, 1896-12-10
THEY ARE NOT 50 SURE.
REPORTS OF GENERAL MAcEO's
DEATH ARE NOT CON-
FIRMED.


oficer Would Not Say That He
Saw the Bodies. But Identified
Them From Trinkets Found.
Havana, Dec. 9.-The confiden,
claims of the Spanish officials that they
have abundant proof Of the death OF
Antonio Maceo and his young aide,
Francisco Gomez, son Of Maxine Go
mez, continue without abatement. The
details announced today, however, o.
the facts relied upon for the identifica>
ton of the two Cubans, have caused an
undercurrent of doubt in this city. Ma,
jor Cirujeda, who commanded the Span
ish forces in the engagement at Punta
Bravo on Monday and whose troops
discovered the two bodies and gave
the evidence of identification, consent
ed to be interviewed on the circumstan>
ces of the case. He said today to the
correspondent of the Associated Press
that when the rebels were routed II
was evident that the body OF the chief
was abandoned on the field. The Span.
ish column, without stopping to ex.
plore the field, went In hot pursuit OF
the insurgents and followed them for a
mile or Meantime Young Gomez
Is supposed to have committed suicide
by Maceo's side.
While the troops were returning to
Guato. after the pursuit had ceased,
various guirrillas belonging to Major
Cirujeda's command went over the
field where the rout of the insurgents
had occurred and searched the bodies
remaining there for anything OF i'm
p%ortance.
The body Of Maceo," Major CIrujeda
continued. was relieved OF a ring,
clothing. etc. The guerrillas who per-
formed the act were at the time quite
unaware that the body WAS that OF
Maceo, In fact little attention was paid
to the Identification of the bodies. It
was already dark on the field and It
was raining. Various other bodies
were also searched"
1t was an adJutant, according to Ma
jor Cirjueda's further statement, who
insisted that the above mentioned body
and the other which was lying by its
side were evidently of first rate I'M
portance, and that they nus not thus
be left without Identification.
1.-THE two bodies were therefore tied
by the feet to the tails Of some horses"
said the major, land thus dragged over
the ground, the intention being to carry
them to town Tor Identification. But
after proceeding for a while the horses
became tired with their burden and tho
bodies were therefore cut loose and left
in the road"
When the troops reached Guato, Ma
5or Ciruteda proceeded to read the docu,
tnents which had been found upon the
bodies and which were described in a
dispatch to the Associated Press yester>
day. They included q letter addressed
to Dear Pancho" and signed IN. Go.
mez;" a diary Of Maceo's operations
from November % to December z. and
a note in pencil found on the body OF
the young man, saying he died rather
than abandon the body Of his general.
Maceo.
The undershirt and socks on the body
Of the old man were marked with the
isttiais "A. NJ" and a ring on the finger
contained the engraved inscription
Antonio Y. Maria"
After reading these documents Major
Cru3edA says he became convinced
that the bodies which his troops had
abandoned were those II Antonio
Maceo and young Comes. But 1t was
then too late to return and recover
them. Major Cfrujeda. however. ex-
presses the firm conviction that they
were those Of Maceo and Corners son.
With the insurgents In the battle Ma
jor Ctru3eda says was a beautiful ANA
con shout ~ years Of age, who urged
tkS rebels "a h machette," but ct the
same time interpreted to protect the
prisoners.
Major Cirujeda has taken po-asession
Of the objects found on the body said
to b that OF Maceo. for further sxamt.
nation. There was . gold watch. .
spaendM pair Of cnR buttons nads BY
ra>-~.- 49, 49, -skS -.A-A