Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-04
Estimating the Number Of Cuban
Insurgents in the Field.
SENDING FORWARD TEE REGULARS
Proposition to Use Militia Instead
of Spanish Troops.
THE GOVERN MENT PLANS

HAVANA, March 3O.-Havana, so far as
revolution goes. has her head in the sand
and, like the ostrich, seems to have no no.
ton that the world sees her tail feathers
disturbed and tossing in full view.
To be sure. uniformed men are SO thick
in Havana as well nigh to De under foot.
Soldiers are the policemen, and are con-
stantly on view. In an apparently slum-
berous and i1.dulgent way the people know
that some three thousand new soldiers have
come from Spain this week. and the Off
GERS and men. with their ugly glazed caps
and their baggy red trousers, have been
much on view.
At daybreak this morning the crack Span
fsh regiment, Isabel la Catolica, left Ha-
Eana by special train for Batabanno, on
the coast directly south, where the troops
will sail to ports in the eastern part of the
island. Tomorrow the sixth battalion will
follow
The Forces of the Rebels.
From private sources comes this state
ment of the humber Of rebels in the field
and the names OF commanders:
Bartolo Masso, II men; Capt. Amado
Guerra, 100 armed horsemen; Col. Tamayo
chief OF the rebels from Manzinillio to Ba-
yamo, 80 horsemen; Capt. Amado Liens,
~ men, Ndpl .ldH uel SdpOte,-Up infantry
Lieut.. Col. Be!lito. 100 infantry; Capt. Juan
NaSso, go horse and infantry; Capt. Pedro
fopaS, 20 horse and infantry; Col. Rabi,
go horse and infantry; Capt. Almeida, %
horse and infantry; Capt. Juan Rector, 15O
horse and infantry; Juan Vega, 10 horse
and infantry. Total, ,412.
IheSe are men now in the field. and the
statement is made that the strength of the
revolution must not be measured by the
number of men they choose to place in
view At any given time.
The rebels it is believed, have matured
their plan of campaign, which involves
quletude of the main body of sympathiz-
ers and participants until the rains come
and fever shall have reduced the ranks
or the Spanish troops. Meanwhile the men
m the held are expected to harass and
aiarm They are acclhlated; the Spanish
military are not.
These plans are fully understood by the
government and 1t has been announced that
great bodies Of troops will be pushed into
the disturbed districts to crush out the
feoellioh by sheer force and at once.
The Native Cuban Troops.
The fear of fever is active, too. Ramon
Sanchez Farona. an officer of the regular
army and private secretary TO the leader
of the governmental party here. is urging
that the volunteers of Havana and of Cuba
shall be sent into the field because they
are acclmated and because, in his view,
they should bear the burden of war in
their own island. These volunteers of Cuba
are exempt from compulsory army service
by reason of voluntary enlistment. but
they are not closely under control as
the militia of the United States. There are
about GOO of these and they can, Senior
Narona urges. be put to fighting within
two weeks.
Besides these are the guerilleros, who en-
list only for time and purpose. and who
enlist themselves in groups, like the sepa-
rate companies of American militia. There
would be about 6,00O of these available, and
Narona is urging that these 1200o men
shall be sent to the front. where they know
the country, while the strange and unac-
climated Spanish troops shall be held to
garrison the towns.