St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-16
REBELS ARE HOPEFUL.
Private Letter From Cuba on the
War Situation.

War Situation.
Advices received in this city yester-
day by a person in correspondence with
the insurgents in the island Of Cuba,
state that affairs in the island are
looking up for the rebels, and that they
appear to stand a most excellent chance
of winning the war of independence.
with Gen. Weyler have come two
so-called military editors who will
attend to looking after the news sent
out by the correspondents Of the va
rious newspapers in the island says
the letter. ut is apparently the plan
Of the new commander to keep every
thing out Of the newspapers that could
possibly be Of assistance to the Cubans.
He has issued notice to the effect
that none Of the correspondents are
to be allowed to accompany any Of
the columns when they advance into the
interior for the purpose Of engaging
with the enemy. This order is undoubt-
eddy made SO that it will be impossi-
BILE for any of the atrocities which
he intends to commit to become public,
and also that all of the famous lies
and falSehoods which the Spaniards are
accustomed to gull their home govern
ment with will not be exploded. 1t
has been common talk here that after
each Of the engagements of late, in
which the rebels have always come off
victorious, the Spanish officers have
made it point to claim a victory for
the royal troops, and to ask for promo
ton of favorite officers, or decorations
for them, on the pretense that they
won distinction under fire, and helped
materially to win the victories.
1T has been common talk also here
for some time that the Spanish au-
thorities have been allowing too much
really true information to get to the
| Spondents, and that there have been
many protests over this fact from
those high in command. The patience
and humanity shown by Gen. Campos
was the cause of his withdrawal from
the island The bloodthirsty volun-
teers, who by the way, are afraid
that they may be compelled to go to
| the front, are merely arrant cow
ards, and their inefficiency is well
known. They have threatened to re-
volt if they were ordered to the field,
and the fright given them by Gen.
| Campos when he threatened to send
! them into the interior started the trou-
BILE which eliminated in his with
| drawal.
Gen. Weyler has already intimated
| that he will pursue relentless policy
in his dealings with the Cubans. The
| patriots will be shot on sight, whether
armed or not, and their women and
children will be massacred as a lesson
| to the Cubans not to revolt. This is
one reason that the Spaniards do not
care to have the newspaper men go
with them into the field. All preten-
sions to conducting the war on a basis
of humanity will be cast aside, and
the policy will be one of extermina-
| ton.
'It is pitiful to think of what is ex-
pected of the Americans by the Gu
bans. They know that the American
people are friendly to them, and can
not understand why congress does not
take some action. There are mum
Der of Americans in the field with the
| Cubans, all of them being officers, and
more are expected in the course of a
! short time. There are men recruiting
for the insurgent armyin the Western
states, and there is one officer in the
city Of Minneapolis who is preparing
an expedition to go to Cuba in the
course Of a few weeks The Cubans
here are praying for help from the
United States
The letter is written by a merchant
in the city of Matanzas, and contains
additional information Of a private
! "a