The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-25


$4,000 men of all arms, fairly well sup
piled with artillery. had by feint,
turned the flank Of Captain General
Martinez de Campos, in command OF
the Spanish forces at Colon, attempting
to stop the advance of the enemy upon
Havana, and were we'll to the west
ward of Colon, and threatening Matan-
ZaS to the southwark and preparing
! to strike directly at Havana The re-
| ceipt of this startling news has caused
| the greatest excitement here both In
| official and unofficial circles. AS pre-
! viously detailed In these dispatches,
| the insurgents, a little over two weeks
| ago, entered the province OF Santa
! Clara from the province of Puerto
Principe, at Igura and there defeated
Colonel Seguera and Spanish column.
They made a most wonderful advance
through the province, passing through
! the flower of the Spanish army assem-
! bled there and said to number 1000
men. After some sharp skirmlshes IN
which the Spanish We're worsted. Cen
eral Campos, who had made headquar-
tiers at Santa Clara, transferred them
| to CienfuegoeS, with the nnounced IN
! tention of personally commanding the
| troops which were to check the insur-
! gents advances. But in spite of re-
peated repulSes, the insurgents pressed
| onward and passing Placetas, Santa
Clara. San Jun de les Yers, Ranchuelo
and other towns pushed on for the
frontier of Matan2as.
After Santa Clara.
AT one time it was reported that
| thew intended to attack Santa Clara,
but their tactics seemed to be to pass
| all the big towns on TO Havana. 1t
was only a few days ago that the an
nouncement was made that the in
surgents were at Las Lajas and march
| ing onward to Haxana. Then came
the news that the insurgents had en-
| tered the province of Matanzas at
! General Campos had changed his
headquarters to Colon and he COM
menced hurriedly concentrating his
| forces there, intending to compel Gen
eral Gomez to fight pitched battle
! before passing that place. a day or SO
! ago the insurgents caused scurry in
| Colon. Firing was heard at Ajuca,
! about fifteen miles from the place.
and reinforcements were sent to the
| front. but this turned out to be little
more than am outpost affair, and while
the Spanish troops made for this
point the main body of the army
passed south of Colon near the line
of railroad and headed for. the from
tier province of Havana, turning the
! flank of the captain-generai, who, with
the bulk of the Spanish forces in the
Island OF Cuba. is now well to the
rear of the insurgent columns. The
latter. moving more rapidly than the
Spanish troops-who are utterly I'M
| wooded country. without regular
| roads and with heavy grasses and
low brushwood to interfere with every
moVement-are not thought likely to
be able to catch up with the quickly
| moving Cubans, whose machetas clear
a road for their advance. and who
are much more familiar with the coun-
try and accustomed to the climate,
and can easily distance the Spanish
soldiers. only recently brought into
the country. Gomez, by a beautifully
executed countermarch, has turned
the flank of the famed Spanish COM
mander. and today with his army
made his appearance close to the town
of JoVollano, well to the rear of Co.
lon and commanding the railroads to
Cardenas. Matanzas and Havana The
movement of the insurgents was an
example of splendid generalship, ac-
complished under the most trying cir
cumstances and in the face of over
>,
commanded by the best officers of
Spain. The insurgents burned the
railroad station of Quintina, east of
Jovallano. and destroyed the railroads
behind them to prevent the advance
of the Standards upon their rear. The
last news received was that they had
passed Limonar. a small town only a
few miles from Matanzas, and were
pushing for the railroad which con-
meets Matanzas with Havana.
1t seems that there is nothing likely
to prevent them from besieging Havana
within the next few days, for the
Spanish commanders appear to have
entirely lost their heads, and unless
General Campos has accomplished a
miracle OF daring strategy in allowing
Gomez and his forces to slip by, in
order that the Spanish troops may be
hurried after them, and by a sortie
from Havana, catch them between two
fires, the insurgents are masters of
the situation. The odds AGAINST the
Spaniards being able to press on after
the triumphant insurgents army are
very heavy. Not only have the in
surgents destroyed the railroads he
hind them, thus burning their ships as
1t were, but they have in many other
ways done everything possible to i'm
pede the progress of the Spanish army.
and the friends of the insurgents here
are confident that the arrival of Gomez
before Havana will be shortly an
nounced. AS it is, the insnreent
cavalry has been sighted within about
hfty miles OF Havana, to the westward
OF Matanzas, and had apparently taken
possession of the railroad lines Joining
that seaport to this city.
Railroad and mail comrunica tion
between Jovollano, Colon and Matanu-
zas are interrupted and it is believed
to be only question of a few hours
when the Geographic comnunfca tjon
with Matanzas and the east will he
cut. General Campos has ordered the
Spanish commanders nearest to the in
surgents, Generals Valdez and Navar-
no. to do everything possible to attack
the insurgents under any and ali cir
cunstances, but it is not thought Ike
ly that these generals will be able to do
what the captain general himself has
been unable to do.
later dispatch says that the cantajn
general has managed to get to Colon
and that he has placed himself AFT tba
head Of the Spanish forces at Limonar
twenty miles east of Matanzas. where he
expects to be able to strike at the in
sursents. thousands Of people from all
parts of the country around Matanzas are
hooking in terror into that city, accord insy
to the official dispatches. But other re-
ports say that they are in the main offer
iEg to join the insurgents. who are being
pisnlfuly supplied with provisions by the
inhabitants of all the towns along the
route they follow. The little town Of ia
can, Santo Domingo, where a detachment
of seventy-four soldiers under captain
and two heutenants of the Spanish army
were attacked and for the most part cut
to pieces by the insurgents, is almost de-
serted.