CUBA.
different lies and inventions and exaggerated versions con
cerning the death of Maceo.
Our conservative press wisely refrained from any direct
editorial comment denouncing Spain; but the pro-Cuban
papers gave vent to their opinions, as though every word
of these distorted and conflicting reports was true.
The " Journal " says in an editorial:
" Maceo is dead! Ay, but how slain? Comes the story,
well authenticated, that black treachery alone accomplished
the deed. With a traitor on his own staff, lured by treach
ery to a reudezvous, under protection of the Spanish word
of honor, all unsuspecting, he fell— he and the boy Gomez
— under the murderous fire of ambushed assassins."
It will be noted that all these stories lacked the signature
of a responsible person to vouch for their accuracy. The
only names that appeared as authorities for the abominable
series of misrepresentations were those of Mr. Huau and
Justo Carrillo, a brother of the Cuban leader, both of
Jacksonville. These two circulators of the report are de
fended by the rather flimsy subterfuge of having received
letters from Habana disclosing the plot.
[From the "Chicago Record," Feb. 6, 1897.]
Special correspondence of the " Chicago Record."
" Tampa, Fla., Feb. 4.— The chief of the Junta in
Florida is a Cuban cigar dealer at Jacksonville with a
Chinese name — Mr. Huau, which is pronounced " Wow "
— who was formerly mayor of the city. He has a little
shop on the corner of the principal street of the Florida
metropolis, where there is very little business going on,
but a good deal of conspiracy. That little shop is the
fountain from which flows a continual stream of sensa
tional and exciting information. It was the source of the

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 211
story of Maceo's assassination by treachery, but, curiously
enough, the Jacksonville papers would not print it, for
they were too familiar with the methods of the inventor.
Mr. Huau claimed to have received a letter from a
friend in Maceo's camp, giving the particulars, but the
letter came one day in advance of the mails. If Mr.
Huau's friend had written it the hour after Maceo's death,
and the postal facilities in the insurgent country had been
as good as they are in Northern Illinois, he should have
received the letter by the steamer that arrived at Tampa
the same day that it was given to the press, and it should
have arrived at Jacksonville the very morning that it ap
peared in the newspapers of New York and Chicago.
Being familiar with the movement of the mails, the Jack
sonville papers declined to print that interesting communi
cation. They knew that if it was genuine it must have
been written by some clairvoyant at least a week before
the events it described, and the Jacksonville newspapers
are not so very particular, either. They reflect public
sentiment, and are strongly in sympathy with the insur
gents." A Washington paper gives us to understand that Gon-
zalo Quesado, the "Minister Plenipotentiary" of the
" Republic of Cuba," has industriously circulated a story
to the effect, that Maceo and forty of his men were invited
to breakfast by the Marquis de Ahumada, and treacher
ously served with roast quail that had previously been poi
soned. In various interviews with the Washington correspond
ents of our leading journals, this diplomat gives an official
approval to the various stories in circulation, but just

212 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
which one he fails to state. " Maceo's assassination means
the freedom of Cuba," said Secretary Quesado to the
" Herald " correspondent. " There is no question in my
mind that Maceo was assassinated," etc.
The representatives of the Junta in New York expressed
themselves in a similar manner. The stories had their
effect, and the whole country was soon ringing with indig
nation, and prominent legislators, clergymen, and others
in authority, not waiting for further corroboration of the
report, committed themselves by speeches of condemnation
of Spain, and requesting an immediate recognition of
Cuba's independence; while others, still more enthusiastic,
were in favor of declaring war against " the barbarous
nation that had so flagrantly abused the existing code gov
erning civilized warfare."
Our jingo legislators in Washington were not behind in
this precipitate rush to denounce a friendly nation on the
mere word of irresponsible citizens.
Senator Chandler said: "It is a typical demonstration
of the brutal and uncivilized methods of warfare Spain is
using against the Cubans. It has no parallel in the his
tory of the world. The massacre of Gen. Maceo and his
staff should cause Congress and President Cleveland to im
mediately recognize the absolute independence of the
Cubans." Senator Mills expressed himself as though the canard
was already proved. Among other things, he said: " There
is no doubt in my mind that Maceo's death was brought
about by the violations of a flag of truce — one of the
basest infractions of the laws of war. I hope strongly for
forcible action on the part of Congress and the President."
Senator Cullom openly favored intervention by the
United "States, and said: " No words can express the
righteous indignation of a civilized power at the atrocious
act of Spain which has caused the death of the Cuban
leader, I know of no international law that would author-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 213
ize active intervention on the part of the United States, but
the universal feeling of indignation at wanton cruelty
prompts any civilized nation to take steps to interfere in
cases of such brutality."
Senator Thurston said he would vote to enter the pro
test of this Government against the manner of warfare
being carried on in Cuba.
Mr. McMillan, of Tennessee, and Berry, of Kentucky,
favored some action by the Government which would show
to the world that the United States did not stand idly by,
and by its silence approve of the methods of the Spanish
government against Cuba.
The climax of this universal outcry against the Spanish
government was reached, when our Senators and Congress
men, who, without waiting for further evidence to substan
tiate this cowardly calumny, introduced in their respective
chambers certain resolutions in condemnation of Spain and
the method of warfare carried on in Cuba.
Senator Wilkinson Call, of Florida, submitted the fol
lowing resolution:
" Resolved — That the killing of Gen. Antonio Maceo, a
renowned officer in service of the Republic of Cuba, if true,
while under a flag of truce, and with the assurance of
safety from the Spanish captain-general, was a violation of
the rules of civilized war, an outrage of base treachery, a
murder, cowardly and disgraceful, which demands the ex
ecration of every government and of all the people of the
world, whether civilized or savage; that the government
which authorizes, permits, or fails to punish the assassins
who are connected in any way with the guilt of this crime
with the extreme penalty of the law, is an outcast from the
family of nations, and from the pale of civilization and
public law, and that the Committee on Foreign Relations
be directed to make inquiry as to the facts, and report to
the Senate at an early day.

214 EACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" Resolved— That the President be requested to demand
the release of all United States citizens imprisoned in the
Spanish penal colony on the island of Ceuta, off the coast
of Africa.
" Resolved — That the Secretary of State be requested to
forward to the Senate a list of all United States citizens
imprisoned in Spanish settlements, penal colonies, and
prisons, together with the circumstances of arrest, charges,
conviction," etc.
Representative Milford W. Howard, of Alabama, offered
the following resolution in the House:
" Resolved — That the United States shall recognize Cuba
as a free and independent government, and shall ac
cord to her people all such rights in the ports and within
the jurisdiction of the United States."
On the 15th of December, Representative WoodmaD, of
Illinois, introduced in the House a joint resolution direct
ing the President to act in Cuban affairs. The preamble
recites the " murder " of Gen. Maceo and the members of
his staff, declares the war of extermination carried on by
the Spanish government against the Cuban Republic, en
tirely opposed to the rules of civilized warfare and a dis
grace to civilization, and says the President has failed to
carry out the wishes of the people of the United States.
The resolution reads:
" Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
that the President be and is hereby directed to express to
the government of Spain, through its authorized officials,
severe condemnation of the methods of warfare pursued by
its forces in Cuba, and especially of the means resorted to
in the murder of Gen. Antonio Maceo.
" Resolved— That the President is hereby directed to
recognize the Republic of Cuba as an independent State,
and to accord said Republic of Cuba all the rights and

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 215
privileges in the ports and territory of the United States as
are enjoyed by the most favored nation.
" Resolved — That the President be and he is hereby di
rected to demand of the government of Spain, through its
official representatives, that all armed forces of Spain be at
once withdrawn from the island of Cuba and its ports, and
to take such steps as may be necessary to enforce such de
mand." These different resolutions were referred to the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations.
Senator Mills, when interviewed by the correspondent of
the " New York Journal," gave out some very strong
views on the question, and openly favored war with Spain,
if the reports were true. He says :
" If this story of Maceo's assassination be true, the
Spanish minister should be given his passports at once, and
we should boldly go to the help of this suffering people.
" No man can deny that it is the United States that
holds Cuba in vassalage to Spain. How proud we must
be, as American citizens, to stand guard over that atrocious
villain, Weyler, in his work of desolation and death, but
who would not be there to-day if the United States would
draw her sword, as it is her duty to do. This whole thing
should stop. It should stop now — to-day, not next week.
We should make the demand upon Spain, and enforce that
demand with the whole military and naval strength of the
nation." In the midst of this unreasonable and uncalled-for tor
rent of abuse directed against a friendly nation, that was
not even given a chance to disprove the outrageous accusa.
tion, it was a pleasure to see that there were many of our
foremost men, and many editors of prominent papers who
endeavored to check the movement initiated by the dema
gogues. The " New York Tribune " of the 16th of Decem
ber, 1896, publishes a very sensible editorial on the ques
tion, and merits reproduction.

216 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.

" IF TRUE.
" It may perhaps be remembered that among the
preliminary processes preparatory to secession and the init
iation of the war against the Union was what was known
as ' firing the Southern heart ' with stories of Northern ag
gression and abolition outrages upon the rights of Southern
citizens traveling with their slave property in the North.
The proceedings of Congress during that period blazed
with language of the most lurid character; the resources
of the vocabulary were taxed to the utmost to give expres
sion to the frenzied feelings of the truculent statesmen,
who had worked themselves into a passion, and would
listen to no alternative but secession and an independent
Southern Confederacy. The work of ' firing the Southern
heart ' was successful. We know what followed. The
men who wanted war had it, and, we believe, had enough of
it to satisfy them for a time. But some of them, it seems,
have suffered a relapse, and are again clamoring for war.
Having failed to incite domestic disturbance in the recent
elections, by arraying classes of citizens against each other,
they are now eager to plunge the country into a foreign
war, for which purpose they are emitting sulphurous reso
lutions by the yard, and filling the ' Congressional Record '
with red-hot speeches that fairly sizzle with the fervor of
patriotism. This is the new process of firing the patriotic
heart of the whole country.
They are overdoing it. They are making the cause they
so hotly espouse simply ridiculous by their unreasoning ad
vocacy — by their headlong haste, their wild and careless
speech, their gross exaggerations, and their blind credulity.
Take such a resolution, for instance, as that of Senator
Call, of Florida, introduced in the Senate on Monday,
wherein the killing of Maceo, if true," etc. (Here is re
produced the resolution of this Senator.) " And all this
flood of passionate declamation, based not upon known and
authenticated facts, but upon contradictory newspaper re
ports, and prefaced with a conditional ' If true!' ' If
true!' In the name of common sense, why should any one
get in such a heat, as this resolution clearly discloses, over
a state of affairs which it implicitly admits may not exist
at all? Why not wait for the truth, instead of taking the
risk of making ourselves ridiculous by getting into a passion

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 2l7
over a report which may later be proven to have no foun
dation? " The sympathy of the American people with the strug
gling Cubans is well known. It has been demonstrated in
all reasonable and legitimate ways. If the question of
Cuban independence could be settled by the vote of our
citizens, there is no doubt that it would be practically
unanimous in its favor. But in existing conditions and
upon such facts as are known, it may as well be admitted
that we are practically powerless to lend efficient aid. It
is well to bear in mind that our government is amenable
to the law of nations, and even in the manifestation of its
sympathy with oppressed peoples is under express limita
tions. It has the gravest responsibilities to discharge and
its own dignity to maintain. It can not discharge its re
sponsibilities by plunging recklessly into war or trifling
with serious questions that threaten disturbance of the
peace. Nor can it maintain its dignity when its highest
legislative body permits its time to be wasted in the discus
sion of windy resolutions based upon statements which
have to be conditioned upon the saving clause ' If true!' "
It is to be deplored that our fiery-tongued statesmen did
not consult with our consul-general in Habana before al
lowing themselves the free expression of their opinions.
The " New York World " is to be commended in securing
an official statement from Capt. -Gen. Weyler on the sub
ject. The " Herald " also reproduced a long letter from
the accused physician, Dr. Zertucha, in which he also gives
a correct narrative of what occurred. But the majority of
the people preferred to accept the other side of the story,
and the signed statements of these two were looked upon as
base fabrications to conceal their part in the crime.
Capt. -Gen. Weyler's letter to the "World" is as fol
lows: " Habana, December 14th.
" To the Editor of the ' New York World ':
" Maceo died as a result of the feeble state in which were
the insurgent bands at Habana. Doubtless before the

218 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
sudden attacks and the constant persecution of the bat
talion of San Quintin, they were losing ground.
" To reorganize these bauds, he put himself at their
head, and for this he died, with part of the staff accom
panying him.
" In the same manner have died many generals in all
the wars over the world.
" Maceo was not killed in ambush.
" My assertion can be proved by the fact that the Span
ish column which fought against his forces had to maintain
itself against the fire of the insurgents, and the insurgents
were strong enough in number to retake the bodies of
Maceo and the son of Maximo Gomez, which were carried
away from the field.
" Maceo was surrounded by his own men, who embarked
with him and passed the trocha. It is affirmed by his own
physician, Dr. Zertucha.
" It is not true that Maceo was coming for any confer
ence with me. I can prove it with two reasons. The first
is, that if 1 was in the province of Pinar del Rio, how
could I summon him to the province of Habana? The
second is, that knowing myself the situation in which Maceo
was in Pinar del Rio, knowing that his situation was so
desperate that he asked help from the rebel forces in the
other parts of the island, I would not be so innocent as to
agree to a conference with him in a place where he would
be out of the trocha.
" Once in Habana, he would have resolved the problem
of breaking the circle in which I had him and his forces in
Pinar del Rio.
" Maceo died as fell all who commanded forces who at
the sight of the enemy fly away.
" This discouraged band he brought to Habana with the
hope of making it fight. Any other chief in similar cir
cumstances, if his men disbanded, would be sure to die.
And that is what happened to Maceo.
"(Signed) Weyler."
This story of Maceo's death was made official, and was
telegraphed to the Spanish Minister, Dupuy de Lome, at
Washington. The official announcement from the Minister of State at
Madrid was made public.

PACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 219
" Madrid, December 15 th, 1896.
" To Spanish Minister, Washington:
" Maceo's death took place in loyal fight at Punta Brava,
and was caused by our soldiers' bullets. This is evidently
proved by the letter written by the son of Maximo Gomez,
in which he states that he killed himself iu order not to
abandon the body of his general. The handwriting of the
letter has been verified, and also every detail of the fight,
time, and circumstances when Maceo and the son of Gomez
were wounded. All these details have been published in
Europe by telegrams from both Spanish and foreign corre
spondents.
"Tetuan."
The Spanish Legation made every effort to discover
the author of the slander. Attached to the foregoing
report was a note saying, that they " hoped to discover the
origin of the report of Maceo's assassination, and to trace
it to a certain Cuban resident in Jacksonville." The note
further says, that the presence in Jacksonville of various
newspaper correspondents at the time of the reported
assassination of Maceo " explained the wide circulation of
the slander."
Slowly but surely our legislators began to see that they
had been made the dupe of unscrupulous citizens of Cuban
extraction, and had barely escaped making themselves
ridiculous in the eyes of the world. But it is a notorious
fact, that while our press eagerly published every detail of
the different stories charging Spain with the crime, the
" New York Herald " stands alone in attempting to pub
lish the truth forwarded to them by their correspondent in
the field. Notwithstanding that many of our citizens are
by this time convinced of the utter falsity of the Cuban
story, it is to be regretted that nine tenths of our people
still implicitly believe it. Ask any man you meet on the
street how Maceo died, and he will answer, " By Spanish
treachery. "
The complete inside details of the motives that caused

220 PACTS AND PAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Maceo to abandon Pinar del Rio will only be known when
the war is over.
The author of this book arrived in the camp of Gen.
Gomez six weeks after the event, aud shortly after Gomez
had received the official report of Brig. Miro, Maceo's chief
of staff.
The result of my investigations clearly proved that
Maceo died, as had already been reported by the Spanish
authorities. Zertucha, " the traitor," was completely ex
onerated by his old chief, and we find that, instead of the
Spaniards, the Cubans are arrayed before public opinion as
being guilty of perpetrating the most contemptible and
base calumny of modern times.
The investigations of Sylvester Scovel on the scene of
the fight also cleared the Spanish general and Dr. Zer
tucha from the infamous charge. The fate of his letter to
the " World " covering this question has already been ex
plained in the first part of this book.
While I was not so fortunate as to collect my informa
tion on the spot, the result is none the less important, for
*t is derived from the highest insurgent authorities, and
from those who crossed the trocha with him and took part
in the fight that ended his career.
On my arrival at the insurgents' head-quarters, I found
Brig. Silverio Sanchez, who was in command of the Western
Brigade of Habana at the time Maceo crossed the trocha.
Sanchez was an old friend of mine, as we had often camped
together while with Maceo in Pinar del Rio.
It was his forces that came to aid Maceo before the fight
which ended in the latter's death. I asked him a few ques
tions on the subject, and he informed me that Maceo had
fallen mortally wounded in a fair fight. His answer was
corroborated by his adjutant, Capt. Manola Olivera, who
was formally a great personal friend of mine in the city of
Matanzas. They also told me that when he fell he was abandoned.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 221
His body was subsequently found during the night by his
companions with the aid of torches.
I also saw while there the young negro who acted as Ma
ceo's servant. He accompanied his chief across the trocha,
and after his death continued on with Miro to the head
quarters of the government, and at the time was employed
as servant to " President " Cisneros. He refused to talk
on the subject, probably acting under orders of his chief;
but I finally got enough out of him to substantiate what
Sanchez had already told me. In regard to the conduct of
Sanchez at the fight at Punta Brava, in his letters to the
" Herald," Zertucha says: " I met Brig. Sanchez, and in
formed him of what had happened. He, while issuing
orders, giving excuses, etc., did really nothing."
This part of his story was probably also accepted by
Gomez and others, who spoke of Sanchez in a deprecating
manner. Gen. Gomez also told me that Maceo and his son had
fallen in a fair battle, but that he would never forgive the
Spaniards for mutilating the body of his son.
While they all spoke of Zertucha with contempt for
abandoning the cause, not one of his officers would accuse
him of treachery in Maceo's death. Miro had already been
to Gomez's camp, and submitted his report as chief of
staff. The correspondent of the " Herald," Mr. Stable,
held an interview with him, and told me that Miro also
exonerated Zertucha from the charge of treachery.
Miro kept on his way to visit his family in the East, and
promised to write a report of Maceo's death for the " Her
ald," in which all particulars, except the exact point
where the trocha was crossed, would be made clear.
I had already met "Maj. -Gen. "Pedro Diaz on my
way to Gomez's camp; he also stated that Maceo had fallen
in honorable battle. It will be remembered that Diaz was
one of the few who crossed the trocha with his chief, and
was directing another part of the fight. He claims to

222 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
have rescued the body of Maceo, and was promoted by
Gomez to his present rank for his bravery.
On a subsequent visit to Diaz's camp, I again referred to
the death of Maceo, and after he had given me certain de
tails, I requested a signed statement from him for publica
tion in the " Herald," that would clear up the " mystery,"
and lift the infamous charge of treason from the shoulders
of his old companion, Dr. Zertucha. While he frankly ad
mitted that Zertucha was innocent, he positively refused
to sign any document without authorization of his su
periors. On my second trip to Gomez's camp, I found there
Charles Gordon, an American who had landed in Habana
Province the year previous in the expedition of the " Three
Friends." I had met Gordon there, and we made several
trips together through the country. He subsequently
joined Maceo in Pinar del Rio when the heavy fighting
commenced, and proved so valuable that he was promoted
to a colonelcy. He was one of the few selected to accom
pany Maceo to Habana Province, and was twice wounded
when his chief was killed. When his wounds permitted,
he made his way and reported to Gomez, aud petitioned a
command to return to Habana, as he told me, " to get
square with Cirujeda."
The salient points in his story were as follows:
Maceo, accompanied by twelve of his staff and four serv
ants, crossed the military line of Mariel and Majana during
the early part of the night of December 4th. The party
was composed of Maceo, JMiro, Diaz, Nodarse, Piedra,
Penalver, Justiz, Sanvanell, Zertucha, Francisco Gomez,
Ahumada, and himself. The four servants increased the
number to sixteen. All of these persons were well known
to the author of this book, and they are just the men that
Maceo would naturally select for his companions.
Miro was his chief of staff, and as such could not be left
behind.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 223
As Rius Rivera had been sent to take charge of the prov
ince, it is but natural that Pedro Diaz, his superior in rank,
could not consistently remain. Nodarse was his most
trusted adjutant, and Maceo had long since promised to
send him East. Gordon and Piedra were taken on
account of their ability as fighters. Piedra has been
wounded seven times by Maceo's side, and Nodarse six.
Justiz was his chief clerk, who kept the archives. San-
vanell was his godson, and Penalver his right-hand guide.
Gomez was taken along out of compliment to his father,
and proved to be the most faithful in the end. Gordon
says that the trocha was crossed in the Bay of Mariel.
A small, flat-bottomed boat had been secured to make the
trip on. It only held four persons, and consequently made
four trips.
During the fight at Punta Brava, Gordon says, that
while Maceo and his staff were watching the fight, a heavy
volley w*as fired directly at them, and caused all the havoc.
Maceo was shot through the neck, and fell mortally
wounded. Nodarse, Piedra, himself, and three others were
also wounded by the same volley. Justiz and another were
killed. As usual in such cases, a general dispersion was
the result. I can not recall the full particulars of what
followed; but Gordon admitted that Maceo's body lay
where it fell for some time, and at night a general search
was instituted, resulting in the discovery of the mutilated
corpses of their chief and young Gomez. The latter was
found with his head split in two, and only a shred of flesh
at the nose held the halves together. They were buried in
a secure hiding-place, and the secret is only known to but
very few. The full particulars of this event will probably
never be known, as every one who was there tells a differ
ent story. Their eagerness to exculpate their conduct in
abandoning their chief has given rise to many of these con
flicting reports. Pedro Diaz claims to have gallantly res
cued the bodies, and owes his promotion to the rank of

224 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
major-general for his conduct. Gordon and others tell a
different story, and say that he owes his promotion to the
fact that he was the first to reach the head-quarters of
Gomez and present his side of the story.
A summary of the facts in the case reveals the following:
Maceo fell, as fell many a brave leader, at the head of
his troops. His body was abandoned, as was that of Zayas,
Mirabal, and others, and as Rivera was deserted by his
men in the hour of peril. His motives for crossing the
trocha were: either he was summoned by the government
to supersede Gomez, or he had determined to go and see
for himself what the old fellow was up to, and why he had
been abandoned in Pinar del Rio for so long a time with
out one effort made to relieve him. No matter which way
we look at it, it is only too clear that the American people,
the press, our Congress, the clergy, and other prominent
persons, have been grossly, willfully, and criminally duped
and deceived in this case by a gang of unprincipled speci
mens of humanity, who, under cover of their American
citizenship, have essayed to embroil this country in a war
with Spain to gain a point that they are powerless to attain
by legitimate methods or by their own exertions, and to
accomplish which, they have not scrupled to descend to the
lowest depths of falsehood, exaggerations, and calumnies.
And it would be safe to wager, that in the event of such a
conflict, as the outcome of their lying, they would be found
emigrating to some other country, to afterward return to
the land of their birth to enjoy the benefits and liberty
that the disinterested Americans would have fought and
paid for. It is an almost certain and sure fact that if all
the Cubans who have emigrated to this country during the
last two years, and who profess to be such stanch patriots
and fire-eaters, had remained there to fight their country's
battles in the field, they might have been far nearer
their ideal than they are at present, and at the same time
saved themselves the stigma of having inaugurated the

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 225
most unscrupulous campaign of misrepresentation that our
country has been forced to tolerate.
1 have already cited enough instances to prove my asser
tions about the manner our press is persistently imposed
upon. The preceding examples of misinformation, for
warded to the papers by their correspondents and by inter
ested parties, are only a very small proportion of the total,
and I do not hesitate to state that fully three quarters of the
Cuban news so collected have completely failed to coincide
with later and more truthful accounts.
Further comment upon this subject is unnecessary; but
if the slightest doubts should exist as to the truth of my
assertions, I would suggest that before hasty judgment or
criticism is indulged in by Americans who sympathize with
the Cubans, a study of the files of our prominent papers
will enable them to see that my statements are carried out
by undeniable facts.
I will close this chapter with a brief resume of the three
leading questions that have been brought before the
American public since the beginning of this year, and we
will again see that when one subject is exhausted, our
" friends " quickly find another, and in the end, all of
them have proved to be without sufficient grounds to war
rant our Government's interference.
The Ruiz case is still fresh in the memory of our people.
We were given to understand that Consul-Gen. Lee had
tendered his resignation, to take effect if the Government
did not back him up with a man-of-war in the harbor of
Habana. Ruiz's death was to be made an issue between the
two governments, and the " laborantes " were once more
in their element. The startling and conflicting versions of
this case occurred too recently to be already forgotten.
The country once more rang with indignation, and war
talk was again freely indulged in. A joint investigation
committee was sent to Habana, to inquire into the details
of Ruiz's death, and on the outcome our country was. to

226 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
base its demands on Spain. Is it remarkable, that after
all the investigating, cross-examining, etc., we again find
that our Congress was being drawn into an untenable posi
tion? For, despite the fact that circumstantial evidence
was strong against Spain, no sufficient proof on which to
base a decided stand could be found. While many may be
morally certain that Ruiz was foully dealt with, and Spain
is indirectly responsible for his death, the investigation
failed to bring any new facts to light that would incrimi
nate the Spanish authorities.
The readers of the newspapers will remember that on
the return of Mr. Calhoun he expressed himself to the
effect, that it was utterly impossible to arrive at any direct
conclusion, owing to the difficulty in distinguishing tho
truth from amongst the thousand and one improbable
stories circulating in Habana.
The Ruiz case once disposed of, the next step of the cor
respondents and the " laborantes " was to initiate the
starvation sensation. This subject has been fully explained
in another chapter, and only demonstrates how our Con
gressmen have allowed themselves to be imposed upon, for
as yet only $10,000 of the amount voted for their relief has
been disposed of, and it is safe to state that even then con
siderable difficulty was experienced in hunting the suffer
ers. The "New York Evening Post" devotes several
editorials on this subject. One of them says:
" Those distressed Americans in Cuba have been pretty'
thoroughly forgotten by the dear public since the dear
public found out there weren't any. But the consuls are
doing their best to distribute the money Congress voted in
the dark. A newspaper of Sagua, the ' Productor,' says,
that the American consul there, not being able to find any
needy countrymen, is giving away his quota to Chinamen
and negroes. And the ' Region of Matanzas ' says the
same thing is going on in its neighborhood. It gives the
names of some persons, who were suffering Cuban ' pacifi
cos,' driven from their homes by the, brutal Spaniards, until

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 227
they heard of this fund for distressed Americans, where
upon they became distressed Americans on the spot.
Really, the organized charities ought to send some of their
circulars to President McKinley and Congress, warning
them against being taken in by impostors."
On the 4th of June, the same paper prints another edi
torial on the same question :
" The Cubans may be starving, but they themselves are
not aware of it. A member of Gomez's staff, fresh from
the field, after two years' service, informed the Senate sub
committee yesterday that the starvation which Congress
was in such a hurry to relieve was imaginary. That the
insurgents were short of supplies, he denied ' with great
emphasis,' and affirmed that the people of the island were
not suffering for food. This agrees with other and first-
class testimony. Congress might easily have found this
out had it not adopted, in foreign affairs, the policy of
voting in headlong haste, and without debate, whatever
money is demanded. As things are, it is now left in the
foolish position of having given a sturdy beggar five times
what he can possibly need. And the worst of it is that it
did this, not on the representation of the beggar himself,
who never dreamed of being so impudent, but on the
malicious urging of a lot of street gamins — ' war corre
spondents,' they call themselves in this case."
The " Diario de la Marina," a newspaper of Habana, on
the 3d of June, prints a letter from a correspondent in
Santa Clara, making a savage attack upon the United
States consul at Sagua La Grande, Walter B. Barker,
charging him, among other things, with furnishing relief
in the shape of provisions to Messrs. Seigle and Yova and
their families, both of whom are said to be owners of sugar
estates, and not in need of assistance.
The " Evening Post " of the 3d of June, also says:
" What we, as Americans, ought most to fix our eyes
upon just now is the blundering, the farcical course our
press and our Congress have followed in all the long strug
gle. There is a right way and a wrong way for this coun-

228 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
try to approach the Cuban question, and we have almost
invariably chosen the wrong way. We have bellowed
about belligerency when there were no belligerents, and
have raved about recognizing independence when the gov
ernment to be recognized could not be found. It appears
now that even our last step — the voting $50,000 for the
relief of starving Americans in Cuba — was little else than
a huge bunco game played on our President and Congress.
" What is the evidence for all this? Well, in the first
place, official action and non-action. Consul-Gen. Lee put
the first pin into the bubble when he telegraphed that
$10,000 was ample to relieve all the distressed Americans
in Cuba. This seemed instantly to paralyze the official
relievers in Washington. Where are those ships that were
to be chartered? Where are the supplies? Nothing is
heard about this any more, and our fine humane outburst
begms to look uncommonly silly. If 110,000 is more than
enough, why all the heroics about voting $50,000?
" Now, what do the men say, and who know actually
and from first hand observation what is the state of the
case in Cuba? They say that the 1,200 starving Ameri
cans are so many men in buckram. There may be a few
Jesus Maria Rodriguezes and Trinidad Espinosas, with
American naturalization papers, in want or anxious to be
brought to this country, but any general destitution, much
less any actual danger of starvation, it is emphatically as
serted that there is not. The truth seems to be that Am
erican starvation in Cuba is largely an invention of our
lying newspaper correspondents. First they tried belliger
ency, and failed; last year they essayed to work " the
atrocity racket;" this year they took up the starvation
dodge, and have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
" If all this is true — and we have the best of evidence of
believing it to be — the country has been most shamefully
imposed upon. We have allowed humbug aud mendacious
correspondents to lead us into a ridiculous position. We
have flown to relieve distress which was the creature of our
own imagination — or, rather, of the ' faking ' reporters'
imagination. " The lack of accurate information on the part of our
Government is disgraceful. Yet, with consuls and special
commissioners who can not speak a word of Spanish, who
know nothing of Spanish law, who never stir out of the

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 229
cities, and who are easily gulled by the riff-raff that hangs
about a consulate, what else is to be expected? But to
turn from incompetent consuls to braggart and falsifying
reporters, and to base governmental action upon their ro
mantic flights, is to turn the whole Cuban tragedy into a
roaring farce."
One of the most flagrant abuses of modern journalism
appeared in the " New York Journal " of February
12th, 1897, where the artist, misinterpreting the idea of
the correspondent's letter, depicted a refined and cultured
young lady of Cuban birth undergoing a search at the
hands of three Spanish officials, and standing nude in
their presence. This outrage was supposed to have taken
place on board the American steamer " Olivette," in the
harbor of Habana.
The young ladies in question had been ordered to leave
the island within a specified time. The charge against
them was, sympathizing with the insurgents and holding
communication with them in the field. One of these, on
her arrival in this country, confessed to having visited the
camp of her brother, and carrying documents through to
this country. There is no doubt that she was as plucky as
she was fair, for during the trip that she confessed to have
made in September, I was in her brother's camp at Vista
Hermosa. Shortly after she had left the house where the
meeting took place, the Spanish troops came along, and
after searching every nook and corner, they destroyed the
dwelling by setting it on fire. In view of her statement
published in the " New York World," in which she admits
these visits, it is clear that the Spanish authorities are not
so anxious to make war upon women, as many of our sen
sational correspondents would have us believe, for there is
no doubt that here was an excellent opportunity to prose
cute this young lady, and yet they actually permit her to
go " scot " free, after satisfying themselves that she was
not the bearer of secret dispatches.

230 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The story that she had been stripped and searched by
male inspectors naturally created considerable indignation,
and, as usual, our jingo legislators in Washington, in their
anxiety to have their fame spread by the " penny awfuls,"
could not wait until all the facts were laid before them,
but, like the Maceo case, the starvation " fake," the Ruiz,
and other cases, they immediately began their same old
tactics to precipitate trouble between this country and
Spain before the real facts were known. On the day fol
lowing the appearance of the " fake," Congressman
Amos Cummings introduced the following resolution in
the House:
" Resolved, by the House of Representatives of the United
States of America, that the Honorable Secretary of State
be hereby requested, if not incompatible with the public
interest, to give to the House of Representatives any infor
mation he may have concerning the incident of the strip
ping of three lady passengers on the United States mail
steamer ' Olivette,' in the harbor of Habana, by detectives,
as related .by the correspondent of the ' New York Jour
nal ' of the date of the 12th inst."
The " New York Journal " of February 14th contains
an opinion of Prof. Beale, of Harvard College, as to the
right of Spain to search suspected persons on board foreign
vessels in their own ports. It is as follows:
" Cambridge, Mass., February 13.
" Editor ' New York Journal ' :
" So long as a state of war has not been recognized by
this country, the Spanish government has not the right to
stop and search our vessels on the high seas for contraband
of war or for any other purpose, nor would it have the right
to subject American citizens or an American vessel in
Cuban waters to treatment which would not be legal in the
case of Spanish citizens or vessels.
" But the Spanish government has the right in Cuba to
execute upon American citizens or vessels any laws prevail
ing there in the same way it woujd execute them upon the

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 231
Spaniards, unless they are prevented by the provisions of
some treaty with the United States. The fact that the
vessel in the harbor of Havana was flying a neutral flag,
could not protect it from the execution of Spanish law.
" However unwise or inhuman the action of the Spanish
authorities may have been in searching the women on
board the ' Olivette,' they appear to have been within their
legal rights. Joseph H. Beale, Jr.
" Professor of International Law at Harvard Law
School." After all the fiery speeches, frantic denunciations of
Spain's conduct, and the usual stock editorials clamor
ing for war, etc., the invariable after-clap comes to dis
prove the whole story, and turn it once more into another
scheme of audacious journalistic advertising where the feel
ings of the persons apparently championed are entirely
ignored. This time the young lady herself indignantly denies the
story, and declares she was searched by an inspectress,
" who was not rough, but treated the matter quite indiffer
ently," and when she was convinced that the young lady
had no incriminating documents concealed on her person,
allowed her to dress and retire.
But the greatest blow of all was the published letter of
the correspondent, who, over his signature, declares that
the picture in question was purely imaginary on the part
of the artist, and did not faithfully portray the incident as
described in his letter.
The letter was written to the " New York World," and
published the 17th of February, 1897.
MR. DAVIS EXPLAINS.
The " Olivette " Search Outrage is Now Made Clear.
A Letter from the Writer. — The Paper he Represented,
not Richard Harding Davis, Made the Mistake. — A
Purely " Imaginary Picture." — The Unclothed Wom
an Searched by Men was an Invention of a New York
Newspaper. — Congressmen were Imposed Upon.

232 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" Philadelphia, February 16th.
" To the Editor of the ' World ':
" I have just seen an editorial in Monday evening's
' World,' which says that I have falsified facts in my ac
count of the searching of a woman by Spaniards on board
the American steamer, the ' Olivette.' I am charged with
having said that the woman was searched by men, when,
as a matter of fact, she was searched by a woman. I never
wrote that she was searched by men. My account dis
tinctly says that the Spanish officers walked up and down
the deck while this, the search, was going on in a state
room supplied by the captain.
" Mr. Frederick Remington, who was not present, and
who drew an imaginary picture of the scene, is responsible
for the idea that the search was conducted by men. Had
I seen the picture before it appeared, I should never have
allowed it to accompany my article.
" Except for the fact that the young woman now says
that she was searched twice, and not three times, as her
friend told me was the case, not a word in my article is in
correct or exaggerated, and I most emphatically object to
being held responsible for the idea conveyed by the picture
of my friend Remington. My only object in writing the
article was to try and show the people in the United States
how little protection they may expect on one of their ves
sels under their own flag in the harbor of Havana, where
there should have been an American man-of-war stationed
for the last six months.
" I repeat that, except for the immaterial discrepancy
noted above, there is not a detail in my article that is not
absolutely true.
" Please make this statement as conspicuous as you did
your published interview with the young woman.
" I am yours, etc.,
"Richard Harding Davis."
We now come to the last ease, which will prove beyond
question to what depths a newspaper may descend in its ef
forts to increase circulation. This is the case of a young
Cuban girl, Evangelina Cisneros, imprisoned under a
charge of complicity in an outbreak on the Isle of Pines.
The paper in question openly championed her cause, and

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 233
started a petition signed by prominent ladies in this country
and in England, requesting the queen regent of Spain to
pardon the unfortunate " victim of Weyler's cruelty."
The quietus was given to this movement on the arrival
of Consul-Gen. Lee in New York, on September 8th, who,
after refusing to talk on political subjects to the reporters
who interviewed him, made the following statement in re
gard to the above case, as published in the New York City
newspapers: " There is one thing that I am at liberty to speak about,
and I do it cheerfully and anxiously, as I wish to correct a
false and stupid impression which has been created by some
newspapers. I refer to Senorita Cisneros. This young
woman has two clean rooms in the Casa Recojidas, and is
well clothed aud fed. It is all tommy-rot about her scrub
bing floors and being subjected to cruelties and indignities.
She would have been pardoned long ago if it had not been
for the hubbub created by American newspapers.
" I do not believe the Spanish Government ever for one
moment intended to send her to the penal colony in Africa
or elsewhere. I believe her name is now upon the roll for
pardon. " That she was implicated in the insurrection on the Isle
of Pines, there can be no question. She herself, in a note
to me, acknowledged that fact, and stated she was betrayed
by an accomplice named Arias."
" The Commercial Advertiser," in an editorial article
published September 9th, referring to the above statement
and to other information bearing on this case, says:
" This disposes effectually of one of the most persist
ently exploited sensations with regard to the character of
Spanish rule. At least nine tenths of the statements about
Miss Cisneros printed in this country seemed to have been
sheer falsehood. The attempt to exalt her case into an
issue of international importance is now seen to have been
merely an audacious scheme of journalistic advertising
which took no account of her real interests."

234 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
In the face of such authoritative evidence from our
representative in Habana, it is clear that the facts in re
gard to her condition were willfully exaggerated.*
* The paper in question has since been instrumental in securing
her escape from prison. If it had injured her prospects of liberty
at one time, it surely more than paid the debt when she was finally
liberated. Although the act in itself was a gross violation of law,
yet the nerve and daring displayed by Mr. Karl Decker — the
rescuer — and the enterprise of his paper in backing him, appeals
strongly to the hearts of a people who appreciate a courageous
action.

MAXIMO GOMEZ.
From photograph taken March 15, 1897.

Page 235.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 235

CHAPTER IX.
THE AUTHOR MEETS GOMEZ.
From Habana to the insurgent camp. — The arrival of Gomez. —
The weather-vane goatee. — Startling termination to an inter
view. — Gomez strikes at a boy with his machete. — A glimpse at
his character. — His opinion of the world's great generals. —
Ambition to rival Bolivar. — Insult to American generals. —
A case of egoism. — Declares he can enter Florida with 10,000
men and lay waste the country. — His opinion of our navy. —
Orders the author out of his room.— Capture of train at Seb-
arucal. — Gomez offers the rank of chief of engineers to the
author. — His ideas of destroying a railroad.
I left Habana on the 18th of January, 1896, to search
for the renowned commander-in-chief of the Cuban army,
whose successful raid into the western provinces had been
rashly compared to the memorable march of Sherman to
the sea.
As correspondent for the " New York Herald," I was
supplied with a Spanish military pass to accompany their
columns, but only employed it to carry me safely through
the lines of sentries at the various towns through which I
was compelled to pass. After a week of variable and ex
citing adventures, I met Col. Pedro Diaz encamped at
the sugar estate La Luz, situated in the south-western dis
trict of the province of Habana.
Diaz cordially invited me to accompany him until he
again joined Gomez. The invitation was accepted, and I
was fortunate (?) enough to meet the " generalissimo " the
following day at San Antonio de Pulido, a large sugar
factory near Alquizar. A full account of my experience
with the rebels for the nine months I was with them would

236 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
fill several volumes of the size of this book, so I will confine
my narrative to a few of the principal " battles " and
events as witnessed by myself.
MEETING WITH GOMEZ..
About ten o'clock on the morning of January 25th, the
bugle sounded the assembly, and the " brigade " of Bata-
bano, numbering 300 armed men, under command of Pedro
Diaz and Basilio Guerra, quickly fell in double ranks on
either side of the extensive " batuey " or factory-yard.
Down the palm-bordered cane-road I could see an appar
ently interminable line of horsemen rapidly advancing in
our direction. To my question, I was informed that the
general-in-chief, Maximo Gomez, was coming.
At last I would have the exceptional privilege of seeing
and conversing with this somewhat mysterious personage
so much talked about and so seldom visible.
As the head of the column swept into the yard, Diaz and
his staff rode forward to pay their respects to their su
perior. So this is Gomez! All my preconceived ideas of the
man were shattered by a glance, for instead of the martial-
looking old gentleman, whose bearing conveyed the idea of
a thorough soldier, I found a chocolate-colored, withered
old man, who gave one the idea of a resurrected Egyptian
mummy, with the face lighted up by a pair of blurry,
'cold, expressionless gray eyes, that at times glowed like
two red coals of fire, especially when in a rage or passion.
A thin, white pointed goatee and mustache, a la Napo
leon, gave to the face that character and semblance which
the Spaniards have endeavored to convey in the sobriquet
" El Chino Viejo " (the old Chinaman). Nothing could
be more appropriate than this nickname, though Gomez
has since allowed a full beard to take the place of the
cherished goatee to lessen the striking resemblance. I
afterward learned that this hirsute ornament served a very

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 237
valuable purpose as a weather-vane to indicate the numer
ous changes in the irascible temper of its owner. Every
morning his soldiers would study the probabilities for the
day, and when the old chief was seen to frequently and
violently tug at his " whiskers," his men would shake
their heads and murmur, " The old man is bad to-day,"
and then they would look out for squalls and storms; but
when the " weather-vane " was smoothed and caressed in
that proud manner peculiar to owners of such valuable ap
pendages, the men congratulated themselves that Gomez
was in a good humor, and they could bid him good-morn
ing without being reprimanded for their civility.
Riding near Gomez, I recognized Mr. Scovel, the corre
spondent of the " New York World," who I had met in
Habana about a week previous. He introduced me to Dr.
Sanchez, and shortly afterward to the " liberator " him
self. The insurgents quickly spread over the estate, seeking
comfortable camping-places, while the chief and his staff
occupied the palatial residence of the owner, opened for his
reception. After I had studied the novel picture presented
by this " famous " army, I walked over to the house to
find its leader. I found him seated in a low rocking-chair,
enjoying the cool shade of the deep porch.
Seeing me, he politely invited me to a place by his side,
and his first question was, whether I thought President
Cleveland would recognize the belligerency or independ
ence of the Cubans.
For more than half an hour we sat there discussing the
various phases of the problem. Our conversation was then
interrupted in a very novel manner.
Three big negroes appeared leading a mere boy. They
came to where we were seated, and, after saluting, the cor
poral explained that the boy had stabbed aud killed his
worn-out pack-horse during the march. The lad could
not have been more than fourteen years of age, and I

238 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
learned that he was employed as an officer's servant, and
marched with the impedimenta.
The little fellow then attempted to tell his side of the
story, stoutly protesting his innocence of the charge.
Gomez eyed him critically, and although I had only known
him for an hour, I could see that the kindling fire in those
deep-set eyes brooded no good for the prisoner. Like a little
man, the boy stood there and boldly asserted that his ac
cusers were unjust. This seemed to infuriate the old chief,
and calling to the guards, he said :
" Away with him! Bind him securely, and place him
under guard in the escort, for I intend to shoot him as an
example to other offenders of his class!"
The boy threw himself on his knees and begged his chief
to be lenient and forgive him; but he did it in such a
matter-of-fact way that it appeared as though he was
shamming, for not a tear coursed down his cheeks, nor was
there a tremor in his voice.
As they laid hands on him to carry him away, he made
another appeal to his austere judge.
His answer was as unexpected as it was dramatic; for,
whipping out his machete, the old man sprang out of the
chair and made a vicious cut at the poor little fellow, who
fortunately dodged.
" Get out of here, you young whelp!" shrieked Gomez,
as he made several other cuts in his unsuccessful attempts
to reach his victim, who was hurried away by the guards.
I had risen in horror, confidently expecting to see the
boy hewn down in his tracks. The scene reminded me of
a terrible picture of a Chinese execution by decapitation
that I have seen somewhere.
As Gomez turned, he must have seen the expression of
my face, for his first words were:
" Oh, I only intended to frighten him a little, for you
see that I struck at him with the flat of my sword."
But whether Gomez in his passion overlooked the fact,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 239
and unless I am blind, I can positively assert that the
blows were delivered with the edge to the victim.
This object - lesson gave me more insight into the
character of Gomez than could be learned from a library
of books.
Breakfast was announced, and at the table another
opportunity was presented to study his changeable char
acter. To show to what point his successes had carried him, I will
repeat the conversation and discussion which took place.
As an introduction, it may be well to state that Gomez
has a habit of roundly abusing and criticizing everybody
and everything, and will brook no interruption or adverse
comment until he has concluded.
If there is one fault Gomez will never overlook or for
give, it is to be contradicted or proven wrong in an argu
ment. In the United States, his malady would be termed an
abnormal case of enlargement of. the cranium and abuse of
authority. These shortcomings were well known to his officers, who
fostered them by yielding to him every point. It made
little difference what absurd argument he advanced, they
would coincide with his view of the case, and I verily be
lieve if he should solemnly advocate that the moon is made
of cheese, they would continue to nod their heads in ap
proval, and answer: "Just so, general — just so."
I was entirely ignorant of this phase of his character,
and as the conversation progressed with the outspoken and
discourteous manner in which my country was belittled, I
thought it was about time to say something.
Gomez commenced by regaling us with his ponderous
and erudite opinion of the relative merits of various gen
erals. Napoleon and Wellington were each given their
due in an impartial manner, and then American generals
were taken up.

240 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Gomez grew enthusiastic in His praise and admiration of
Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America.
" The Western Continent has produced only one truly
great general, and that man is Gen. Simon Bolivar. To
my mind, he is far superior to many European generals of
great renown, and altogether far in advance of any the
United States or other American countries have produced.
My highest ambition is to follow in his footsteps, for then,
when Cuba is free, who will not concede that Gen. Gomez
has accomplished a task more difficult than that of Boli
var?" Gomez continued in his discourse: " Next to Boli
var, the greatest American military genius was Juarez, the
Mexican liberator."
When he concluded extoling the virtues and merits of
Juarez, he called up some negro of Santo Domingo or
Hayti as the next highest type of an American soldier.
His egoism was sublime, and as he proceeded in his dis
course, he studiously ignored all reference to Washington or
Grant. It is hardly necessary to add, that I was virtually indig
nant at what I considered an insult and slur on the Ameri
cans. Forced to break in on his eulogy of Santo Dominican
heroes, I quietly asked his estimate of our generals, who
were conceded by some authorities to be worthy of men
tion, though, of course, they could not compare to Bolivar,
Gomez, Juarez and Co.
The old chief grew indignant, and answered rather
sharply: " You Americans are always bragging about Washington
and Grant, and believe them to be great generals. I tell
you it is a mistake. They have been greatly overestimated
by their countrymen. You Americans don't know how to
fight. You never did know. You have been thrashed in
every war since gaining your independence. If it hadn't
been for the French you would still be slaves of England,
and Washington would be only a defeated rebel, and Grant

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 241
unheard of. When did you ever do any fighting? Yes, it
is true that Mexico was entered and the largest part of her
territory stolen. Even the Spaniards would not have com
mitted such a despicable action. All your great territory
has been purchased. Do you hear, sir, purchased! It has
not been fought for and conquered. The United States
are a nation of merchants and brokers, who have no idea
of fighting, and whose only ideal is money. Why, do you
know that I, myself, at the head of 10,000 men, could
enter Florida, burn and lay waste the entire territory
in less than a week, and laugh at the efforts of the awk
ward American militia to defeat me or drive me out!"
" Not so fast, Gen. Gomez," 1 interrupted. " Perhaps
you would find it much more difficult to elude those stupid
American soldiers in their own country than you find it
here to evade the Spaniards, and then you entirely ignore
the fact that in all probability our navy' would prevent
your landing there with your conquering hosts."
"A navy! A fine navy you have got, to be sure!
Young man, don't mention your navy to me. Your coun
try has a few old hulks that would fall to pieces if a broad
side was fired from the decks, and again it has been
soundly defeated whenever they had a fight with the En
glish or French."
This reflection on our merits as fighters again cut me to
the quick, for, as an American, I felt justly proud of our
present navy and its glorious past. Without allowing
Gomez to proceed with his now insolent and discourteous
remarks, I cited him, one for one, giving dates and places,
the gallant exploits of our old navy of 1812 and the more
recent actions of the Civil War.
Gomez was forced to listen, which was evidently a sur
prise to him, and when after waxing warm in my remarks I
finally concluded, he changed the topic at one jump to the
Mexican war for independence. The different battles, and
the names of the contending generals, together with a de-

242 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
scription of the country, were graphically told by the ani
mated chief, and when he stopped, he leaned over and shook
his finger at me, and said:
" So, young man, you see that I also know something
about history and what I am talking about."
The answer indicated, that the previous defense of our
navy had been accepted as an accusation of ignorance on
his part, and I hastened to reply:
" When I cited the various incidents, if was only to re
fresh your memory, for there is no doubt that you have
carefully studied American history many years ago, as your
thorough insight into our political and military system
clearly indicates."
With a deep, searching look from those blinking orbs of
his and a few more commonplace remarks, Gomez rose and
left the table.
The other correspondent came to me shortly afterward,
and said I had " put my foot in it " with the " general
issimo," and cautioned me to " stand in solid with the old
man," by allowing him to have his own way in an argu
ment, if I wished to get any news out of camp.
I had no further opportunity of conversing with Gomez,
as he was busy turning out his weighty opinion of himself
and his terms of peace, etc., for publication in the paper
that championed his cause.
As every one was preparing to turn in for the night, I
went outside to take a look at my horse, and found that
some lazy rebel had stolen his fodder. There was no use
making any disturbance over such a small matter, but it
was really a bother to me to procure more without resort.
ing to the same underhand trick. The cane-field was some
distance away, but I was minus a machete to cut it myself,
and as yet had no servant to do it for me. Outside the
porch of the house was an immense pile of cut cane-tops
sufficient for twenty horses. Surely, I thought, the owner
will accommodate me with an armful. On inquiry, I

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 243
learned that it belonged to Gomez. Remembering my pre
vious experience with Spanish officials and other insurgent
chiefs who had treated me so courteously, I determined to
ask Gomez for a little of this fodder.
His room opened into the large, square parlor, and I
could see that he was preparing for bed. As I approached
the door, the old fellow lay down and picked up a paper
to read. I excused myself for molesting him, and ex
plained that as I had no machete or servant, would he do me
the favor to allow me enough of the cut cane for my horse.
I thought I was in the presence of a democratic, kind-
hearted, patriotic old fighter, who eschewed pomp, red-
tape, and adulation, and was easily approached ; but I soon
found I was mistaken, and that I had intruded on the pri
vacy of the Dictator of the Republic of Cuba, who had
been worsted in an argument during the day, and whose
temper had been inflamed by the pain from his wound and
too frequent indulgence in his " medicine-bottle."
" What's that? What do you mean?" thundered
Gomez. I repeated my request in a respectful manner.
He sat up in bed, and once again asked me what I meant.
I was considerably taken aback by this time, for my re
quest was a very simple one, and rendered in good Spanish.
When he grasped the meaning, he flared up angrily, and
turning to Dr. Sanchez, said:
" Doctor, this man has come into my room to insult me.
He is asking me — the General-in-chief of the Cuban Army
— to take care of his horse for him! This is an insult, sir!
Get out of here!"
I endeavored to explain that no disrespect was intended;
but he refused to accept any other interpretation of my
words, and insisted that I was indecent and ungeutlemanly
to make such a request of the General-in-chief of the Cuban
Army. I left the room feeling amused at the ridiculous stand

244 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
taken by the modern " liberator," and wondered what
would become of Cuba and the Cubans if this inflated
bundle of vanity ever succeeded in ruling over their desti
nies. Some officers who witnessed the scene informed me
not to pay any attention to him, as it was only one of his
frequent moods, which they explained by raising their
elbows and pointing their thumbs toward their open
mouths. I am inclined to believe this, for the next morning he
greeted me cordially enough, and half apologized for his
conduct, by saying he did not fully understand me.
About eight o'clock " boots and saddles " was sounded,
and the " liberating army " got ready to march. The line
of the Western Railroad at Seborucal was reached about
eleven o'clock. The train from Guanajay to Habana was
almost due, and as the Spaniards were off the scent, it was
decided to tear up a rail and await its coming. This was
accordingly carried out, and the cavalry were posted be
hind adjacent fences torn down in various places, leaving
openings for a charge in case the soldiers attempted a sally
from the cars.
As the train neared the trap, the engineer scented dan
ger, and reversed his lever; but a volley from the nearest
group brought him to his senses, and the train came to a
stand-still. Fortunately for the rebels, there were no
troops on the train, or they would not have scored such an
easy victory. Ten box-cars, freighted with merchandise,
and four passenger coaches made up the train. The pas
sengers were ordered out. Amongst them was a Spanish
major, who trembled with fear, probably expecting to be
hung. Gomez looked at him with contempt as he de
livered over his sword to a soldier.
" We don't kill prisoners. Go and tell Weyler and
Marin how Gomez has given you your freedom, while all
our poor fellows captured by the likes of you are executed,"
said the Cuban leader.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 245
Deeply grateful for this unexpected treatment, the officer
reached out his hand to Gomez while expressing his
thanks. " No! I will not shake hands with you under these cir-
cnmstances. If you wish to have that honor, come to me
on the field of battle."
The passengers were allowed to go their way unmo-
,!»3ted. The army then started in to burn and loot the freight-
cars. They swarmed over the engine, breaking oil-cups,
and unscrewing nuts, and bolts, in their efforts to destroy
it by taking it apart piece by piece.
Scovel and myself laughed heartily at their antics. Un
known to me, he informed Gomez that my profession was
engineering, and that I knew more about railroads than
any other man on the island. (Which I didn't.)
I was surprised a minute later to hear Gomez calling to
me. When I reached his side, he said:
" Do you understand about engines and railroads?"
"Yes, sir."
" Can you destroy that locomotive for me?"
" I might if I tried."
" Will you?"
" Yes, sir;" and without another word I started for the
engine. If ever an engineer deserved credit for working in the
interest of his company, that one did; for although Gomez
had fired several shots at him, he had resolutely left the
injector wide open, and the cold water had lowered the
pressure to twenty pounds.
As I did not wish to compromise myself by any action
that might imperil my standing as a neutral, I simply
ordered the Cubans to open the blow-off valve, after first
satisfying myself that there was not sufficient fire in the
furnace to completely destroy the boiler. When the valve
was broken, the quick rush of steam and water made a

246 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
great noise. Gomez probably thought the boiler was going
to explode, for he dug his spurs into his steed, and, fol.
lowed by his staff, went down the road like a flash.
The retreat was then sounded. On the march Gomez
again called me to his side.
" Mr. Rea, you impressed me very unfavorably last
night, but your action to-day stamps you as a very ener
getic and resolute man."
" Soft soap," I said to myself.
" Do you know, you can be of inestimable service to the
cause and to myself, for I have no one in my army who
understands engineering matters, and it is necessary that
one should be found. I expect one from the United States,
but am uncertain about his arrival. Now, I wish to make
a proposition. I will give you a good rank as chief of my
engineer corps; you will be attached to my personal staff,
and receive a liberal salary, payable when we triumph. I
will also place under your command 150 armed men, who
will be entirely under your orders, and you will not have to
recognize any superior but myself."
" That is a very flattering offer; but I don't see how I
can be of any great service to you, ' ' I responded.
" There is only one condition to the proposition, and that
is: you must destroy the Batabano Railroad."
If Gomez had asked me to capture Habana with the
same number of men it would not have surprised me more,
for this road at that time was the heaviest fortified line in
Cuba. The Spaniards had stationed their largest columns
in that district to prevent the return of Maceo into Habana,
and it was as strong as the subsequent trocha of Mariel.
The railroad runs from San Felipe south to Batabano,
about fifteen miles. The country traversed is perfectly
level, and there are no bridges where a vital blow could be
struck. To complicate matters still more, at every few
hundred yards a block-house had been built, and armored
trains were constantly patroling the road to prevent the

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 247
very thing that Gomez coolly requested me to accomplish
with the " grand army " of 150 men.
All these conditions passed through my mind as I asked
Gomez: " Are there any vital points on the line where a safe at
tack could be made?"
" No; it is as level as the palm of your hand, and has no
bridges or culverts."
" Have you any dynamite?"
" No; not a pound."
" What tools have you for a force to work with in tear
ing up a railroad?"
" Oh, we have plenty of tools."
" Well, what are they?"
" We have a few crowbars, and quite a number of pick
axes, and I believe there are even half a dozen monkey-
wrenches," proudly answered Gomez.
I thought at first that he was joking; but there was no
mistaking his earnest aud serious expression.
" Do you really think a force of 150 men could destroy
a road with these implements? Don't you think a larger
force would be necessary to protect them while at work?"
" I think it could be accomplished with a very few men
on some dark night, and with a leader like yourself, thor
oughly versed in these matters, the road would soon be crip
pled. You see, this is the most important work I have on
hand at present, for if that road was gone, the enemy would
have to change their base of operations, and Maceo would
have little trouble in reuniting with me. ' '
I told Gomez that 1 thought his scheme was entirely im
practicable for the present, or at least until such time as
he received something to work with. As he continued to
urge the proposition, I thought that the best way out of the
predicament was to tell him I would consider it, hoping he
would think the matter over and see how ridiculous it was.
Neither did I care to refuse it flatly, as I could not afford

248 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
to openly antagonize him. This was probably wrong, as
he took my evasive reply as an affront, and, from later de
velopments, he must have brooded over it during the night
and next day, for he revenged himself the day following.
We encamped that night near Vereda Nueva. The
Spanish columns under Aldecoa, Linares, Cornell, and
Ruiz, were on the trail; but the Spanish infantry were no
match for the Cuban cavalry, composed of the finest horses
in the country.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 249

CHAPTER X.
GOMEZ AT SASTA LUCIA.
Preparing for battle. — Issuing orders. — The army of Are. — Effects
of good cheer. — Conduct of the macheteros. — Gomez moves. —
The Spaniards advance, — Failure of the macheteros to appear,
— Explanation of their conduct. — Plight of the author. —
Gomez's temper. — Gomez beats officers with sword. — Con
sternation of staff.
The morning of the 27th of February, 1896, the Cuban
army broke camp at Vereda Nueva. With four large
Spanish columns pressing closely on his trail, in the vain
hope of overtaking and forcing him into a decisive fight,
Gomez led his men through the intricate labyrinth of paths
in the lake district of Ariguanabo, emerging near the sugar
factory Baldospino.
But it would not do for him to halt here, for the hardy
Spanish infantry would soon overhaul him; so on he moved,
with his nondescript army rambling along behind, across
cane-fields and through jungles, till at last the Guanajay
highroad was reached.
Up the broad macadamized way (the finest road in
Cuba), through the small village of Caimito, the rebels
continued the march, diverting themselves by overhauling,
looting, and burning stage-coaches, carts and other vehicles,
whose drivers, all unconscious of danger, were pursuing
their daily occupations contrary to insurgent proclama
tion. These poor fellows were indeed lucky in escaping with the
loss of their property, for other chiefs, less lenient, would
have hanged them by the roadside as a warning to others.
Turning sharply to the west, at the northern base of

250 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
the Guanajay table-land, the rebel army finally encamped
on the estate Santa Lucia, at Hoyo Colorado. The owner
is Don Perfecto La Costa.
The regiment of Matanzas was ordered to cover the trail,
and Col. Roque, with his aides, selected a large stone farm
house for their temporary head-quarters. This guard was
located about a mile and a half from the factory. The
regiment under Col. Nunez was stationed a little to the
north in the vicinity of some out-buildings, and the escort
and staff were quartered in the factory itself.
The steward of the estate insisted on Gomez and his staff
taking up their quarters in the handsome residence of the
owner, who was at the time absent in Habana. About one
o'clock dinner was announced, and Gomez, with his staff
and correspondents, took their places at the table covered
with the most delicious viands. The owner's stock of fine
old wines and liquors was also drawn on to crown the
feast. Under the influence of such good cheer, the old chief
seemed to expand a trifle, and although his wounded leg
pained him greatly, he thawed out enough to join in the
general merriment by reciting various laughable advent
ures in which he was the central figure.
The wine passed around rather freely, and, contrary to
his custom, Gomez took a little more than his usual medic
inal dose.
His doctors have ordered him to drink a certain amount
of spirits daily, as a stimulant, for he is old, and his consti
tution has suffered from the ills incidental to age. To such
an extent has the habit grown, that if it should be abruptly
broken he would probably collapse completely. Gomez
had just finished telling one of his stories, when two scouts
came in and reported that the enemy were advancing
quickly over the trail, but would probably not arrive for
an hour.
I expected to see Gomez jump up excitedly, order the

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 251
bugler to sound " boots and saddles," form his men in ad
vantageous positions, and await their coming. Imagine,
therefore, my surprise when the old man, after leisurely
signing his name to a document, called the officer of the
day, and ordered him to take five men and go out and stop
the enemy.
Surely, I thought, the old fellow is crazy. Six men to
stop at least 2,000 well-equipped soldiers! I followed the
officer outside, and, sure enough, he called just five men
from the escort, and following him, they tore down the
road like mad in the direction the enemy must be coming.
Gomez was now reading the Habana morning paper,
captured from the mail-coach at Oaimito, and the other
officers were leisurely turning over the leaves of the latest
Spanish publications found in the owner's library.
A group had gathered around some one with a musical
instrument, and were evidently greatly enjoying his horri
ble attempt at their national anthem, " La Bayamesa."
Suddenly I heard the far-away rattle of musketry, and
my first impulse was to dash out of the door for my horse
as I surely thought that Gomez would now issue some order.
But no one moved, and the only comment I heard was,
that " El Patoncito was catching h  !"
The firing became louder and steadier, and soon another
officer came hurriedly in with the report that the six sharp
shooters were unable to check the Spaniards, who were
now close at hand.
Again I was disappointed, for I expected to see the re
nowned Cuban general (" the rival of Sherman") make
some move that would indicate his desire to fight.
Without lifting his eyes from the paper, he very coolly •
called an aide, and said:
" Tell Col. Roque to call in his guards, take possession
of the stone house, and await the enemy. Tell him I say
to hold that position, for it is a very good one."
The aide galloped away to obey orders, and everybody

252 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
relapsed once more into that former state of indifference
and seeming contempt for the '' gringos."
I closely followed the enemy's progress by the ever-in
creasing sound of their rapid volleys, delivered in a busi
ness-like manner, and I wondered what part Gomez or
Nunez would play in this fast developing farce.
Roque, " the old stand-by," with his 300 armed cavalry,
probably did not have ten rounds of ammunition apiece;
yet he was calmly ordered to hold a position against the
certain bombardment of the Spanish artillery, and a possi
ble charge by a force outnumbering him ten to one, every
one of whom had at least 150 rounds of Mauser cartridges
in his belt.
This was getting very interesting to me, and I waited
patiently for the old chief to make a move. The Spaniards
soon came within firing distance of Roque's position, and
the short, rapid volleys of the Spaniards and the incessant
crack! crack! of the Cuban Remington, resembling the
sound made by a bunch of fire-crackers, were shortly
drowned by the roar of the Spanish artillery.
A shell, aimed too high, came shrieking and whistling
over Gomez's head-quarters, and exploded with an angry
bang! in the near by cane-field.
At last Gomez moved — everybody moved — as though
striving for the first prize in a hundred-yard dash, with a
separate goal for each contestant.
In less time than it takes to tell it, they were all mounted
and were lining up to await his orders.
Nunez, with 300 armed cavalry, came dashing into the
" patio," and the large number of servants, camp follow
ers, and general scum of the insurgent army, numbering
about 500, armed with machetes, revolvers, and sawed-off
shot-guns, jostled each other as they savagely spurred their
horses to attain a front place in the line.
These were supposed to be the " terrible macheteros,"
at whose mere yell the Spanish soldier quaked with fear.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 253
I expected to see them hurry down the road to re-enforce
Roque, who must be having a hot time of it, judging from
the incessant sound of rifle volleys and exploding shells.
At last they move, the horses are spurred to a quick
canter, they wave their machetes wildly, and an occasional
half-hearted yell of " Viva Cuba Libre!" leads me to be
lieve they are working up enthusiasm for the terrible ma
chete charge that was now sure to follow.
Gomez, followed by his escort of eighty picked men, gal
loped down the road between the cane-fields in the direction
of the enemy.
Now I will see a battle — one of those great fights so
vividly described by the correspondents of the Florida
hotels and the Habana cafes, in which whole Spanish col
umns are blotted out of existence.
There could be no doubt as to the truth of such stories,
for had not the " terrible macheteros " shouted and yelled
and waved their machetes in a most emphatic manner?
Quickly tying my horse to a pillar of the factory, I was
soon on its roof, where a fine view of the surrounding
country could be had.
Over to the east, about a mile away, on the crest of a
ridge, I could see the line of Spanish artillery belching out
shell and shrapnel with clock-like regularity upon the
doomed house occupied by Roque.
Under cover of this fire, the infantry were slowly creep
ing nearer, taking advantage of every rock, tree or fence
to protect their advance line of skirmishers, while a little
in the rear came the body of their force, deployed about
three feet in company front.
One continual thunder-roll came from the mouths of the
machine-like Mauser rifles, answered by the flat crackling
reports of the insurgent carbines. From my high perch I
occasionally caught a glimpse of the Spanish cavalry, pro
tected from discovery by the high, waving cane-fields,
quickly making a detour to get at Roque's rear.

254 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Faster and fiercer grew the racket. Three shells burst
simultaneously near the house, and now the Spanish in
fantry are disclosed to plain view in the open, advancing
at the double-quick.
Now, I thought, was the hour of doom, as the " ma
cheteros " would soon emerge from the cane-fields and re
peat the Cuban legends of the last war.
But, no; they do not appear, and instead I see that
Roque's position becomes untenable, and as the Spanish
soldiers rush forward with fixed bayonets and loud yells of
" Viva Espana!" he quickly retreats through the cane-
fields to escape a hand-to-hand conflict.
Gomez, with his small escort, now joins the retreating
regiment, and another short stand is made; but to no pur
pose, as the " gringos estan guapos hoy." ("Spaniards
are very brave to-day. and persist in cowardly advancing
under cover of their artillery.")
But where, oh, where is Nunez and the 800 awe-inspir
ing macheteros? Surely it is about time for them to ap
pear at the front and change the tide of battle!
Now is the time the decisive blow should be struck, as
the Spaniards are in the open and on ground called favor
able and " a'proposito " for a Cuban charge.
I stand upon the apex of the roof, and in vain look for
them in the front. Oh, well, perhaps they are hidden by
the cane-fields, and will shortly appear.
But as I see the Cubans fleeing rapidly before the ever-
advancing " gringo," and still no sign from Nunez, I turn
to the west, or away from the scene of conflict, and
with the glass carefully scan the country for some time,
and at last discover a large force of cavalry about a mile
distant. My first impression was that another Spanish column
was coming to assist their countrymen, and for a second, I
thought Nunez had been ordered to intercept them, thus
explaining his failure to appear at the front.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 255
I follow their movements for a minute or so, and sud
denly discover that they are galloping fast in the opposite
direction. I had already heard about the actions of Nunez, and at
last it dawns on me that this must be he leading the " im
pedimenta " along the line of retreat, and then I realize
what the Cubans meant when they spoke of him as the
" papa del impedimenta."
My hopes of witnessing a bloody machete charge, and
afterward leisurely examining heaps of slain with victori
ous Cubans, were now entirely gone, and it may not be out
of place to state here, that in none of the subsequent fights
which 1 witnessed were these cherished hopes realized.
I again turned to witness the outcome of the fight.
The forms of Gomez and his men were plainly percep
tible to the naked eye. Slowly but surely the Spaniards
were driving them back to the factory-yard, aud the crack
ling of the insurgents' rifles had now subsided and sounded
like the angry " spit " of the few fire-crackers that unex
pectedly " go off " after the bulk of the package has been
consumed. My attention had been so completely occupied with the
quick developments of the scene in front, that I failed to
see a large Spanish force of infantry, who now emerged
from the cane-fields about 500 yards to the north of the
patio, where some thirty Cuban officers and privates were
grouped, intently watching every move of Gomez. Both
they and myself were startled by the sudden report of two
volleys fired in quick succession, and the -shower of steel
bullets that passed over their heads rattled on the. gal
vanized iron roof of the factory like so much hail.
But the next volley chased from my mind all thoughts
of further observation or study, as the roof for some dis
tance seemed to be punctured with little clean-cut holes.
I moved. I did not stand on the order of moving, but
simply moved or slid down the incline of that galvanized

256 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
iron roof on the side away from the enemy, and fell about
twenty feet on a pile of dry crushed cane or " bagasse."
I jumped up quickly and made a dash for my horse,
amid the hearty laugh of the Cubans, who were also doing
considerable moving to get out of the yard; and I soon
turned the laugh on them, for the way we made tracks
along that " line of retreat " would have won applause at
the Coney Island Handicap.
Not until we crossed a gulch, about three quarters of a
mile distant, did we feel at all safe, and then a halt was
made to see if the Spaniards were after us. Once assured
that they were still where we had first seen them, enough
courage was infused in the Cubans to permit the horses to
slacken their mad gait.
We soon came up with the rear guard of the " terrible
macheteros " of so much fame, and some were still swing
ing and shaking their trusty blades in a threatening man
ner in the direction of the enemy a mile away.
Accompanied by Scovel, I withdrew to one side to again
make observations and await Gomez. The sound of firing
had now died away, and the fight had ceased.
The exhausted Spanish infantry remained in the factory
to rest, and a small detachment of cavalry was all that
continued to pursue the extreme rear guard of Gomez's
defeated forces.
A short, sharp fight at the gulch, in which Col. Boza,
with a few members of the escort, succeeded in checking
the pursuing cavalry, ended the afternoon's comedy drama.
Gomez now came along, and it did not take a close
student of human nature to see that he was boiling over
and "loaded for bear." His ungovernable temper was
painfully manifested in a hundred ways during that cele
brated retreat. His wound tortured him, and to add to
his discomfiture, his favorite horse, which he had mounted
during the fight, had been wounded in the rump. This
fact seemed to hurt his pride, and aggravated him greatly.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 257
If the animal had been wounded while he was facing the
enemy, it might have passed by with little concern; but to
think that the horse of the commander-in-chief of the
Cuban army had been wounded in the rump, this was too
much, and every time he inspected the cicatrice, his anger
would increase.
The old fellow must have been very weak also, for at
various points on the road he had recourse to his " medicine-
bottle," and every dose seemed to produce the same effect
as the inspection of his wounded charger.
It will be remembered that Gomez ordered the officer of
the day to take five men and check the enemy's advance.
The official badge of this duty is a broad red sash worn
crosswise over the breast, and is the distinguishing mark of
the officer on duty.
The young officer and his men galloped down the road,
past the guards, to within 1,500 yards of the approaching
Spanish column, and, unseen by them, entered a heavy
thicket and placed his five sharp-shooters in ambush.
As they came into plain view, he opened fire. The col
umn halted, fearing a general ambush. The small number
of shots fired by the Cubans convinced the Spanish general
of their exact number, and a company of infantry was de
tailed to rout them out.
The Cuban officer took.off his bright red sash to make
himself less conspicuous. In the excitement of the fight,
he put it in his pocket and forgot to replace it when clear
of the woods.
On joining Roque, the old chief called for the officer of
the day. Scratched and bleeding from the thorns of the
thick underbrush, his clothing torn and tattered in many
places, and conscious of having performed his duty well,
the young hero came forward.
Gomez looked him over very critically, and asked if he
was the officer of the day.
" Yes, sir," was the reply.

258 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" Where is your insignia?" growled the chief.
" The enemy were making a special target of me, and I
took it off temporarily and have forgotten to put it on
again." " You coward, cur, rascal! I'll teach you how to be
brave!" shrieked the now infuriated Gomez; and drawing
his short, slightly curved machete, he started for the un
fortunate officer.
" Place that sash on immediately!" he shouted, as he
beat the officer over the head and on the neck and shoul
ders with the flat of his sword. Blow after blow was
rained on him, and the keen edge of the machete cut sev
eral gashes in the neck, causing the blood to flow freely.
This exhibition of Gomez's temper had a startling effect
on the officers of his staff, who belonged to the most aristo
cratic families of Cuba, and they all agreed then and there
to recall the old fellow to his senses, as they did not know
but that he would repeat the disgraceful insult on some
other officer.
Whether Gomez was aware of this attitude on their part
it is hard to state, but he showed his contempt for them by
repeating the offense on the persons of various other offi
cers during the same afternoon.
This does not include soldiers; for, crazed with pain
and mortification, he went through the line of march like
a crazy person, delivering blows right and left to those who
did not move fast enough to suit his idea of a well-conducted
retreat. At last the march ended, and the tired Cuban forces en
camped for the night at a small farm near the Mariel high
road. The Spanish generals, Aldecoa and Linares, commanded
the Spanish forces during this fight, and reported a loss of
twelve men and seven horses. The Cuban loss was two.

JTACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 259

CHAPTER XI.
GOMEZ'S ATTACK ON THE CORRESPONDENT. — A FITTING
SEQUEL TO AN EVENTFUL DAY.
Night had already fallen when the Cubans unpacked
their saddles and tethered their horses out to graze. As
usual, the general and his staff took up their quarters in
the commodious, old-fashioned farm-house, while the men
found the most comfortable spots along the hedges or under
the trees and outhouses.
The savage conduct of their general was the all-absorb
ing topic of conversation. On all sides could be heard the
common remark: "Que genio tiene el viejo hoy!"
(" What a temper the old man has to-day!")
A group of officers on the porch of the house were seri
ously discussing in an under-tone the disgraceful events of
the afternoon.
Calling me to come nearer, one of them said :
" Mr. Rea, we have decided to make the general under
stand, once for all, that we are not common soldiers or
slaves, to be beaten and insulted at every change of his
whim or disposition, and that in the future, if he has any
just complaint against an officer, he must Jay his charges
in due form before a court convened for the occasion, who
will punish or acquit him according to their verdict."
Some busybody, or one of the numerous " chismosos,"
undoubtedly informed Gomez of this mutiny on the part of
his officers before they had had a chance to present their
grievance in a proper manner, and it only served to aug
ment his fury.

260 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Other incidents probably affected him more than the
previous occurrences.
Attached to his staff, holding one of the most prominent
positions in the rebel army, was the scion of a well-known
aristocratic family of Camaguey, whose name is closely
identified with the long struggle for Cuban liberty. As
chief of his particular department, with the corresponding
rank of brigadier, he was singled out by Gomez as a friend
and adviser. He was also one of the very few who sat at
his table. So great was his influence, that he was the only
one who dared to speak his mind freely or attempt to sub
due the general when on one of his tantrums.
This talented young officer petitioned a furlough for
thirty days, to return to his home for the purpose of plac
ing his aged mother and family in some point where they
would be secure against possible persecution by the Span
iards. To this reasonable request, Gomez turned a deaf ear,
and refused to entertain such a plea.
The officer insisted, and finally Gomez told him if he
really desired to go he could do so, but would first have to
forfeit his commission by resigning. There appears to be
little doubt that Gomez feared to allow him to return to
Puerto Principe, where in all probability he would meet the
members of the provisional government, and perhaps reveal
secrets prejudicial to himself, for Gomez was practically
acting independent of any superior orders, as his endeavor
to degrade his companion would clearly indicate.
But this time the " dictator " overreached himself, for
the officer indignantly refused to listen to the proposition,
justly saying that his rank had been conferred by the gov
ernment, and that they alone had the authority to demand
his resignation.
To end the dispute, he peremptorily demanded that he
be given a pass and escort, as he was going to lay the ques
tion before the assembly.
During the day Gomez received a letter from Habana,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 2(31
in which he was warned and advised to keep his eye open
for a Spanish spy who had left the city with the avowed
purpose of joining the insurgents and await an opportunity
to poison their leader.
All these incidents so preyed on the mind of Gomez, that
during supper he never spoke a word. The silence was
ominous, and the assembled officers waited for the storm
to break, though no one entertained the remotest idea he
would attempt to divert their attention from their own
grievances by the bitter attack on myself that closed the
day's proceedings.
Everybody concluded their supper and remained respect
fully seated, awaiting their general's permission to retire.
But Gomez sat there and blinked and glared, with his fiery
orbs inflamed with passion, first at one and then at the
others, as though searching for a victim. Finally his
glance rested on myself. I was seated at the extreme end
of the table, where I was studying the faces of the others,
and occasionally exchanging some comment with Scovel.
In the midst of a deep silence, he suddenly craned his
neck forward, as though he had at last discovered an easy
solution to a very difficult problem, and pointing his bony
finger at me, growled, or " snapped " out:
" Mr. Rea, by what right do you sit at my table and
eat?" If a bomb had exploded in the room, it would not have
created more astonishment; but I hastened to reply:
' ' I believe that I have partaken of supper at this table
by your own special invitation, if you will please recall the
fact." " No, no! I am aware that I invited you, but I meant
to say, what right have you to be in the revolution? Who
are you? Where are you from? Have you any letters for
me? How do I know but that you are a Spanish spy in
disguise." " One question at a time, general. You ask me who I

262 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
am. Have I not been introduced to you by Mr. Scovel as
the correspondent of the ' Herald '?"
The old fellow turned to Scovel, and asked him if he
would vouch for the fact that I was employed by the
" Herald;" to which my companion assented. But still he
was not satisfied, and again he turned to me.
" I don't care a d— n for the ' Herald. ' The ' Herald '
is our enemy; its owner has invested largely in Spanish
bonds, and it is to his interest to favor Spain, and as you
represent the ' Herald,' you are also an enemy to us.
Have you any papers to identify you and to prove your as
sertions?" Fortunately, or unfortunately, I had my passport, Span
ish identification papers, credentials, and the military pass
from the captain-general.
These I handed over to Gomez, who passed them to Dr.
Sanchez Agramonte for translation. One by one they
were read to Gomez, who did not say a word until the
Spanish pass was reached.
" Aha! now I've got you! What do you mean by com
ing into my camp with this document in your possession?
Do you not understand that this stamps you as an
enemy?" " I do not understand anything of the kind. This docu
ment was necessary for me to pass through the Spanish
lines unmolested; but now that I have reached my destina
tion, I no longer require it, and if you choose, why, burn
it." To my ready reply, the old fellow was a little discon
certed, and remained silent for about a minute, and then
he slowly and more calmly said:
" No, young man; I will not destroy the pass. Keep it,
for it may be useful to you again. I am going to give you
still another pass signed by myself, and with the two in
your possession, you may travel the whole length of the
island unmolested. But I don't want you to travel in my

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 263
staff. I don't want you now for chief of my engineer corps,
for there are others, I — "
" See here, general," I interrupted, " I want you to dis
tinctly understand that I did not come here seeking rank,
and if you condescended to confer such an honor on me,
you will please remember that it was of your own free will,
and that I have not accepted your overtures."
" I am aware that I offered you the position, and will
not go back on my word, for I will give you a letter to
Antonio Maceo, where you can have the same rank as I
proposed." " Thank you, Gen. Gomez. But I don't wish your letter
to Antonio Maceo, aud neither do I wish to entertain any
further propositions in that line, for I have witnessed
enough to-day to form my idea of the tactics employed in
this war."
" Well, young man, I don't care to have you near me.
You can go anywhere in my army you choose, and further
more, if you need any money, although I am a poor man,
you can have the ten gold pieces I have in my purse."
" Allow me to again thank you, Gen. Gomez. I have
not come to the revolution looking for your rank or your
money, and after these insults, I have no desire to remain
longer in your presence, and with your permission I will
join Col. Roque, who is a friend of mine, until such time
as I see an opportunity to go elsewhere. And now, gen
tlemen, I will bid you all good -night."
With these words, I abruptly put on my hat and walked
out the door, leaving them all staring after me.
Whatever purpose Gomez had in attacking me, it sufficed,
as I have reason to believe, to change the current criticisms
of his former conduct, though nearly every officer who was
present in the room came to me afterward and tried to
smooth over matters, by saying that the old man was not
accountable for what he said, and they cited instances

264 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
where he had roundly abused Gen. Maceo at Ceiba del
Agua, and other similar cases.
But unless an apology came from Gomez himself, I did
not care to see or speak to him again.
The apology afterward came, as I will have occasion to
note, and I may add, that this episode was never spoken of
by myself to belittle or criticize the old chief until the
present time, and now it is done solely to allow persons to
judge of his violent and changeable character.
At the time, I naturally felt offended and insulted, and
although I had sufficient cause to speak badly of the
Cubans, yet I never allowed it to influence my correspond
ence to do them an injury, as my various articles in the
" New York Herald " will clearly prove. I refer to my
work of last year.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 265

CHAPTER XII.
GOMEZ AT LA LUZ, OR THE VICTORY (?) OF THE IMPEDI
MENTA.
Marin takes the field. — Large force distributed to trap, Gomez. —
The fight at Penalver. — Cuban encampment at La Luz. — Tight
quarters. — Scarcity of ammunition. — A deal in cartridges.—
Description of the impedimenta, or the celebrated macheteros. —
Motley assortment of arms. — Ruiz chases Cuban sharp-shoot
ers. — Fight with the guard. — Sang-froid at a discount. — Boots
and saddles. — Struggle of Cubans to clear the yard. — Nunez
leads the retreat. — Gomez deserts impedimenta. — Charge of the
Spaniards. — The impedimenta's plight. — Blunderbusses in the
nineteenth century. — Retreat of Spaniards, and incidentally of
the Cubans. — Gomez fights Marin.
Those who have closely followed the progress of the
Cuban revolution will remember the short and active cam
paign carried out by Lieut.-Gen. Sabas Marin after the
command had been turned over to him pending the arrival
of Weyler. Marin's idea was to keep hammering away at
Gomez, and not allow him time to rest, and several col
umns were ordered to follow him up and try to force a gen
eral fight. So close was Gomez pursued, that he did not
venture to remain more than a few hours in any one place;
if he did, he was sure to have the " diablo eneima," and a
fight was the result.
At Santa Lucia, two columns came upon him, and a four
hours' " scrap," ending in the retreat of the insurgents,
ensued. The day following, Gomez entered the province
of Pinar del Rio, and many thought that he would con
tinue westward to effect a junction with Maceo, but in
stead, he turned to the south on passing the sugar fac-

266 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
tory Tomasito or Regalado. The columns of Linares and
Aldecoa were pressing closely on his trail, and caught up
with the rear guard at the Plantation Nueva, situated near
the town of Artimisa, and a slight skirmish occurred.
Finding his passage to the east cut off, the rebel leader
crossed the railroad and entered the southern district of
the province of Habana. Now came the opportunity that
Marin had so anxiously waited for, and he determined to
make a great effort to entrap his elusive adversary. Cam
pos had failed to corner him, and Weyler had been ordered
to the command in the hopes that he might succeed in ac
complishing something; but in the meanwhile, if Marin
should be fortunate enough to gain the victory, it would
mean promotion to the highest rank in the Spanish army.
With this end in view, Marin accordingly left Habana on
the morning of January 30th, 1896, accompanied by his
entire staff. Twenty-five car-loads of troops and horses and
several pieces of light artillery followed him.
The night was spent in San Antonio de Ios Banos, where
a patriotic demonstration took place in his honor. From
here, it appears, he went the next day to San Felipe and
superintended the re-enforcement of the Batabano Railroad
line. The operating columns of Linares, Aldecoa, Ruiz,
Galbis, Cornell, and Macon were distributed throughout
the district between Alquizar and Quivican. The total
Spanish forces were nearly 10,000 men.
Gomez intended to pass the Batabano line and emerge
in the central part of the province; but the unusually large
force stationed here to intercept him frustrated his plans
and compelled him to fall back to the west. While en
camped for breakfast near the Penalver estate, the enemy
came up from Guira de Melena, and another characteristic
rear-guard fight was the result.
By shielding themselves behind the burning cane- fields,
the rebels were enabled to successfully beat off the enemy
while they made a hasty retreat. When the Spaniards were

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 26*7
at last left far behind, the insurgents encamped for the
night at the old half-ruined sugar factory called La Luz.
Marin now had Gomez in a very tight place, for to the
east was the large force on the line of the Batabano road,
and to the west were stationed two columns at Neptuno
and Waterloo. The trains on the western railway to the
north had been busy depositing troops at various points on
the line, and Marin, in person, at the head of 7,000 men,
had arrived during the night at Alquizar, and advanced to
the factory San Antonio de Pulido, situated about two
leagues to the north of La Luz.
This camp of Gomez's was in the worst possible position
to resist a combined movement from all sides, for not a
quarter of a mile away to the south stretched the great
coast swamp, rendering retreat in that direction practically
impossible. An attack under these conditions would call
for some hard fighting.
To make matters worse, Gomez had run short of am
munition, and there were probably not more than 2,000
cartridges distributed among his 700 fighting men.
A good illustration of the scarcity of ammunition may
be seen from the following incident. During the night a
small Cuban " guerrilla," numbering thirty-five armed
and twenty unarmed men, presented themselves to Gomez,
and petitioned an assignment to some regular body.
Gomez ordered the men to report to Lieut. -Col. Jose
Roque, who lacked one troop to complete his regiment,
and thereby attain the corresponding full rank of colonel.
This was intended as a compliment to Roque, so he could
form his needed troop from this nucleus. But instead of
being grateful, Roque was a trifle irritated by the seeming
favor. In explaining his situation to me, he said:
" The old man is always sending me men, but he never
thinks of sending any cartridges, and, as you have already
seen, I have to stand the brunt of the fighting, while the
others get away with the impedimenta. Here I am with

268 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
only about fifty cartridges left after the fight to-day, and
we are bound to have another one to-morrow. If I am to
continue to do the fighting for the rest, the old man had
better Eend me something to do it with."
Roque had already requested his chief for 100 rounds,
and had been refused. He finally appealed to Col. Nunez,
who commanded the other regiment, and, owing to the
fact that he had never done any fighting, his men were
fairly well supplied with ammunition. Nunez refused to
part with any of his " ornamental cartridges," although
Roque tried to impress upon him the advisability of so doing.
When all his pleadings proved ineffectual, Roque finally
offered to exchange the fifty-five men for 200 rounds.
This flattered the other, who was ambitious to be the
commander of a large regiment, and after considerable
haggling, the deal was closed; but instead of the original
200 rounds, Nunez " beat " the other down to eighty.
Roque was highly elated with his bargain, and expressed
himself as being more than contented to get rid of so much
useless impedimenta.
But if this gallant regiment was treated so badly by
Gomez, his own personal escort was carefully attended to,
for every one of his sixty men had sufficient cartridges in
their belts. But he can be excused for this partiality, for
every one of his escort was a picked man, and could be
depended on to make a fair showing when the time came
to fight.
As I will shortly have occasion to refer once more to the
impedimenta, or the celebrated macheteros of the terrible
yell, a short description of them will not be out of place.
This distinctly Cuban adjunct to an army might, with
a wide stretch of the imagination, be made to correspond
to our pack-train in its crudest form. It is composed
chiefly of officers' servants — the unarmed contingent, and
the general scum and riff-raff of the lowest elements of the
army, whose only excuse for being there is the outcome of

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 269
their lazy, indolent natures and a desire to fill their stomachs
without having to work or do any fighting. Their prin
cipal duty seems to be to terrorize the peaceable farmer by
stealing everything they can lay their hands on, and to
take from him the last morsel of food he has preserved for
his needy family. In this capacity he is very brave; but let
the sound of firing be heard ever so far away, and he im
mediately begins his search for the " line of retreat," along
which he tears until his tired and fagged-out horse can go
no further.
They are generally mounted on the cast-off horses of the
fighting men, and while they are not armed with service
able rifles, all have the machete, and at that epoch of the
revolution many carried revolvers and shot-guns of every
conceivable make and pattern.
This particular impedimenta with Gomez were well sup
plied with a motley assortment of such fire-arms, and prob
ably 200 were armed with shot-guns; and the writer well
remembers the twenty old-fashioned blunderbusses that
had been stolen from the homes of wealthy planters and
proudly carried by members of the impedimenta.
If rifle ammunition was hard to procure, it was just the
reverse with powder and ball, for many houses in the coun
try had considerable quantities on hand, which was
promptly confiscated by the insurgents. I witnessed the
negroes of the impedimenta loading their old blunderbusses,
to see which one would hold the most, and then some officer
came along and ordered them to ram in wads and leave
them loaded, little thinking at the time that it was a fortu
nate thing he did so, as the events of the day proved.
About twelve o'clock on the 1st of February, the scouts
reported to Gomez that the enemy were gathered in force
at San Antonio. Gomez received the information very
lightly, and, according to his custom, ordered a dozen
sharp-shooters to proceed to the encampment and worry
the enemy from a safe distance.

270 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
These tactics were well enough when the Spanish column
was known to be composed of infantry; for the Cubans,
mounted as they were on the finest horses, could easily
evade pursuit. But this time it seems that they were
ignorant of the fact that the Spaniards had about 1,000
cavalry under Col. Calixto Ruiz, who were literally "spoil
ing " for a chance at the " old Chinaman."
The oft-repeated dodge failed to be effective this time,
for when the dozen Cubans opened fire, the Spanish cav
alry dashed out after them. Unprepared for such an exhi
bition of energy, the insurgents " turned tail," and headed
for La Luz. So close were they pursued that no one
thought of trying to lead them away from Gomez, but all
made a bee-line for camp as the only way to save their own
skins. A scout entered and reported the Spaniards as being in
hot pursuit of the sharp-shooters. Gomez gave him a very
queer and angry look, as though to say, " What in thunder
do you mean by bothering me with such trifles?" Without
paying any further attention to the soldier, he turned again
to the paper he had been reading.
His sang-froid and indifference were rudely shaken a
minute later by a second scout, who repeated the former
information. But this time the warning was unnecessary, for before he
had finished communicating his report, the sound of fierce
firing near at hand caused everybody to make an involun
tary movement toward the door. The Spaniards had
reached the guard, stationed about half a mile away, and
were receiving an unexpected but temporary check.
" Boots and saddles!" growled Gomez, as he made a
lively hobble for his horse tethered to a post outside the
door. So quick did the Cubans obey the order, that before
the bugler had finished the call, more than half of them
were mounted and making a desperate effort to retreat.
Some of our crack cavalry troops in the United States

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 271
could no doubt profit by having a representative with the
insurgents to study their maneuvers, for in a case like La
Luz, no cavalry in the world could beat them on mounting
a charger. Cooking utensils and other little articles of a trooper's
outfit are happily overlooked in such a case, and are con
sidered as unnecessary luxuries, to be abandoned when " el
diablo " puts in an unexpected appearance.
Before Gomez could form his men or instill some discip
line in the excited mob, the impetuous Ruiz was charging
on the guards with all his force.
Roque made a fine stand, and attempted to hold them
back; but his gallant band, who had only two rounds
apiece, could do but little in the face of such a rush.
For once the Spaniards did not fire by solid volleys. The
terrible, crackling, grinding noise from the 1 ,000 Mauser
and Remington carbines fired at will, stamped the onslaught
as a determined one. On they came, yelling and firing
like so many demons. The infernal din increased as it
drew nearer and nearer, and the air seemed filled with in
visible Kilkenny cats " meouwing " to each other, caused
by the peculiar sound of the Mauser bullet as it cuts the
air. The Cubans cursed, prayed, struggled, and fought as
they fell over each other in a mad endeavor to force their
way out of the narrow east gate before the " gringos " en
tered the yard, the result being a temporary block or
squeeze. How the bullets " whizzed " over their heads,
trimming the nearjby trees, and causing the impedimenta
to howl with fright! In such moments of " agony," the
mind of the Cuban peasant undoubtedly returns to his boy
hood days, for the uppermost thought is of his mother,
aud the piteous and heart-rending cries of, " Ay' ay' mi
madre," mingled with the most horrible blasphemies, are
the exclamations heard on all sides.
The crazed impedimenta plunged blindly into the dense

272 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
wild pine-apple hedge, bristling with sharp needle-like
points, and howled with pain and fright, as, scratched and
bleeding, they endeavored to gain the " line of retreat,"
where Nunez and his faithful sprinters were already fast
disappearing down the road.
The Spaniards forced Roque to retreat in quick order*
and then they came with a swift rush toward the yard.
Gomez saw that he was lost if he tarried longer, and, fol
lowed by his escort, he abandoned the impedimenta to its
fate, and galloped away toward the west, as he afterward
explained, to draw the enemy's attention to himself.
Scovel and myself were greatly amused by the ludicrous
spectacle of the impedimenta, who, with their pots and
kettles, saddle-bags and other luggage, were fiercely fight
ing among themselves to get clear of the yard. Some were
mounted on mules, who created consternation among the
throng of other animals by indulging in their favorite pas
time of " letting out with both hind feet," to the great
dissatisfaction of the other less aggressive and more docile
beasts. Other mules, mule-like, refused to budge an inch,
and their riders dismounted and belabored them with clubs
and the flat of their machetes; but it's no use. Mules don't
like pine-apple hedges, and positively declined to be urged.
Several were abandoned, and the troopers dashed through
the hedge to gain the swamp and save themselves.
Some bullets whistled very close to our heads, and we
began to think about joining the impedimenta and retreat
ing. I had always hankered to witness an exciting fight;
but this was getting a little too personal, and, thanks to our
excellent horses, we cleared the fence at a jump and were
soon some yards on the other side, and, as I thought, in
comparative safety for awhile.
Gomez's ruse had been successful. The right flank of
the Spaniards followed after him, and a momentary respite
was given the impedimenta. But we were suddenly startled
by a yell of dismay from the terrified mass that was rush-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 273
ing past us. On looking, we discovered a big flank of
cavalry spread out like a fan and closing in toward the
road running parallel with .the swamp to cut off the retreat
to the east. Their movement succeeded, and we were in
for what appeared to be a " hot time." No retreat was
possible under the circumstances, for on all sides but the
swamp we were hemmed in. The machete charge I had
read so much about appeared inevitable, and I stood a fair
chance of being one of the victims.
The Spaniards came tearing toward us with flashing ma
chetes waving in the air, their carbines slung unused by
their sides, and at the time it looked as though Old
Nick would have many new boarders before night if
something did not occur to change the situation, and there
was no time to be lost, either.
The impedimenta claimed our attention. Seeing their
retreat cut off, they fell back dismayed. Their white,
drawn faces clearly indicated the terror that had taken
hold of them.
Their first impulse was to make]for the swamp; but it
was then too late, as the whites of the Spaniards' eyes were
now visible, and their infernal yell of " Santiago! Santiago!
Viva Espana! Venga Mambi!" struck fresh terror into
the hearts of the trembling rabble. It seemed as though
nothing could prevent a hand-to-hand conflict, with all its
savage horrors, and in such a case the shivering and palsied
impedimenta would undoubtedly be massacred.
The full sense of their peril dawned on the terrified mass.
Desperate and panic-stricken, deserted by their princijjal
chiefs, and with no officer capable of giving a command,
they faced the determined Spaniards.
With seemingly one accord, and without taking aim, the
Cubans " blazed " away at the fast closing in flank. The
din was terrific, and the innumerable balls, slugs, bird-
shot, and pieces of old iron and junk discharged from the
variegated assortment of blunderbusses, shot-guns, old re-

274 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
vol vers, and toy pistols caused the Spanish flank to halt in
their mad onward career.
Who could blame them? For the discharge made as
much racket as an artillery fire, and then they probably
knew that the Cubans lacked ammunition, and therefore
had anticipated an easy victory.
The charge halted about fifty yards from the impedi
menta line, and another volley from the double-barreled
shot-guns, accompanied by the ever-ready cry, " Al ma
chete," caused the Spanish line to waver. The revolvers
of the insurgents were called upon, and the Spaniards,
who a minute before had been so determined, now sheathed
their machetes, picked up their carbines, and operating
them like clock-work, quickly fell back under cover of
their own fire, to escape what they probably expected to
be a machete charge by the scared to death Cubans. On
the other hand, the latter were so surprised at the success
of their own movement that they never stopped to see the
result; but, taking advantage of the momentary check,
and seeing the road open, made a dash across the field,
gained the road, and were soon safe outside the trap that
had nearly caught them. The tension once removed,
Scovel and myself laughed heartily to see the Cubans go
down that " line of retreat."
Every one tried to be first; but as the path was only
about four feet wide, this was impossible, and many, hop
ing to make a short cut, frantically urged their horses into
the woods, where they got tangled in the creeping under
brush and vines and had to be abandoned.
The Spaniards probably thought that the insurgents
were supported with Gatling guns, judging from the num
ber of missiles fired from those blunderbusses, and there
fore were in no hurry to again venture [so near. If they
had only continued their charge, they would undoubtedly
have gained their greatest victory of the war.
This opportunity, so rashly lost, never again presented

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 275
itself, for old Gomez has never ventured to return to that
part of the country where everything favored his enemies.
The bewildered Cubans were soon miles away, and safely
encamped near the Luisa estate by sundown. Gomez, with
his escort, kept to the west and cleared the trap; he then
endeavored to make a detour to rejoin his abandoned and
shattered army. In doing so, he ran against the main body
of Spanish infantry, 6,000 strong, a short distance to the
south of San Antonio. They were marching to re-enforce
Ruiz. A short, sharp, running fight ensued; but the
Cubans easily galloped out of range, and the firing ceased.
Gomez reunited with Roque, Nunez, and the impedimen
ta (who were the heroes of the hour) the following day
near Tamaulipas.
This fight was afterward claimed by Marin as a great
victory, and Col. Ruiz was recommended for promotion
(which was subsequently conferred), and Capt. -Gen. Marin
was decorated with a grand cross.
If Ruiz had only waited until the 6,000 infantry came
up, and then surrounded the camp before making the at
tack, there is little doubt but that Gomez would have suf
fered a crushing defeat.
This was probably the only occasion during the war
where Gomez was in any actual peril of being surrounded
or captured.

276 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.

CHAPTER XIII.
GOMEZ AT SAN GERVASIO.
Rsmarkable exhibition of temper. — Gomez threatens to shoot
officers.
The day following the exciting fight at La Luz, Scovel
and myself attempted to enter the town of Quivican to dis
patch correspondence for Habana.
Unfortunately for our plans, a Spanish column arrived
there before us and saw us coming. Like good soldiers
that they were, they formed an ambuscade to capture us
" vivita " on entering the town. A fight was the result.
On second thought, I think the letter " 1 " inserted in the
word " fight " would probably express our conduct more
clearly. Scovel was unhorsed, and narrowly escaped capt
ure, and my own " genuine Cuban plug " was killed. By
a miracle, we gained the shelter of the cane-fields and es
caped. When we arrived at Gomez's camp, near Bejucal,
the old chief was profuse in his expressions of sympathy,
and ordered Lino Mirabal to look out for us in the future.
Scovel left for Habana the next day on an important mis
sion. Gomez had already apologized to me for his uncalled-for
conduct after the fight at Santa Lucia, and was very solici
tous about my welfare — in fact, he seemed to have entirely
overlooked the affair. I parted with him on the 10th of
February, to accompany Col. Roque on a proposed night
raid into Guara. I did not meet him again until the 19 th,
when he and Maceo joined forces at Moralito, where the
all-day fight between several Spanish columns occurred.
Four days afterward they again separated near the Matan-

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 277
zas border, Gomez marching to the east and Maceo to the
north. Three weeks of continual fighting followed. Maceo
fought at Guamacaro, Nazereno, Rio Bayamo, Morales, San
Francisco, Diana, and Rio de Auras. After the last fight,
he successfully slipped outside of a clever combination
of eight columns who were closing in on his camp, and
crossing the railroad, finally encamped on the San
Gervasio estate near Galeon. The great southern swamp
was a short distance away, and the nearest point from
where a Spanish column could attack him was Alfonso
XII., twelve miles to the north-west. The three weeks of
hard campaigning had taxed the horses to their limit, and
Maceo determined to rest here and allow them to recuper
ate, and at the same time reorganize his army, which had
received considerable re-enforcements of unarmed men
during the last three days.
Toward dusk, when Maceo's tired army was preparing
for sleep, we were startled by the blare of a brass band
playing the insurgent battle hymn. Past the guards and
into the heart of the camp, with the lone-star flag waving
above the riders, the regiment of Col. Antonio Nunez came
to a halt in front of Maceo's head-quarters.
Nunez had formed part of Gomez's force two days before
at Santa Rita de Baro, and he informed Maceo that during
the fight he became separated from his chief, and as yet, had
been unable to locate him, and, furthermore, his men had
experienced a heavy fight that very morning with a large
Spanish column at the Plantation Carmen of Alex
ander. Shortly afterward another small force, under com
mand of Maj. Gonzalo Betancourt, came into camp and
reported the same story to Maceo. They were ordered to
encamp with the rest of the men and await the disposition
of their leader.
Early in the morning, the scouts reported that Gen.
Gomez was at Manjauries, and would join Maceo during

278 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
the day. About ten o'clock he entered the camp at the
head of his escort and the famous infantry battalion of
Quintin Banderas.
There was fire in the old man's eyes, and his short,
snappy, surly remarks, added to an incessant tugging at
his weather-vane goatee, warned the men that a storm was
brewing. The probabilities were undoubtedly very threat
ening; but the outburst was deferred until the usual for
malities of salutations were passed, and then the storm
broke out in all its fury. I had seen Gomez infuriated;
but all previous eruptions paled into insignificance before
the righteous and indignant denunciation of the con
duct of his men at Santa Rita. Gomez's feelings were
wounded, his heart was sore, for at Santa Rita he had lost
his bosom friend and companion. Brig. Angel Guerra had
fallen, and although his body was recovered and given a
decent burial, Gomez was indignant to find that an entire
regiment had deserted him during the fight, and at the
muster-roll of the night it was learned that a troop of cav
alry was missing.
I do not censure Gomez for his speech. On the contrary,
he is to be applauded, and if he only carried out his threat,
it would have had a very salutary effect, and perhaps have
saved the lives of other chiefs who have since fallen and
been abandoned by their commands.
After embracing Maceo, Zayas, and others, Gomez sat
still on his charger, waiting for the escort and other regi
ments to file up and come to attention. He never said a
word to indicate that he was disturbed, but simply scowled
and tugged at his beard.
When all was quiet, he spoke. The high pitch of his
voice trembled with anger and shame, and as he proceeded
with his harangue, his men lowered their heads at the re
buke of their venerable chieftain.
" Soldiers! If any of you should see a low-sized, dark-
bewhiskered cur, calling himself Maj. Betancourt, arrest

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 279
him, bind him securely, and lead him to my presence. He
has deserted his chief on the field of battle. He has cow
ardly abandoned me in the hour of peril. When our brave
comrade — Angel Guerra — fell, pierced by the bullets of
the enemy, this officer dispersed with his men, and has not
yet reported to me. This is not the first time he has com
mitted this despicable action. During the invasion he de
serted me at the fight of Mi Risa, and fled to the safe
precincts of the hills of Siguanea, where I found him later
on, and instead of degrading or chastising him, as he richly
deserved, I once more placed him in the ranks of the army.
But he again proved false, and now he shall receive his
reward. " Soldiers! The regiment of Col. Nunez is here. They
have committed the same crime, and even after deserting
me at Santa Rita, they were put to rout by a handful of
guerrilleros at the Plantation Carmen. He says his men
fought with an entire column. It is false! Twenty mis
erable guerrilleros composed the enemy's force at that
place, and this officer allowed his command of 400 armed
men to retreat ignominiously before their fire."
Turning to Col. Nunez, he said:
" Beware! Mark well your actions, colonel, for the noose
is around your neck, and the end of the rope is trailing
behind." Gomez had by this time worked himself into a high pitch
of excitement, and as he concluded his terrible warning,
Maj. Betancourt was led into his presence. His passion
was beyond control, and as his eye rested on the unfortu
nate official, he fairly trembled with rage.
"Ah! coward, cur, deserter, liar, despoiler, ransacker
of women's clothes and jewels, violator of homes, how dare
you come into my presence? Here, Boza! Take him
prisoner; tie his arms behind him; bind him securely so he
can't escape, and to the escort with him! Ah! thief, I'll
teach you a lesson! Search him, Boza— search him! If he

280 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
has any money or jewels in his possession, it is the result
of his thieving! If he has any money, turn it over to me,
Boza, for it is the property of the Republic! Search that
portmanteau carefully, Boza; look well inside the lining,
and be sure you get everything! Aha! what's that, Boza?
Give them to me! They are letters. Here, tear them up!
What's that, Boza — jewelry? Where did you get that,
you thief?"
Here the bound officer attempted to explain how he
came into possession of the articles in question, and called
on his son to corroborate his statement. But Gomez was
in no mood to be contradicted or to listen to reason, for
he continued to roundly abuse the prisoner.
"Your son, eh! Don't dare call on him to help you
out with your lies; the whelp is the same as his father!
Here, Boza, take him prisoner, too! Search him — search
him well! Tie his hands, and keep him in the escort along
with his worthy father! Away with them!"
As the two were led away, Gomez turned to the officers
who surrounded him, and said:
" It is a shame and a disgrace that a handful of Ori
entals, under the command of Gen. Antonio and myself,
have been forced to bear the brunt of this war and carry it
into the western provinces to teach these people how to
fight for their independence, and even then they are so des
titute of shame that they expect we will still continue to
bear the struggle alone."
He then turned to Juan Bruno Zayas, and placing his hand
affectionately on the young hero's shoulder, said to him:
" General, we will have to shoot or execute a great many
of these officers and chiefs who are roaming around the
country with the high-sounding titles of colonels, lieuten
ant-colonels, majors, etc. Some of them are not fit to be
soldiers. Ah! general, if they were all like yourself, how
proud I would be to command them! But my heart is sad
at the conduct of many, whose only desire and ambition

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 281
seems to be to attain a certain rank and then dodge around
the country without fighting."
Gomez really loved his young protege, and the short con
versation that passed between them seemed to soothe his
outraged feelings.
Maceo now approached his superior, and introduced two
young lawyers of Habana who had joined him during the
month. They belonged to the Creole aristocracy, and
Maceo very naturally considered them as valuable recruits.
Gerado Portela and Ignacio Almagro were their names,
and as Maceo concluded the introduction, we were all taken
aback by the uncalled-for response of the commander-in-
chief. Pointing his finger at Almagro, he said:
" Gen. Antonio, beware! I already know these men,
and this one in particular. I have met them before, and
you will have to keep your eyes on them. Look out for
them, general, for they are intimate friends and sympathiz
ers of Julio Sanguilly, and will bear watching!"
The author is ignorant of the real meaning of this at
tack; but it was apparent to all that he did not have a high
opinion of the Cuban officer imprisoned in Moro Castle.
Both Almagro and Portela were highly educated men, and
their sensitive natures resented such an unwarranted at
tack; but they did not dare to say anything in their own
defense, for it would have only goaded the general to say
something still worse.
Gomez and Maceo then held a long conversation, after
which the former withdrew and returned with his escort to
the east, while Maceo, accompanied by Zayas, Tamayo,
Lacret, Banderas, Cardenas, Nunez, Bacallao and others
started westward through the swamp to carry out the
memorable march to Pinar del Rio.
The author accompanied them, and continued with
Maceo until the month of August, when he crossed the
trocha, and eventually arrived in Habana to embark for the
United States.

282 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.

CHAPTER XIV.
MIRABAL AND ZAYAS. — DEATH OF TWO BRAVE LEADERS
DESERTED BY THEIR COMMANDS WHEN THEY FELL.
Note.— During the month of March, 1897, the author for
warded a letter to the "New York Herald," in which he called
attention to the conduct of the Cubans when their leaders were
killed. The deaths of Zayas, Tamayo, Guerra, Mirabal, and Maceo
were cited as examples, and that of Marti may also be added, and
the subsequent capture of Rius Rivera is directly traceable to the
same cause, viz., the utter lack of discipline and military organiza
tion. As I have been severely criticized for making the bare state
ments, I now produce the facts in full as gathered from trustworthy
sources in the field.
During the month of September, 1896, I was in the
province of Habana with the insurgent forces under
Aguirre. I determined to pass through the Spanish lines
into Habana and return to the United States, as the hard
campaign had told heavily on my health.
Without going into the details of how and where I made
my arrangements to pass through the lines, it is sufficient
to say that I was in the neighborhood of San Miguel, and
was all prepared to go into the city, when I received a com
munication from the " Herald " to interview the cele
brated ex-bandit, Lino Mirabal, who was in command of an
insurgent force called the Cavalry Regiment of Jaruco,
numbering about 300 men.
I had met this officer several times, and had formed a
strong friendship for him, as he was one of the few really
brave men who delighted in fighting.
So it was with great pleasure that I turned back with
my friends to see Mirabal, who I knew was encamped with
his regiment near the old sugar estate San Joaquin. But
his camp had been moved, and following the trail through

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 283
the hills and jungles, I finally found him in the hills of
Jaruco back of Tapaste.
After a frugal breakfast of fried beef and bananas, I
called him aside and requested a history of his life. At
first he seemed disinclined to confide in me, but after con
siderable urging on my part, he finally said:
" Friend Jorge, I am going to talk to you as though you
were my father confessor, for I have a presentiment that I
am not going to live long. This feeling has taken hold of
me very strongly during the last week, and to-day I feel
quite oppressed in spirit. I will relate the inside history
of my life, and you can then judge whether I deserve the
terrible accusations and anathemas of the public at large,
and as you are the only one to whom I have confided this
secret, you must promise me that while I live you will not
disclose it; but in the case of my death, I want you at
some future time to vindicate my name from the charge of
being a bandit for the mere sake of robbing, and in case
my superiors do not lift the stain from my name, I want
you to expose them."
As the parties referred to are still holding high positions
in the insurgent government, and are liable to be captured
at any time, I do not wish to make clear their names, as I
would not care to be instrumental in causing any extra
suffering on their part in the event of capture.
I have every reason to believe the truth of what Mirabal
told me, for at several times during his story he was visibly
affected. Without repeating all the minor details, the
most important part is this:
" After leaving the village of  to escape the unjust
persecution of the civil guards — who persistently hounded
me because I was suspected of communicating with my
uncle, Nicasio, who was really an outlaw— I went to Ceigo
de Avila, where I determined to live and lead a new life,
which I did for a few years.
" Then came the news of the uprising in the East, led

284 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
by the brothers Sartorious, and as I had pledged myself to
fight against Spain at the first opportunity, I accordingly,
with three companions, left Ceigo de Avila, mounted our
best horses, and started on the long journey to the Orient.
All our friends in the town knew of our purpose, and after
our departure the authorities were informed, and they
placed our names on the list of " alazados," or insurgents.
" By the time Holguin was reached, we found that the
movement had failed, and the leaders had accepted the
pardon and surrendered.
" This was a great blow to me, and I determined, never
theless, to remain in the hills and mountains as an outlaw
rather than again submit to the authority of Spain.
" I accordingly found my uncle, who was in the province
of Camaguey, and with our band we defied all the efforts
of the government to put us down. I also placed myself
as a patriot at the orders of the chief of the revolutionary
party residing in Puerto Principe City. We held constant
communication with him, and committed many crimes that
we were ordered to carry out in the interest of the cause.
" The two. wealthy planters that we captured and held for
ransom, and that created such a stir in Habana, were
enemies of the Cuban cause, and we received direct orders
from our chief in Puerto Principe to carry out the seques
tration. " The money was sent to him to increase the revolu
tionary war fund. A short time after this 1 was given the
opportunity to leave the island, but as I received notice
that the war was to break out in a short time, I deter
mined to await the landing of Gomez, and with that object
in view, I industriously commenced the collection of arms
and ammunition, and at last, when the insurrection did
reach Camaguey, I was in the position to proudly present
200 rifles and several thousand rounds of ammunition to
the general-in-chief, who offered to make me a major for
my services. This compliment I refused, telling Gen.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 285
Gomez that I wished to enter his escort as a common sol
dier, and win my rank on my merits as a fighter."
The subsequent history of Mirabal I was thoroughly
familiar with. Gomez soon promoted him to captain, and
at the conclusion of the invasion was left in command of
the district around San Jose de las Lajas, and ascended to
the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the Jaruco Regiment,
under the immediate orders of Gen. Aguirre.
The whole tenor of Mirabal's relation was to show that
he had not acted as a bandit, but as a " patriot," who
simply obeyed the orders of his chief. He denied that he
had ever murdered any one before the war, and that the
only crime he was guilty of was the sequestration of the
two planters, and in this he only did his duty.
There were a few romantic love adventures connected
with his story which are not necessary to reproduce.
As he finished his narrative, a soldier came running up
to him, and said:
" My colonel, Private So-and-so has just deserted, and is
making for the town of Minas to surrender, and he says he
is going to betray the camp."
Mirabal sprung to his feet, and gave a hurried order for
several to mount their horses and follow him. The last
words I caught as they galloped off, was to " give the rascal
the machete and kill him on the spot if they caught him."
But the deserter had too long a start, and after an hour's
fruitless search, the posse returned to camp in a very bad
humor. Mirabal then confided to me his plan for the morrow,
and earnestly requested me to stay and see him carry it
out. His plan was this: The guerrilla infantry of the town
of Tapaste was in the habit of marching twice a week to a
point called La Tienda de la Campana, situated half-way
on the road to San Jose de las Lajas. Here they were met
by the guerrilla of the last-named town, and the exchange
of mails and packages took place.

286 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Mirabal's plan was to ambush his force near the meeting-
place, and charge on the small guerrilla and cut them
down with the machete. His plan was all right, and
would probably have succeeded if he had not been betrayed
by some one. I asked him to excuse me, as I was on my
way to Habana and could not risk losing the opportunity.
The call to break camp was sounded, and the men were
soon ou the march toward the Campana. Our paths now
separated, and I bid good-bye to Mirabal and his officers
and started for the house of a friend near Portugalete. I
had not gone far before I heard Mirabal calling me back.
I found the officer greatly moved, and his countenance had
a very sorrowful and troubled expression. He said:
" Friend Jorge, I have called you back to give you an
other embrace, for I feel as though I will never see you
again, and promise me, if I should fall to-morrow, you will
remember what I said this afternoon."
I promised, and after an affectionate embrace, we
parted. Poor Lino! He may have been a bandit and committed
many crimes, but he won my admiration for his bravery
and frankness. There was nothing coarse about this ex-
outlaw, and I may be pardoned in my saying, that if the
Cuban army had a few more such bandits they might have
won more battles and thereby increased their prestige.
The presentiment came true, for on the morrow he was
Killed — abandoned to his fate by his escort, who ran away
when he was wounded.
As I stepped aboard the stage that left San Jose for Ha
bana, I heard the first volleys that told me Mirabal had
carried out his plan. I subsequently learned that the
guerrilla of Tapaste were sorely pressed by the 300 rebels*
and were on the point of surrendering, when down the
road from San Jose came the column of Moroto at the
double quick, and changed the tide of battle and forced
the insurgents to retire.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 287
Mirabal, standing at the front of his men, was vainly
striving to infuse courage into them to make a machete
charge. While waving his weapon and crying, " Al ma
chete! Al machete!" a bullet passed through his body,
breaking the spinal column. He fell to the ground face
downward, and could not turn over. His " valiant "
regiment, on seeing their chief fall, instead of rushing to
pick him up, " turned tail," and allowed their brave com
mander to fall into the hands of the enemy.
As the Spanish soldiers came up, they called on him to
surrender. Mirabal had grasped his revolver and requested
the Spaniards to turn him over, as he wished to speak with
the captain.
" Let go of the revolver and we will do as you wish," an
swered the soldiers, who saw that Mirabal was trying a
ruse to kill the captain.
"No; I'll not let go."
After repeated efforts had been made to induce him to
drop his " gun," the soldiers put their rifles to his head
and blew out his brains.
Several other insurgents who fell were abandoned by
their comrades. The bodies were taken to San Jose and
given burial in the public cemetery. So ended the career
of Lino Mirabal, the bandit of Camaguey.
The story of Mirabal would lead us to believe that the
revolution was partly responsible for a certain part of the
brigandage that existed in Cuba before the war. Whether
his assertions are true or not, it is difficult to prove; but it
may not be out of place to reproduce another similar case
that was the talk of Habana a few years ago. While the
following story has never appeared in print, it has a general
circulation amongst a certain class in Cuba who accept it
as the truth.
Rafael Fernandez de Castro, a prominent Home Rule
deputy and owner of a large sugar factory, was always con.
sidered as one of the ultra autonomists, and as such had

288 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
gained the support of many separatists, who thought they
saw in his speeches a veiled acknowledgment of the justice
of their cause.
According to the story, the deputy made a visit to New
York, where Jose Marti importuned him for a subscription
to aid the revolutionary cause. It was then they discovered
that De Castro did not favor their policy to gain independ
ence by force of arms, for he refused to subscribe a cent.
As the Cubans claim that he owed much of his political
success to their support, they determined to punish him
for his "parsimony." The celebrated bandit, Manuel
Garcia, who, it is alleged, held a commission as Lieutenant-
colonel in the revolutionary army, received orders from his
superiors in the Junta to sequestrate the planter and hold
him for $15,000 ransom.
Owing to some mistake, they arrived at his father's
estate, and failing to find the deputy, they determined to
take the father; but a younger brother (Antonio) stood up
bravely and said, that to carry away his father they would
have to pass over his dead body. After a few words, the
son offered to go in the father's stead. This was ac
ceptable to the bandits, who carried him off, and only re
leased him on the payment of $10,000 in cash.
This version of the story is generally accepted in Cuba
by those who know the inside facts, for there was no
other plausible motive. According to rumor, the planter
had paid his yearly " tribute money " one week previous
to the sequestration, and consequently should have been in
good " standing " with the bandits.
The Spaniards tried hard to connect Julio Sanguilly with
this affair, but failed, as no evidence could be found.
DEATH OF JUAN BRUNO ZAYAS, THE BRAVEST LEADER
THE PRESENT WAR HAS PRODUCED.
When the trocha in Pinar del Rio was constructed, with
the idea of preventing Maceo's return to Habana Province,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 289
stories were frequently set in circulation, and given pub
licity by newspapers, that Gomez was on his way to assist
Maceo by making a demonstration in Arolas' rear, and
while his attention was thus distracted, Maceo would seize
the opportunity, cross the trocha, and rejoin his old chief
to carry on the war in Habana Province.
We all know now that Gomez was in Camaguey, and had
troubles of his own to contend with, and gave little thought
to assisting Maceo. Mayia Rodriguez was ordered to the
West about the middle of last year, ostensibly to help
Maceo; but we can see how far he has journeyed, for he
still remains in the province of Villa Clara.
The part of the province of Habana lying to the rear or
east of the trocha was termed by the Cubans as the operat
ing district of the Western Brigade of Habana. This force
comprised about 500 armed men, scattered in various small
commands. To the north, or between Habana and Mariel,
was found Lieut.-Col. Baldomero Acosta, with about ICO
men. In the district to the south of the capital was found
the regiment under command of Juan Delgado, numbering
about 150. Along the southern coast, or between Batabano
and the trocha, were formed several small commands
operating under Col. Collazo. Lieut.-Col. Perez had one
small force, and Maj. Acea another. The civil governor
of the province, Aurelio Betancourt, had a small force
which accompanied him as an escort.
Since Maceo incorporated the Brigade of Batabano, com
manded by Pedro Diaz, this part of the country had been
left without a capable chief, and the consequence was, that
all these under chiefs, instead of working together for the
common good of their cause, were antagonistic to one an
other, as no one cared to recognize each other as a superior.
The difficulty of sending dispatches across the trocha pro
longed this state of affairs, as Maceo could not send an
order of appointment to the officer of his choice.
For awhile they fought together under Collazo; but he
10

290 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
was finally killed, and the confusion was then greater than
before. The general commanding the Cuban forces in the prov
ince (Brig. J. M. Aguirre), instead of visiting this section
of the country and instituting the necessary reorganization,
contented himself with remaining in the northern district
to the east of Habana.
When it became absolutely necessary to send an officer
to take chief command, he selected his nephew, Carlos
Aguirre, for this important post. This young man had
been promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel by his
uncle, for no other merit than being a relative.
Aguirre arrived at the camp of Juan Delgado, and after
presenting his credentials — which were in correct form —
awaited patiently for the command to be turned over. It
was common report amongst the insurgents in Habana
Province that Delgado refused to allow Aguirre to order his
party, and the climax was reached one morning, during a
temporary absence of Delgado, when Aguirre, in his posi
tion as superior officer, ordered the camp to be moved.
It is said that Delgado came galloping up as the men were
ready to march, and after ordering a halt, drew up in front
of Aguirre, and demanded by whose orders the camp had
been broken.
" By mine," spoke up Aguirre.
Drawing his revolver from its holster, and pointing it at
him, Delgado said:
" If you ever again make the mistake of ordering my
men, I'll shoot you; and I want you to understand that I
don't intend to recognize you as my superior, and you can
go and tell your uncle so as soon as you please."
Instead of asserting his authority and calling on his
escort to arrest the other for insubordination, or informing
Delgado that he was under arrest, Aguirre returned and
reported the matter to his uncle, who also showed his lack
of firmness by allowing the matter to pass by unnoticed.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 291
Carlos Aguirre shortly afterward embarked in an open
boat for the United States, and the insurgents say that his
uncle took this method of getting rid of him to prevent
further trouble.
When such a flagrant exhibition of insubordination was
condoned by the chief of the district, it is not to be won
dered at that these petty chiefs repeated the offense later
on. Maceo at last got word to Juan Bruno Zayas, who was
considered the best fighter amongst the Cubans, after
Gomez and Maceo, and I may add that the reputation was
justly earned, as a braver or more manly young Cuban
never lived than this representative of the Habana elite.
By his kindness and democracy he had endeared himself to
everybody, and even gruff old Gomez always mentioned
him with words of praise.
Zayas was at the time in command of the brigades of
Santa Clara and Cienfuegos, and had done some very good
fighting. Among other things, he entered and sacked the
large town of Esperanza, and some of his men, under
Vidal, even penetrated to the plaza in the very capital of
Santa Clara itself. This was the man selected for the
command of the Western Brigade of Habana, in the hopes
that his well-known energy and dare-devil bravery would
result in distracting the attention of the Spaniards from
Maceo, penned in Pinar del Rio by the trocha.
Accompanied only by his escort, he arrived in due time,
or late in July last, in the district which he was to com
mand. His first step was to send out orders to the various petty
chiefs to report to him on a certain date. I believe it was
August 1st. These communications were delivered in time
by the couriers, and enough allowance had been made for
all to arrive at the rendezvous on the same day.
The appointed day arrived, and not one reported. The
following day, Zayas was encamped within sight of the

292 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
sugar factory Mi Rosa, situated near Quivican. This was
undoubtedly the place cited for the rendezvous, according
to the insurgents themselves, who have given me the ac
count. On that morning, about five A. m., his scouts came
in and reported that the Spanish cavalry regiment of
Pizarro had left San Felipe and were marching in the direc
tion of the camp.
Zayas, unmoved by the notice, continued cutting his
nails, and finished his toilet, on which he had been en
gaged at the time.
He is reported to have said:
"Oh, let them come. I'll be ready for them by the
time they arrive; I expect to be able to give them a good
fight, because in an hour or so Acea, Perez, Delgado, and
others should be here."
This confidence and reliance that his orders would be
carried out was fatal to poor Zayas, for had he moved camp
while he still had an opportunity, I would not be com
pelled to now disclose the following bitter truths that I
learned four days afterward from men who witnessed
what ensued.
Zayas patiently awaited his scouts to bring in word that
his looked-for re-enforcements were approaching; but about
seven o'clock a scout came running in, excitedly exclaim
ing: " General, the enemy are very close, and are coming
direct for us." It was only then that Zayas, despairing of
receiving aid, ordered his men to take their positions be
hind a stone fence and await the enemy's coming.
The fight soon commenced, and the Cubans held their
advantageous position for some time, and if they had used
just a little of the same shrewdness displayed on other oc
casions, the result would have been different. The Spanish
cavalry charged, and the Cubans, in retreating, kept to the
open field instead of screening themselves by the adjacent
manigua or jungle.
By this blunder the Spaniards were quick to note their

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 293
greatly inferior numbers, and redoubled their charge. As
is usual in such a case, the Cubans broke and fled wildly.
The escort of Zayas, instead of remaining near him, fol
lowed the example of the rest, and when their brave young
leader turned around to give them an order, he found he
was practically deserted, for only two faithful adjutants
were at his side.
Flight was impossible, as he was quickly surrounded
by the enemy, who called on him to surrender. Like many
other Cuban chiefs, Zayas had sworn to die fighting rather
than suffer the indignity of being executed or imprisoned
for life; and now when he saw that there was no escape, he
drew himself up haughtily, and grasping his machete in
one hand and attempting to draw his revolver with the
other, he said:
" I am Gen. Zayas, and have sworn to never surrender.
If you want me, come and take me if you dare!"
These were the last words he uttered, for the Spaniards,
exasperated at his defiant attitude, yelled out, "At him!
Kill him!" And a dozen rifles, aimed and fired at the
same moment, ended the career of the most dashing and
chivalrous character that the present struggle had brought
to light. His two faithful adjutants fell at the same volley,
and the Spaniards then came up, and after searching the
bodies, they were sent to Quivican for identification.
The most deplorable part of the action was the conduct
of his escort. Every one realized that they were guilty of
deserting their chief, but not one had the courage to ascer
tain his fate, and as they sped on in their disgraceful flight,
one would say to the other: " Gentlemen, where is the
general; let us go back for him." To which they would
answer: " Yes, it's a shame; let us go back;" and all the
time they would spur their horses in the opposite direction.
But this is not all, for I was also informed by the men
themselves, that two Cuban forces, who should have re
ported to Zayas that morning, were safely esconced in a

294 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
woods about a mile from the scene of action, and although
they heard the firing plainly, and understood that Zayas
must be in a tight fix, the officer commanding did not
make a move to go to his assistance with re-enforcements.
The names of these officers I omit, as they have dis
played sufficient courage in other actions, and want to give
them the benefit of the doubt in the case.
But to my mind, the Cubans themselves, by their failing
to obey orders, and to stand by him in the hour of danger,
are responsible for the untimely death of Zayas; and al
though they are easily consoled by the statement that there
were others to take his place, I am of the opinion that his
place in the hearts of the soldiers, like that of Maceo, can
never be filled by any Cuban leader in the field to-day.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 295

CHAPTER XV.
MACEO'S BRAVERY AT GALOPE.
The celebrated fight on the Candelaria highroad.— Disgraceful
rout of the insurgents. — Maceo, with his escort, charges the
Spanish column.
It will be remembered that shortly after Gen. Weyler as
sumed command of the Spanish forces in Cuba, one of his
first famous proclamations was to the effect that the prov
inces of Habana and Pinar del Rio were pacified and free
from any large bodies of insurgents. The few remaining
bands were classified as outlaws, who were to be persecuted
by the regular body of mounted police or civil guards. In
the same document it was announced that the work of
making sugar could be safely carried on after the 15th of
March. Maceo and Gomez were represented as fleeing be
fore the victorious Spanish columns to take refuge once
more in the East.
It will also be remembered how Maceo escaped from the
combination, so skillfully planned by the Spanish general,
and how he returned from the province of Matanzas at the
head of a large force, and by quick marches through the
swamp that skirts the southern coast, once more appeared
where he was least expected.
Stung by Weyler's boast, Maceo determined to humble
the new captain-general in the eyes of the world by return
ing to Pinar del Rio, disprove the assertion that the coun
try was pacified, and at all hazards prevent the planters
from making sugar. The town of Batabano was entered
on the night of the 11th of March and partially burned
and looted.

296 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
The following day the insurgents fell into the Spanish
ambuscade located between the estates Neptuno and
Waterloo. The attack was so sudden and fierce, and the
Spaniards showed so much determination, that the main
force of Maceo was split in two. The rear guard and im
pedimenta were unsuccessful in their attempt to pass the
enemy's position, and were compelled to fall back. They
did not rejoin Maceo for over a week. The Cubans fired
the sugar factory San Leon on their retreat, and encamped
for the night at Laguna Piedra.
The next day, on the 14th of March, the tired army,
worn out by the long marches of the two preceding days,
encamped on the cane farm Galope, situated near the Can
delaria highroad. The horses had not eaten since leaving
Penalver, the morning previous, and the fresh, juicy cane
at Galope induced Maceo to halt there and permit them to
recuperate. A small, palm-thatched " bohio " or hut was the only
shelter to be found in the vicinity, and here Maceo made his
head-quarters. Between the house and the highroad, dis
tant about 700 yards, was a dense tropical forest, and to
the other side stretched a long expanse of jungle and
woods. Maceo's force numbered probably 5,000 fighting men,
comprising the flower of the Cuban army. Tamayo was
there with his famous Orientals; Quintin Banderas, with
his fresh infantry from the hills of Siguanea; Pedro Diaz,
with his brigade of Batabano, and the infantry of the Du
casse brothers, and then there were the regiments of
Antonio Nunez and Bacallao and the black " devils " of
Maceo's escort.
The cavalry regiments were quartered near the house,
as being nearest the forage for the horses, and the 1,000
infantry were camped in the jungle to the south.
The Spanish columns invariably used the adjacent high
way to march from Artimisa to Candelaria, and as this

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 297
was really the only dangerous point, the guards belonging
to the regiments of Bacallao and Nunez were ordered to
keep a close watch.
One of those tropical rain-storms, so often read about
and so seldom seen, set in as the men were preparing
breakfast. The fires were quickly extinguished by the
flood of water, and in the general desire to seek shelter, all
thoughts of danger from the enemy were lost. The average
insurgent labors under the hallucination that the Span
iards refuse to march in a downpour of rain, forgetting that
they are men like themselves and able to withstand the in
clemencies of the weather without melting. The fact that
the civil guards and many of the regular troops are sup
plied with rubber coats is also generally overlooked. So
it was at Galope, for as the rain continued, even the
guards relaxed their vigilance as they huddled under the
improvised shelter of broad palm leaves.
If the scouts had been attending to their duty, they would
have discovered, down the road toward Las Mangas, the
Spaniards, under Colonels Suarez Inclan and Linares, rapid
ly approaching in the direction of the camp. There was no
excuse for this neglect of duty, for the column numbered
nearly 2,500 men, and as they marched two abreast, they
stretched along the road for over a mile. The battalions
of Tarifa and Luchana and the Victoria troop of cavalry,
supported by a section of light artillery, composed the
Spanish force.
Crowds of rebel officers had congregated in the small
farm-house and out under the porch and near by trees, for
Maceo was holding an informal meeting, in which the pos
sible intervention of the United States was the all-absorb
ing topic.
The writer had received a batch of American papers a
few days previous at La Estrella, and among them was one
that contained the speech of Sherman in favor of the
Cubans. This was the first opportunity that Maceo had

298 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
had in two days to look over the papers, and one of his
staff was busy translating the text of the speech to an at.
tentive and appreciative audience. When it was finished,
every one was delighted with the fearless and outspoken
adoption of their cause, and some one more enthusiastic
than the others proposed a " viva " for Sherman.
The cheer was given heartily, but before the last echo
had died away, the sound of rapidly approaching horses,
splashing through the water and mud, caused everybody to
sit up in an attentive attitude.
Three guards, wet and bedraggled and covered with
mud, spurred their jaded animals up to the door, and with
out saluting or dismounting, called out: " General, the
enemy are advancing rapidly along the highroad, and are
not half a mile distant." Those who heard the warning
hurried for their horses, tethered in the near by corn-field.
Before Maceo had fairly mounted, and just as the bugler
was about to sound the assembly call, the camp was start
led by a murderous fire on the ou,tposts of Nunez and
Bacallao. The bullets fired at the guards came through the woods
in a direct line for the camp, and it appeared to everybody
as though the enemy were in the woods and had sur
rounded them. The sudden attack and incessant volley
firing of the Spaniards created a panic among the infantry
and the cavalry commands of Diaz and others.
In a moment everything was confusion; the infantry and
horseless troopers ran hither and thither, seeking a road
leading away from the enemy. So fierce was the constant
fire, that horses, arms, and all articles that would impede
their passage through the bush were abandoned, and
the shrieking, cursing, yelling, panic-stricken mass tram
pled on each other as they frantically sought to escape
from the supposed trap. There was only one small path
that led through the jungle aud woods to a clearing beyond,
and it was soon choked up with the terrified patriots.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 299
Many left the road and endeavored to make their way
faster through the thick jungle, only to soon find them
selves irrevocably tangled and lost, which terrified them all
the more and added to the din of yells and curses.
The Spaniards now brought their artillery to play on the
outposts, which were accidentally in line with the howling
mob fighting to clear the woods beyond. The shell and
shrapnel tore great branches from the surrounding trees
and scattered the splinters in all directions. Every missile
that exploded filled the panic-stricken Cubans with fresh
terror and imparted a new impetus to the disgraceful rout.
The wounded were allowed to remain where they fell,
and were even trampled upon by the more brutal and ter
rified of their comrades. Their pitiful cries for assistance
were unanswered, the uppermost thoughts of many being
for self, and it took the combined authority of several
chiefs, who fortunately had not lost control of themselves
and were still cool, to compel the fleeing Cubans to pause
and shoulder the unfortunates. On three occasions the
writer witnessed officers with a loaded revolver in one hand
and a drawn machete in the other forcing their soldiers,
under threats of death, to pick up the wounded.
Out of all that mob, I witnessed but few of the well-
mounted men who would consent to carry a wounded com
panion. Especially was this so amongst the officers, who,
having the best mounts, were constantly petitioned by
some poor fellow abandoned by the rest, or by the infantry
men, who, tired of shouldering such a heavy weight with
out relief, justly insisted that the cavalry should stand
their share.
I noticed in particular one bright young lieutenant of
Banderas' infantry, whose feet were so terribly swollen that
he could hardly stand. He had begged a lift of more than
thirty troopers with fine mounts, and every one of them
had some excuse for not taking him on. He had fallen
back on the grass with a look of despair on his face when

300 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
I came along. Although my horse was in a much worse
condition than many of those who had abandoned him, 1
could not resist the mute appeal that came from the poor
fellow's eyes. I halted, and, dismounting, lifted him up
to a place behind the saddle, and brought him out the
woods to a place of safety. In doing so, my horse gave out
under the extra strain. Not one of that selfish crew
would consent to take him on their fresh horses, and the
writer tramped on foot for over two leagues, to allow
the poor fellow a chance to ride until a halt was made
near a prefectura.
The maddened crowd rushed on through the woods with
out even halting to determine the exact location of the
enemy, or to ascertain if they were being pursued. At last
a clearing was reached, and Pedro Diaz compelled the cav
alry to form a line and await the attack of the Spaniards,
who were still on the Candelaria highway, now more than
two miles away.
The infantry and impedimenta continued the rush across
the clearing into another jungle and out again, and at last
came to a halt more than nine miles from the scene of
conflict. The sounds of the rifle volleys at that distance must have
been but faintly heard, but many of them never stopped,
but kept " a-going," and where they finally halted is a
mystery. Perhaps they continued on till the sea was reached, and
then jumped in and were drowned, and their bodies devour
ed by the sharks, so completely did they disappear. Two
days were afterward spent in locating them, without suc
cess, and, as many were never seen or heard of again, they
either perished or surrendered to the Spanish authorities.
Meanwhile, important developments had taken place at
the scene of the fight. The last I had seen of Maceo when
the first shots came whistling through the camp, and the
panic began, he was mounted on his charger, and, with his

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 301
customary coolness, was collecting those of his staff and
escort who had not already deserted him. What a contrast
there was between his conduct and that of Diaz, Banderas,
aud others! With only about fifty men to follow him, he
plunged into the woods in the direction of the enemy.
The Spanish battalion of Tarifa was in the vanguard,
the pack-train, cavalry, artillery, and general staff in the
center, while the Luchana Regiment closed up the rear.
Maceo took in the situation at a glance, and by a circuit
ous route he gained the other side of the highway unob
served by the Spaniards. So occupied were they in storm
ing away at the few Cubans in their front that the sudden
appearance of Maceo in the rear came like a complete sur
prise. Without waiting for them to recover, Maceo ordered
a charge. With a swift rush, this handful of Cubans bore
down on the Spanish center. Their yells of " Viva Maceo!"
" Al machete!" fell on the ears of the astonished Span
iards, who thought they were to be attacked on all sides at
once. The pack-train and impedimenta did not wait to
make a front, but turned and fled, bearing down on the
vanguard, who very naturally supposed that the rear was
being worsted, and they in their turn started to retreat.
It must be remembered that dense thickets and woods were
on either side of the road, except in the one small clearing
where Maceo had emerged from, and it was impossible to
see just where the enemy was located, and what his strength
might be.
One half of the column was soon in full retreat down the
road toward Candelaria. The Spanish soldiers in charge
of the pack-train killed their animals to prevent them from
falling into Maceo's hands, and to facilitate their own
escape from the mad charge of the Cubans, who were now
upon them and dealing blows right and left with their ma
chetes. Maceo urged his men to cut through and capture the
artillery, and the shrill rebel yell of " Viva Maceo!" and

302 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
the sight of him, with his death-dealing machete upraised,
was sufficient to cause the Spanish impedimenta to spur on
their foaming horses in vain attempts to clear his path.
The wild rout of the Cubans came nearly finding a coun
terpart in that of the Spaniards.
But in bringing all his men on the road at once, the
exact number of his little band was exposed, and the Span
iards were quick to notice his weakness. The Luchana
Regiment, headed by its commanding officer, the lieuten
ant colonel, now came charging down the road to the res
cue, and the Cubans had to make a live flank move into
the " manigua " to escape being caught between the two
forces and annihilated. Taking up his position at the edge
of the woods, Maceo continued to fight and hold the enemy
from advancing, until his ammunition ran out, causing
him to retire. Several times he had dispatched aids with
orders to summon Banderas and others, but, as we have
seen, these " valiant " soldiers were disgracefully flying
panic-stricken in the opposite direction.
If Maceo only had had the support of all his men when
the Spanish vanguard and center turned to retreat, there
is no doubt but that he would have won a splendid vic
tory. A laughable incident connected with Maceo's charge
came about in this manner. A few days previous, two
dozen three-inch shell and shrapnel captured from a train
were brought into camp. Maceo had distributed them
among his staff and escort for safe-keeping. He had
threatened to thrash any one who deliberately lost or threw
one away.
The projectiles were all fitted with " time " fuses, but
the men got it into their heads that they were percussion
ones, and only needed to be roughly handled or dropped to
cause an explosion. It is needless to state that on the
march they were handled with as much care as a mother

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 303
holding her infant. When the fight commenced, those of
his staff who had one intrusted to their custody, were in a
quandary; but three of them settled the question by rush
ing to the " front," holding the dreaded infernal machine
in one hand and swinging their machetes in the other.
As they were about to charge, one of the aids addressed
Maceo, saying:
" General, let's throw these at them and blow them
to  !"
" But don't you know, you thundering idiot, that you
will have to get up very close and will run the risk of being
killed yourself?" answered Maceo.
" Al demonio with your explosives; to the charge!"
shouted the dusky rebel.
But, nevertheless, that aid finally gathered up courage,
and in the middle of the charge he threw his shell at the
fleeing impedimenta. There was an instant reining in of
horses; but as the missile struck the ground and failed to
explode, and the Cubans saw there was no danger, they
swept on again.
Several mules laden with provisions were captured by
Maceo's men in this short charge, and the official Spanish
report gives their loss as sixty-six between killed and
wounded. Maceo was mad clear through when he was advised of
the true facts concerning the conduct of his men, and on
the following morning he issued a circular of reprimand
that is the most striking document of its kind that can
be found in modern history.
The Cubans lost about as many as their enemies, but
many members of the terrified impedimenta and infantry
were never accounted for. Two days after, Maceo repri
manded Banderas, and deprived him of his command,
turning it over to the Ducasse brothers. The following is
a literal translation of Maceo's famous order:

304 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT uujsa.
" General Order for the 17th of March, 1896.
" This head-quarters finds itself forced to dictate disposi
tions that make it ashamed, for they deal with the army
under my command.
" The chief, officer, or soldier who in combat fails to
occupy his post of honor will be dishonored with the loss of
his station; also authorizes any individual of the army to
kill in the act any one who fails to comply with such a
sacred duty, or who runs away or hides during the fight, or
who evades it in any manner under the pretext of other
business foreign to his obligation, contributing in this man
ner to the demoralization of the troops who witness and
afterward commit such degrading acts — above all, when
committed by chiefs and officers.
" Those who in virtue of this disposition fulfill or carry
out any of its requisites will be rewarded by promotion on
the same field of battle.
" It will be a case of degradation for those who abandon
their arms.
" With the formalities of the occasion, these dispositions
shall be read at the successive roll-calls.
" San Julian de Frio and highway of San Cristobal and
Candelaria. ' Country and Liberty.'
" The Brigadier Chief of Staff,
"Miro."
It is only just to add that three days afterward, at
Nueva Empresa, La Gloria, and Cayajabos, the rebels
fought so well that they regained the confidence of their
valiant leader, and were complimented for it in the order
of the day.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 305

CHAPTER XVI.
MACEO'S DEFEAT AT LA PALMA. — STORY OF A MIDNIGHT
RAID.
It was the night of March 30th, 1896. The light from
a full, bright tropical moon fell upon the peaks and hill
tops of Pinar del Rio. Down in the deep shadow of the
gorges and valleys, screened from discovery by the heavy
foliage of the jungles and trees, 4,000 men, in Indian file,
were silently winding their way along the zigzag and
treacherous trail leading from the insurgent camp at Cai-
mito to the rich and fertile valley of La Palma, three
leagues to the westward.
At the head of this silent and phantom column rode the
dusky form of the dashing Cuban leader, Antonio Maceo.
Beside him were the four trusted lieutenants of his own
race — Pedro Diaz, Quintin Banderas, and the brothers Juan
and Vidal Ducasse, who always accompanied him on any
important venture — completed the quintet of dusky war
riors. For a number of miles they rode ahead, intently
discussing their plans for the work previously mapped out
for the night.
Silently the faithful followers rumbled and stumbled
along the stony paths, emitting sulphurous and choice
Spanish oaths as some one of the fagged-out steeds slipped
and fell on the soft soap-stone slabs that were continually
cropping up through the mud that lay thick in the depths
of the gorges. But the majority of the motley force were
on foot, as more than half the horses gave out, and were
abandoned during the heavy marches of the two previous
days. At last the hills were cleared, and the Sixth Army Corps

306 FACTS ANj-» jjaAjio ahuui uuda.
emerged into the bright moonlight of the open country.
A narrow lane, deeply shaded by a double row of trees, was
entered, and the leaders suddenly reined in their steeds,
and the order to halt was whispered along the line.
Maceo and his lieutenants drew off to one side, where
they received their last instructions. The rank and file of
the army were greatly perplexed as to his object for this
peculiar march, and every one was asking some one else in
an under-tone: " Where are we going? What is the old
man up to to-night? Carramba! we are going to have
some kind of fight soon!"
After another brief consultation, the four " generals "
(Diaz, Banderas, and the Ducasse brothers) galloped down
the broken and irregular line to their respective commands.
The anxiety of the " boys " to know where they were going
was soon satisfied, for the intelligence contained in the
whispered words, " A la Palma!" gave them all to under
stand that a hot night's work lay before them.
La Palma was to be attacked and captured. The leaders
went through the ranks admonishing their men to burn,
loot, aud destroy every building in the town. According
to the advices received by Maceo, this prosperous center
was defended by only fifty volunteers, who could be read
ily defeated. The victory seemed certain and sure, and
visions of new clothes, boots, provisions, and aguadiente
flitted through the imaginations of the poor, half-nude and
half-starved blacks, who had been told that, once with
Maceo, many towns would be captured, and the rich loot
and booty would be distributed amongst the needy ones.
How they longed for the hour to arrive when they could
commence their favorite pastime of destruction!
Even the unarmed impedimenta grew enthusiastic over
the prospects of such an easy victory, and requested to be
allowed to join the storming party. These poor devils,
whose only article of wearing apparel consisted of a sugar
sack tied around the loins, and whose feet were incased by

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 307
a piece of raw hide tied around in the form of a moccasin,
joyfully hailed the opportunity to procure a change of
clothing without having to fight for it.
At last the instructions were concluded, and once more
the column moved noiselessly along the country road.
From a thousand lips the joyful whisper, " A la Palma!
A la Palma!" seemed to come like a far-away refrain,
until Maceo halted and gave orders that the first man who
uttered a word aloud would be summarily dealt with. As
the phantom line drew near the hill that overlooks the
town, the silence was abruptly broken by the quick, nerv
ous, half-frightened Spanish challenge, " Alto Quien
Vive!" As the defiant answer, " Cuba-a-a!" went ring
ing back from Lieutenant Bazar, who was in the vanguard,
he spurred his horse to a gallop toward the small palm-
thatched cottage from whence the hail seemed to come.
" Cuba! Cuba! What do you mean?" responded the
lone guerrillero in a tone that clearly indicated he took the
answer for a huge joke.
The serious side of the affair soon appealed to him, as
Bazar, with upraised machete, dashed down on him, crying:
" Yes, Cuba! Carramba!"
The doomed Spaniard fired one wild shot into the air
from his short carbine, and turned to flee; but the Cuban
was soon upon him. As he felt the first cut of the keen-
edged machete, he turned and begged for his life.
" I surrender! Don't kill me! Don't mur — "
His appeal ended in a gurgle, for the next terrible back
hand stroke delivered by the muscular Cuban nearly sev
ered the head from the shoulders. The column moved on
toward the hill overlooking the town. But the damage
was done; the one report that broke the stillness of the
night seemed to put the garrison on the alert, for as Maceo
and his staff reached the summit and gazed down on the
compact little town, with its whitewashed houses glittering
like silver beneath the shimmering rays of the moon? they

308 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
could see a number of small lights flitting about the streets
like so many Jack-o'-the-lanterns, that too plainly indi
cated that some unusual excitement was taking place.
Presently the moving lights disappeared, and only the lan
terns illuminating the forts remained burning. The insur
gents were by this time all assembled a little below the
crest of the hill, to screen them from the vigilant Spanish
sentries. On the summit stood a small knot of officers intently
watching the town from behind a clump of trees. Pres
ently the deep-toned bell in the church tower broke the
solemn hush and silence by clanging out the hour. " Ten
o'clock, and all's well!" The far-away echo of the Span
ish cry, " Sentinela Alerta! Alerta! Alerta!" was wafted
to the ears of the group on the hill-top still gazing on the
peaceful scene below.
" Carramba! El diablo take them!" says Maceo in an
under-tone. " Those infernal ' Panchos ' seem to be very
much awake to-night. But I will fix them soon! Here,
Juan! Take your brigade, and approach the town from
the north. Vidal, you will attack from the east, Diaz
from the west, and Quintin from the front. Remember,
that the attack must be made from all sides simultaneously,
and the signal will be a single shot fired from the brigade
that has the longest detour to make in order to arrive in
position." After a few minor instructions had been communicated,
the leaders rejoined their commands, and each took a dif
ferent path leading into the valley below. The men crept
through the underbrush and in the shadow of the wild
pineapple hedges, and were soon invisible to the group that
accompanied Maceo. The intervening country was dotted
with small farm-houses, whose owners retired to the
shelter of the town after nightfall, leaving their watch-dogs
to stand guard over the property, and by their barking
call attention to the presence of intruders,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 309
As the minutes passed, the deep barking of a dog sent
the echoes reverberating once more, and the yelp was taken
up by every cur, until the valley resounded with the un
earthly chorus. If the garrison had been off their guard,
this incident was more than sufficient to arouse them to a
sense of danger, for when dogs bark in that manner it in
variably indicates that something unusual is transpiring.
Maceo was exasperated at this unlooked-for occurrence;
but it was too late to alter his plans. He could only hope
that the attack would be successful.
" Sotomayor, bring up the artillery and train it on the
church!" ordered Maceo.
The Cuban army in Pinar del Rio actually counted on a
battery of artillery — at least, that is what they termed it.
And why not? For although the battery consisted of two
antiquated smooth-bore, muzzle-loading, four-pound salut-
ing-cannon, did not the renowned Sotomayor have his
saddle-cloth decorated with cross canuons made of brass,
that proclaimed to the bewildered Cubans that he was the
Brigadier-General, Chief of the Cuban Artillery Corps?
His formidable engines of destruction merit description.
One of the pieces was an old four-pounder that had seen
service in the ten years' war, and had been afterward
buried in some place in Las Villas. The rusty, scaly oid
gun was resurrected and again pressed into service by
Quintin. During the night attack on Batabano it had
been loaded to the muzzle to fire on a train, but was not
used. Instead of extracting the charge, it was left inside,
and the two weeks of exposure to the rainy, dewy atmosphere
of the Cuban nights had effectively rusted the charge in
place, and now at La Palma it was expected to create great
havoc amongst the inhabitants of the sleeping town. The
other piece, " the pride of Pinar del Rio," ' was of the same
pattern. It was in a little better condition than its com
panion, but lacked sight-bars, and was minus a trunnion.
Great things were expected of these weapons, and the

310 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Cubans were not disappointed in their wishes, as the events
of the night proved.
The old relic of Banderas was placed in position and
tr*ained on the church; the fuse was attached, and the
Cubans waited for the signal below. The minutes dragged
along, and seemed like hours. " What can be the trouble?''
was the thought uppermost in every one's mind. A thou
sand flashes and a deafening rattle of rifle volleys startled
the watchers. " El diablo! El demonio!" and a hun
dred oaths are emitted from the force in the hills; for the
flashes come from the forts, and not from the attacking
party. "We were betrayed! They were expecting us!
To the town — to the town!" shouted the exasperated
Cubans. The answering volleys of the insurgents are now seen and
heard, as with a wild yell they break from the cover of the
hedges and make for the barbed-wire fences surrounding
the town. The shrill cries of the women and children, and
the hoarse commands and oaths of the men roused from
their sleep, can be heard amidst the crackle of the rifles.
" Why in thunder don't you fire off that cannon?"
shouts Maceo to Mr. Ulrieh, who had taken charge of the
old affair of Banderas.
" It's liable to explode, sir!"
" Fire it! and let her explode!"
" All right," said Ulrieh, as he hobbled over and touched
off the fuse.
" Stand clear — everybody!"
A lively scramble was made for cover. And none too
soon, for the gun exploded into a thousand pieces, wound
ing two men who were near. Only a few splinters of the
carriage was all that could afterward be found. The Span
iards in the forts, attracted by the explosion, very naturally
sent several volleys in that direction, and as the astonished
Cubans rushed to see the effect, they once more drew back

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 311
as the whistle of the rifle-balls warned them they were dis
covered. Volley after volley was fired in our direction, and three
soldiers were wounded.
The attacking party have cut their way through the wire
fences and are now in the town, and as the bright glare of
the burning houses lights up the picture, the rebels are
seen running hither and thither through the streets carry
ing blazing palm branches with which they fire the tinder-
iike roofs of the poorer classes of dwellings or " bohios."
Pandemonium reigns supreme; the women and children
are running to reach the church, whose thick walls are a
safe protection against fire and bullets; some are nude, and
the piteous spectacle of these poor creatures hugging their
infants to their breasts as they dash through the streets of
blazing houses, scorched and burned by the intense heat,
and exposed to the bullets of both sides, is a scene that
should excite pity and compassion from the hearts of any
soldiery that profess to be civilized.
The inhabitants are thoroughly aroused, and as the imps
of destruction dash through the streets, they are subjected
to a fire from nearly every edifice. Up in the belfry of the
church are stationed some half a dozen sharp-shooters, and
their effective work is clearly seen from the hill-top. One
by one the marauders drop before their unerring aim; all
attempts to approach the church are completely foiled, for
the steady rain of Mauser bullets tumble over the insurgents
like nine-pins.
Maceo orders Sotomayor to fire on the church tower, in
the hope of driving out the soldiers.
The guu is trained, and as the fuse is ignited, the order
to stand clear was entirely superfluous, for the men quickly
ran to safe shelter.
Unlike its companion piece, it did not explode and inflict
any damage on those in the immediate vicinity, neither did
the charge cause any havoc amongst the defenders of the

312 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
church, but the old iron spikes, bolts, nuts, nails, and mis
cellaneous junk, hit everything in the town except the
mark. The streets of the small town were alive with insurgents,
and instead of commencing to burn the houses from the
center out, they began from the outskirts to burn in, and
the consequence was that their retreat was practically cut
off for awhile.
Subjected to a galling fire from the heroic garrison, they
could not carry out their scheme of destroying the church,
and, to make matters worse, the crazy old cannon scattered
its charge in their very midst.
Here was a pretty predicament, and one that would have
been noticed by any other military leader; but a little mat
ter of bombarding a town, with their own soldiers inside,
did not affect the Cubans. On the contrary, Sotomayor,
anxious to demonstrate his prowess and ability as an artil
leryman, continued to fire charge after charge, ostensibly
at the church tower, but the real sufferers were the en
raged Cubans imprisoned in the streets.
A couple of soldiers came staggering up the hill to where
Maceo stood.
" For God's sake, general, order the gun silenced; for,
between our own fire and that of the ' gringos,' the streets
are full of wounded men."
" The streets are full of wounded men? Well, get down
there again — quick, and if I see you coming back without
a wounded companion, Carramba! I'll shoot you myself!
Be off with you!" shouted Maceo, as he drew his sword to
strike them.
Sotomayor was orded to cease firing.
The fight in the town was growing fiercer; a pile of dead,
numbering about thirty, lay in the center of the main
street. Juan and Vidal Ducasse came upon the scene and
ordered the bodies carried into a house, and afterward set
fire to the place, to destroy the evidence of their defeat.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 313
Three times this was repeated, and Juan admitted to me
afterward that nearly fifty of the insurgent dead were thus
disposed of. A line of retreat had been opened and the
procession of wounded began to ascend the hill.
Capt. Grande, of Ducasse's brigade, fell mortally
wounded in front of one of the forts. Juan, with fifteen
men, sprung into the open to rescue the body, but so deadly
was the enemy's fire that two of the party were killed and
eight wounded.
It slowly dawns on the bewildered insurgents that they
were deceived as to the strength of the garrison, and dis
heartened by their losses, they retire once more to the hill.
The bugler sounded the retreat for more than an hour
before they were all outside the town.
The insurgents were exasperated, for instead of the easy
victory and the rich loot they anticipated, they caught the
worst thrashing received in the entire war.
The official report of Miro states that there were eighty-
four wounded and fifteen killed; but it is evident that the
bodies disposed of in the fires and the thirty the Spaniards
claim to have found the next morniug were not included.
The majority of the farmers of the district were Canary
Islanders, belonging to the volunteer corps, and aided in
defending the town during the attack. As the insurgents
entered house after house scattered along the country roads
and found no one inside, the torch was again applied, and
the line of march was marked by a row of blazing houses
and tobacco store-houses.
Early the next morning Caimito was again reached, and
a hospital established for the wounded.
This defeat was a great blow to Maceo, who confidently
expected to arm his large force of impedimenta with the
rifles captured in the town.

314 PACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.

CHAPTER XVII.
LAST TRIP OF THE AUTHOR TO THE CAMP OF GOMEZ.
On the 13th of January of this year I again started to
find Gomez, who was supposed to be somewhere in the
province of Santa Clara. My orders from the " Herald "
were short and to the point.
" See Gomez, and secure a statement over his signature
expressing his views on the acceptance of autonomy as a
solution to the war. Send us the exact truth in regard to
the situation as you find it, and remain in the field until
we recall you."
At first the " Herald " offered me a yacht for the pur
pose of disembarking on the coast of Cuba without having
to pass through the regular ports of entry; but I preferred
to take my chances through Habana, as the surest, safest,
and shortest way of arriving at my destination.
Without tiring the readers with a detailed account of the
many adventures on this dangerous trip, which were suc
cessfully overcome, I finally presented myself at Gomez's
camp, in front of Arroyo Blanco, on the 29th of January,
sixteen days from the time I received my instructions from
the editor of the "Herald."
The letter from Gomez and one from Cisneros were se
cured and remitted to New York, and were published by
the " Herald " on the 12th of February. These letters
contained the first authentic news received from the field
in Cuba for over six months.
I remained in his camp only twenty-eight hours, and de
parted for the coast to send the documents to Habana.
I again met Gen. Gomez at his camp at Barracones on

GEORGE BRONSON REA. Page 314.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 315
the 12th of February, and only remained long enough
to secure the necessary material for fresh news and once
more return to the coast. This trip was an eventful
one, for it was the means of opening my eyes to many
things that I had heretofore overlooked. Before. depart
ing from, the head-quarters of Gomez, I was approached by
Capt. W. D. Smith, an American serving in the escort of
the general, who desired to accompany me on the trip for
the purpose of ascertaining the fate of his friend, the cor
respondent imprisoned at the time in Sancti Spiritus.
Gomez readily granted him a leave of absence to go with
me, and, for myself, I was greatly pleased to have a fellow-
countryman for a companion. The active campaign of
Weyler in Las Villas had just commenced, and the country
was literally swarming with columns and guerrilla bands,
making it very unsafe to travel over the customary roads
and trails employed by the rebels.
Gomez was kind enough to give me an order for an
escort of two armed men; but whether his order was mis
understood by his chief of staff, or Col. Legon willfully
disobeyed it, I do not know; but the fact remains, that
when Smith and I reached the camp of Legon, and re
quested the guides, he said we would find them awaiting
us a little further on. So on we plodded, and soon found
two unarmed and almost naked men, whose horses looked
ready to drop from fatigue and saddle sores. On seeing
us, they stepped forward, and said they were the guides de
tailed to lead us to the force of Col. Garcia.
Now, to reach the camp of this officer, near Pico Tuerto,
we had to traverse a perfectly level country about forty
miles across. All the main highways, where the armies of
Weyler were encamped, and along which they were con
tinually marching, were situated m this crossing, and un
less we cared to make a detour to the north of Cabaiguan
— which was fifty miles out of our way — we had to run the
gantlet across the open country between Sancti Spiritus

316 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
and the above-mentioned town. The passage to the south
was no less dangerous, for from Sancti Spiritus to Tunas,
the railroad line had been transformed into a veritable
trocha, and the column of Col. Arminan and the local
guerrilleros were making it warm for the small bands of
rebels in that district.
As I thought over the situation, and looked at the two
poor soldiers detailed for the dangerous task of guiding us
safely across, I came to the conclusion that there was some
mistake. " Where are your arms?" I asked.
" Legon took them away from us before we started."
" Is he in the habit of sending you around the country
unarmed?" " Oh, yes; for, you see, we wanted to reach our homes
near Monte Oscuro for a change of clothing, and whenever
a soldier goes away with this object in view, he has to
leave his gun for some one else to use until his return."
" Are you acquainted with the trails between here and
Pico Tuerto?"
" No; we were told to conduct you and your companion
through the line of ' prefecturas ' to the north, and that
will take us about a week, barring accidents, to get around
to Pico Tuerto."
"Do you know the trail from here to the pass of Las
Damas over the Zaza River?"
" No, sir."
I turned to Smith, and remarked that there must be
some mistake, for I didn't believe that Gomez would send
us away with two soldiers who were ignorant of the trails,
aud unarmed at that. I decided to turn back to Legon;
and on reaching his tent, I asked him if he was aware of
the condition of the two men and of their complete igno
rance of the country.
" Yes; I am well aware of the fact."
" Then why in  did you send them?" said Smith.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 317
"I am only obeying the orders of Brig. Castillo, the
chief of staff."
Smith and I looked at each other. Was it possible that
such an order had been given, especially when Castillo
knew the dangers to be encountered on the road?
Smith wanted to return to Gomez aud make a com
plaint; but this shabby treatment made me indignant —
more so when I was aware that Gomez had offered another
correspondent twenty-five of his personal escort to guide
him across the country. The more I thought of it, the
more determined I became to be independent of the entire
" outfit," and when Smith again suggested that we return
to Gomez, I said:
" See here, Smith; this is an outrage, and 1 am not
going to put up with it! Now, I have been over these
trails three times, and know them well. My servant is an
excellent guide from the Zaza to Trinidad, and before I re
turn and ask any favors from these people, I'll make the
trip alone. Are you with me?"
" Am I with you, old man? You just bet I am." And,
like the good American that he was, he reached out his
hand, saying: "Shake, Rea, and we'll stand together —
cross that country or bust."
We "shook."
After my companion had carefully examined his Win
chester — the only fire-arm in the party of four — he said he
was ready to start.
The two " guides " were sent back to camp with our
compliments, and we started out alone. Our horses were
excellent, and although the prospects of running across
some of the many Spanish columns were many, we felt
that a good pair of hoofs would pull us through all right.
All that day we traveled through dense forests and jun
gles, following the narrow and tortuous trail leading out
to the prefectura of Pozo Azul. The next morning we ar
rived at Manaca Cantera, on the banks of the Zaza, and

318 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
were about to ford the river, when the rebel challenge,
" Quien Va!" rang out from behind us. A troop of cav
alry came rushing down from the cover of the woods; but
one glance told us that they were Cubans, and as we re
turned, I found my old friend, Lieut. Felix Perez, at the
head of the troop.
" Halloo! Where are you going?"
" I was going to cross the river, and hoped to arrive at
your house, near Caja de Agua, in time for breakfast."
" Well, my friend, I am glad I found you, for my house
was burned early this morning, and the ' gringos ' are en
camped there at this very minute. My family is here in
the woods, and if you will turn back, perhaps we can give
you something to eat, although you must excuse our fare
to-day, for the only thing I can offer you is some beef and
sweet potatoes."
Nothing could suit us better; and soon afterward we
were enjoying a very good meal, cooked by the wife and
daughters of the hospitable officer. On three other occa
sions I had stopped at their house, and each time had been
treated royally.
These poor people would be insulted if payment was
offered for any of the food that they so generously gave,
yet I made it a practice to never accept hospitality without
giving something in return. . For this purpose my saddle
bags were always filled with such things as tobacco, coffee,
sugar, chocolate, soap, salt, or some of the many little
things that are the more highly prized because of the diffi
culty in smuggling them out of town.
Many a poor, neglected family, eking out a miserable ex
istence in the hills, have had cause to be thankful and re
joice for the visit of the " Herald " correspondent, for he
always had some little necessity that they were either too
poor to buy, or were unable to obtain from the towns after
Gomez's circular prohibiting them from holding further
communication with places held by the enemy. Many

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 319
dollars that were so liberally allowed me by the " Herald "
for my private expenses went to some poor family for
medicines, clothes, and other articles to lessen their dis
tress. I have touched on this subject because Gomez afterward
informed me that the American correspondents had manv
things to be thankful for, for they received their food free
of cost, and that if he so desired, he could fix it so we
could not get a mouthful to eat from the families living in
the hills. I answered him, saying, that as far as the " Her
ald " was concerned, he could issue the order then and
there, for I did not consider myself under any obligations,
either to him or to the families living in the country; for,
so far, I had paid my way, and was perfectly able to keop
it up, and as for horses, 1 had already bought three in the
short space of two months, and they were in the insurgent
corrals, and therefore would revert to them when I de
cided to leave, for there was no one in the country who
had money enough to buy them, and I could hardly re
enter the towns with three horses in tow without exciting
suspicion. During breakfast, Perez informed us that it would be
fool-hardy to advance any further that day, or, at least,
until he reconnoitered the country ahead. Four columns
were within a distance of ten miles on the opposite bank
of the river, burning houses and destroying the crops. His
information was readily verified, for we could plainly see
the fresh columns of smoke that marked the march of
Weyler's army. One of these divisions came advancing
along the road from Caja de Agua, and as the smoke drew
nearer and nearer, Perez and his men hurried to the woods
near the ford to prevent their crossing; but fortunately the
column turned and followed the trail that skirts the river,
evidently with the intention of crossing at Las Damas, a
few miles to the north.
Perez insisted that we remain in the house until he re-

320 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
turned from a scouting trip. Much against our wishes, we
were forced to make the best of the day in the woods.
During the early evening, an incident occurred that riled
my companion, aud came near causing trouble.
Smith had one failing — he would chew tobacco, and
sometimes he would run short, and then the whole country
would be scoured for miles around until some more was
found. We laid in about two pounds the day before leav
ing camp, and now a new consignment was necessary.
He had been foraging during the afternoon, but had
poor luck, for he returned to camp quite despondent.
About eight o'clock, while resting in my hammock out
under the trees, I was roughly aroused by Smith.
" Get up and come inside if you want to see how these
' majases ' are living here in the woods. Why, there are
more than fourteen of them dressed in whole suits of
clothes, and they are actually playing cards — gambling —
and what do you suppose are the stakes?"
" Money?"
" No; confound them! They are playing for cigars —
good cigars. Just think of it! Here I am without to
bacco, and these loafers, who are afraid to fight, are dressed
better than the general's staff, and have plenty of to
bacco!" " Why didn't you ask them for some?"
" Of course I asked them, and they refused, saying that
if I wanted any cigars I could have them at three dollars a
hundred. Why, do you know they have an awful cheek,
and I only carne over for you to get up and watch me go
in and clean out the entire crowd and send them to Gomez
as prisoners."
After making him promise that if 1 got him some cigars
he would not get into a fight, we went over to the house,
and, sure enough, there sat sixteen well-dressed " paci
ficos " gambling away, with a huge stack of cigars in front
of each one and a smoking pot of black coffee on one side,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 321
I learned that they all lived in the woods, and were
nominally insurgents, though they carried no arms, and be
longed to no particular force.
" There, Rea, you see these curs; they hide away during
the day, and come out of their caves at night to have a good
time. Here, you fellows, do you know that if Gomez
should come along this way, he would hang every one of
you? Do you know that it is forbidden to gamble and sell
tobacco to a soldier in the army?"
Smith was justly indignant, for this class of men were
the bane of the Cuban army. Too cowardly to fight, and
too lazy to work, they find a secure hiding-place in the
hills or forests, and make the nearest industrious farmer
give them supplies, or, failing in this, they steal whatever
they can lay their hands on.
There was no use of raising a disturbance; so we bought
a hundred cigars, aud Smith was happy. But he did wish
he could have one chance to break up that party, and it
was all I could do to persuade him to bottle up his fight
for later on.
Shortly afterward, Perez returned, and informed us that
if we still cared to make the crossing, we would have to do
it on our own responsibility, for the enemy was scattered
along the roads we would have to cross. Their exact loca
tion was unknown to him, and he cautioned us to be very
careful and not run into any ambuscades. He kindly
offered to give us two of his men for guides, which courtesy
was a great assistance.
" Come ahead," said Smith; " I'm tired of lying around
here with this gang. Let us make a move, and column or
no column, we'll reach the hills."
So we bid good-bye to the genial lieutenant and his
family, forded the river, and struck out across the level.
The night was clear, and the bright moon enabled us to
see a long distance ahead. On nearing the old sugar fac
tory Esperanza, we could see the smoldering embers of a

322 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
number of fires; but as we cautiously approached and
were not challenged, we kept on, and found that the Span
iards must have camped there for supper and moved on.
Our trails led the same way, and the guides decided to
turn to the south; and lucky for us that we did, for, on
reaching the crest of a small hill, we could see the enemy's
camp-fires at the very crossing on the Guayos road that we
had intended to use.
" That was ' slick ' work, wasn't it?" said Smith.
The next crossing we neared, our guides suddenly reined
iu their horses, and placing their fingers to their lips for us
to be silent, they then motioned for us to listen. Now that
our horses were at a stand-still, we could hear the murmur
of voices ahead on the road, and then we could make out
a small light that instantly disappeared — evidently some
officer lighting a cigarette.
We retraced our steps very cautiously, and when we were
a safe distance away, Smith leaned over, and whispered:
"That was 'slicker,' wasn't it? I wonder if we will
strike any more such snags?"
Once more the soft glow of a camp-fire warned us that
we were treading on dangerous ground, and at last the
guides were in a quandary, for their three usual crossings
were covered, and they informed us that there was only
one more chance, and that was near the town of Sancti
Spiritus, and within sight of the forts; but if we cared to
run the risk, they would stick by us.
" Well, Smith, what do you think of it?"
" Think of it? Why, we started out to cross this road,
and we'll cross before morning. That's what I think of
it. Just tell them fellows to keep a-going until we strike
some place."
So we plodded along again for about a mile, until the
lights in the town were plainly visible. The guides went
ahead, and came back with the good news that the road at
that point was clear; and. we, were soon on the other side,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 323
with our horses' heads turned once more to the north
west. The Cabaiguan road was passed in safety about three
o'clock in the morning, and in another hour we were at
the little Cuban " prefectura " of Maniquita Capiro. All
efforts to find the officials in charge were in vain, and we
threw our weary bodies on the ground to rest until day
break. We supposed that all danger was passed; but the absence
of the prefecto seemed to worry the two scouts, who in
sisted on standing guard while we rested. It seemed to
me that I had hardly closed my eyes — though in fact it
was half past five — when I was rudely awakened by the
gruff voice of my companion.
" Here, get up, and get out of here quick."
" What is the matter with you? you are always waking
people up at unearthly hours. "
" Matter enough. There is a Spanish column encamped
not half a mile away in a palm grove, and another one
about three quarters of a mile toward Cabaiguan."
This soothing information caused me to spring to my
feet in an instant.
" How do you know that? Have you been out foraging
already?" In answer, he called to two men who were emerging from
the near by bush, and I found that they were scouts be
longing to the Regiment Honorato, who had just returned
from a reconnoiter and happened to pass our way.
They told us we were sleeping between the advance
pickets of two Spanish columns belonging to Weyler's van
guard, who was encamped at Cabaiguan.
To pack up and clear out was the work of a minute,
and as we climbed a steep hill, the reveille of the Spaniards
could be distinctly heard, and on reaching the crest, the
camp and the soldiers preparing to march were plainly
visible.

324 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Less than an hour after our departure, the Spaniards
came and burned the prefectura.
The camp of Garcia was reached in about an hour.
While here, I learned some very interesting facts concerning
an insurgent " victory " that I will explain here, as I will
have occasion to refer to it later.
During my first trip to Gomez's camp, I passed through
this same district, and the insurgents were preparing for
what they termed a grand coup.
The Heliograph fort, situated on the summit of Pico
Tuerta, had not been provisioned for over two months,
and the garrison were living on short rations. Owing
to the scarcity of troops to conduct the convoy, the
Spaniards had faiied to replenish the provisions on time.
The Cubans attributed it to cowardice, saying that the
enemy were afraid to come that way, as they would be an
nihilated. To reach the fort, the convoy had to traverse
twelve miles of open country and about three of mountain
climbing. Only one trail led to the summit, and on my
first visit, the insurgents were busy at work felling trees and
placing barriers across this road in the woods.
So cocksure were they of victory, that a few of them re
quested me to remaiii and write the story.
The day arrived for the convoy to leave Sancti Spiritus;
the insurgents were notified beforehand, and were awaiting
their enemies along the trail. The Spaniards reached the
hill, found the trail blocked, and despite the fact that they
were subjected to a heavy fire, they actually cut a new
path to the summit, and only lost two men. The much-
advertised machete charge failed to occur, and the Span
iards returned in safety to Sancti Spiritus.
Garcia gave us a fresh guide to Yayabo, and from here
on we relied entirely on my servant. The hills were
reached, and all danger from Weyler's columns was past
— for a time, at least.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 325
Our trip from here on was uneventful, except for the
constant dodging of Spaniards in the Trinidad valley.
But many little things happened that made both Smith
and myself very indignant. The prefectos, or sub-pre-
fectos, could never be found at their posts; instead of at
tending to their duty, they were loafing away their time,
and growing sleek and fat at the expense of their comrades
fighting in the field. Food was rarely obtainable at these
"government deposits." A fresh mount was out of the
question, and as for guides, Smith and I gave up the idea,
aud determined to trust to luck.
These " majases," or spurious rebels, who filled the
various under-posts in the civil government, were the lazi
est and most worthless lot we had yet found.
Rarely could one be found who would admit any knowl
edge of the surrounding country; yet if a Spanish column
was known to be near, they could run leagues to find their
favorite cave in the hills. Notwithstanding that at every
place we stopped we distributed tobacco, sugar, salt, etc.,
these rascals emptied my saddle-bags four different times
during the trip, and even at the head-quarters of the
" governor " his servants rifled Smith's bags of his pre
cious plug tobacco, which had been sent to me from Sancti
Spiritus. The Spanish columns were ransacking the hills,
and there was not a single insurgent force to give them
battle, though if all the pairs of armed " majases " were
collected and forced to fight, quite a showing could have
been made.
During our entire trip, the same utter lack of discipline
and organization was apparent on all sides.
On our return, the same difficulty in finding guides was
experienced, and while encamped at the prefectura of Rio
Baja, we waited two days to see if some one could be found
who had nerve enough to pilot us across the railroad trocha
near Pa redes.
Although this " prefectura " was established for the ex-

326 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
press purpose of supplying guides to cross this military
line, there was not one person, from the prefecto down, but
who claimed that they were ignorant of the trails.
While encamped at this place, we were startled during
the night by the sound of heavy firing in the town of Par-
edes, about a mile away.
Toward morning, several " pacificos," who had fled from
the town, and two insurgents soldiers on a mission from
their chief, arrived in the camp.
All their stories were alike, and there can be no doubt as
to the truth.
Paredes is a small hamlet, situated on the line of the
railroad between Sancti Spiritus and Tunas de Zaza.
At the time of the attack, it was defended by three forts
— two small block-houses at either extremity, and the rail
road station, which had been converted into a fort. This
last was a large stone building, with a line of loop-holes
running around the four sides. The regular garrison had
been detailed to accompany the column of Col. Arminan,
who was operating to the south and east of the line, near
the sugar plantation Mapos, leaving the formidable num
ber of sixteen to protect the town.
One of the block-houses contained five, the other two;
while the depot had seven soldiers, the captain, aud the tele
graph operator.
Some spy evidently carried the news to Brig. Gomez (no
relation to the general-in-chief), who commauded the Bri
gade of Sancti Spiritus, for he decided to take advantage
of the opportunity offered.
At midnight the rebels crept up on all fours and sur
prised the garrison of five in the outlying block-house.
They were put to the machete.
Another squad rushed to the station, and as the small
number of defenders could not cover all the loop-holes, the
insurgents had a comparatively easy time, for they poked
their rifles into the extra ones and soon killed two and

FACTS AND EAKES ABOUT CUBA. 327
wounded four. When the first volleys were fired, the two
lone soldiers, in the other block-house wisely barricaded
their doors and awaited developments. The fight — if it
can be called by that name — was practically over in ten
minutes. The town was in the hands of the insurgents,
and just as some one was about to apply the torch, a couple
of frightened rebels came tearing down the street, crying,
"The 'Machos' are coming! The 'Machos' are com
ing!" and without waiting to verify the information, the
gallant band of 200 fled precipitately from the town, leav
ing their dead and wounded, amounting to five, aban
doned in the center of the street, for the Spaniards to
capture later on.
The officer in command reported a great victory, and
boasted of the number of rifles his men had captured; but
he forgot to state that his wounded were abandoned, with
their arms, and that the retreat of his men was entirely
uncalled for, as the nearest Spanish column was at Guasi-
mal, nine miles away.
We afterward met with two more soldiers who took part
iu the fight, and they corroborated the above story.
As no one could be found with sufficient knowledge (?)
of the trails to lead us across the line, Smith and I were at
last compelled to return by the same route as we came.
Guides could not be found at any of the " prefecturas,"
and at last Smith got so mad that he wanted to arrest
every prefecto he came across and lead him to Gomez.
After several exciting adventures and various instances
of stumbling on Spanish camps, riding through miles of
burning grazing lands and forests, and a couple of skir
mishes with the Spaniards, we once more arrived at the
head-quarters of Gomez at Los Hoyos, having been absent
just a month.
On dismounting, I made my way to the old chief's tent
to report our arrival and tell him the news. He was ap
parently very much absorbed in a newspaper. I saw him

328 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
cast several sly glances at me, and when I reached the tent,
he feigned ignorance of my presence. I stood there about
three minutes, until I got tired, and then turned abruptly
to go away. I had only proceeded a few steps, when he
called out: "Que tal, Mr. Herald? Que tal el viaje?"
(Gomez could never remember my name, and called me
Mr. Herald). " How are you? How did you fare on your
trip?" Seeing that he had descended from his lofty perch, I ad
vanced and shook hands with him. After a few questions
in regard to the correspondent imprisoned in Sancti
Spiritus, he again asked me about our trip.
My experience during the last month had not tended to
put me in a very good humor — in fact, I was indignant
and resentful. I determined to tell Gomez all that had
passed, so his own eyes would be opened and he could cor
rect the abuses. As a neutral, I could safely express my
views to him without fear of being insulted or ordered
away in anger, and as 1 was well aware that none of his
subordinates would dare to tell him the plain truth, I took
the task upon myself.
The spirit in which he asked the question was kindly;
but this soon gave way to anger when he found out that I
knew too much for the benefit of the Cuban cause, and I
soon saw, that instead of doing him a favor, my story was
working him up to one of his passionate fits of anger. But
I was mad clear through myself, and did not stop with my
story until the last detail had been explained. The story
of the two guides, followed by a relation of our experience
with the " majases," prefectos, sub-prefectos, guides, and
other insurgent dignitaries who failed to fulfill their obliga
tions, were told. Although I could see that Gomez was
boiling over with anger, he did not utter one word of com
ment, and when at last I explained the conduct of his men
at Pico Tuerto, and the " skedaddle " of his namesake at
Paredes, he turned and walked away.

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 329
I thought that he was displeased because I had dared to
inform him of these occurrences, though I am charitable
enough to believe that he was heart-sore over the conduct
of the men he had struggled so long to imbue with his own
fiery, indomitable spirit of resentment and undying hatred
against Spain. Gomez had been for a long time in Cam
aguey and the East, where he had a continual up-hill
struggle to instill some order and discipline in the insur
gent army and government located in those sections.
The old chief was morally certain that he would have to
contend with the same trouble in Las Villas, notwithstand
ing that the reports of his sub-chiefs were always favorable
to themselves and to their proteges.
I busied myself during the day taking a few snap-shots
at the various " celebrities " I found with Gomez.
The old fellow himself even condescended to pose for his
picture, and, to all appearances, he was in an excellent hu
mor; but the " weather-vane " told an entirely different
story, for it indicated trouble.
About dusk, just as Gomez had finished his frugal sup
per, he called me over beside his tent. Several of his staff
were already there, no doubt awaiting to hear his custom
ary all-night discourse on the " blood-thirsty " Spaniards.
After awhile he turned to me, and said:
" What do you know about the conduct of Brig. Gomez
at Paredes?"
I once more related exactly what I have already de
scribed. After I concluded, he rather angrily said:
" Well, I have just received the report of this officer,
and he declares that it was a great victory, and that he
has a large number of rifles captured from the enemy."
" Why don't you send for the rifles and be convinced of
the truth of the matter, then?"
" Do you know what I believe? I believe that you are
lying to me, and that my subordinate has written the truth.

330 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
Look here; how dare you deny the reports of one of my
officers?" " Halloo!" 1 said to myself, " the old man has another
fit on."
" I can't help what his report says. I am convinced
that the people I met told me the truth, and I will believe
them in preference to a one-sided report."
" And are you going to send their story to the ' Her
ald'?" " Most assuredly I am."
"But it is a lie!''
"I don't think so."
" But you must accept the report that I furnish you
with." " Oh, well, I'll accept it, but I'll write a note under it,
stating that it is not reliable."
" And do you intend to write to your paper the story of
Pico Tuerto, and all about the conduct of the prefectos
and guides, and all that you told me this morning?"
"Yes, sir."
" But it is not so!"
" I beg to differ with you; it is the exact truth."
" But you mustn't write the truth."
" That is what I was sent here to do, and that is what I
have done and will continue to do."
" It will hurt the Cuban cause."
" I can't help that, Gen. Gomez; the Cuban authorities
have invited American correspondents to come here for the
purpose of telling the truth, and if there was anything to
conceal, you should not have permitted us to enter the
field." " Have you always written the truth about what you
have witnessed?"
" Invariably. Though I have omitted many events that
would have hurt the cause."
" What do you know that would hurt us?"

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 331
" Do you remember the last time we met at Galeon, and
do you remember your words on that occasion?"
The old chief then feigned ignorance of the event re
corded in another chapter, and after I had recalled his
words, he quivered as though under the lash.
" Aha! young man, you have no right to publish what
I said and did on that occasion. That was a matter that
pertains to the records of the revolution."
" You forget, Gen. Gomez, that I am a newspaper cor
respondent, and that you are a public personage, and there
fore your actions and words are public property from the
minute you allow me to remain in your camp."
Gomez was getting madder; but there was no way to
evade him except by putting on a bold front and giving
him as good as he sent. He now turned on another tack.
" What did you come here for? What do you expect to
make out of this? You have come here to make money!"
" I am paid for my work."
" I thought so — I thought so!" And turning to his
men, he said: "You see, this man came here to make
money! How much money does the ' Herald ' pay 3*ou?"
" I don't think that is a question that concerns you in
the least, Gen. Gomez, and although I receive a liberal
salary, the amount of it is none of your affairs."
"But I would like to know just how much you corre
spondents receive," he persisted in a milder tone. And at
last I informed him what my salary amounted to.
This was what he was angling for, and turning to his
men, he shouted out:
" That's just what I thought! This man came here
for money; he writes about us to the 'Herald' because
they pay him a salary. Just think of it!"
"What do you suppose I came here for — patriotism?
What brought you here, Gen. Gomez. You're not a
Cuban. You certainly must be making something out of
this."

332 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
" This man's insulting me! He says I came to fight for
money! How dare you say such a thing to me? What
right have you to couple my name wiLh money?"
" By the same right as you couple mine. Is it strange
that I should come here because I am paid by the ' Her
ald '?"
The old fellow saw that he had provoked my retort, and
so started on another issue.
"The 'Herald!' That rascally paper the 'Herald!'
Ah! I know it well. It has always been against us. Dur
ing the last war it sided with Spain, and the same policy
controls it to-day. I know what is the matter with
the 'Herald.' That Jaime Bene t has bought $2,000,-
000 of Spain's bonds, and the Spanish government pays
him so many thousand a year to write in their favor,
and he accepts it, and writes against us for fear he'll lose
on his bonds. You can't tell me anything about him;
they are all rascals in the ' Herald,' and you are one of
them! If you wasn't, you wouldn't come nosing around
here and finding out the truth."
I endeavored to explain that the paper I represented
always endeavored to get the truth of both sides, and that
although many articles which appeared in the news col
umns might contain something unfavorable to the Cubans,
the editorials should be read to ascertain the opinion of
Mr. Bennett on any subject.
" I don't believe a word that you tell me. That paper
is our enemy, and so are you! So be careful what you
write. I am going to revenge myself on the ' Herald!'
You don't know old Gomez and the influence he wields,
and he is going to ruin the ' Herald!' "
" I guess there have been others who attempted that
trick, general; but, you see, the ' Herald ' is still in the
same old place."
" Yes; but it will be different this time! I will write to
all my friends in Santo Domingo and Hayti not to buy or

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 333
read the ' Herald,' and when Cuba is free, I will prohibit
its entrance into the country, and then what will become
of Meester Benet?"
The gaping crowd of officials who were near were struck
with admiration at the brilliant and audacious scheme of
revenge outlined by their demi-god, who stood there as
though the threatened calamity to Mr. Bennett was a thing
of the near future, only waiting his command to bring it
about. Some awe-struck " philosopher " in the crowd audibly
muttered, " Carramba! Se arruina el 'Herald!' ("The
' Herald ' is ruined!") and the rest took it up, till on all
sides could be heard the remark: "The 'Herald' is
finished. Gomez has said so, and that settles it!"
Gomez then turned to me and spoke for some time on
the duties of American correspondents to write in his favor,
and then switched off on the argument of Weyler's butch
eries in the province. Then he remembered what we had
been talking about, and started in to lecture me where he
had left off. His temperature again rose to fever heat,
and mine began to suffer a slight decline — in fact, I think
I caught a chill.
" Look here! Carramba! I'll not allow any such corre
spondents as you to go roaming around the country again.
How do I know but that you have already written these
facts to the ' Herald '? Why, do you know, if I thought
you had, I'd kill you!"
Somebody must have dropped some cracked ice down
my back, for it felt uncommonly cold for such a tropical
night; yet I brazened the affair out to the end, and
although the letters had already been dispatched on their
way to Habana, I told him that whatever I had written
was the truth.
" I tell you I won't have the truth known. Do you think
I am going to allow any one to write what you have told
me to-day? I don't care if it is true! If you or any

334 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
other American correspondent dares to enter my camp and
write the truth concerning our condition, Carramba! I'll
shoot you!"
Temperature fell about ten degrees more; but 1 man
aged to tell him that the day he shot an American corre
spondent, that day would end all further hope of help from
the United States, and that our government would send
down the entire army to arrest him, and hang him for
murder. " I don't care what the United States would think or do
in the matter. I can not be held responsible for my
actions, for we are only bandits in the eyes of the world;
we are not recognized by any power, and therefore we will
not have to answer for anything. So look out, young
man, or I'll shoot you, just to raise a disturbance, and if I
thought you had written anything against us, I'd do it
now!" It took me about an hour to convince the infuriated old
chief that he was greatly mistaken in his ideas; for if I
had cared to willfully say anything against the revolution,
I would not have returned to his camp after having once
been away.
I finally left him, and found Smith, who had been listen
ing to the racket, and he was very indignant at the treat
ment I received.
The next morning I determined to depart, ostensibly for
the coast, but really for the United States, as I did not
care to be around when Gomez read my letters to the
"Herald." As the men were drawn up ready to march, Gomez again
started on one of his rampages, and it was only a minute
or so before he spyed me, and although he said nothing to
me personally, he made up for it by insulting all Ameri
cans in general.
" You Americans think that I am a fool, don't yon?
You would like us to believe that you are our friends,

FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA. 335
when you are really stabbing us in the back. You are
making a great disturbance about ending this war, but you
are not sincere. What do you care about the poor Cuban
and his ill-treatment? Nothing! You are just as bad as
the Spaniards. You call them savage and barbarous for
killing the natives; but they are not to be compared to the
atrocities committed by the United States in their Indian
wars. Your sympathy is all a farce; you care nothing for
the struggling insurgents, and while your government and
your people can squeeze a dollar out of us, by selling us
arms and allowing expeditions to slip out of the ports, you
will continue to be our friends. And when we have no
more money, then your sympathy will cease.
" Your government makes such a pretense about recog
nizing us as belligerents; but I know the reason why it has
not become a law. Your President and Secretary of State
have received large sums of money from Spain to win
them over to her side. They have been bribed; they are
corrupt to the core! And your Senate and Congress are
no better; they are in the employ of Spain also. Nothing
can be done in your country without money, and as the
Cubans have not enough to buy your legislators, it is only
natural that they should vote for them who pays the most.
" Ah! I know the Americans well; they are afraid to
interfere in this question, for then they would lose money.
Your patriotism and courage begins and ends in your
pocket." Gomez kept on in this strain for about fifteen minutes,
casting insult after insult upon the President, the mem
bers of Congress, and the newspapers in general.
Smith and I were dumfounded; and we determined then
and there to leave his army and return to the United
States, and tell the people what kind of a man the famous
liberator was.
After a stormy altercation with Gomez, in which I de
fended the actions of our government, I requested a per-

336 FACTS AND FAKES ABOUT CUBA.
mit to leave camp, as I did not intend to remain and be
subjected to the insults that I had been compelled to
listen to during the last twenty-four hours.
Smith demanded his discharge and permission to return
to the United States. This Gomez refused, but promised
to send him home within the month.
As for myself, 1 received my pass, and with only one
servant, I struck out across the wide expanse of hostile
country to Trinidad, where I arrived after several exciting
adventures. In a week I was once more in the United States, and
free to write the truth as I found it, without fear of
being shot by the orders of the " Dictator of the Cuban
Republic, Maximo Gomez."

THE END.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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