The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-11
The Cuban Leader Doubles on His
PlnntatfOn-DestrOyi Raid.
DOING LITTLE
UNABLE TO HOLD THE INSURGENTS
LONG ENOUGH FOR A FIGHT.
Filibustering Expedition Supposed to
Coast-Conspiracy at Havana.

HAVANA, Jan. 10.-The lull which seemed
to have taken place in the activities OF the
insurgents in the past few days has given
place once more to an unexpected dash on
the part of Maxine Gomez into the heart
OF the rich tobacco-growing districts of
Pinar del Rio. Confident claims have been
made for several days past on the part Of
the authorities that the time fast APP
preaching when the insurgents were to pay
the penalty for their temerity and when
the Spanish were to close in on them as in
a trap and annihilate them. Many sympa-
thizers with the insurgents have themselves
not been free from keen anxiety at the
persistent stand the leaders were making
on the northern coast of Pinar del Rio and
almost up to the outskirts Of Havana itself,
while the continued activity of the Spanish
generals was disposing about them force
of troops that seemed likely to hem them in
and cut them off.
The news cabled last evening that Gomez
had passed Alquizar and Guira de Melena,
in Havana province. was received with re-
lief by the friends of the insurgents. though
the direction he had taken beyond that was
not known, but ii was generally supposed
that he was bent on retreat into the eastern
provinces, glad to escape the trap set for
him.. 1t is now evident that he was merely
making a pretense at retreat TO mslead his
enemy, and meantime he has once more
countermarched like a fox doubling up in
its own track, and tonight he has nearly
his whole effective force in the tobacco dis
trict in the southern part Of Pinar del Rio,
ready to visit destruction ON the tobacco
crop, as it has already been widely visited
upon the sugar crop. His march westward
from Guira del Melena was a swift one, and
he has been reported to-day from Artemisa,
Mangos, Bagate and Candelaria. The town
OF San Cistobal, which came next in his
course was left on one SIDE but Judging
from the route taken by his vanguard. he
has passed by Santa Cruz, Taco Taco and
Paso Real, towards Consolation del Sur,
which is the terminus OF the railroad from
Havana running southwest into Pinar del
Rio.
The northern portion of the province of
Pinar del Rio has also by no means been
stripped Of insurgents, and 1t is reported to-
day that band OF five hundred, command
ed by Perico del Gardl has passed westward,
along the coast in the northern part of
Pinar del Rio. going west through the sugar
district and by the plantation of Tinaja,
Quiebra Hacha, TO the port of Cabannas,
and thence again through Amiol and san
Diego de NuneZ to Bahia Honda and to
Las PoZas beyond. When the news OF this
movement was received troops were dis
patched from here to Bahia Honda by sea
TO reinforce the garrison at that important
seaport town.
There are indistinct rumors here that an
important expedition for the relief of the
insurgents has been landed on the northern
coast of Pinar del Rio. The boldness of the
insurgents in remaining Oh this coast in
face of danger of being cut off has been at
tributed to their expectation or the landing
OF the expedition.
The authorities have discovered evidence
Of what they consider conspiracy TO cause
an uprising in havana and to hand the city
over to the insurgents. The conspiracy is
believed to. be widely ramifed and its dis
cGvery has caused grave uneasinesS in Ha-
vana and suspicious that disaffection is
much more widely disseminated than has
been admitted. Thirty persons have been
arrested for completely in the plot and they
have been imprisoned, while Aquilono Sa-
limo, police inspector for the port OF Ha-
vana, has been relieved from duty.
An engagement has occurred between the
combined columns of General Navarro and
Colonel Arizon and the bands led by Maceo
and Zayas, at d point between the planta-
tions of Regalado and Begona, in the dis
trict of Cabanas. The Spaniards, it Is re-
ported took the insurgents position, who
many wounded.
AT Ceiba and Azuacate between Havana
and Matanzas, in the province of Havana,
a band of $50 insurgents is reported to be
active and they fired on train. At Durant
they have destroyed the telegraph.
1t is annouced that 123 wounded insurg-
ents, who were picked up on the battlefield
at La Ceiba, are now in the Spanish hospi-
tai at San Antonio de Los Banos. The gar
rison OF Hoyo Colorado, consisting of TWEEN
ty Spanish volunteers, has surrendered TO
the insurgents. Hoyo Colorado is near Bau-
ia, which is about twelve miles from this
city.
The insurgents have destroyed the railroad
station and have cut the telegraph at
Aguada, In the province of MatanZdS.
Passenger Train Burned.
NEW YORK, Jan. ia special to the
World from Havana says: From ntelli-
gence received concerning the condition of
the Western railway between Artemisia,
forty-thre miles from Havana and San Girls
tobai. sixty-two miles from here 1t is
learned that all the culverts were burned
and that more than half of the telegraph
posts have been destroyed A train started
from Pinar del Rio city Wednesday after
noon for Artemisa, that portion of
the line having up TO that
time been untouched by the insurgents. The
train had reached San CriStobal. when al
p. m. a large band of insurgents took
possession of the town. ran the locomotive
down a bank and burned nine passenger
coaches and six freight cars laden with
merchandise. The station buildings were
untouched. AS there is no sugar cane the
fires seen along the line in that section
are supposed TO be burning railway prop
erty
No Munitions of War for Cubans
PARIS, Jan. 10.-A decree has been gazet-
ted prohibiting the export from France or