The New York herald., 1873-11-19

rarely abandons courage that he was not sent
back from the banks of the Oxus to the Euro
pean frontier OF Russia under the guard Of a
squadron of Cossacks.
Return of Our Correspondence.
We publish in another column another letter
from Mr.. James j. O. Kelly, who will be remem-
bered as one of the special correspondents Of
the HERALD sent to Cuba to investigate the
exact condition of affairs in that island IF
any Of our imaginative writer's should care to
publish work on the romances of journalism
the adventures of Mr.. OKelly would form an
interesting part of the narrative. The pur-
poses which inspired the mission of this
gentleman will be remembered by those who
take an interest in the policy which controls
the HERALD. For long time Cuba had been
a mysterious land. We knew that there was
revolution or some kind of military trouble;
at least that there were fighting parties
moving up and down the Island of Cuba
some carrying the flag Of Spain, others
flag representing the Cuban Republic In
New York we had a large Cuban and
Spanish colony whose members fought the
battles of their country through the newspa-
pers, in the hotels and clubs on Fifth avenue
and Broadway. This colony being a noisy
aggregation Of ladies and gentlemen, given to
assembling in public and addressing long let
ters to newspapers on the wrongs of Cuba, it
SO happened that the revolution occupied
1ar aIo -
seem to move. It was difficult to understand
We could not give it a history, topography
or even geography. But it was always pres
ent, like smoke burning on hill We had
one set of stories from Havana generally
inspired by some creature of the Captain Cen
eral-telling us Of the immediate overthrow Of
the rebellion. Then came another set of mar
ratives, written generally in extravagant and
forid rhetoric telling us that the insurrection
WAS sweeping like tornado, and that in q
day or two we might expect to hear that Presi-
dent Cespedes had arrived in Havana.
Now and then this monotonous insurrec-
ton, which had come to be as much of bur-
den to the judicious editorial mind of New
York as the Schleswig- -Holstein question or
revolt in Poland, was diversified by some
terrible and atrocious cruelty. We were told
of outrages upon private rights by irresponsi-
BILE bands OF militia; the persecution of alien
residents, as in the case of DR.. Houard, the
shooting of prisoners taken in cold blood, or
some inconceivable transaction, like the execu-
tions of Havana students-an act recalling
in its atrocity the merciless career Of the
Duke of Alva in the Netherlands. And as
there was an incessant public opinion driving
the United States into position of active
interference in the affairs of Cuba, threaten
ing us with war, it became the duty of the
HERALD to pierce this mystery, to find out
what really controlled and inspired the insur-
rection; what life it possessed, and whether
it was the duty of our government to put
strong hand upon Spain and insist that Cuba
should be free.
We were served by many gentlemen in the
prosecution of this inquiry. Some of our
correspondents reached Havana and took easy
excursions within the Spanish lines; others
went as far as MatanZas and various outposts,
but returned to Havana under the threat of
the Spanish military authorities that they
would be executed as spies if they attempted
to enter the lines of the insurrectionary army.
What the HERALD desired was precisely the
character of information which could be
found only within these lines. And so cor
respondent who accepted our commission
carried his life in his hands. Many gentle
men accepted it; but it is to the credit of Mr..
O'Kelly, as well as of General Francis +. Mil
len-who was more fortunate in the end-to
say that he did not turn back, that he went
ahead, entered the lines Of the rebel troops
and saw for himself the extent and value of
the Cuban insurrection. These reports have
been given from time to time to our readers,
and they have the value of being the only
narratives furnished to any journal in the
world by correspondent who really saw the
army Of insurrection. The persistent and
perplexing interference of the Spanish govern
ment paralyzed the usefulness of Mr.. OKelly
as an impartial observer of events some time
ago. Since his arrest by the Spanish authori-
ties his career has not been that of corre-
spondent in search of news, but q citizen
under military surveillance and persecution.
In the many romances Of journalism there is
none more interesting than that which per-
tains to our correspondent. From the rebel
fastness of Cespedes, in the deep, luxuriant
wilderness of tropical Cuba, to Havana
prison from this prison over the seas to the
little Biscayan town of Santander from
Santander to Madrid-there weary weeks
of expectation during the midsummer days
of that most uninviting metropolis thence
through the country made famous by the adj
ventures Of Don Quixote, through the smiling
valleys of Andalusia, fugitive and almost
prisoner, until he found freedom upon the
deck of an American war ship, under the
folds Of the American flag This has been in