The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-10
A YOUNGSTERS TALE OF CUBA.
A Boston Ind Tells n Lively FIubus-
tering Yarn.

Boston Ind Tells n Lively FIubus-
tering Yarn.
A young fellow of 10. seemingly younger,
whose experiences on a recent Cuba fill
clustering trip are the spurs that are has
tenipg his flight from the islands trou-
bies, to the peace and quiet Of New Eng
land, struck Savannah yesterday.
Bracey is the young fellows name, and
he has an interesting story of Cuba and
the insurgents side OF the little unpleas-
antness in progress on the island
Bracey is from Boston, and says he has
relatives of position there, and his desire
to get back expressed itself in his rather
energetic efforts to secure transportation
to Charleston from which place he says
the rest viii be easy. as he has an uncle
who manages the Clyde line of steamers
between Charleston and his home.
The boy is dead broke now, but says
when he left Cuba he had money. as the
leaders were generous enough to give him
what they believed to be enough for him
to get away on.
Bracey says he left New York on May
g. on the Laurada, as the especial protege
of Correspondent Reno of the Herald, now
on the island. They stopped a night off
Montauk point to take aboard men, dyna-
mite and ammunition, so that the eXpedi-
ton of filibusters numbered l2O men, when
the steamer put off from the coast. Among
these, Bracey says We're DR. Castillo, j.
ID. Hart Capt. Dckerman and Capt. Tom
Morton. The vessel steamed up and down
the western end of the island for three or
four nights, after its arrival, looking for
place to land, a difficult operation as
the weather was stormy. Finally, after
remaining away from the coast
during the day to avoid cruisers, and
standing back at night, a landing
of one half the force was effected near
Macmillan light and the following night
the rest were put ashore, with the eXcep-
ton of ten Cubans who Were ordered by
Gen. Ruiz. the leader of the expedition, to
remain on board until the officers Of the
vessel, whom he seemed to suspect OF
treachery, had sent ashore the dynamite.
These Cubans were given the alternative
of going ashore with the dynamite OF be-
| ing shot, but neither they nor the explo-
sive Joined the party waiting on shore.
Bracey says he never knew what became
of the vessel until he got to Jacksonville a
| few days ago and saw one of the Cubans
| who had remained on board. This man
| told him the officers of the vessel, AFFECT
| ing to see a Spanish cruiser, had the dyna-
mite tossed into the sea and Immediately
stood off shore and ran to Jacksonville.
| The party of no. with young Bracey and
| the Herald correspondent, marched about
| sixty miles into the interior, where they
| buried the supply of arms they had
| brought, and continued the march they
| were making in search of the insurgents
| The second day after leaving the place
| where the arms had been buried, however
! the party was attacked by a band of Span
| iards and put to flight Bracey and Reno
! footing it pretty rapidly together. They
became separated from the rest and as
| the best plan they could think
of, went back to the buried
arms, knowing that by hang
| ing around they would probably find
| force of insurgents that had been encoun-
tered by the fugitives and brought to the
place.
They were right in their surmise, and
| Joined the party that came for the arms
that were so badly needed, as Springfield
and Martini rifles, with ammunition, are
more highly desired than recruits to the
| cause.
The detachment that got the arms was
| a part of Gomez's corps, the boy said, and
| with them the recent arrivals went TO the
camp of the commandments.
| Bracey claims atrocities Of the Span
! iards are as horrible as the newspaper
report1 indicate. He was asked If the Gu
| bans did not reply to this treatment in
| kind when prisoners fell into their hands
| but he said they were humanity shot by
| the Cubans-humanely being USED III COLI
nection with a death by a gun-shot be-
| cause OF tortures being often inflicted on
captured Cubans. Murder and rapine Is
| the order of the war with the Spaniards,
| the boy says, in so far as he was able to
| Judge during his five months stay on the
island. His story of meeting women with
| their ears cut off or other mutllations
| tallies with similar tales sent from the
| island according to Bracey, Wey-
ler's celebrated trocha is nothing
| to incommode the movements
| of the insurgent forces. The trocha con-
| sists of a line of irregular fortifcations
run across the island at narrow part
/ to divide the armies of Maceo and Co
mez Sand pits and breastworks at inter
| walls and anything that constitutes line
| from the trocha, even trees not being
barred as a means of keeping the insur-
gent forces separated The Cubans break
| through this slender line at will. The
| youngster seems to have seen q good deal
| of fighting. He says the Spaniards gen.
orally run when the Cubans are In sight.
| especially when the dreaded machete is
seen Bracey left Cuba with a party Of
| eighteen on a schooner that put out OF
Matanzas and sailed to Jamaica. At that
| island they all swore to the English au-
thorities that they were from San Saliva
dor, so they were not detained, and were
thus enabled to ship for Tampa. The lad
| says when he reaches home he will be
satisfied with this Cuban experience, and
will not seek another At times his hat
he says, would have held all the food he