The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-08-27
AMBIGUOUS CUBANS,

AMBIGUOUS CUBANS.
Held-U and DeraiIed q Military Train
Near Havana.
Havana, Aug. 21.-The mystery of
a missing military passenger train,
which was due here last Sunday, has
been solved, and it furnishes another
instance of the audacity of the insur.
gents and of the troubled state of af.
fairs existing in the province of Pinar
del Rio.
On Sunday last, train having on
board number of civilian passengers
and strong escort of troops, consist
ing Of regular car and armored cars
for the military escort, left Consolation
del Sur, Pinar del Rio, for this city,
and should have arrived here the same
day, but the train did not appear. The
railroad authorities became alarmed
and the military authorities were no.
titled. Apparently, however, the lat
ter were very slow in taking action.
In any case. throughout Monday the
military authorities professed absolute
ignorance of the whereabouts of the
train. although it was understood that
inquiries Of some description had been
made along the line, but without any
definite result
This failure to obtain the necessary
information caused the railroad people
to renew their representations to mill
tary headquarters and eventually on
Tuesday, several exploring parties.
consisting of cavalry scouts, reported
having heard heavy firing between
Bacunaga and Tacou. The latter
town is about one-third the distance
between Consolation del Sur and Ha-
vana, and not far from the town of
San Cristobal. Consolation del Sur is
only short distance from Pinar del
Rio, capital of the province of that
name. Later, the scouts reported that
the passenger coach, together with the
military cars, had been derailed be-
tween Bacunaga and Tacou, and it
appeared as if severe fighting had
taken place between the escort of the
train and the insurgents who attacked
it. This news stirred up the military
authorities sufficiently to cause them
to send relief trains loaded with troops
toward the scene.
These forces, consisting of the Ara
piles and Basbastro battalions, under
the command of Colonel Arjoua, have
inst returned. The troops brought
with them passengers, who are over
forty eight hours late, and the surviv-
ors and wounded of the military escort
of the train. The latter, it appears,
was running between Bacunaga and
Tacou, and when near the point known
as kilometre 113, the train was COM
PEELED to slow up on account Of an OBJ.
struciton across the line. As it did SO,
smart rife fire was opened upon the
train from both sides of the road. while
a party of insurgents were seen to
march out of concealment behind the
train and place heavy distractions
across the road. Other insurgents &C.
cupied themselves actively in remov-
ing the rails behind the obstruction,
thereby catching the military train in
a trap from which it could neither ad-
vance nor retreat.
The troops returned the fire of the
insurgents, who kept we'll under cover,
and whose bullets splintered the glass
of the sides of the coaches. The firing
lasted three hours, according to the
official statement. At the end Of this
time, the insurgents are said to have
been repulsed. 1t is added that the
military escort upon the arrival of the
relief train, burned the military pas
senger train and returned to the city
with the Babastro and Arapiles battal-
IONS
Unofficial versions of the affair, how
ever, claim that the train was derailed
and subsequently burned by the insur'
gents and that the escort of the mill
tary were rescued just in time to save
them from being exterminated by the
enemy. As it was six soldiers of the
escort are admitted to have been killed
and twenty one soldiers were brought
here wounded. The lieutenant is ex
pected to die.
Later details confirmed the statement
that it was derailed by the insurgents
who dynamited it, and afterwards de-
stroyed the cars completely.
The defense made by the escort is
said to have lasted practically three
days, although it is claimed the firing
continued all that time.
The insurgents who attacked the
military train were in strong force,
and it developed later today they also
tried to dynamite the relief train, but
without effect. Colonel Aronaja re-
ports that in retiring with the rescued
escort of the train, he was attacked by
Antonio Maceo and force of {, 900 in
surgents. Artillery fire, however, was
opened upon the enemy and the latter
retreated. The Spaniards claim the
insurgents did not burn the military
train until after the relieving column
of troops had retired.
Russia's Pacific Port.