The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-02-13
MARIN RETURNS TO HAVANA.
THE GENERAL is EVIDENTLY
SORE AT HIS INABILITY TO
WIPE OUT THE CUBANS.
RUNNING IS THEIR Strong POINT.
Says the Temporary Captain General
Insurgents Enter Village Only
10 Miles From Havana and
Burned the Records.

New York, Feb. 10.-A dispatch to the
World from Havana says:
Gen. Zalas Marin, the acting captain
general of Cuba, has returned to Havana.
In an interview with your correspondent
he said:
"My campaign has been nothing but a
continuation of the lines which had been
laid down before went out. had some
encounters with both Maceo and Gomez,
but can throw no more light upon them
or their whereabouts than has been al
ready given in the published reports"
What do you think of the insurgents
military organization"
II have not altered my estimation of
Them" he said. 1.-THE insurgents can
never be recognized as a military organi-
cation, because the first consideration of
an organized army is its honor. The in
surgents think it no dishonor to fly from
the enemy and avoid an encounter. A
regular military body would consider it
dlshonorable to attack defenseless
group of soldiers, but the insurgents
think nothing of capturing men who are
simply acting as carriers They do not
hesitate to force defenseless citizens TO
accompany them, which, of course. re-
suits simply in their being used as tar
gets for the Spanish army.
1t is said the Spanish infantry in the
field is being rapidly changed from in
iantry into cavalry. No infantry has
been changed into cavalry. The regu-
lar cavalry bodies already here have been
mounted as fast as horses could be pro-
cured for the men.
IF the Spanish had had more cavalry
the insurgents would have adopted other
nF rife FThn;,
deviate from all lines of regular civilized
warfare. In other words, war with
them is mere anarchy. If we had had
plenty of Spanish cavalry they would
have resorted to ambush surprises and
other like tricks They would have wait
ed Tor the cavalry to come up and then
destroyed them. Whenever we have an
encounter there never is any doubt of the
Spanish defeating the insurgents, even
II the odds are four to one in the latter's
FAVOR. The insurgents run away. That
IS there strength. There was an illus
tration of this day before yesterday in
the encounter we had with them near
San Cristobal, where 600 of our men
were attacked by 1000 or 5000 Insurgents
and yet our men defeated them
How long is the revolution likely to
last"
Il can hardly say, but l believe the in
surgents will be wiped out, inasmuch as
4 vigorous. policy has beer inaugurated.
Not a policy. of cruelty-T don't mean
thatmbut a rigid military policy"
=, IVY hat is your opinion of the value of
the trocha along the railroad line from
here to the south coast?"
Il never placed much reliance on the
trocha as a means of preventing the in
ssurgents crossing in either direction. l
have, regarded it only as an observatory
OF the movements of the insurgents.
rapid concentration of troops at any
point of 1t. OF course it is useful as an
inconvenience to the passage of the in
surgents. Their crossing is always at
tended with more or less loss"
DO you think the revolution is losing
or gaining strength?'
1T is losing; we are conquering little
by little. The great defect of the in
surgents has been shown by their at
lacks upon our weakest places. That
betrays their Weakness