The Washington times., 1895-06-28
GOMEZ LED TO VICTORY
Band of Spanish GueriIIas En-
tire|y Wiped Out.
WAS REALLY A SLAUGHTER
Government Troops Were Out on a
Recommending Expedition When
Ihey Met the Insurgents-AIarm
Felt I'm Royal Circles-Gen. Campos
Cables for Heavy Reinforcements.

Havana. June 27.-Detans reached here
to-day of a desperate fight between a
portion OF the insurgent force, under
| MaXimo Gomez. in the province of Puerto
! Principe, and seventy of the auxiliary
troops of the Spanish government, known
as EuerriIlas, under Capt Aguerro.
| The seventy guerrillas were surprised
| by the vanguard of Gomez force,
commanded by Nicasio Mirabel, and there
was great slaughter on both sides, the
! fighting being mainly with machetcs
| Theguerrillas We're outona accommodating
expedition and Unexpectedly came across
| the inSurgent vanguard, consisting of about
| 400 men. AT first the guerrillas imagined
| they had only a comparatively small body
of men before them, and their commander,
Aguerro, called upon the insurgents to
halt, crying out:
Who goes there?"
Spanish forces" was the reply of the
insurgent leader. as his men continued to
advance rapidly upon the government guer-
| rillas. Twice or three times more did the
guerrillas try to halt the insurgents, but
the latter pushed on quickly until finally
their leader seeing that the guerrillas were
in an AWKWARD position, cried: AT the
machete"
THE BATTLE COMMENCES
This cry showed the government force
that they were confronted by insurgents.
and not bya detachment of Spanish guerril-
las as they had been led to believe. and the
mask being thus thrown off. the guerrillas
replied to the then oft-repeated cries Of
AT the machete," with volfeys from their
carbines, as they commenced to retreat be-
Tr,r,a 4 fto,,y H.
Soon the government soldiers and the in
surgent troops became engaged in a band
to hand combat, which quickly becamelittle
more than massacre OF the unfortunate
gueTrlas.
The insurgents, in the meanwhile, had
been reinforced until they are said to have
numbered fully 1900 men composing the
main body of men under Gomez
Against these Overwhelming numbers the
guerrillas fought heroicaHy. They de-
Tended themselves as best they could
against the enemy, using rocks or ANYTHING
available behind which to shelter them
selves as they fired as fast as possible
at the insurgents, who pressed forward from
all sides upon the little band
For an hour the fight lasted, and moth
ing could be heard but the rattle of
nuSketry, the shouts OF the combatauts and
the clashiug OF machetes. 1t Is believed
that few, if any, OF the guerriIlas escaped
being killed or wounded
GOVERNMENT ALARMED.
Capt. Aguerro led his men gailantly un-
til an inSurgent slashed at his horses head
with a machete, causing it to fall and
throw the guerilla leader heavily to the
ground.
The insurgents engaged with Aruerro,s
guerrillas are believed to form part of the
body OF men which recently burned the
towns OF FL Aulato aud San Geronimo after
capturing the forts aud garrisons of those
places, and it is said the news of this
fresh disaster has caused a very uneasy
feeling in official circles There is no
doubt that If the government officials
are willing to admit these disasters to the
Spanish army in Puerto Principe within q
few days aud not far from the capital of
that province, that the situation of affairs
there must he very grave indeed, and may
prove much more so when Maceo who is
reported to have made his way from the
province of Santiago de Cuba into Puerto
Principe, joins his forces to those of
Gomez.
That there is real cause for alarm NAV he
gathered from the fact that it is reported
in well Informed official circles here to-day
that Captain in General Martinez de Campos
has cabled to the Spanish government ask
ing for the prompt despatch of large rein
forcements OF troops from Spain
Adyices received here from Santiago de
Cuba to-day say that an insurgent force,
numbering about 400 men, has made an at
tack upon Tiarriba, in the province of San
tiago de Cuba, and that they were repulsed
are now in flight and are being pursued by
the Spanish troops
Madrid, June 27.-The Premier. Senor
Canovas del Castillo, announced to-day
that the ministry had received a cable dis
patch from Captain General Martinez de
Campos, notifying the government that
$4,000 additional troops will be required
to enable him to undertake an offensive
campaign in Cuba after the rainy season is
over
The statement has caused some excite