The San Francisco call., 1895-10-14
FIVE HUNDRED FELL,
SpaniardS Routed With
Fearful Loss by
MaCeO.
GENERAL SALEDO SLAIN.
Desperate Battle Waged for
Hours Near Puerto
Principe.
GENERAL SALEDO SLAIN
CAPTIvEs PUT TO DEATH.
Soldiers Who Escaped the Slaugh-
ter Tell Stories of Horrible
BarbaritieS.

BOSTON, MASS, Oct. 13.-A special to q
morning paper from Santiago de Cuba
brings news of great battle which was
fought on Friday near the headquarters of
the eastern division of the insurgent army
at Puerto Principe.
According to the dispatch an encounter
took place between detachment of Span
ish cavalry numbering 600 men, and a
band of insurgents mum bering 1000, under
General Maceo. The preliminary skirm-
ish took place on an abandoned plantation
to the south of Puerto Principe, the Span
ish horse being useless. The insurgents
were scattered at points of vantage, land at
the first attack the regulars lost nearly a
quarter of their men in killed and wounded.
The Spaniards retreated, followed by the
insurgents, but were met by re-enforcements
and returned to the battle. The total
Spanish force was nearly 1900 men, under
the command of General Saledo, aide-de-
camp to General Campos. The fighting
continued throughout the whole afternoon,
the loss on both sides being very heavy.
While making an attack, at the head of
his cavalry, on a deserted sugarmill,
which served as the headquarters of the
insurgents, General Saledo was severely
wounded and was obliged to retire, the
comm and being taken by Captain Valdez,
nephew of General Surez Valdez.
The fighting continued throughout the
afternoon, the Spanish being obliged to
retire before the rifle firing of the insur-
| gents, who were protected by the heavy
forest and underground. Their loss was
fully 800 killed and wounded, many being
lost in the retreat.
Late in the afternoon General Saledo
| died from his wounds.
The Spanish troops brought tales of hor-
rlble barbarities practiced upon the prison
ers by the insurgents, claiming that all the
prisoners taken were at once executed.
The insurgents are very active again, as
the wet season has practically reached its
close. During the week there have been
skirmishes nearly every day, in which
both sides have suffered severely. The
fever has broken out once more among the
Spanish troops, and the deaths for the last
two days have aggregated nearly 100 day
General Campos has ordered that the
fall campaign should not commence until
the end of the month, as the floods and
fever cause more havoc among the troops
! than the severest fighting.
Another special gives further details of
the attempt to destroy Baracoa. The in
surgents made three attempts to capture
the town and succeeded on the third. The
fortress was blown open with bombs and
the small Spanish garrison taken prison
ers, but not otherwise molested. The in
surgents did not Go any damage in the
residential part of the town, but simply
destroyed the Spani sh Government build
ings and fortress and carried away all the
stores.
t he rebels have the Spaniards in a con-
slant state of fear, as it is almost impossi-
bic for passenger or troop train to pass
through the country without danger of
being blown up with bombs.