The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-14
GENERAL MACEO
WAS ASSASSINATED
Lured Into Ambush by One Of His Own
Staff.
MAXlMO zERTUCHA THE TRAITOR
The CrOwning Act Of Barbarity in
Spain's Inhuman Warfare..(;encral
Weylcr Readily Consents to Pay
Price for the Death of the Cuban
Leader. Butchered in Cold Blood.

a special dispatch from Havana pub
fishes the following account of the as
sassination of General Maceo:
Havana, Dec. 9, via Key West, Dec.
IA commissioner from the insurg-
ent camp came to Havana this morn
ing and brought news to the Cuban
junta here that Antonio Maceo, Pan
cho Gomez. and othed members of the
staff of Maceo had been assassinated
by the Spaniards in accordance with a
plan contrived through DR.. Maximo
Zertucha, by the Marquis of Ahumada,
second in command or SegundO Cabo of
the captain generally Of the Island of
Cuba. The delegate of the junta in Ha-
vana was very much surprised at this
startling statement. He knew by a
communication he received from Ma
Geo on the 5th that the Cuban leader
had passed the trocha safely on the'4th.
That same day the rumor spread in
Havana that the trocha had been
forced by the Cuban leader, and next
day it was said for the first time In
the city that Maceo had been killed In
an encounter with the forces of Major
Cirujeda. AS the Cuban delegate had
no news of that encounter, and as the
last word he had received from Maceo
was proof that he was alive the day
before, the delegate sent a dispatch to
New York emphatically denying the
report of Maceo's death.
STORY OF THE MURDER.
What the junta knows about Maceo's
murder is the following:
Early in November Maceo received a
mysterious message which appeared to
come from the Marquis of Ahumada,
with full authority from General Wey-
Ter personally. Nothing was written,
the message was only verbal.
''You know what you risk" said Ma
Geo to the messenger. Any man COM
ing to my camp to bring and proposal
of peace which is not based on the full
independence of the island of Cuba can
be sure of being hanged"
Il know it, was the answer, "and |
come to offer you an interview with the
Marquis of Ahumada, to arrange the
terms for the evacuation of the island
by the Spanish troops"
At this conference only Brigadier
Miro, chief of the staff of Maceo, was
present.
We'll" answered Maceo. "go and tell
the Marquis of Ahumada that I will
consider the thing and give him an
answer.
Maceo Immediately gathered his staff,
and explaining the situation. asked the
opinion of his subordinates.
Brigadier Miro expressed his belief
that the whole thing was a scheme of
the Spaniards to catch Maceo in Il trap.
But DR.. Maximo Zertucha tried to con-
vince the Cuban leader that it was
wise to meet the Marquis of Ahumada,
as the financial situation of Spain
clearly indicated that the Spanish
army would soon have to abandon the
fight. Though Maceo was satisfied
that the situation Of Spain indicated Il
coming crisis he accepted the views of
Miro and resolved tn wait, thinking 1t
strange that the first proposals for
peace should be made to him and not to
General Gomez. Maceo was very
modest and unambitious man. and as
brave as he was faithful to his superb
ors. Without first knowing the opn-
ion of General Gomez he would never
enter into any kind of treaty.
When this first attempt of the Span
ish failed. Weyler returned to Havana
to confer with the Marquis Of Ahu-
mada. This is the explanation of the
sudden return of the butcher to the
capital after he started to Pinar Del
Rio to take personal command of the
Spanish forces with the promise that
before his return the revolution should
be crushed. He brought with him to
Pinar Del Rio SenOr Barrera, the chief
of police of Havana, because he was
sure that Maceo was going to fall into
the trap and that he would be able to
catch the Cuban general alive. Senor
Barrera's mission as chief of police was
to carry Maceo to Havana as a COM
mon criminal. bound hand and foot.
Success was believed to be sure at the
time by all the intransigent Spaniards
here. who rejoiced beforehand at the
expected event. That a trap was
planned i'm the palace was rumOred
among them. and had their highest ap-
proval.
CAMPOS SPURNED THE OFFER.
1t is known that when Captain Gen
eral Martinez CamDOs returned to
Havana from Tayamo after the bat
tie of Peralejo. some Spaniards i'm the
capital suggested to him to pay large
sum of money to some traitor in the
Cuban ranks to assassinate Gomez or
MaceO.
Even two millions of dollars" was
said to Campos. could be paid for the
lives of those two men. Without them
the revolution will fail completely in
a short time, and the revolution will
cost Spain hundreds of times that
IF you propose that scheme to me
seriously" answered Martinez Campos
to the Spaniard who spoke in the name
of the others. you are not patriot and
you are not a gentleman. ! prefer to see
Spain in the abyss of defeat rather
than to stain my conscience and my
name with such a crime
The suggestion was never made again
to Campos. but as soon as Weyler land
ed it was renewed to him. Weyler ac-
cepted with joy. and aimed at Gomez
as his first victim. but Gomez is very
suspicious man. and permits to ap-
proach him only those in whom he has
full confidence. The only way of as
sassinating Gomez is in the middle of
an engagement by one of his own
troops. but then the traitor risks being
seen and torn to pieces by the patriots.
When MaceO invaded the province
of Pinar del Rio for the second time
the second attempt at his assassination
was planned, and Maxine Zertucha,
the surgeon, was found as the traitor
to carry out the crime. First Barrera,
the chief of police. succeeded in COM
municating with Zertucha. Afterward
the traitor had communications with
the Marquis of Ahumada. through Col
Onel Tort, who before the war was an
intimate friend of Zertucha, and to
whom. as arranged previously, the
traitor surrendered yesterday i'm San
Felipe.
The record of Zertucha's life is full
of treasons and acts of dishOnor. What
is inexplicable is how Maceo kept him
on his staff for such a long time, not
withstanding all the warnings given
him against the man. But Maceo was
very noble and Zertucha a great hypo-
Crite. MaceO ALWAYS said that gonna