The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-24
METHODS OF THE CUBAN RAIDEss.
They Are a Scourge to the Great Planta-
tions in the Sugar Districts.
(From the New York Sun. J

Line lnebnOu Oh inc cuban insurgents IL
raiding place is to hover about unit
| the Spaniards hear of their presence and
send troops to drive them off. No one
can ever ascertain how strong an insur
gent force Is, as they usually conceal theil
full strength until the Spaniards fall into
the trap. In this instance, when some Of
the Soledad people yentured out, they
found the insurgents going through the
evolutions of drill as naked as wher
they came into the world. Not one thread
of clothing protected their bare bodies
from drenching rain falling at the time.
They drilled away in blissful unconscious
ness of any infringement of the military
code. A Soledad employee remarked to one
of the rebels that no cause could succeed
when it's soldiers couldn't afford clothes.
The rebel informed him that they had
taken off their clothes and put them I'M
der shelter, for fear of getting them wet.
He added that the Spaniards were net far
off, and that they were broken down and
their clothes watersoaked, which would
impede their movements and discourage
them, while his men, being fresh and
dry. could fall upon and easily put them
to fight. The result proved the willy in
surgents to be right, and also that nudity
was not only economy but strategy.
The climate is powerfulally of the in
surrection. 1t has declmated the ranks
of the government troops tenfold more
than the insurgent machetes. 1t mows
them down with such appalling rapidity
that it seems to insure the victory OF
Cuba in the struggle. About May a
detachment of Spanish troops encamped
on the ISABEL plantation, at the base of
the mountains near Guantanamo. They
had recently arrived from Spain, and
were totally unacclimated and suffering
for want Of food. Most of them were
boys and very young men. unaccustomed
to active military service. The admins
traitor of the plantation gave them two
bulls, which were killed and consumed
within 20 minutes after being driven into
camp. The next morning the Spaniards
resumedsatheir pursuit of the insurgents
in the mountains, but by the time they
had marched four miles from ISABEL two
thirds of the force were Frustrated by the
heat and had to be carried back in bull
carts.
The troops have'intenslfed the antagon-
ism of the natives by unnecessary bru-
tality Many instances have occurred on
their marches where the men found at
some roadside cabin were called out and
peremptorily ordered to join the govern
ment forces When the unlucky native,
equally afraid to join, or refuse to join,
demurs and explains his neutrality, he
is INSTANTLY shot.
One of the finest and largest plantations
in this district is the San Antonio. It
is beautifully situated on the foothills OF
the mountains, and commands an extern
sive view of the surrounding country.
The smokestacks of 90 great plantations
are visible from this magnificent place.
IT. has a. railroad connecting it with
Guanatanaillo bay. San Antonio has
been unfortunate enough to have it's cane
| fields twice destroyed by arson. 1t soon
recuperated. however, although the first
| fire consumed all the buildings. mills. and
machinery, besides ravaging the cane fields
4 on the adjoining plantation, Romalee.
Its sugar production is immense. Ihe
| famous San Antonio is owned by Mime
| Adele Reloi, a negress of jet black com
lplexion. This fact failed to save her from
being wooed and won, like any Other
heiress on this side of the Atlantic, by q
| European husband. Several sharp en-.
gagements have been fought on the San
Miguel plantation, doing great injury to
the crop and retarding the work by ter
rorizing the laborers. In addition TIC
| other losses on the plantation in the dis
toned the large stores amply stocked with
merchandise adapted to the needs OF the
plantation community. These have been
| literally cleaned out of everything by one
side or the other, usually the insurgents.
Where the sales once amounted to thous
ands of dollars the merchants have now
either closed their doors until the war i
over, or merely keep up a semblance Of
trade by, occasionally selling a medals
worth OF tobacco When the re ,d store at a.
insurgents did their work so thoroughly
as to alarm the owner, Frenchman.
and his people. He Immediately closed
~ the business of his splendid plantation
and removed with his family to the safety
and tranquility of the United States,
where many another Cuban planter. is
Just now stoically bordering his misfor-
tunes.
It is said that the staple products of a
Cuban plan tation are sugar, negroes.
dogs, and heas. A prolonged war ynn must must
crop: it may diminish the ratio OF
negroes, but the hords of dogs, with Their
chronic mango, will be there, and the
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