The herald., 1896-12-13
A PROPOSITION FOR PEACE
Was fhe Prize With Which the Trap
Was Baited
The Insurgent Leader Assassinated Uuder Z
Flag Of Truce
Spanish Stupidity Leads to the Hope
That the Death of Maceo Will
End the War--Iusurgent Re-
solve Increases.
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Dec. 1.-THE
Citizen tomorrow will contain the fol-
lowing relative to the death of Antonio
Maceo:
Justo Carrillo, a wellknown Cuban
Of this city. brother of the Cuban gem
eral. Carrillo. has received the following
letter from a trustworthy correspond
ent in Havana concerning the reports
of the death of Antonio Maceo and
showing that he was killed by treachery:
HAVANA, Dec. 9.-Dear Friend Justc
Our brave general, Antonio Maceo.
and the greater part of his staff have
been murdered by the Spaniards. The
Spanish Major Cirujeda acted the part
of assassin. with Dr. Maxine Zertucha
as an assistant in the horrid drama.
Convinced that notwithstanding his
enormous army he could do nothing
against our gallant leader, who had SO
repeatedly defeated the Spanish gener-
els in Pinar del Rio, Weyler conceived
the idea of appeasing his beastly in
stincts by cold-blooded murder, and.
making the best of the secret relations
between DR.. Zertucha and the Marquis
of Ahumada. he planned with the latter
his hellish scheme.
Weyler took the field and in his alb
sence Ahumada proposed through Zer-
tucha a conference with Maceo, to take
place at certain pOrvince of Havana,
with the view of arranging plans for the
cessation of hosttities. The basis was
to be Cuba's independence and mon
tary indemnity to Spain, together with
certain advantages that should be
agreed upon for Spanish commerce and
Spanish capital invested there.
To carry out the plan, the agreement
was that orders should be given to the
detachments of troops stationed on the
trocha on the section between Mariel
and Guanajayo to allow Maceo with
his staff to pass the military line unmo-
Tested. Time was required to mature
these arrangements, and to give them all
the appearance of truth Ahumada feign-
ed that before acting he must make them
known to Weyler for previous appro-
val
This explains the sudden arrival in
Havana and his prompt departure for
Pinar del Rio.
The conditions and place of meeting
having been agreed upon Maceo crossed
the trocha over the road to Guanajayo,
without being molested by the forts, but
as soon as he arrived at the place de-
cided upon he and his party were greet
ed by tremendous volley from the
troops under Major Cirujeda, who lay
conveniently in ambush. Most of the
officers on his staff fell with Gen. Ma
GEO. Zertucha is alive because he was
aware of the scheme and remained in
the rear.
The Spaniards know where the bodies
are, but are bent on feigning ignorance
to blot out the vestiges of the crime.
Havana and all Spain are rejoicing be-
cause, in their stupidity, they hope the
war may end with the death of thin
leader
Far from it. The spirit of the Cubano
has grown more ardent and today they
are resolved to make every sacrifice be.
fore surrendering their arms to their 70.
entless tyrants. In this very province
of Havana, in which our army is least
and has the least means of defense, the
Cubans are operating with greater ana
greater activity, and not a day passes
that we do not hear in this city the firtn9
on Guanabacoa.
The Spaniards may treacherously
murder some of our patriots, but no
earthly power can annihilate the spirit
of liberty flowing, now as ever over the
Cuban people.
Joaquin Forum pointed yesterday to
the following facts, which in his opin-
ion corroborated the statements in the
foregoing letter and indicated that Ma
Geo is really dead:
First-La Lucha published an article
last Saturday in which it was stated
that the previous day Major Cirujeda
had had an engagement with an insur.
gent force and had killed thirty-tw0
Cubans, not named, at precisely the
place in which General Maceo was mur-
dered.
Second-The first dispatch sent from
Havana reporting Maceo's death. which
was received on Thursday. stated that
Major Cirujeda had previous knowledge
of the horse that Gen. Maceo was to
ride.
How did he acquire that knowledge?
Third-Weyler publicly attributes tho
glory of the event to the Marquis Of
Ahumada, who has not been away from
Havana Why should not the glory