El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1896-12-17
AN TUNI0 MACEO.
The Reason for his Impiacabie hatred
for the Spanish.

Tor the Spanish.
The study of Maceo is as thrilling as
that of any hero in the worldstruggle
for liberty. His uncOmprOmisiDg pa
triotism, his implacable hatred OF the
enemy, his self-s3crifice, magnetism,
courage, his rugged nature and his
stern, solemn purpOse-all these things
drew men to him and held them with a
force from which there was no escape.
This is the second Cuban revolution in
which Maceo has been a conspicuous
figure. In the ten years war he rose
from the ranks to the grade of a ma or
general. Then, as now, he was fear
less fighter. Then. as now, he was
the despair of the Spanards. But in
this revolution Maceo went into the
experience of his first campaign, re
enforced by sixteen years of study and
prepar alton in the arts of war.
At the time that MaceO's plantation
was destroyed, General Maxine Co
mez was lying with his forces in the
mountains of Santiago One day he
was confronted by a tall, gaunt man,
followed by half dozen awkward
boys. The gaunt man volunteered his
services a those of his sons. ''Can
you fight?' asked the leader, with a
smile. "Perhaps," was the reply. Some
time after a company of Spanish cav
valry passed near the camp Of Gomez.
They We're cut to pieces by the guer-
rillas of Gomez. At the head of the
rebels rode the Maceo awkward squad
The father fell in his fight, and within
two months three of tn sons had been
slain in battle. The remainin g
members of the Maceo family seemed
To bear charmed lives. They fought
reck essly. Death first overlook
Miguel: then Julio fell under Spanish
/
bled This left Antonio alone. HIS
brother Jose was too young TO JOIN
his brother in the field. For the first
year OF his service under Gomez An
tonic fought like lion. In that space
of time he was promoted from COM
mon soldier to a sergeant, then became
succtssiveiy lieutenant, captain, and
ma jOr. Soon after his last promotion
he led band of 300 against the upland
town of Ii Arr ba, and capturing the
forts drove the Spaniards TO Santiago
He was then given the straps of coo
mel. His career from this forward was
one of glory. Gomez advanced him in
power, and the Spaniards began to
dread his very name. His engage
ments were all bright, his victories
farr eaching, his losses slight. He tor
tured the great Campos at Ramos,
slaug entered the comblned forces of
Jain pOS anu dIcT d do MULE oSCuIO,
utterly routed force of $500 Span
iards in the battle of Zarzal, and at
Santa Maria de Helguin he charged
and dismayed the Spanish line before
the enemy could ire d shot. Ia the
last named action Calixto Garcia was
in command, and MaceO led the
charge.
Maceo is the last of nine brothers
who bled and died for Cuba. And in
ri 4 = hn r hA
eight brothers ana their father. An
tonic was born in 1913 on the plauta-
tion of his father, Marcus Maceo, near
the little palm-thatched village of
Barajugua. He worked for the family,
driving the mules along the lonely
mountain roads. He saw the slaves
toiling and keenly felt the shame of
the Cubans' degr dalton. One day in
1868 Antonio returned from a trip to
Holguin, bringing to his father the
news that the Cubans had uprisen and
the island was in revolt. By this time
the family had increased to eleven
nine sons and two daughters. Young
Antonio desired to fight for his country,
but Maceo the father prevailed upon
him and his brothers to maintain a
strict neutrality. Yet the father deep
ly sympathiZad with the cause of the
insurgents, and often lent them secret
aid when he could. Perhaps the
Spaniards in some way learned this
fact, and it was that knowledge that
gave to Cuba her greatest leader. One
Gay band of Spanish guerrillas under
the lead of Captain CampillO passed by
the Cubans plantation. Ma
Geo aud his elder sons were
away upon a trip to Baracoa. AT
when they returned, they
found their home mass of blackened
ruins. The barns were burned, the
crops destroyed, the mules, horses and
cattle stolen. The mother with a brok
en- arm was tied to tree moaning
from pain. Six BOYS lay on the ground,
bleeding and senseless. The two girls
were hiding, half dead, in the bushes
What should now withhold the Maceos
fr IN the conf ct? The next day the
women of the MaceO household were
placed in the hands of friends and the
father assembled his sons together
He required them all to register an
oath never to lay down their arms
until the Spaniards should be driven
from the land and Cuba be free. How
well the sons have kept that oath has
been seen in the record of blood and
flame from one end of the island to the
other.
About this time Antonio Maceo frs