Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-02
HOPE TO FIRE INSURGENTS OUT.
Spanish DO Not Intend 10 Allow Them
Time to Rccunernfn.

Copyright, 1896, by the Associated Press)
HAVANA, Feb. 1.-Considerable anxiety II
felt here regarding the result of the mill
tary operations now being conducted agains
Maxine Gomez and Antonio Maceo under tht
personal direction Of General Marin, tn,
acting captain general Of Cuba. 1t is be
lieved that Marin has been aiming to strik,
death blow before the arrival of Genera
Weyler, the successor of Martinez de Cam
pos, as. captain general Of Cuba. and Il 4,
understood he has taken steps to accomplish
this end. But ambition is not the only spui
to General Marins activity. 1t is admitted
even in Cuban circles, that the insurrectior
has reached a precarious stage from severa
causes notably, lack of ammunition and arm:
and the want Of fresh horses and supplies
The steps taken by the Spanish in gathering
In all the horses and cattle possible have had
the effect of weakening the insurgents con.
siderably. Their horses, as rule, are al.
most worn out and, being kept almost con.
tinually on the march for months past, they
are not allowed to recuperate.
The Spaniards seem to be aiming to keer
the insurgents constantly moving from place
to place, night and day and to gradual,
wear them out. There Is little doubt that
the insurgents are feeling tn, effects Of tins,
for their trails are marked by numbers oI
lame horses and their number Is increa 81 ne
as time wears on. Hitherto the great draw.
back under which the Span ards have labored
has been the lack of cavalry TO pursue ;he
quick moving mounted infantr. Of the inprr-
gents. This defect is bel lg gradually over.
come.
lie M tire thnA t.,,S "a
manders have, up to the present, succeeded
In keeping the insurgent armies apart. With
this object in view, new military line
has just been drawn, north and south from
Mariet, in the northern coast Of Pinar Gel
Rio, through Guanejay and Artemisia to the
southern coast, near Mangas. and upon the
maintenance of the new line great deal
is said to depend.
dispatch from the front says Brgadier
General Canello. who is commsnd OF the mil
itary line drawn across Pinar del Rio, was
engaged yesterday with portion of the force
commanded by Gomez. The: fight took place
between Miroz and San Augustine and is re-
ported to have resulted in repulse of the in
surgents.
While Canello maintains the military line,
General Marin, 1t is reported, will push on
westward in an attempt to engage Maceo
Gomez, whsn last heard from. was in the
neighborhood of Paso Redondo, little north
Of Batabano, which would seem to substanti-
ate the official statement to the effect that he
has been driven eastward from the frontier
in Pinar del Rio, owing to the pursuit of the
Spaniards.
The health Of Gomez continues to give anxi-
ETY. to his friends. Confirmation was received
of the report that Gomez had the consump-
tion and was not expected to- live over two
months.
report was current in Cuban circles here
yesterday that there is considerable dis
satisfaction in Gomez's camp, owing to some
of the actions of the Cuban junta in New
York, and it Is said that body is strongly
blamed for the insurgents failure to receive
much needed arms and ammunition and
rumor also has 1t that there are disagree
field. Such rumors, however, are known to
have been circulated by the Spanish au-
thorities in the past and it may be the re-
ported discord between the Cuban generals
Is not an actual fact.
Reinforcements of cavalry are being hur-
ried on to General Marin from every avail
is not known, contradictory reports in this
connection having been purposely circulated
to deceive the friends Of the insurgents, who
keep the latter posted, so far as possible,
upon the movements of the Spanish troops.
The exodus of the better class of people
from Cuba continues and the prices of pro-
visions continue to go up In fact, matters
have almost reached the point when the
poorer classes will have to depend almost en-
tirely upon the authorities for, relief. Luxuries
are worth their weight in gold, business is
nearly thing of the past, and trade with
the interior may be said to have ceased, ex-
cepting that part of 1t which is carried on
by vessels. The country merchants are
either bankrupt or nearly so, and the banking
firms are being called upon from all sides
for assistance. People who can do SO are in
very many cases realizing upon their belong
ngs, and everything tends to increase the
feeling Of depression. The worst of it is
there is no glimmer of sunshine anywhere,
The best that can be expected being a long
and tedious struggle with an unsatisfactory
ending to the business man. In any case.
The movement of the troops seems to be
he only enlivening feature Of '!fe in Havana
nowadays and, 1t may be added. people are
getting tired of military display. In short
he insurrection Is tirng everybody fere
md running business. The Matanzas rail-
Dad situation has become SO bad that the
company has decided to reduce the wages
Il all It's employees. The present scale of
wages adopted is only So 40, 25 and is per
cent Of the old rate OF wages. and some
II the engineers have refused to take out
heir trains because of the reduction.
Lieutenant General Pando recently issued
otices offering employment to 1000 laborers
IN different plantations in Chba. The gen
raj situation is SO bad here and suffering |
as been so extreme that hundreds thronged !
lis headquarters in RESPONSE to his offers |
nd he found is impossible to furnish em-
loyment for all the applicants. 1t is as
erted now the wives OF the native negroes
ave been given uniforms and that they are
ow allowed to accompany the insurgents
n their raids, those in command hoping that
hey will initiate the achievements of the
.mazons of Dahomey.
CriticisinE Minister Crispi.
ROME, Feb. 1.-Sig. Crispi persists in
is project Of having the forces of King
lenelik Of Abysslnia attacked by General
aratler's army at time when Menellk is
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