The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-15
BOCAS DEL ToRo'S BIG BATTLE
GARZA SURPRISES THE TOWN IN
THE NIGHT.

dters Killed and Several Wounded.
Five of the Rebels Dead and "Nir-
ty-Five Taken PrisOners-Garza
/ Among the Killed.
/ Mobile, Ala. March IA cable dis
I patch from Colon, Colombia, printed in
last Sundays papers gave a brief account
of the rebel attack on Bocas del Toro
on Friday last by a band OF insurgents
under Gen. Garza. Tonight upon the ar
rival Of the steamship Herald, about
o'clock, the Register obtained from its
/ correspondence at Bocas del Toro the
fun details of the bloody and desperate
attacks as follows:
Bocas del 'Toro. United States Of Col
ombia, March S.--A desperate attack
was made about O'Clock this morning
/ by a band of rebels under Gen. Cara.
upon the Colombian troops quartered
/ here, and the battle waged fiercely for
three hours. during which time the bull
let's flew thick and fast and many Of the
! principal buildings were riddled until
they looked like sieves.
In order to better understand the fol-
lowing details of the affair 1t may not
be amiss to give a short description of
the topography of Bocas, and particularly
that part of it which was the scene Of the
slaughter.
Picture to your mind a beautiful moon
| light night in Bocas del Toro, a city of
| 5000 souls, the houses extending along
the sea for nearly a mile, one street max
ing the city complete. On one side Of this
street Is the sea- Immediately in the
rear is an immense swamp. covered with
underbrush. In front of the city and vis-
ible to the eye the United States cruiser
Atlanta lies at anchor, casting her pow
erful searchlight along the coast, thence
suddenly uplifted to the heavens, the re-
hection in the sky having the appearance
Of an immense comet Such was the
scene when a band Of rebels under COM
mand of Gen. Cara made an unexpected
attack on the barracks of the Colombian
soldiers. The barracks is a small frame.
shingle-roofed store and dwelling, stu-
ated in the center of the city. The store
of John Wilson & Co. is fifty feet north.
John II. d. Finkes' store is directly across
the street, about forty feet. The soldiers
were asleep up stairs while the guns and
ammunition were down stairs, steps be-
ing on the outside Of the building, there
by exposing the soldiers to the fire of
the rebels as they ran down stairs to Sc
cure their arms.
As to the landing of the rebels, no def
mite information can be learned either
/ as to how, when or where they landed.
\ The general supposition IS that they
! landed from a schooner at or neaf a
! point on Columbus island, known as
/ big Blight" From this point they
! marched through the swamp, a distance
/ of miles, to Bocas del Toro. The mud
| on the shoes of the dead men proves
this to be fact. AS they marched along
each government sentinel was in turn
made a prisoner. The outposts were po-
licemen armed with clubs.
1t was o'clock a. m. when Gen. Cara
and about ten men opened fire on the bar
racks from the Finkes building across
the street. The first man to meet his
fate was the government sentinel at the
barracks. AS the shots were fred the
second lieutenant who was in command,
ran out on the front gallery and met a
similar fate. The rebels advanced and
kept up constant fire upon the barracks,
where the soldiers were entrapped, as the
sea was behind them. The regulars made
desperate rush down stairs for their
arms and commenced to return the fire.
The troops opened fire upon the squad of
rebels who were firing from the sec
ond story of Finkes' building, and act
ually riddled the house.
Gen. CARA continually called to the
government troops, Surrender, you
fools" He was heard to cay in English:
The soldiers are shooting high" and ran
[ down STAIRS, Wnere ne met MS uedtn.
He was found dead not more than fifty
feet from the barracks. So died the man
who was the terror of the Rio Grande
and successfully escaped the United
| States and Mexican troops for many
years. When the rebels lost their leader
| they lost their cause They had the best
of the battle until daylight. Then the
government soldiers seeing the enemy
was not near so strong as they supposed,
rushed from the death trap and forced
the enemy to retreat. Once getting their
opponents on the run, they pursued them
with renewed energy and deadly effect
They shot the enemy to death in the
streets, dragged them from houses, and
chased the remaining few into the
swamp.
It was near o'clock when the soldiers
returned to the barracks and the roll
was called, ThS faces of their COM
rades showed how deeply they realized
the fact that their soldier brethren had
died in a just cause. fighting for their
country.
The United States cruiser Atlanta was
three miles from the city during the
fight. She heard no report OF the guns
in the morning, although her lights we're
visible from the shore. No effort was
made to communicate with her until Z
o'clock Just as small boat started to
her she weighed anchor and steamed
away to her practice grounds. The steam
launch Mascot was sent by the American
consul to await the return of the Atlanta
to her anchorage. She hove in sight
about o'clock in. the afternoon. AS
soon as the commander Of the Atlanta
learned the facts, without a moments
delay. each officer was called and given
Instructions In a few minutes all was
bustle on the ship. A steam launch was
lowered a Gatling gun was put aboard
and with three boats in tow containing
seventy-five marines, Bocas del Toro was
reached at O'Clock in the evening. The
doctors from the Atlanta rendered valu-
able aid to DR. Fuess, an American doctor
attending the dying and wounded men and
women. Cara and his men were in front
of the rooms occupied by Messrs. Krause-
man and Feuss, in the second story Of
the Finkes building. How the latter es-
caped no one can tell They could not get
ont of their rooms and were compelled
10 stand this awful fire for nearly three
hours. Every bottle of medicine IN DR.
Feuss' room was blown to atoms. The
doctor. however, was soon going about
among the wounded, relieving their suf-
ferings.
dead and several are wounded. Five Of