Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-27
THE LEADERS OF THE CUBANS.
MAcEo's COLONIZATION SCHEME.
CRoMBET AS A FISHERMAN.
STORIES OF THE GENERALS OF
THE CUBAN INSURGENTS AS
TOLD BY ONE WHO HAS SEEN
THEM-soME GRAPHIC pEscRIP-
TIoNs.

lalest LOT WnOse COMING lhe Nubah ~
surgents, hiding In the hill ranges
from Santiago all the way up to Puerto
Principe and beyond, are waiting ana
praying, was about four years ago, IN
Costa Rica. l was breakfasting In a
hotel at San Jose, that white, jasmine
like city, that lies in one OF the most
beautiful valleys III the world, the AS
serl paradise. extending from the an
diyo shadow of the volcano 1razu to
the exquisite sapphire Candeiarlan
hills. A tall man entered in ordinary
citizens clothes, a mulatto at the lirst
glance. but clearly person OF dis
tinction. AS l knew almost every one
in the city, and almost every one knew
me as an American and u correspond
ent, it was not long until L made the
generals acquaintance.
Exqulsitely neat In appearance and
perfect in breeding, with a certain re-
serve and modesty of bearing, he could
not fail to interest one who had heard
OF him as brave young leader in u
struggle for his country's freedom
twenty years before. General MaceO
was in Costa Rica looking Tor colony
site and a government concession. lie
was not cNiled there, or in any way
under Spanish surveillance, as one
might believe from reading a recent
Tampa dispatch to the effect that the
Spanish consul had been removed for
allowing Maceo to escape. He was
there TO see about locating colony
Of his countrymen. lie wanted site
on the Atlantic side, that coast being
the more accessible, but he had to take
what he could get up In the Peninsula
OF Nicoya. on the Pacific.
The Costa Ric6n government gave
him as It's reasons that too many other
enterprises had first choice ON the At
lantic coast. But the general let me
into the ~ gnt Al
the Spanish government had requested
Costa Rica not to give the proposed
Immigrants, who would naturally be
feVoluntionists, n too dangerous site
for the embArkgtion Of an expedition
at short notice. Maceo finally ac-
cepted the remote lands, entered into
Il very interesting agreement with Min
lister of Fomento public works., by the
terms of which he promised to bring
into the country some five hundred
and ultimately q thousand Cuban fam
lIes-no negroes TO be admitted. Just
how much regret Costa Rica may feel
at the loss of this colony, which would
nave been an unduubted benefit to
the country, and which In the event of
a long continued war IN Cuba will be
postponed and in the event Of a sue
cesstul revolution be abandoned, II is
hard to say.
believe Maceo was in earnest IN
trying to get the contract. He had
given up hope OF another struggle for
years to come. Pacific and suaye, he
won't about the streets of San Jose, at
tending to his business, like Il man
who had never been wounded, or drlv-
en- TO hide in mountain Businesses and
starve there for days, or to escape in
a small boat by night and DRIFT out to
sea to lie, fostering and delirious. un-
der the buring tropical sun. Cuba's
HNfn 10 .s-
he said, calmly. The only time he
showed an excitement was when news
came of Flor Crombets escape from
Cuba and the coniiscation of his prop
erty. Then General Maceo got him
self ready In short order and went
down to hot Port Limon to meet his
brother warrior. They came up TO the
capital together, and had the pleas
ure or receiving the two big fellows at
my home.
Flor Crombet is man one couldn't
help liking. Frank as a b oy he admit
ted he didn't care to go into General
Maceo's colony scheme, but he thought
he would stop while and see the
| country. His complexion showed moth
ing OF the African, but suggested Indian
blood. He had direct, honest glance
| and the pleasantest way in the world.
| The scar on his face seemed to want TO
| apologize for being there ahead OF
| time-that Is, before Cuba is a country.
| To amuse himself and make a little
money he bought a fishing smack and
| set to work catching fish along the
| coast by Limon. Now, the sea along
| the coast is the nhstiest bit of water
| for making one repent that one could
| imagine. There IL horrid choppiness
all the way down toward Bocas del
| Tore-but the fish are certainly fine.
crombet sold all he could catch. and
nobody appeared TO think he would
turn his boat to exped!tionary pur-
poses. He was unmolested and cheer
full as a school child. Occasionally he
came up to san Jose-and Maceo and
he certainly made fine looking pair
| Nobody ever saw them engaged In
any mysterious conference or plotting,
Maceo was very friendly with a family
that had lately come from Cuba, n
| Spanish family, or, mt least, loyal to
the Spanish rule, for the Spanish
minister was also a great friend OF
theirs, and General Maceo and he must
| have met very often at the house. The
meetings were without the slightest
annoyance or feeling on either side. 1
am confident. for Senior Arellano, the
minister. who is now in Guatemala, l
| think, is most delightful man, and
Maceo was also delightful in social
way. Only 1t seemed little odd that
they should meet thus.
| General Maceo was little older than
General Crombet, but the two offered a
strong combination-Maceo reserved.
sstute. far-sighted. for unguessab BILE
/ thoughts; Crombet outspoken. earnest,
enthusiastic, daring. From personal
knowledge Of the pair. / should say
that II they are really on Cuban soil
| 1t simply means that the astounding
success of the revolutionists may be
looked for. l say astounding success
because such a victory against such
terrible odds should astound the world.
Maceo would never waste his life or
Crombets; II they are in Cuba. 1t
means the beginning Of the end.
GARLIC and Sanchez met at u
steamer on my return to New York not
long after. where. with the patriot
Marti, they were seeing of some Cuban
friends bound for Costa Rica-Carrillo
affable, full of hope and good spirits.
| in appearance more Saxon than Latin;
| Sanchez pale. serene, contemplatiye,
| with these words on his lips:
81 can assert without Boosting that
our war, with all its miseries and dan
gers. and our defeat afterward with
all its sorrows and losses, have only
succeeded In making me stronger in my
first belief. The task to which / have
eonsecrated myself for twenty-five
years l shall not desert today at