Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-18
Waiting for Cen. Pando to Make
Good His Boasts.
SCENES OF THE FIG HIT S
from The Stars Special Correspondent.

men. All eyes are now on the in terror, but
one does not know where to look for the
first battle, as the government forces are
divided INTO three armies, each entirely sep
arate from the other and apparently work
ing upon its own plan.
Gen. Campos. who returned from Santa
Clara week ago. yesterday left for Ma
tanzas. He will establish his headquarters
at Colon, and direct operations from that
point. Gen. Marin assumes the post made
vacant at Santa Clara. and Gen. Pando,
who is the coming captain general of the
Spanish forces. is now in charge of the
eastern army, with headquarters at San
tiago de Cuba.
Every one is waiting for Pando to strike.
He is the younger man and most aggressive
of the generals in the field. and has already
made the statement that he will crush the
rebellion in six months or throw up his
commission and return to Spain.
AS Gen Pando allows this assertion to
be published in the local and Madrid press,
ard as his reputation as military genius
is unsuihed, it may very properly be pre-
sumed that he will exhaust every energy
and resource toward the fultillments Of his
promise.
Guerilla Warfare.
The situation at Santa Clara is peculiar.
An army of between 1000 and 2O,0oO men
is stationed there, and has not made a
move of any Importance in weeks. The
commander claims he does not know in
which direction to move, although nightly
attacks are made on the city and camp by
bands of rebels. Se"egel bands make an at
tack at the same time, ride through the
outer line of picke.s, kill few sentries here
and there, burn building. or set fire even
to the tents of the sleeping soldiers, and are
away again like the wind. In the morning
the thick woods ana hills are secured by
the government forces but no rebels are
found. They have disappeared among the
jungle-covered noun tRins farther back.
This guerrilla warfare has been favoTite
method of the rebels in the province of
Santa Clara. and 1t has counted well IN
their favor. for the soldiers, not especially
well fed, and compelled to undergo fatigutnS
marches almost daily, have died by the
hundred Gen. Campos left Santa Clara al
most dsheartened, and the public is await
ing with interest the moves to De made by
his successor, Gen. Marin.
Sancti Spiritus is the pest house OF Cuba.
During the heated term yellow fever claim
ed that post as its own, and thousands of
sold ers died of the dreaded disease. Colder
weather was prayed for, but now that the
winter season is on, new plague, the
black smallpox. has appeared and already
1t has spread far and wide in the ranks
The university, school houses, churches and
many private dwellings have been turned
into hospitals even while the erection OF
new nurse wards goes on.
The Star correspondent, after witnessing
tween the Spanish force, under Col. Segura.
and the rebels, under Banderas, In which
the latter captured the very valuable trans
pert train of two hundred mules. returned to
Iguara with the routed Spanish column.
Col. Segura, desiring to recapture the train,
lost no time in dispatching for reinforce
MeEts and on Saturday morning hurried
forward on the Remedies road with seven
hundred cavalry. Within three miles of the
scene of the first battle the rebel force was
met and a fight more fierce than the pre-
ceeding one epsued.
A Fierce Fight.
The Spanish column was greatly outnun-
bered and the insurgents seemed to swarm
from the deep woods on all sides. For two
hours the fight continued. Not more than a
dozen shots were fired on either side, the
saber and machete doing the work of death.
The reports of the battle are very con-
ficting, which is nothing new in connection
with Cuban war reports, but all seem to
agree that TIE fight may easily be ranked
among the fercest of the entire struggle.
Col Seguras says his killed numbered about
enc hundred and forty. and that nearly all
the remainder of his command were wound
ed.
This certainly must he light estimate of
the terrible ARRAY, for it is known AT lguara
that Col Segura returned to that village
accompanied by but dozen troopers and
some of these wounded. The commander
himself rode into the village without his hat
and one boot. The nsursent loss must have
been enormous. The transport train was
not seen.
The erection of several new forts has been
ordered by Gen. Campos at Colon and other
points in Matanzas. All communication
with Santa Clara has been cut off by the in
surgents. who have destroyed the railway
and telegraph lines.
Gave All for Cuba.
Col. MirabeI, one Of the rebel leaders and
an ex-bandit, has, with his band of follow
ers, torn up the rails and ties and carried
them away to be used in the construction of
rebel forts farther back in the mountains.
Mrabel is proving himself one of the brav-
est and most valuable of Gomez's lieuten-
ants and that rebel chieftain does not re-
greet that he spared Mirabel's life IN the
earlier days of the war The planters and
others to whom Mirabel had been for years
a terror, informed Gomez that he could ex-
pect no aid from them while Mirabel was in
his ranks. The latter was still in the noun
tains with a band of sixteen followers, when
Gomez sent for him. The ex-bandit came,
bringing with him a large sum in gold and
stores of munitions.
Presenting them to the rebel leader, he
said: "For years 1 have been a bandit. but
1 gladly give all my wealth for Cuban lib
erty"
Gomez repented his determination to shoot
Mirabe and at once made him captain in
the inSuIgent army.
Acebo, the rebel captain, who was cap,
tured in a skirmish near Cienfuegos. was
taken to the public square and shot in the
back This feature of inhicting the death
penalty is In accordance with an order re-
Gently passed to the effect that all Span
iards captured while lighting in the Cuban
ranks should be shot in the back. Native
prisoners condemned to die may face their
executioner.
Gen. Rabi. with force of 1900 insur
gents, is today reported as marching in
the country beyond Matarzas with the i'll
tention of joining the army of Maceo, who
has recently crossed the border into that
province. Rabi is the only living descen-
dent CT the last Indian king Of Cuba and
one of the closest personal friends of Cap
tain General Campos.
BarbarOus Warfare.
During the past few days the barbarity
which manifested itself at the breaking
out of hostilities, but which for several
months past had not been prominent,
seemed to make its temperance in all
parts of the island, and the most shocking
details of murders, tortures and unspeak-
able crimes are given in the public press
and discussed by the people on the streets. ]
These barharites are practiced by both |
sides, and there is not the slightest at |
do 70 fSI, fhn afrof