The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-24
THE CUBAN PATRIOTS.
Plenty of Food for Those Who
Are Fighting Spain.
SHORT RATIoNS IN THE CITIES.
Incidents That Illustrate the Manner
I'm Which the War Is Being
Carried On.

gtneeF who has Just returned 20 the states
after serving eight months in the patriot
army OF Cuba.
They 1--we exceedingly well, II you COM
pare them with ths American patriots m
der Marion or Washington AT Valley
Forge was the reply. Some people
might think the life pretty hard. though
! VIII illustrate by telling you Of my first
visit 20 Gen Rodriguez as a carrier OF dis
patches. As I was riding along the high
way toward the camp. which was taeu
less than a mile away, j saw a Cuban
lieutenant with d private beside him. near
the tran. They stopped me and asked
where ] was from and whittier bound /
did nor AZ first reveal my identity, and
the Lieutenant asked me for a clean hand
kerchief, while tns private asked me 20
give him nay waterproof cape. They
thought I vas a common American ensI-
neer. travelling as engineers do there. aud
that I would probably be LIBERAL i gave
d handkerchief to the officer. because ne
needed Il. Then / asked where l. could
find tho general. and told them l had
dispatches. a. which both asked me not
10 mention the requests they had made,
because begging was contrary to orders.
To reach the general had TO pass three
lines OF p.ckets, who had countersrgns.
etc. according 20 the regular usage, and
then / reached a little poie-anG-paim-leAf
hut 81 a clearing. that was so small that
the twenty-five men who were within II,
with half a dozen h8mm0cks. filled il I'M
comfortably full. Lying IN one OF the ham
mocks was a man under medium size,
dressed only Ia a calico shirt. a pair OF
white drawers. and a pair OF black leather
slippers, whom my guide saluted at Gen.
Rodriguez.
THE general took my dispatches. and
for ten minutes read them without saying
q word 10 me. l was tired because OF a
long ride. and a. the end Of that time
asked an adjutant for a chair. He apol-
og.zed BY saying there was none in the
camp. but gave ms another mans ham
mock instead. Al that the general finish
cd reading the dispatches, and asked me
II | would like something TO eat. then
ordered an adiutant to take me 10 the
kitchen. This was another pole hut, with
a FIRE Ia the middle where some men were
cooking. They At once gave me \ rusty
tin dish with four chunks OF fresh roasted
beef. and three ribs OF fresh roasted pork
on another rusty dish. A third pan had
(Tied plantains n a.. and a fourth had a
stack Of native root that is like a potato.
also fried. There was neither knife nor
fork nor spoon. but there was a gourd OF
right good coffee.
wen. now. that would seem to DC a pref
Is crude meal to a man fresh from the
hoffman house or the Waldorf. but to i
man VINO IS serving as 4 soldier in the
wilderness IL may not seem too bad. And
that is the common fare of the patriot
army. They have an abundance or cattle
and pigs and plantalns and bananas, n
the wild potatoes. They have couee and
salt. What more should a soldier ask?
Where do they get these things? From
the plantations OF the enemy. as a rule:
sometimes they buy Of friends, but friends
often contribute.
Instead OF the patriots being short Of
food. & is the Spanish that suffer. The
Spanish are in the towns and cities. The
patrols hold the rural districts every
where IN both the departments, east and
west. The highways leading into all the
leading towns are constantly watched by
small deiachmeuts OF patriots. whose duty
IL Is 10 prevent the carrying OF all kinds
of produce, like tobacco. into the town.
They allow food 20 10 in. however. on pay
ment Of a tax for the benefit OF the patriot
army. Thus all meat. vegetables, and
milk must pay 20 cents cash per horse
load 20 the patriots, while cattle pay $
Der head. No exception Is made in favor
OF anybody. ! saw the nephew Of Gen.
Perez apply 20 Gen. Rodriguez for a permit
10 carry eighty bales Of to0acco-to Trim
ldad,
The family depended on this tobacco
for the purchase of such goods as have
20 be obtai'ed IN the towns. but the gem
eral refused emphatically. and then read
an order from Maxine Gomez which said
that any officer WHO permitted any one 20
scll anything but food 10 the Spanish IN
the towns would. on conviction before a
court martial, be shot 10 death. IL may
give you an idea OF The discipline OF the
patriot army 10 keep in mind how wen
this order OF Gomez IS obeyed.
"Of course. the collecting of this road
tax materially Increases the prices OF food
products in the towns. In some places il
diScograges the carrying Of produce TO the
towns to such al extent thar real suffer
ing exists among the Spaniards. When !
was is Sau-u Splritus I saw milk sold
a. - cents pvr glass. chickens AZ 40 each.
ana 50 on-llst zen times the prices IN
times % peace. However. note that the
Cuhaus iu those towns rarely suffer so.
The vcuders al produce must sell 10 them
az thr old prices. The vender wn0 over-
charges a Cuban Is ston reported 10 the
patriot army. and hC Is thereafter kept oHt
OF the town altogether. The Cuhans who
cannot sell their tobacco. sometimes COM
plain - The embargo as a great hardship.
aad 80 Il IS. but they always get the one
answer. our country before amy family
"Of course. 20 create "A scarcity Of pro.
visions n a town = "a cruel necessity 81
war. but Sc can Ice excused outside Of ITS
necessity. for it is a Just retaliation on the
Spanlards Tor their methods tn mcuop0liE-
ing the mercantile trade OF the ISLAND Let
me explain about this business hy telling
you how ! bought the shoes have on now.
] went q Clenfucgos % buy shoes. There
was = shae store there that VAS kept by
"A Cuban vh0 knew me as an officer ia tac
patrsot army. When 7 asked for the shoes.
Re told me ne had them. hut that he would
have 20 charge rae s. fer them while th.
] SnAuiaui shoe dealer across The Way would
sell them FOR g. lie then explained that
tha authorities RENTED the house tRN. tire
vendors tax. ant other taxes on the span
| ~iard-Saye h5UR rebates. as yau may Say
! uatl he could sell AZ halt the price. The
Cuhan had "a pay every tax in ful
Yen viii wonder. % course. how tho
/ Cuban could continue In business az all.
hut the fact - thst because - lbe iu1a-
tea - thc Spanish rulers tha rirh Cee-
/ hans buv 81 thcir countrvmeu. ~~c@a~3le~.
3 81 prices. The Spanish naerra4nt of whom
l bought tfa shoes was Tefcr.na p Al
Narvr. and any reader ct ihe sun VINO S.
acQtnutei in ~C1enoIceeS VII hear w.
/ ness % the trsth ~ what I am fefiu
Talking cf trade In tho :awns rem s
wa ~ the g a3-ui-es tast a-e tN~,Vn fl
So 90 Gown - hey ary hing. was stem
/ ping ere Cav az the house OF a suasll seal-r
/ f7 .A~snaL. when he dos red to Seuf tn Trtr-
( ifaf fr a suraf ~tnck 81 e-3-ares Hs
boy VAS 20 ~ for she Eocts F.~sc of an
{ ha took fre BOY - tha alcah3c 81 Are14l
{ Who w-'-e hem q rsss TBS nIuer ae.
s.-ned enc hoy n srtxL described the
horse PEE rose. ,-fi where he came f-e~a.
! Where Pee 0ts -oass. every artistic ana -ha
quantity Pc wanted ~ auv. ard ben be
wanted 20 rasa~s. ssf ths too a}.se.rr
and ere purchase AFR telf. woais r8c
nrr-r-r 90 NrE M rrr E.- u-a-- 49,