Omaha daily bee., 1896-08-20
TRAIN LOST And IS FOUND
General Weyler Rejoioes at the Return Of
His Military Escort,
CAUGHT IN A TRAP BY THE INSURGENTS
Rails Removed before and behind
the Cnrs-Three Hours Heavy
: Firing from Ambush-Six
Soldiers Killed.

HAVANA, Aug. 1s.-The mystery OF the
missing military passenger train has been
solved and it furnishes another instance Of
the audacity Of the insurgents and of the
troubled state of affairs existing in the prov
ince of Pinar del Rio.
On Sunday last a train having on board
number of civilian passengers and strong
escort of troops. consisting of regular cars
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 notified. Appar-
emily, however the latter were very slow in
taking action in the matter In any case,
throughout Monday the military authorities
professed absolute ignorance about the dis
appearance of the train. although it was
understood that inquiries of some descrip-
tion had been sent along the line. but with
out any definite result. This failure to OBJ
tain direct information caused the railroad
people to renew their representations to
military headquarters and eventually on
Tuesday several exploring parties were sent
out to search for the train. Two of those
parties, consisting of cavalry scouts re-
ported having heard heavy firing yesterday
between Bacunagua and Taco. The latter
town is about one-third OF the distance be-
tween Consolation del Sur and Havana and
not FAR from the important town of San
Cristobal. Consolation del Sur is only a
short distance from Pinar del Rio capital
OF the province of that name
Later the scouts reported that the engine
and passenger coach. together with the mil
ttary cars, had been derailed between Ra-
cunagua and Taco and it appeared that Sc
we're fighting had taken place between the
escort of the train and the insurgents who
attacked them. This stirred up the military
authorities and they sent relief trains loaded
with troops toward the scene of the engage
ment These forces, consisting of the Ara
piles and Basbestro battalons under the
command Of Colonel Arizona have just re-
turned with the story of the delay in the
arrival OF the military passenger train from
Consolation.
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
The troops brought with them passengers
VINO are over forty-eight hours late and the
survivors and wounded of the military escort
OF the train. The latter. it appears, were
running between Bacunagua and Taco when
near the point known as Kiometre 1l3 the
train was compelled to slow up on account
OF an obstruction across the line and as II
did so a smart rife fire was opened upon
The train from both sides of the road while
party of insurgents was seen to dash out
of concealment behind the train and place
heavy distractions across the road. Other
insurgents occupied themselves actively in
removing the rails behind the obstruction
thereby catching the military train in a
trap from which 1t could neither advance
nor retreat. The troops promptly returned
the fire of the insurgents, who kent well
under cover and whose bullets splintered
the cars and fattened themselves upon the
sides of the armored wagons. The firing
lasted three hours. according to the official
statement, at the end of which time the
Insurgents are said TO have been repulsed
1t is added that the military escort. upon
hA prtiy val nf thA oil of
military passenger train and returned to
this city with the Basbestro and Arapiles
battalions.
Unofficial versions of the afrray however
say that the train was derailed and subse-
quently burned by the insurgents and that
the escort of the military train was rescued
f-st In time to save them from being ex-
terminated by the enemy. As II was six
soldiers of the escort are admitted to have
been killed and one lieutenant and twenty
one soldiers were brought here wounded
The lieutenant is expected to die.
Later details confirm the statement that
the train was derailed by the insurgents WI o
dynamited 1t and afterwards destroyed the
ears completely. The defense made by the
'scort is said to have lasted practically
shree days although II is not claimed that
she firing continued all that time. The in
surgents who attacked the military train
were in strong force and 1t developed later
today that they also tried to dynamite the
relief train. but without effect Colonel
AROMA reports that in retiring with the
rescued escort of the train he was attacked
by Antonio Maceo and a force of 900 IN
surgents. Artillery fire, however, was opened
rnon the enemy and the latter retreated.
The insurgent loss is not known. The
Spaniards say that the insurgents did not
hurn the military train until after the re
lieving column OF troops had retired
EACH WAITS FOR THE OTHER.
The general situation in Cuba is about
the same as II has been for months pas.
Each side seems confident of firing the
other out and little or no progress is being
made by either the insurgents or the gov
ernment forces The threats of Captain
General Weyler to take the field in person
against Antonio MaceO have turned out 10
be nothing more than a rumor Maceo prac-
tically holds Pinar del Rio while Maxine
Conner appears TO be doing as he pleases In
t"e eastern part of the island.
AdYices from San Jose de Los Ramos
province OF MatanZas, say that a guerrilla
force. commanded by a lieutenant which
left the Guerrero plantation where the men
had been stationed in order TO protect the
laborers at work. without permission have
been surprised by the insurgents, but the
latter We're beaten off with a loss of one
oGcer and two men killed and fifteen men
wounded
The statement published in the United
States that Pelo Garcia has captured the
city of Holguin, province of Santiago dc
Cuba, is pronounced by the authorities here
TO be utterly false and they also deny that
there is any truth in the statement that
the Otesa's flibusterlng expedition has
landed in Cuba