The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-01-15
THEIR FIGHT FOR FREEDOM.
Cuba'S InsurrectiOn Increasing in I'm
pOrtance Every Day.
INSURGENTS HOLD THEIR INTERIOR
And Have Succeeded in Cutting Down the
Revenue of the Spanish Government
Prom Cuban Sources About
Eighty Per Cent.

HAVANA, Jan. 15.-Exciting news from
the front was received yesterday in shape
which prevented its accuracy from being
denied. The sound of continued artillery
firing was heard south of Rincon, not far
from Bejucal, the town that was attacked
by the insurgents on Monday with the re-
| suit that, according to the official state
ment of the affair, they were forced to re
treat after fierce resistance on the part
of the government forces, the battle last
ing, it is claimed five hours. BUTT is adj
mitted that the insurgents plundored
stores in the outlying district of Beiucal,
burned number of houses and destroyed
the railroad depot by fire.
Previous to this they had burned the
town of Salud, quite n good sized place,
md partly destroyed Quivican, u smaller
place They varied these operations with
burning freight trains and destroying rail
road engines as they pushed northward
and towards Havana.
This force of insurgents is the one sup
posed to be commanded by Gomez in per
son, although it has been insisted that he
is still in the province of Pinar del Rio.
and that he was in conflict with Spanish
troops commanded by General Linares. 1t
is believed that an important engagement
! is taking place and further confirmation
is anxiously expected.
Confirmation has been received of the
report from the eastern provinces that the
insurgent leaders Rabi, Jose Maceo, Chongo
Rivero and others, at the head of strong
forces from the province of Puerto
Principe, believed to be much better armed
than any previous forces, and to have been
reinforced by filibustering expeditions
containing numbers of Americans, are
moving eastward, apparently with the in
tention of reinforcing the insurgents now
operating in the neighborhood Of Havana.
Those insurgent forces are said to have
moved into the Remedio' district.
The presence of this additional force of
insurgents, moving through the province
of Santa Clara and in the direction of the
province of Matauzas, will naturally pre-
vent the Spanish commanders from send
ing into the Havana district all the troops
they intended to draw from Santa Clara
and MatanZas with the intention of driv-
ing the insurgents now in this vicinity
into the province of Pinar del Rio west
ward until they were all placed in a po-
sition where they could be either extermi-
mated or forced to surrender.
/ The captain general has been forced to
meet this move by sending back towards
Santa Clara several columns of troops
which were on their way through the
province of Matanzas to oreinforCe his forces
in this vicinity. The insurgents, it is be-
lieved, will thus be able to continue for
some time longer their almost unchecked
operations, and if the Spanish generals
are not able to prevent a junction of all
the insurgent forces now in this vicinity
the situation will become more critical
Estimating that the insurgents now
have about 5000 men, more or less we'll
armed, in this vicinity, and that they are
reinforced by say 10000 more well armed
men from the eastward, Gomez will,
friends of his cause say have under his
command quite a fair sized army, and
should be able, all things fairly favorable,
/ to take the offensive even against a strong
force of Spanish troops defending Ha-
vana But these are views taken by the
friends of the insurgents, and are directly
at variance with those of the Spanish of
ficials, who claim that the second Cuban
: army, advancing from the east under Rabi
and Jose Maceo, does not number and
will never number 5000 men.
In any case it does not seem possible to
deny that the insurrection is increasing in
Importance every day. Practically the
whole interior of the island, from east to
west, with the exception of the large
towns is in possession of the insurgents,
I who have burned everything comDustlble
and have levied tribute right and left,
under the very noses of the Spanish com
manders, and cutting down the revenue
of the Spanish government from Cuban
sources about 80 per cent, according to the
: insurgents estimates. Under these condi-
tions it is not astonishing that some
change in tho commandership of the Span
ish forces is expected daily. Even the most
intimate friends of General Campos do
not claim that he has been half successful
in his operations
The insurgent cavalry is vastly superior,
both in number and quality, to that of the
Spaniards, and the military experts as
sert that the importation of 5000 or 00C
Spanish cavalry from Spain will in no
way affect the situation, as the Spanish
horses cannot stand the climate The
weak point of the Cuban army is its ar
tillery, but they hope shortly to be able tc
make "a very much better showing in that
respect, as they expect supplies of rapid
fire guns. Indeed friends of the insurg
ents here assert that quite number OF
rapid fire guns recently came into the pos
session of General Gomez and they were
landed not very far from Havana at that
1t is announced that ON Sunday last the
Spaniards made an important capture in
the person of Jose Cepero, the second in
. command of the Cuban column com
manded by General Rego. Cepero was OF
his way from Cienfuegos, in the provinc,
of Santa Clara, to Batabano, the port
south of Havana, with important com
munications from the Santa Clara insur
gents TO Gomez and Maceo The insur
gent leader was travelling on the Spanish
steamship Gloria under the name of Lo
renzo Dupuy, and had papers upon him in
that name to show that he was an Ameri
can citizen travelling in Cuba on business
Watson House Free Lunch.