The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-02-04
They Push Through the Spanish Line
Leaving Dead SpaRiards in their Wake.
OFFICIAL REPORTS ARE MISLEADING.
And should Ec Rcnd Between the
r.incs-En 0ne Wear OF War Thcy
Report No Cuban yfctory-The s.u-
Iicrous Hc;,orts sucu 10 Foreign
Corresponding,

Gomez has crossed the strategic line be-
tween Havana and Batanabo twice
within Il week. He had no serious difn-
Guilty, although the wall OF men Is the
strongest ono ever thrown across the
drawn from all parts of the island TO
make 1t invulnerable. and several thous-
and volunteers have bccn added to the
force of regulars at the line. over 1900
cavalry have recently been formed 10y
mounting infantrymcn, and several
batteries of artillery are stationed on
the line. With all these Preparations
and barricades of wood and stones and
the forming of carthWorigs and The
transforming of abroad stations,
churches and dwellings into forts the
riders of Gomez push through the line
leaving Il number Of dead ana woundcG
Spaniards to mark their passage,
Each time the line is crossed The au
thorities at the Palace. who sifi all news
that is published here on cabled direct.
carefully eliminate all reference 10 TN"
crossing, ana state i'm official reports
that Gomez was driven away After
the rebels chief hal Eone west over
the line an official report Of an encounter
with him near GuanaiaY revealed Ills
whereabouts. He was officially rcp5r;
ed TO be in l'inar del Rio Thursday, but
was giving General Cannella 4 serious
time on the lin" south Of iieJucat II
is two days since that fight and no Of'i-
cial report OF the encounter has been
given out. II is pretty wei understood
that General Caucla and $50 men would
have been wiped out by Gomez ana ms
1000 men had not rcinCnrconlcnts, under
Col. Galvis. arrived. There is some OK
cuse for the delay in preparing a re
port that will make n Spanish victory
out OF desperate defensive encounter
~, i,,,y AN hpr
Al of the reports of the Spanish Gov
crnlncnt should lie read between tine
lines. In the war which has been going
on for nearly year not one cuban
vici1ry has been reported. Not one
fight has occurred in which the losses
have been correctly stated. Not one re-
port of an enhancement has been made
which compared with the State
ment that the Spaniards occupied their
enemies positions. dispersed them, and
were still pursuing them Hardly a
day passes without a Spanish report OF
a battle in wnioh forty or more Span
iards defeated four or five times their
number of Insurgents. occupied their
positions. captured their horses. camps,
utensils, old hats, alarm clocks, or n
pair of susprndcrs The whole world
knows that the Cubans starting their
rebellion With Il handful II men in the
mountains In the interior have eXtcnded
it over the entire island and with l20.
900 regulars sent over from Spain and
$4,000 volunteers recruited on the island
the Government has been powcrlcss TO
check the spread or the revolution.
The hospitals are fun nf wounded sol
dicrs. thousands have died on the field.
Yet the Spanish losses in the official
reports amount to nothing. Twice each
day the Government issues official
bulletins 10 the local papers and to
the foreign correspondents. The press
censor hands them out All news pub
liSh here or cablCd abroad must conform
to these reports. Similar reports are
cahled to the Spanish Minister at Wash
inGton, london and Paris.
MARITIME Campos said that these re-
ports We're ludicvous. Every press cen
sor who has held the post has said they
are absurd. No intelligent American
has any faith in them: but. forsooth
the correspondents are compelled t.
send these misleading statements or
give up the uSe OF the cables
General Marin is row Mt Ouivican
eighteen miles south OF Havana He
missed his great opportunity of pen
nlnE both Gomez and Mace in Finar del
Rlo province by starting one tay late
Now he has MaCco on one side cf the
line and Gomez on he other and will
fry 10 prevent their meeting.
While practically all the Spanish forces
which can be spared from guarding the
ClllcS are tpHCcUl1It tea about the S.rltp-
Gc line in an effort to maintain its i'm.
preGnabilty the various bands of in
surgents roam NJ VIII in All the PRO
Vinccs Of Cuba. In Santiago there are
frequent encounters ana all grinding of
cane has been stopped. The same IA
true of Santa Clara and Puerto Prin-
c!pe. In MatanHas the whole interior
of the province is alive with rebels
lacrct has united a dozen small bands
and has nearly 1000 men under him
They have had daily encounters with
Spanish troops continue gaining in
strength.
In Iinar del Rio Maceo is returning
to the Havana border after IL triumphal
campaign. and has turned away thous-
ands who wished to join his army. The
Spanish troops in the province have sue
cecded in holding the Capital city ana
Coima its port, but every other town
has been entered and occupied by Ma
Geo. In Havana Province Spain has
over 10000 troops and holds one railroad
nne-the one now converted into the
"Trocha," due south from this city.
Every town OF it is occupied by strong
force, and every train has several car
loads of troops. The Western railroad
is practically abandoned beyond Sa-
Ind u,1tt tnt, t,