The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-16
TORTURE FOR THE CUBANS
The MOhammedan Fanatics OutdOne
by Spanish Cruelty.
la TORRES SHOCKING CRIME
Murders In a Fiendish Manner Poor
Gardner Who Would Not Inform ON
His Brother - Field LabOrcrs
Led Out and Shot Down.

New York Dec. l5.-Senor Jose +.
| Garcia, who accompanied Mrs. General
| Ignacio Agramonte and her family from
the city of Principe to the United
States. gives a graphic account of the
methods used to extort information of
| insurgent movements from prisoners
who fall into the hands of Jose La
| Tore. chief of police in the city of
Puerto Principe.
"The numerous acts of cruelty prac-
| tsed by this man." said Senior Garcia.
ARE almost beyond belief. His bar
| barity would do credit to the Spanish
| inquisition of the sixteenth century.
] will relate to you one incident only,
which will be vouched for by the best
citizens of Puerto Principe There was
poor man in our city who had Il little
farm upon the outskirts where he grew
vegetables, bringing them into town for
sale. His brother, who Is a captain in
| the insurgent army, had been making
considerable trouble for the Spanish
| troops. This inoffensive gardener Jose
Aguilar, bought n gun and ammunition
| to defend his little farm against van
dals who overrun the country. As he
was leaving Puerto Principe for home
he was arrested by Ia Tore and
thrown into prison. This prison is an
old. rambling building in the center of
| the city. and from the adjoining houses
one can hear distinctly all that happens.
| Aguilar was questioned by La Tore
rega ding the whereabouts of his broth
er. He protested ignorance. La Tore
ordered that he be struck five times
with a whip-like board, used for that
| purpose He still refusing to say where
| his brother was. he was struck again
and again. Then La Tore. convinced
that he could do nothing in this way.
! placed around the unfortunate mans
head a tourniquet. Again he asked him
to reveal the camping ground of his
brother, and each time the victim de-
MED all knowledge of it the instru-
ment of torture was turned.
THE gardeners groans and prayers
for mercy could be heard distinctly by
all passers by. La Tore placed guards
at each corner of the building and al
lowed no one to enter. Agular's wife
and her aged father. who had heard of
the arrest. begged for his release La
Tore dragged them into the prison, and
there kept them for hours in room
within hearing of the cries of agony
Half craZed by what they heard, they
ran past the guard. A sentry felled
the woman with the butt Of his musket.
| She was left unconscious on the prison
| floor for an hour with her two little
children crying over her. Enraged by
| his failure to obtain the desired nfor-
nation, La Tore gave the tourniquet q
final twist. The mans temples burst,
and In few minutes he died La Tore
then drove the wife and her father and
children out into the night"
Uncomfortable Brutcs.
Sonora Agramonte, in speaking o.
| Spanish cruelty, said:
| Nothing that could tell you would
paint in its true colors the bloody
work being done. I do not think Gen.
Campos approves of these acts, but 1t
is beyond his power to control the many
brutes who are in command of Spanish
troops In distant portions of the island
| "Col. Rojas and Lieut.-Col. Pablo
Landa are two Spanish officers from
whom we have suffered severely in the
| province of Camaguey. Owing to the
strict Spanish censorship accounts of
the acts of these men seldom reach the
American press. I will relate to you
one incident, which occurred upon my
own estate. Lieut.. Col. Pablo Landa
visited several little farms in the neigh
borhood of Puerto Principe and toe
| from them laborers, who could be use
as guides through the forest. Land
ordered these men to follow him. saying
that he wanted them to show him a
road. They all went willingly, and af-
ter he had collected fifteen on twenty
he conveyed them to field near my
house. He then ordered these laborers
to reveal to him the whereabouts of the
nearest insurgent camps. All protest
ed ignorance. Landa then had these
men blindfolded, and, placing his cav
airy behind them, gave them another
opportunity to reveal the desired infor-
nation. Upon their refusing a second
time. he called out: "These men are
shielding the Cuban dogs; cut them
down. The cavalry with cold steel fell
upon the laborers and butchered them
without mercy The bodies were buried
on the plain where they fell. War cor
respondents between Spanish lines dare
not report these atrocities. If one did.
he would be mistaken accidentally for
a Cuban insurgent and stray bullet
would end his career"
Can't Cope with the Cubars.
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
and r. w. II. Barnes. the young Eng
lishmen who went from this country
10 Cuba early in October to study mill
tary operations on the island. have re-
turned to this city. Mr.. Churchill is a
son of the late Lord Randolph Church.
III. and had letters of introduction to
Captain General Martinez Campos. He
passed several days with the Spanish
general Valdez. as a member Of his
staff. The Spanish troops were near
an insurgent camp for three days, but
before an attack was begun the insur-
gents withdrew.
The Spanish troops. In Mr.. Churchill's
opinion, are brave and ready to fight.
but the nature of the island makes II
impossible for them to cope success
fully with the insurgents The sup
preston of the insurrection will be a
very difficult task, Mr.. Churchill thinks.
and he agrees with the insurgent lead
ers that. II they shall not be crushed
before the spring rain begins, they will
have an excellent chance to win their
freedom.
No important or decisive battles have
been fought so far. and the reports in
dicating such engagements are inaccu-
rate. Mr.. Churchill critises the Span
ish authorities for not handling their
columns OF troops more In harmony.
spaniards Rcpuissd.
Madrid. Dec. IA despatch to the
Imparcial from Havana says that 800
insurRenta aurpriaed aeYenfy.fMo