The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-01-03
CLOSER TO HAVANA
Insurgent Forces are Victorious
in Two Engagements.
SPANISH TROOPS RETREAT
Young Men are Flocking TO the
Insurgent Standard.
a GENERAL UPRISING is FEARED

in Number and Daring---And
There is Great Excite
ment in Havana.
Havana, Jan. 2.An engagement be-
tween the Spanish troops and insur-
gents has taken place at Ell Estante,
South of Alfonso XII and not far from
the frontier of the province of Havana.
The official announcement says that
the troops captured the insurgent posi-
tions but that the loss to the enemy
is not known. 1t is admitted that
two Spanish officers and four soldiers
were killed and so were wounded. The
insurgents, following their usual tao
tics, did not accept decisive engage
ment, but after the skirmish, proceed
ed westward devastating the country
as they marched onward. The author
tiles here in announcing this skirmish
added the significant statement that
the s'troops were moved closely to the
province of Havana" which would
seem to indicate that the Spanish
forces are once more in retreat.
Later in the day it was announced
here that further fighting between the
Spaniards and the Cubans is taking
place in the vicinity of Ell Estante
which, with the announced movement
of the Spanish troops closer to the
frontier of Havana" leads people here
to believe that the insurgents have
been in pursuit of the Spanish troops
in that vicinity. The latter are COM
manded by Col. Galvis, who was also
in command of the troops first engag-
ed in the vicinity of FL Estante, which
seems to be a confirmation of the sup
position that the Spaniards were
worsted and that the Cubans are maxi
ing for the frontier of the province of
Havana in spite of all the statements
TO the contrary.
The news that the insurgents are
still on the borders of the province of
Havana has increased the feeling of
nervousness which has prevailed here
from the time they entered the pro-
vince of Matanzas and no explanation
which the authorities can furnish
seem able to dispel tEe popular impress
sion that there has been no real check
of the insurgents advance and that all
the efforts of the Spanish troops to
drive them out of Matanzas have PROV
ed more than fruitless.
As already cabled, every man who
could be spared from the regular and
volunteer forces has been sent to the
front but this does not seem to have
changed the situation and the mill
tary authorities continue working
night and day in their efforts to place
Havana in the best possible position
to resist d seige. But the sentiment
of the population here, as already
noted is gradually undergoing a
change favorable to the insurgent
cause and nobody would be astonished
to find that it has taken "A more de-
cided form than passive sympathy.
The police are carefully watching the
quarters inhabited by people supposed
TO be in sympathy with heinsurgents;
but this has not prevented numbers of
young men from escaping from the
city and making their way to the in
surgent camp.
In addition to the trouble threaten
ed from the direction of the province
Of Matanzas, it is feared that there
will be more trouble from the direction
of the province of pinar del Rio, on
all news of this subject is carefully
guarded, it is known that the insur-
gents in that part of the country are
rapidly increasing in number and dar-
ing and nobody would be astonished
to hear that an insurgent force will
advance upon Havana from Pinar del
Rio so soon as the main body of the
insurgents under Gomez and Maceo is
near enough to Havana to warrant
sucE a movement.
News received to-day leaves no doubt
that the insurgents are in large force
in the province of Havana and are
spread over a wide space, their rear
guard still stretching back into Matan-
zas province, while their vanguard is
at Aguacate, town of some import
ance on the railroad line between Ma
tanzas and Havana, and only little
over thirty miles from Havana.
Apparently the full force of the in
surgents is engaged in this renewed
in1ursion towards Havana. But fhey
maintain the same scattered form.
The Spanish commanders are appar-
emily utterly unable to cope with their
style of warfare or check the destruc-
tive advance of insurgents which Us
now once more directed straight upon
Havana.
Early in the day the authorities APP
parently had hopes of preventing the
entrance of the insurgents into Ha-
vana province, when it became known
that they were gathering in force on
the borders and two battalions of
troops were stationed at Las Palos to
oppose their advance into the rich
valley of the Gyinias district which is
studded over with some of the most
valuable canefields in the island. This
force seems to have failed utterly TO
prevent the insurgents from passing
them and reaching Aguaeate, which is,
however, well to the northward OF the
Gyinias district