Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-25
THIRD EDITION.
CUBAN SOLDIERS EXECUTED
WeyIer No Longer Has Fear of
Intervention
BY THE UNITED STATES
Public Executions Have Been Resumed-Rev.
Albert Diaz Is Considered Sensa--
tional Preacher.

> Havana, April 22 via Tampa, Fla,
April 24-General Weyler is satisfied
that nothing in the lfne of intervention
or recognition of belligerency may be
loked for from Washington, at least for
the present, and the public executions of
prisoners of war; which were suspended
for time, have been resumed. There is
supposed to be a general understanding
among commanders of the Spanish col
umns that no prisoners are to be taken
in engagements on the field. All Cuban
patriots who fall into the hands of the
troops through their being wounded or
from other causes are liable TO De snot
at once and counted with the number
killed in battle. Some of the Spanish
commanders act according to this UNDER
standing, but others decline to STAY I'M
armed or wounded men and deliver their
prisoners to General Weyler in Havana.
Many of these so-called prisoners OF war
never carried gun or engaged in bat
tie, but were taken from plantations or
from small towns and hamlets in the in
terror where the Spaniards assume that
all men are rebels and are not far from
being right. The prisoners are brought
to Havana and bound and strongly
guarded to prevent rescue before reach
ing the city and mob violence after
wards. The lower class of Spaniards
gather about each batch of prisoners
anu cIdIflOT lUT lllelI DlOOu do tuOy pooo
through the streets to the ferry to Cab
anas fortress or Moro Castle. The court
martial before which these prisoners are
tried is a perfunctory affair composed
of five military men, who order the death
penalty under Wylers decree that all in
surgents are bandits and incendiaries
and deserving of death. The prisoners
have no opportunity to make defense
and all Cubans in the rebel armies know
that capture means death.
Most of those brought in, 1t seems,
have been wounded, cut off from their
columns or caught without arms. When
condemned to death they have twenty
four to forty-eight hours to prepare for
the end They are given what they want
to eat and are placed In the chapel at
Cabanas Fortress, with priests in con-
slant attendance for the last twelve
hours.
Most of the Cuban patriots who have
paid the extreme penalty since Weyler
has been here have died bravely. l saw
three of them meet their ia last FRI
day morning. They were Jose Barcallao
and Estiva Hernandez, white, and Grego-
TO Barcallao, colored. During the night
before the execution Barcallao made sew
eral feigned attempts to escape from the
chapel hoping that the guards would
shoot him down, preferring that to death
in public The guards forced him back
each time without firing at him.
| crossed the bay few minutes after
o'clock on the morning set for the exc
cution. 1t took place promptly at z. The
three men, escorted by file of soldiers
and supported by an order of lay breth-
rem of the Catholic church, We're taken
from the chapel to space between the
outer and the inner walls and at the east
ern end of the fortress. The place Is part
of dry moat which extends around the
three land sides of the fort, and is from
100 to 105 feet wide. 1t is cut out of the
solid rock. On the level bed of the moat
a battalion of Spanish regulars formed
three sides of a square. The fourth side
was the main wall of the fortress. In
front of that the prisoners, with arms tied
behind their backs were led. Just out
side the square 100 people had gathered
Ito witness the execution of the rebels.
Most of them were Spaniards. On the
walls of the fortress 200 or 800 soldiers
were grouped where good view could
. be obtained. l heard no expressions OF
pity from the spectators for the men who
! knelt with the priests and prepared for
the end. A young lieutenant of the guard
who was ordered out to do the shooting,
however. asked to be excused. He was
Cuban serving in the Spanish army. An
other officer took his place.
The men knelt facing the wall and with
their backs toward the firing squad. they
showed no signs of fiinching. file of
twelve soldiers was drawn up about ten
PAGES away. Four men were ordered to
aim at each prisoner. There was an in
terval of silence when all was ready. An
officer raised his sword, there was rat
tie of musketry and the men fell forward
on their faces. Hernandez and Baracal-
lao showed signs of life. A sergeant with
his revolver gave Hernandez an extra
shot, the ''tiro de gracia," as 1t is called.
He was obliged to fire twice at Baracal-
lao before it was over. The lay brothers
carried the bodies to Havana and buried
them in the pauper burial ground.
These three men belonged to Maceo's
army and were with Zayas column in
operations around Managua, when the
town was attacked and cane fields in
the neigborhaood burned. In an engage
ment with the Spanish troops the three
men got separated from their party and
were captured.
1t is said that many more Cubans who
fought in the insurgent ranks will be
shot during the next two weeks.
The Rev. Albert Diaz and his brother,
= Vncento, who were released by the au-
thorities today, have been ordered to
leave the island within six days.
Mr.. Diaz has not. so far as known, taxi
en- any active part in the rebellion, but