Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-28
MASSACRE OF CUBANS
Peaceable Residents of Guatao Shot
Down in Cold Blood.
ONE CLAIMS AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP
People Fled in Terror and the
Place is Deserted.
EIGHTEEN MEN PUT TO DEATH

staff correspondent Of the Philadelphia
Evening Telegraph at Havana sends to
that paper the following details of a recent
massacre of peaceable Cubans by Spanish
troops:
Refugees from the towns Of Pufita Brara
and Guatao. twelve miles away, have ar
rived at Havana, and state that reign of
terror exists in their locality in consequence
Of troops having massacred peaceab.e cit!-
zens at Guatao on Saturday, the Odd. Resi-
dents at Guatao have identified eighteen of
the dead as rac!ficos peaceful citsZens);
two were insurgents, ana the prisoners are
nearly all said to be peaceful. One of them
named Ladislao Quntero claims American
citizenship. He is wounded by ball in the
arm. The following names of the dead pa
c;ficos have been obtained:
Jose Cantera, Pedro An,ador, Pascual
Chaves, Vidal Preito, Francisco LoZa, IL.
Quisano. NJ. Hernandez Ascadio Garc'a,
Francisco Sales and Pancho Chicho.
thorough invest;ga ton by American
correspondents, despite the fact that one Of
their number has been arrested and lodged
in Moro Castle. accused of visiting Guata,,
has resulted in obtaining the folio g
facts:
The troops found group of about twen-
ty-fva rebe.s at stone bridge on the high
way at the eastern entrance of Punta
Erara at 4 pm, and some scattering firing
followed. Beth sides admit no losses oc-
CURED The rebels retrsated south along
the road leading to Guatao. Il small town
one mile distant. leaving the road before
arriving at the town and scattering in all
directions.
Firing mt Everything.
The Spanish column kept the road and
entered Guatao. firing right and left at
everything in sight. A milkman loading a
wagon In front of his house eighth Of a
mile outside of town was shot and wounded
He ran and concealed himself IN the house.
Some troops LETT the lire broke into the
house and shot the man dead in his room.
The people Of Guatao fled to the woods or
hid in houses upon the arrival of the
troops, who fired Unfortunately.
The town contains about forty houses.
many of them only thatched huts. Several
men were shot running toward The woods
and others in places of concea;ment Some
were too old to run. One man, sick with
eryspeias. was killed in he'd The troops
entered the houses and shot men in the
rooms One woman, whose husband hid in
a bed room, stood in the front door pleading
fer life, was struck by the butt of a nlusket
and knocked inSenSib!e. A soldier brok @
down the door and shot her husband. One
nan fifty-eiSht years old was killed.
All mentioned are peaceable citizens.
The three brothers ChaveS, cigar makers
working in Havana, left work in that city
Saturday noon and went to Guatao in the
afternoon TO visit their mother. One was
shot dead running to the woods and two
We're taken prisoners.
Bodies in n Heap.
Troops brought the bodies of the dead
from the houses and fields and placed them
on the ground in front of the main store
The prisoners who We're captured in houses
ana fields without arms were pinoned and
compelled to walk to Mariono They were
bruised and i'll treated the way and re-
qure1 medical attendance upon their ar
rival. Three physicians of the Red Cross
Society went to Guatao AMI found thirteen
dead and no wounded. The bodies were
buried in the cemetery at Guatan. Five
prisoners taken on the morning of the fight
on the outskirts of Punta Brarl We're killed
in the fields, making eighteen peaceful citi-
zens slain.
The Spanish Claim.
The Spanish papers claim the insurgents
took refuge in the houses 1t Guatao firing
upon the troops from the same. A careful
examination of the houses and huts shows
no Signs Of bullets: no outer doors or win
dows were broken. nor no signs of conflict
The only stone building in town, the church.
was not entered.
Among the dead was the gravedigger
the graves. The residents of Marono say
the troops were drunk when they returned
with the prisoners on Saturday night
Edward Sanches. keeper of dry goods
store at Mariono and member of volunteers
openly boasts he went into bed room at
Guatao and shot man under the bed The
facts above related are verified by persons
who went to Punta Brara and Guatao
The authorities arrested through mistake
Charles Nicholson and his interpreter
Lorenzo Betancourt, who went no farther
than Marono and are in no way responsible
for this story.
PrnfxfnE the Troops.
Marquis de Cervera. in an official report
OF the affair to the captain general, says of
the company:
Worthy Of all praise. your excellency. is
the compartment of this column, of which 1
feel myself proud. Captain Calvo and all
others merit the consideration of your excel
exceed all praise.
All are worthy, your eXcellency, for they
have done today what your excellency so
glor.ously did at Jaina, Santo Domingo,
thirty years ago.
The towns of Guatao and Punta Brara are
now deserted: The residents fled to Hav-
ana in fear of their lives. OF 10 people in
the latter town only fourteen remain The
action OF the troops close to Havana ha 6
created an intense sensation there. The o1lv
official notice taken by the government Is
telegram of congratuIation sent MARQUIS
de Cervera Sunday.
Genera Weyler, when asked if he had in
vest:gated the affair, said there was n COM
pat and persons were killed with arms in
hand The prisoners were also taken with
arms, he said