The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-04
Part of the Spanish Garrison Ambus-
caded and Slain, and Seventy
Four Houses Burned.
MUCH ALARM AT THE CAPITAL
WHERE THE CANNONADING Is SAID
TO HAVE BEEN HEARD.
Part of Weyler's Army Defeated by
MuceO's Force-AnOther Dyna-
mite Mine Exploded.

HAVANA, Dec. 3.-While Captain General
Weyler is hunting Maceos men with
brass band in the province of Pinar del
Rio the insurgents are giving the people of
this city scare. 1t was reported off
cially' by the Spanish authorities last
night that a small band of insurgents had
attacked the garrison of Guanabacoa, a
suburb Of Havana, on Tuesday and burned
one house. To-day it developed that the
authorities, in order to allay alarm here
had suppressed the facts. According to in
surgent and other accounts of the affair,
Guanabacoa was attacked simultaneously
at several points, while another insurgent
force fired on the Spanish outposts at
Bucaranas on the coast. The garrison of
the fort, it is added, left that place to re-
sist the attack on the town, but was am
buscaded between stone walls and farm
fences by about 800 insurgents, and, in spite
of the gallant defense made, all the
Spanards were killed The exact number
of soldiers slain is not known. 1t is adj
mitted that a number of insurgents We're
also killed, but the number is not stated.
On the other hand, the insurgents are said
to have burned seventy-four houses in
Guanabacca instead of one house, as the
official report stated. Guanabacoa is only
five miles east of Havana, and has popu-
lation of about 30,0O0
Further details state that the attack
began at 1O3O on Tuesday night. The in
surgents first fired on the Spanish outposts
of the city and suburbs and, in spite Of the
prompt precautions taken by the military
commander and the fact that the local gar
risons were almost Immediately placed un-
der arms TO repel the invaders, the latter,
after hours skirmish, broke through
the Spanish picket lines, entered the city
and set fire to a large number of houses in
Aguacate and Palo Blanco streets. These
thoroughfares, a rule, contained private
residences or cheap buildings occupied by
refugees. Only one store of Importance
was burned, it is said, although the insur-
gents made many efforts to set fire to other
stores. The local authorities are doing
everything possible to conceal the real facts
in the case; but there is no doubt that they
have received q bad scare and that the
insurgents have demonstrated that it would
not be very difficult matter, in spite of
the reports of the military commanders.
to create just such another scare, to say
the least, in the city of Havana itself.
Private advices from Santiago de Cuba
say that the province of Puerto Principe
engagement of General Castellanos with
the combined insurgent forces of Gomez
and Calixto Garcia. The insurgent army is
said to be divided. Garcia is reported TO be
returning eastward, while Gomez is mov-
ing west to reinvade the province of Santa
Clara. The latest advices indicate that
Gomez crossed the trocha between Jucaro
and Moron when the military train there
was dynamited recently.
Official dispatches dated Nov. 2S say that
the local Spanish guerrillas of Remedies
and Caibaron, mistaking each other for in
surgents, have had "a serious encounter in
which nine men were killed and fifteen
were wounded.
General Yncian. in Pinar del Rio. reports
say. has arrived at Artemisa with one hum
dred sick soldiers brought in in cars from
Cayajabos. The battalion of Asturias alone
is said to have 4S9 men on the sick list in
Pinar del Rio hospitals.
Artemisa advices announce the concen-
tration of insurgents in the rear of the
eastern part of the trocha-
Juan Navarro and sixteen other prominent
residents of Cienfuegos have been placed
The government will establish a COM
pulsory conscription to the militia of those
between eighteen and forty-five years of
age The provisions apply TO Spanish resi-
dents and natives. About thirty thousand
Spanish residents of Havana, it is reported,
have volunteered.
Captain General weyler has ordered the
mayor of Los EPalacios. in Pinar del Rio.
to establish zones in his territory to be
given over to cultivation the ground used
as government camps and the abandoned
farms to be allowed to the cultivators free
Of charge for two years during the war and
six months afterwards. This, ii is eX-
pected will do much to alleviate the great
misery now prevailing in that section.