The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-15
WEYLER'S CAMPAIGN.
Plans Of tho New Captain General Who
Has Bcen Given the Contract TO Put
nOwn tho Cnbnn Rebellion.

nown the Cnban Rebellion.
Havana. Feb. 12. via Tampa. Fla,
Feb. l4.-General Weyler, after going
over the situation with General Marin
before the latter's departure for Puerto
Rico. held consultations with Generals
Ochando Pando. Valdez, Bazan Mar
ques and Almada, and arranged a plan
OF operations Rdical changes from the
FORMER plan of crushing the enemy
were agreed upon. The strong line,
or trocha, between Havana and Bata-
bano, Is to be only maintained for a
convenience of moving troops and OBJ
serving the passage of the enemy It
is not to be relied upon to block his
movement east or west. Instead of
troops scattered along the line, a strong
force Is TO be concentrated at Bejucal.
central point, and trains held i'm readi-
ness to move the troops north or south.
General Bazan will probably be given
command at Bejucal. He has been
stopping at the Hotel Inglaterra sew
eral months, Campos having deprived
him OF command as the result of al
legged harsh treatment of suspects
while in charge at Guantanamo. Ba-
zan. who is a lighting man I'm the field.
and courteous gentleman in social
life, will undoubtedly be heard from.
He Is great friend of Weyler. Many
of Campos' friends commanding col
umns Will be replaced by others close
to Weyler and IN touch with his meth
DDS.
A strong force will be sent to Pinar
Del Rio, where there are Il few troops
at present. One column will go by
steamer to the south coast and land at
Colomo the principal port of the prov
ince. They will march to the capitol
city, where the troops are now en-
trenched with barricades across the
streets, small stone block houses COM
manding the approaches. The garri-
son will be relieved The column will
then act in concert with another COL
umn entering the province from the
east and endeavor to crush the in
surgents. who now occupy nearly the
entire province using towns as base
Of supplies and quarters for the wound
ed. even having local governments col
lecting taxes which are due apprOpriat-
ing government money and destroying
the property of loyal Spaniards. This
campaign in the west province is to be
conducted with all the energy for which
Weyler is famous. Another strong
force Is to be thrown into Mankans.
where the rebels have been carrying
things with high hand since Lacret
was joined by the rebel bands from the
eastern provinces.
Medicine for Svmp ithizers.
In Camaguey and Santiago provinces
operations in the field will be continued
on former lines, as no large forces are
available for an aggressive campaign.
but increased activity in the arrests OF
suspects in cities and towns will be
begun under Weyler's proclamation re-
garding persons who express sympathy
or extend aid TO insurgents. This is
true also in other provinces. Weyler's
order to the effect that such prisoners
must be placed at his disposal is said
by Cubans to mean return to the prac-
tice of the old war. The official order
cancelling the passes permitting cOrre-
spondents to travel about freely and
accompanying Spanish columns is also
said to indicate that severe measures
are about to be inaugurated. Many
stories of shooting prisoners of war
and killing innocent citizens reach here.
Most of them on investigation prove
untrue. In several instances, notably
at Sabanilla Cadneliria and PasO Real,
there is strong evidence from other
than Cuban sources tending to prove
the truth of the stories of massacre
Some time ago an order was issued to
the commanders of the army columns
authorizing them to proceed against
prisoners captured without turning
them over to the higher authorities.
Under this even petty officers hold the
power Of executing prisoners, If incon-
venient or impossible to convey them
to the headquarters of the division
commander. The insurgents are re-
garded as bandits, outlaws. felons. and
treated as such. Recognition of the
belligerency by a strong nation may
possibly alter this condition or may in
tensify it.