St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-09
CUBAN REBELS DIE
NEARLY 800 SLAIN IN A BATTLE
WITH SPANISH GOVERNMENT
FORCES.
HARD FIGHT IN A RAVINE.
INSURGENTS ARE BEATEN AT A
C0WARDLY GAME AND PUT
TO FLIGHT.
BRAVERY OF THE sPAN1ARDs.
Rebel Band Worsted i'm an En-
SaSement in the Province of
Santa Clara.

HAVANA, July S.-A severe en-
gagement has taken place between
the Spanish troops, under command
OF Col. Azuar, and a large force of
insurgents. Two hundred and eighty
of the rebels were killed. 1t appears
that Maj. Sanchez received infor-
NATION to the effect that a force of
loo insurgents, under the command
OF Rabi, had occupied strong posi-
lions near Manzanillo, province of
Santiago de Cuba. Consequently
the major sent a messenger to his
superior officer, Col AZuar, propos-
ing to him that they should Join
FORCES and make an attack on the
insurgents. The messenger, however.
fell into the hands of the INSURGENTS
who hanged him, and sent word TO
Maj. Sanchez, in the name of Col.
Azuar, to make an attack upon the
1nSurgent position from a point which
compelled the troops to approach
the insurgents through a narrow
thoroughfare. Maj. Sanchez, rec
ognizing the difficulty of the move
ment he was apparently directed by
his colonel to execute, sent forward
two advance picketS, of twelve and
thirty men, respectively, under the
command of two sergeants, with in
structions to push forward to the
right and to the left of the narrow
thoroughfare far removed from
them, and to be careful to take I'D
advantageous positions from which
they could protect the advance of
the main body of the troops under
Sanchez's command.
A COWARDLY ATTACK.
The sergeants cleverly followed out
the instructions given them. Maj.
Sanchez then advanced carefully
upon the insurgents position, pro-
tecting his men by every inequality
Of the ground. But, as he expected,
the troops were no sooner inside the
defile than the insurgents attacked
them in force. The first charge OF
the insurgents were made with en-
havoc with the troops, who were
hemmed in and unable to deploy on
account of the narrow road they
had to follow. But it was here that
the two advance pickets came to the
rescue From their elevated posi-
ton they kept up a continuous and
Well-directed fire on the insurgents
ict'
ed by a charge of the Spanish troops,
compelled them to retreat beyond the
defile. The Spanish forces rushed
forward after them, and once in
the open they charged the insur-
gents with great courage, and COM
PEELED them to retreat hastily. The
insurgents sought refuge in the
strong position they had previously
left in order to attack the troops;
but the soldiers carried this position
and put the enemy to flight, with the
loss of $50 killed. The troops lost so
men in killed and wounded. 1t was
at first reported that the insurgents
were commanded by Gen. Maceo, but
it was subsequently learned that
they were under the command OF
Rabi alone, and that Maceo took no
part in the engagement. In another
fight, reported from Veguita, the in
surgents under Rabi lost five killed
and many wounded, while on the
side of the troops one officer and
four soldiers were wounded.
ANOTHER REBEL REVERSE.
News of another defeat of the in
surgents has reached here from
Bellamontas, province of Santa
Clara. Bellamontas was garrisoned
by an officer and fifty soldiers, who
occupied a fortified barrack build
ing. The place was attacked by the
insurgents under Castillo. The enc
my built large fire to windward,
and the flames communicated to the
building. The inSurgent leader then
sent word to the officer in command
calling on him to surrender, under
penalty of being burned alive with
his men. The officer sent word to
Castillo that he preferred to die
fighting, or be burned to death, than
surrender to the insurgents. In the
meantime some of the soldiers sue
ceeded in eXtinguishing the flames,
which threatened to consume the
barracks, and while they were do
ing so the remainder of the garrison
kept up a continuous fire on the in
surgents. The latter replied from
every point, but the garrison held
out CALAMITY for two hours. The
news of the insurgent attack had
been communicated to a detachment
Of Spanish soldiers in the neighbor-
hood, and they pushed forward with
all possible speed to the relief of the
garrison of Bellamontas. The mo-
ment they reached that place brisk
fire was opened on the rebels, and
the latter Immediately retired, leav-
ing many dead and wounded on the
field. On the side Of the troops, only
three men were killed and four
wounded. The insurgents have
burned a church near Banao, in the
Santi Espiritus district of Santa
Clara. Capt. Gen. Campos has left
Plazetes for Santi Espiritus. Twen-
ty-nine persons have been sent to
the island of Pinos for participation
in political conspiracies.