The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-21
THE SITUATION IN CUBA.
Peace Party Organizing Among Havana
SPaniards-Another Aaid Freemasons-
Burning Sugar Mills and Poisoning Wells.


Spaniards-Another Raid on Freemasons-
Burning Sugar Mills and Poisoning Wells.
HAVANA, June 15.-Advices from Santiago
announce that General Merelo has quietly as
sumed the position to which he was appointed
by the Home Government-Governor of the
Eastern Department-but with the compromise
that Count de Valmaseda shall remain at the
head of the military affairs of the department.
This is a substantial victory for the volunteers
over the Home Government, since they thus
prevent the removal of their favorite and keep
him in the position they desire General Merelo
wisely concluded that divided command was
far better than no command at ALL for had he
not agreed to the compromise it is about sure
that the volunteers would have forced him to
return to Spain. Their success in this instance
is but another evidence of what has long been
apparent-that the Serrano and Prim govern
ment of Spain has more of a nominal than real
control of the no longer faithful island.
DESTROYING SUGAR MILLS AND POISONING
WELLS
The order of General Cavada, the Cuban Com
mander-in-Chief, to burn and destroy all sugar
mills, houses, cabins, ETC., that may serve the
Spaniards in their warfare, is being rigdly COM
piled with by his soldiers, and very likely in
few weeks more there will not be single build
ing left standing within twenty-five or thirty
miles of Puerto Principe, save along the line of
the railway out of over one thousand there
were before the war commenced. General Ca
vada and his men are terribly in earnest and this
enrages the Spaniards very much, but not as
much as an intercepted order of General Agra
monte to the commander of the Twelfth Bat
talon, Division of the Camaguey, to poison the
wells of Sabana Nueva and all other wells the
Spanards are apt to use. The Spaniards have
published the order, but without any date at
tached; suspicious omission, which cast many
doubts upon the genuineness of the order.
THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS SHOT.
Two of the three men captured by detach-
ment from one of the Delamater gunboats upon
Cruz Key, and brought to Puerto Principe for
identification, were shot on the Sth. The spared
man io anta frnr Dunn Uhn
informed the Captain General that the other
two were Guiteras, of Matanzas, and Hernandez,
of Havana; that the three, with fourth COM
panion who died on Cruz Key, left Nassau in
February for Cuba in an open boat rowed by
four negroes; that these abandoned them upon
Cruz Key, returning to the Bahamas with the
boat; and the three captured men lived upon
Cruz Key until taken, unable to get off, and
eating most of the time shell fishes and land
crabs. In March the Nassau papers reported
the same party as having been murdered by the
negro rowers.
III, SICKNESS
is on the increase among the Spanish troops,
principally on account of the rains that fall
every day, which, wetting the soldiers in the
field, make many of them sick.
GENERAL LoRDA, I'LL.
Cuban Minister of War and Marine, died in Los
Guiros, the provisional Cuban capital towards
the close of May, of fever. His loss is severe
one for the Cuban cause, as he was an earnest
worker and an able officer. His successor has
not been appointed, but is likely to be General
Adolfo Cavada, brother to the Commander-in-
Chief.
SICKNESS IN THE ARMY. o..
Within the past five days no less than 120 sick
and wounded officers and enlisted men have
been brought here from the insurrectionary dis
tricts, and placed in the hospitals. This indi-
Gates a notable increase of sickness in those
DISTRICTS but to be expected at this season of
the year. Among the wounded is included
General Jose Chinchilla, a nephew of Regent
Serrano, seriously hurt in the Camaguey some
| weeks ago.
ANOTHER RAID ON HAVANA FREEMAsoNs.
Another raid has been made by the Havana
| authorities upon Freemasons. On Saturday
nine Masons, all foreigners, were seized, and
sent to the city prison, to keep company with
the ifty-four Masons, Cubans and Spaniards,
who for months have languished in captivity
| for no offenses committed, and simply because
| they are Freemasons. Among the unlucky nine
no American citizen is included, for wonder,
| though an American was wanted by the autho-
rifles, but not found-Mr. }. b. Harmony, now
| In Key West.
PEACE PARTY.
On Saturday evening quite an excitement was
} created in the Casino Espanol by Colonel Zu-
lueta of the I'd Battalion of Volunteers, and the
wealthy merchant Mamerto Pubido, advocating
the autonomy of the island, and declaring that
it was now high time that terms of peace were
made with the Cnbans, honorable to Spain and
to Cuba both alike. large majority OF the
Casino repudiated the views of the two gentle
men, but still their enuncation is yet subject
of general conversation, and is considered by
most persons as proof that the two gentlemen,
once go irreconcilably loyal, are now tired
of the war, and see only destruction ahead.
They are not by any means alone among the
late advocates of Cuba Spanish nothing
who have changed. Twenty months of unsuc-
cessful war have opened the eyes of many
Spaniard to the dangers that now surround
Spanish rule, and causes them to seriously
doubt whether war, the garrote, and the shoot
ing of prisoners can suffice to remove them
whether blood copiously shed is not more likely
to weaken than to strengthen Spanish sway
From what / have noticed this week, / fancy
that soon a peace party of respectable proper
tions and composition will exist among th
Havana Spaniards.