The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-19

fortified that from any slight elevation
IL is possible to see both the Atlantic
| and the Caribbean, and TO observe the
movements of any large body of troops
between the two shores. Here Wey-
Ter sent word out from his secure re-
treat in the palace 10 plant the BAN
ners, with the declaration that ''Maceo
must die in Pinar del Rio and that if
| necessary, ''the lives Of 10000 men
would be given to prevent his recross-
ing into Havana province"
Now the news has come that in a
battle near Lechuza Maceo broke the
trocha, and did it so skillfully that the
Spanish did not even. get the oppor-
tunity TO sacrifice the 10000 men. Ac-
cording TO the official reports, the Span
ish lost only four men killed and one
officer and thirteen soldiers wounded.
Not even a guess is made in these re-
ports Of the loss inflicted upon the pa
triot army. That item is dismissed
with the statement always made when
those losses are trifing: 'They must
have been very great"
In many respects this is one Of the
most important engagements OF the
war. 1t is as overwhelming defeat
as the Spanish have suffered since
General CampOs was routed at Malt
Tempo in the decisive battle which
opened the way for GomeZ's first inva-
sion of all the western provinces of
Cuba. There has never been, since
that battle, such concentration of
Spanish troops as Weyler had made to
prevent Maceo's army getting out of
the province of Pinar del Rio. The
garrison of the city of Havana has been
depleted. From the provinces of Mat
anZas, Santa Clara and Havana nearly
all Of the government troops have been
Withdrawn. Cities and zones which
the Spanish have protected with all the
strength they had available since the
beginning of the war have been prac-
tically ungarrisOned. These things
have been done TO make prOdigious
effort TO surround Maceo in Pinar del
Rio, and either annihilate his forces or
house them UP where, as the Spanish
put it, they must either starve to death
or be forced into battle which meant
their utter annihiliation.
There has been no other time since
the beginning of the war when so much
concern has been felt in this country
for the safety of one Of the patriot arm
les. Nevertheless, no ones confidence
has been seriously shaken in the ability
of Maceo to extricate himself whenever
he wished to do so. He has never fail
ed to out-general the Spanish officers.
The results of this important battle
with such trifing losses is the best evil
dence Of his military sagacity.
We may hear within the next few
days that large part Of Maceo's army
is still in Pinar del Rio. Whenever
Maceo and Gomez have crossed the
Spanish trochas they have usually done
so with a very small force, and in a
series of subsequent engagements have
brought the rest of their army over
safely in divisions. The Spanish re-
ports will doubtless, after this battle,
as heretofore. repeatedly assert that
Maceo is still in Pinar del Rio; and
they will do so long after his whole
army is in the province of Havana,
if not clear into Matanzas. They will
even claim a victory in this battle of
I.echuza, for in the reports of the Span
ish government no Spanish battle is
ever anything but victory, except the
last battle of a war, and that battle
they never lose. The enemy wins it.