The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-07
Of the Affairs of the Cuban
Insurgents
CAPTAINS LETTER HOME
The Boyish Spanish Soldiers Are Dying
Like Sheep
Insurgents Have Arms. Prom a Jackknife to
Repeating Cannon. but No Ammu.
nition-Other Dispatches
Associated Press Special Wire.


OMAHA. Neb.. Oct. GA special TO
the Bee from Sydney. Neb., says:
The following letter was received here
few days ago by RS. Oberfelder. 1t is
the first authentic and reliable informa-
tion received from Cuban soil in this part
of the country.
The writer was formerly in the Twenty
first United States infantry, stationed at
Fort Sydney and very reliable man.
IN CAMP, Santiago de Cuba. Sept. 16.
r. s. Oberfelder. Sydney, Neb., y. s. A.
My Dear Sir-I got my commission at
Tampa, Fla, on March !, 1895. for a CAP
taincy in the Cuban army at 500 per
| month. payable in gold, (and l get iD
the conditions were that | was to take
charge OF an independent company and
to have the pick of my own men. | went
to New Orleans and, as luck would have
it, got five x-United States cavalrym en-
and very smart German who graduated
at Leipslc, Germany. in chemistry. and
is al expert in making ali kinds of ex-
rlosives, We started from Tampa. Fla,
on small steamer on March IL, 1895,
and landed without any trouble near
Santiago de Cuba. Now l will describe
tho soldiers that were sent from Spain.
They are a lot of young boys who are not
acclimated and are dying like sheep,
They have a little bedding and a small
rubber cape to cover their shoulders, and
all are armed with the Mansur rifles and
machetes. My commission gives me the
privilege to forage on the enemy and
destroy all property belonging to the
sympathiZers of the government. Since
my arrival here my company has been in
several engagements. l sent out scout
ing party in charge of Lieutenant Ham
ilton. former private in the Seventh
United States cavalry. He returned in
TWO hours. reporting that he came across
twenty-five Spanish soldiers in camp, eat
ing dinner, and with no guards out He
approached within 200 yards of their
camp.
l took seventy-fve men at once and
arriving at the camp at 2:20 pm, sur
rounded them and in twenty-five min
utes after our arrival captured one
officer, fifteen men and killed six men.
We daily encounter small bands of Span
jHh troops, annihilating them like you
would grouse on cold and frosty morn
ing. Our first defeat was on July 5th.
Sergeant Wilson. formerly private in
the Fourth United States cavalry. after
two days scout returned and reported
sevenIy-iive Spanish soldiers coming this
way and escorting three government
officers. We started with eighty-hve, and
instead of finding seventy five Spanish
troops we ran into a hornets nest of
but lost twelve good men, among them
Sergeant Joseph l.. Rounds. formerly of
the First United States cavalry, whose
folks live at St. Louis.
Our headquarters look like large junk
shop. We have everything from pocket
knife to German repeating cannon
without any ammunition. On August
Goth we moved our head quarters thirty
miles further north and the following
day sent Lieutenant Hamilton with de-
tachment of twenty men to scout ths
country. He reported 1900 Spanish troops
at a small town six miles south of US, and
that they were holding fair or festival
and were having horse races and bull
fights They had erected large grand
stand and the farmers and soldiers were
in daily attendance. We held council
of war and our chemist, Herr Donzlemanp,
suggested that we dress as farmers ten OF
or men and blow tho grand stand up with
dynamite. They left camp at b am,
and arrived at the camp at ~ 80. He
and the men mingled with the soldiers
until pm, when he placed under the
amphitb later twelve pounds of dynamite
at four different locations and exploded
it by electricity. Our men escaped. but
the explosion killed two of the Spanish
officers, sixty y-eight men and wounded
l13. Yours truly
EDWIN c. WATSON,