Kansas City daily journal., 1895-12-28
HAVANA STILL IN SUSPENSE
NOTHING KNOWN THERE OF THE
MOVEMENTS OF THE INSURGENTS.
Defensive Work Continucd.-Nothingw which
Indicates That the Cubaus Are In Re-
treat-They sccm to lie Most Adj
vantagcousiy situated.

Havana. Dec. 27.-The excitement which
has prevailed here since the insurgent
army under Gomez ana Maceo entered the
| proVine Of Matanzas continues to-day and
| is heightened by the meagetncss or tho
news from the front. The spanish author.
| tiles insist that the Insurgents are in re.
| treat, and yet Captain General Martinez
| de Canpos is still here aud the work of
| forufNlnE Havana and its vicinity continues
| without an hours Interruption I'm any di-
| fectiou. According TO the official adviccs.
! Macoo is at the plantation OF Olimpio. near
the town of Cimhrronos. a little way north
| of Jovollanos, the town from witch Cam-
| pos retreated from Limonarc Cimarroncs
| Is about forty-five kjnmetors from the
| city OF Matanzas, capital of the province
| Of that name. Quutin Bandera is said to
! twenty ktlometers from Matanzas and only
| q little way from Lmonare, where accord
] lng TO the ,oiiiGial announcements, Campos
| defeated the insurgents at Colsco. But
| Sumdcro Is nearer to Matan2as than COL
! l.eo. which would not seem tn confirm the
! Maxine Gomez stil according to the
! othuial adyiees, .is at the farm of CierNo.
| ~ the district OF Iaguoi Graudc. and IN the
| direction of the Grand CicudEa Occidental
| land into which nc could retreat to the
southward, If necessary. and possibly avoid
pursuit upon the part Of the Spanish troops
Positions of the Hostile forces.
i MI thus be seen that the three Cuban
columns are accounted for. one to the
| north Of Sumidero. under Randcro; one in
the center at CtmarroueS. undcr Maceo. ana
one to the south, near Jaque Grande,,
zaS, and all TO the westward Of Colon.
The exact positions of the spanish col
umns being concentrated to meet the in
surEents Uo pursue them, according to the
Spanish officialsl, IS not known; hut the
ish We're concentrating at Union de Reyes
But Sumldero, where the Bandera column
is located, is well to the northward and
only a little eastward Of Union de Reyes,
and Bandera would thus have no difficulty
/ in pressing onward toward Havana, north
ward OF Union de Reyes and south of the
city of Matanaas Bandera would also be
able to attack in the rear the troops sent
| to engage Maceo, at Cimmarones, or he
nsurgent columns might Join together and
move upon any force sent to attack Gomez
in the Iaquei Grande district. Consc-
quently il is difficult to see how the span
sh commander figures out his statement
that the Spanish troops occupy the most
advantageous positions In the province of
Matanzas. To the observer of the move
ments of opposing forces it would appear
farthest west, really form q half circle
around the Spanish forces and completely
command that portion OF the island.
Preparing tor tie st N'atanzas
At Matanzas every preparation has been
made to resist an attack upon the part OF
the insurgents, and, as this is an official
announcement,
tho Impression which prevails among the
friends Of the Cubans that the report that
Gomez, Maceo and Bandcra are IN retreat
is not quite correct. Three field pieces nave
been mounted before the palace of the
governor at Matanzas, the windows and
doors have been harroaded and the build
ing is iiled with troops and volunteers.
Troops and volunteers are also stationed
at all the straseuc points, and two war
reinforce the naval contingent already on
duty at that port. The authorities claim
that hundreds of families from the prov
ince of Matanaas are Hooking into thG cap
ital Of that part of the country, while, on
the other hand, the ins,rGents assert that
they have been strongly reinforced from
the population of MatanAas since their coll
umns entered that proyince ,.,,..
The authorities of MatanZas are busily
at work arrGstiug people suspected of being
in sympathy with the Cuban army, and
fortyeiCht people we're taken in custody
in sympathy with the Insurgents cause
assert th3t thsrs VII be a popular upt1s pes
near enough to that city to warrant it.
stin Forttfying Havana.
Here and in this vicinity, in spite Of the
reported bad position of the insurEentS.
Havana is being pushed with all the vigor
possible ana all the regular soldiers and
volunteers who can be spared are being
hurried 70 the front. Provisions are being
collected. cattle are being driven in, and
everything denotes the greatest anxiety
and excitement a state of affairs not at all
in keeping with the glowing reports of
which arc announced here Many people
are convinced that if Gomez succeeds in
pushing his forces to within reasonable
distance of Havana. an uprising of the
unlikely. Everybody seems to he in
state of great nervous excitement, and
themselves how il is possible that Campos
IS now in Havana if the insurgents are in
retreat, and. If the city is threatened, why
i is that he does not 20 out TO meet the
enemy.