The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-22
BUTCHERY WITH THE BAY0NET
SPANISH ATROCITIES IN CUBA STILL
IN FULL SWING.

story of IA Massacre Described In
Spanish War Reports ns n Battle.
An Indiscrfminate Slaughter or
Men, Women and Children at Pab-
10 Dins-Three Children Dcliber-
RteIy Burned to Death.
Havana, Sept. 10, via Key West. Fla.
Sept. 2lW Well-authenticated stories of
barbarous acts by the Spanish troops con-
tinue to reach here. Recently the Havana
papers published an account Of an all
legged battle near Chucho de Arce, in
which, after an hours desperate fighting,
the Spaniards drove back the rebels, kill
ing 19 and taking many prisoners. The
papers suggested that the government
should reward Col. Agueilera, the Spanish
commander. for his bravery The facts
in regard to the battle" are as follows:
ION Sept. Is. ten rebels went to attack
guerrilla band that had started from
Vegas to the field When the rebels, in
ambush, were ready to attack, they no.
ticed strong body of soldiers coming
toward them. Hidden in high grass, the
rebels let the soldiers come close and then
fired a volley, killing two officers ana
wounding three soldiers. The troops fred
back n yolley into the grass, hitting no.
body, as the enemy could not be seen.
Lieut.. Col. Aguielera, who commanded
the troops, came from his headquarters.
Neuva-Haz, and went after this action
toward a colony named Pablo Diaz. There
he found militia composed of twenty
hve persons, men, women and children.
He asked IL they had seen any rebels i'm
the neighborhood On receiving O nega-
tive order he ordered a general slaugh-
ter OF everybody. including children from
to 10 years of age.
A young man begged to be killed. in
stead of his mother, who was in the
eighth month Of pregnancy, but he was
Killed with machete and bayonet in the
presence Of the mother. Then they trans
pierced the abdomen Of the mother with
bayonet, when they disemboweled her
with a machete The little children were
first penched with the end OF the bayonet
and then finished with the machete. OF
the twenty-five human beings present in
that colony, nineteen were butchered and
six made their escape, hiding themselves
in the cane, where they remained until
late at night, when they could come out
safe. Besides truthful witnesses, the men
of the guerilla boasted of what they had
committed when they went back to We
gas, about two miles from the colony On
Sept. 1S, three days after the slaughter,
traveller passed by the spot of the mur-
der and was horrihed at the number OF
carrion crows devouring the bodies None
had been buried.
On Sept. IS, Col. Aguielera started with
his troops and the guerrilla from Nueva-
Paz towards the sugar estate "Cuervo."
Near a place called Cuzco, he saw a
house, went to II and found only three
children In It. He asked where the par
ents were; they answered they had gone
after some fuel to prepare their breakfast
and would soon return. The colonel or
dered the three children, 40 to IA years
old to be locked up in the house, and
after this was done, he ordered the guer-
rilla to set fire to the house. The guer-
rilla horrhed. disobeyed at first, but un-
der the threats of Col. Aguielera they act
ed, and the house was burnt down with
Nueva-Paz the guerrilla told the people
what had been done. This information is
from a Spanish source.
After that house was burnt, Aeuielera
went on and met on his way an old man
70 years old, carrying vegetables, who was
accompanied by two negroes. He was
asked where he was going; he answered
he was taking the vegetables home to
Nueya-Paz. The colonel order him to be
killed with the machete. and the negroes
bayoneted, and the body OF the old man
was thrown in the well nearby, where he
was found two days afterward, traced
by his hat that was found near the we'll.
The bodies of the two negroes were chop
ped to pieces and thrown into a cave
where they were found.
All this was related by sergeant ana
the soldiers.