The Indianapolis journal., 1895-11-13

for them. Thus IL was necessary TO levy
on the enemy-on the Spanish--for supplies:
stu Is accomplished. There Is In Mantanzas
well-known Spanish firm OF the name OF
Bea Bellido & Co., Of which Jose Cebaldos.
Co. own a sugar refinery In Aantanzas
that cost over $1.0c0.C1). A patriot went TO
that firm and demanded both arms and
million-dollar refinery. They knew very
well that all the soldiers in Havana could
no,,as not save the refinery and they were ere com,
anticipated the demand and had imported
three hundred rifles and proper cartridges
made they told where the arms had been
Secreted in a small cave on the beach.
and the patriots went there at night and
only. There are other Spanish merchants
who are. very. sorely against their will,
importing supplies plies for the insurgents; The
case Of must with them. This may seem
incredible. but there are plenty of right
novel features in the war for liberty down
while 1 am talking about supplies /
might as well tell you of another source.
soldiers The Spanish soldiers are in great
part, at least, supplied with the Mauser
rifle. The magazine for this, as most people
price of a magazine loaded fun is cents.
Many a Cuban woman has given half
starved Spanish private cup OF conee IN
-
trades bring cartridges only in drihlets. /
have bought them by the case-one thou
sand in box-from Spanish lieutenants
meeting was arranged by a go-between.
not infrequently a woman. The lieutenant
would have from thirty thousand to seven
ty thousand cartridges for the use or the
troops under him, and he was very glad
to sell few cases for cash: We paid -
Spanish gold for case The lieutenant
reported them as used in the usual course
Of war and so got new supplies from head
quarters.
METHODS OF THE PATRIOTS.
"Of course Mauser cartridges are Of no
value in a Remington rife. so we had to get
Mauser rifles. / never heard of Spaniard
selling a Mauser. We had to fight for them,
and this brings me to the method of war
fare adopted by the patriots. The Spanish
newspapers call the patriots towards ard
say that the rebels are invariably driven
back into the mountain Businesses. Don't
you believe word of it. To understand
the patriot method one must know the lay
of the land. Everywhere in the department
of the west the interior is mountainous,
and the region is traversed for the most
part by mule trails only The interior is
everywhere known as Free Cuba. The
coast Is called Spain. Along the coast there
are open fields and cart roads Here the
Spaniards are in force. and here they re-
main. No Spanish officer dares TO enter
also found wherever there is a railroad.
Why, along the little road running north
from Trinidad there is fortiication OF
some kind every two hundred yards.
"Now, since the Spaniards will not go
into the mountains to seek the patriots,
the patriots have to come down to the iields
to find the Span.aris. TO do this effectively
they keep the most careful watch on the
movements of the various detachments.
There are spies everywhere, and whenever
a party of Spanish troops prepares to go
from one post to another. and whenever a
train of supplies goes on the road. the
facts are carried to the n p patros
twice that of the Spaniards is sent to way
lay the outfit. Ambushes are prepared
wherever possible. The attack tack that fol-
ards. The Cubans are not only fight
Ing for a principle, they have to fight in
to make the next fight with. tell you they
fight desperately. and they rarely fail in
overpowering the Spaniards. This done,
and then they retire into the mountains.
This retiring is what the Spanish papers call
a great victory for their troops. After
retreat although they outnumbered our in
vincible heroes three to one,' is the way
they put it. They do not mention the fact
that their invincible heroes marched back
to camp on foot, with not a gun or a cart
ridge or anything of value about them
ITO my own knowledge over 1900 Mauser
rifles have been captured in this way, and
when left there was an excellent supply
of cartridges. The equipment of the pa
triOtS is constantly improving instead OF de-
teriorating under the wear and exigencies
"You have heard no doubt. about the
glorious victory Gen. Martinez Campos
the facts about that. The patriots knew
when he started; the number OF men with
route he proposed to follow. Accordingly.
they gathered a greatly superior force In a
place along the route where the capture
able But Campos escaped by an accident
Shortly before the ambushed patriots were
reached the guide of the Campos forces
proposed that q cutoff trail be taken in
Campos agreed to this. Even then the
pass s sosaa the ssoes ses
failed to capture him. 1t is fact that
Campos escaped to Bayamo on foot:
''In short, there are in the department or
the west small fghts every four or five
days and in nine cases out OF ten the pa
triots add to their supplies of arms and am,
successful fighters.
MARTrs ASSASSINATION.
perhaps you have already heard all the
facts about the assassination of Gen. Jose
Marti but it is worth telling the true story
again. The Spaniards tell about Marti COM
ing out before his troops at the battle of
Dos Rios, and, with bluster and brag, in
viting the death that overlook him. The
truth is he was assassinated by traitor
Gus Cuban at the instance Of Colonel San
dobal, of the Spanish army. Colonel San-
dobaI gave the traitor 5000 gold in. ad-
vance to kill the patriot. with promise
of 5000 more when the deed was done.
The traitor went to Marti's camp and en-
listed as guide-a post for which he was
we'll fitted--and for a month he served Wen.
Then Marti started for the coast to en-
bark on a vessel that awaited him. taking
only the traitor with him. The guide shot
the general in the back threw the body
with proof of his deed. He received, but
he did not long enjoy the gold. Within a
week the patriots had him, and they made
short work of him. And inside or TWO
months they had Sando5al. General Masso,
the colored patriot, gave the scounCrei the
benefit of a trial. The court-martial found
that the assassination had been planned by
the Colonel. and he was shot TO death.
"Of my own work and subsequent night
from the country l will tell you the main
facts. When / was done with my work as
commissioner in search OF facts about
troops and supplies l Joined the stan or
General Limo Perez. who was patriot
colonel during the former war. i had the
rank of lieutenant, but the patriots are
serving without pay and have to furnish
their own supplies. The rank was merely
honorary. We had our headquarters at
Guinia de Miranda. a place but twelve miles
inland frcm Trinidad on the south coast.
7 served as private secretary to the general
until in October. / was taken sick with ty-
phoid fever and became helpless Eventu-