The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-10
CUBA owns 4 CRUISER.
Big and strong Enough to whip Any
Spaniard.

Big and strong Enough to whip Any
Spaniard.
From the New York Mail and Express.
A gentleman recently from Cuba, who
is on the inside of affairs on the island,
and who. for good reasons, does not
wish to disclose his identity to the pub
lie, said yesterday that the Cubans are
now in possession of a first-class war
ship, built for the Italian government,
but rejected because it did not come up
to the required speed. He says they are
only awaiting such action on the part
Of the United States as will allow this
vessel to be furnished with supplies and
coal, when 1t viii go to sea in the SER
vice of the Cuban insurgents. He says
the vessel has speed of nineteen knots
and is in every way able to not only de-
stroy Spanish commerce on the sea, but
TO fight anything in the Spanish navy.
1t VIII be commanded, he says, by an
American officer, a graduate Of Annapo-
lis.
The recognition of the Cubans as bel
hgerentS by our government, he says, will
quickly end the war in victory for the
Cubans, for they need nothing but NUM-
tons Of war: THE end will be Cuban in
dependence, he said, whether the
United States acts or not. The insurgents
are well armed with hrst-clasS rifles,
and shipload Of cartridges is now watt
ing an opportunity to sail for Cuba. Still
the natives place their main reliance in
the machete and they have learned, or
believe, that the magazine rifle used by
the Spanish soldiers is defective, and will
not fire more than half the time. This
has given them unusual courage, and the
custom of the Spanish of forming in solid
squares will make the long knife in those
expert hands very effective once the
square is broken.
You will remember last Good Friday,
a year ago next April, there was a fight at
Les Pamar There the Spanish formed
square. A big negro led the charge against
the troops and in imitation of the hero in
history who made way for liberty and
died. he spread his arms, rushed on the
bayonets, swept a line of them to his
breast and broke the square. The ma
chete made short work of it, and the SOL
diers were cut to pieces Strangely
killed.
1.-THE insurgents are playing a waiting
game They expect the rainy season, now
near at hand, and the probable yellow few
er accompanying it, TO do all its work
among the imported Soldiery. All the sol
diers are brought from Spain, for you
must understand that a Spaniard born
in Cuba is a Cuban in his hopes and sym
pathies, and seldom has any love for the
mother country. The soldiers 1 saw in
Cuba are in bad shape. They are not
drilled, and they can't fight, even if they
have the heart to fight. Their officers are,
fer the most part, brutes and thieves,
and the men have no respect for them /
saw detachment of soldiers that had
been marched eighteen miles one morn
ing without food. They had Just killed
a beef, and We're about to eat. They were
a MISUNDERSTANDING lot; many We're sick,
and most of them had worn out their rope
soled shoes, and their feet were lacerated
and bleeding from the stings of the cac-
tus.
Il was a witness of a so-called battle.
which was reported in the Santiago pa
pers. A party of perhaps fifty soldiers on
march, had reached a point where there
was deep cut in the railroad bed, and
some laborers were at work on the track.
in the cut. While the soldiers were on
the high bank party of dozen or
more insurgents appeared on the oppo-
site side, and both parties began firing
over the workmen on the track. 1t was
the purpose of the natives, no doubt, to
induce the soldiers to cross the railroad
after them, where a larger body lay
in ambush The soldiers were not led into
the trap, and after a few shots. the
natives disappeared. The soldiers then de-
liberately shot three of the railroad work
men, and the Santiago papers gave an
account of a battle where the government
forces had met and routed the rebels,
killing three.
The rich iron mines about twenty-five
miles from Santiago are owned and op-
Grated by an American company. The SUI
perlntendent Kirkpatrick, is a friend of
the natives land they buy many supplies
at the iron company'S store. One day
last July some Spanish officers were visit
ing the mines and Kirkpatrick invited
them to dine with him. They refused and
left before dinner time, evidently smelling
a danger that was not far off. They had
not been gone long when Gen. Maceo
and staff and a considerable force of ma
tives appeared, Kirkpatrick, having
large dinner prepared invited Maceo and
his STAFF to dine with him, and they ac-
cepted. The Spanish authorities learned
of it, of course, and Kirkpatrick got a
friendly and timely tip that he was to
be arrested. He knew what that meant
and he got away. I will not go into the
details of his escape, but he was smuggled
aboard an ore bOat-shot down the chute.
eXpect-and not long ago he was landed
at Baltimore. He is now in Pittsburg."
A Nm. C.nniro. 1,o.... IL -. l..