The Irish standard., 1896-03-07
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The Spainards Have Begun Thei
s :s.5:s Bloody Business In Cuba.
March 81 81. special to the
kaIait and Express, from Havana says:
rGaptafna General Weyler' bloody work
IS begun n Is statement Mat he has mt
feSefted+tp severe measures lis no longer
borne TIT by facts. * reckless massacre
|. OF inofEelsiNe people has occurred at Qua
| terror. =: people are fleeing from their
homes in panic, and III momentary dread
of murder They are leaving the furniture
|alndis tuTbed, their houses uncared for, and
esven- their~ clot hing, saad are taking sick
beEs of their families out Of their beds
safsd shurrYing them away. EVerysfmag GIN
able. kind of Yehicle5is being utilized, and
where no vehicles are to be had women
Ana &C hildren are tramping on foot for
miles over the country roads to get away
f7.gm the Spanish marauders, and to reach
Havana-ff, possible
execution, that they fear the Spaniards
and not the insurgents, and declare that
the -lnhunan and brutal conduct of Wey-
lers men is simply impossible to the Gu
pan patriots. Their reason for seeking
Havana, is that in this capital, notwith-
cent persons, the horrible excesses OF the
laWless Spanish troops are not likely to
find parallel. 1t i the only place of COM
parative safety that most of them can get
to.
The terrible condition of things is due to
the wholesale massacre of peaceful citl-
zens which occurred last Saturday in the
town of Guatao. 1t followed Immediately
upon the retreat of a small body of rebels,
certainly not over 40. who had met con-
CT <JHr ~ Sch, or INT q
and had retired after some firing, which,
both sides admit, had no serious results.
The insurgents withdrew along the road
to Guatao, only mile away, but sepa--
rated before they reached that place and
disappeared!ir1 the surrounding, country
The Spaniards, however, following on
along the road, ~ marched straight into Qua
tao, and, without waiting to. find any arm
cd men,-imrnediately began firing promis-
cuously, shooting down unarmed. and
peaceful citizens in all directions. Ihen
they proceeded to massacre the few inhab-
itants' without mercy. A milkn1an,: who
was shot at while pursuing his vocation
and fed into his house, was followed and
ruthlessly shot down within doors The
town is very small of only some two-score
houses Of inferior quality, and was easily
ruin through by the; murderous Spaniards.
The people started for the woods in terror,
knowing if they met any insurgents they
would be we'll ted, and trusting to
conceal themselves; but men running away
were shot in the street. Several men who
could not run were killed where they
stood. - 80"
! ~xrhe troops entered the houses and shot
quiet men who were doing nothing. They
4raided bedrooms, and a man confined to
~his.bed by eryspelas was killed as he lay
there In one case woman came to the
door of her house and pleaded with the
soldiers for the life Of her husband, who
lay i'll in bed. Their response was the
crash of the butt Of a musket in the wo-
mans head. They then broke down
door and shot the husband in bed.
The previous fight had resulted in the
capture of five Cubans by the Spaniards.
These Ave were shot dead in the fields.
These, with thirteen dead found by Red
Cross physicians who went Guatao, make
eighteen altogether. There were no wound
ed all who did not escape to the woods
being made sure Of.
Of three cigar makers of Havana named
ChaVes,- Nho-rat1 down to Guatao that at
ternoonr tQ.see their grandmother, one was
killed and the others made prisoners. Ev-,
cry one Of the dead in Guatao is recognize
ed as a peaceful non-combatant
1t is credibly asserted that when the
troops went back to Mariana, whence re-
endorsements had been sent, bringing their
prisoners with them, the soldiers were
drunk. Examination Of the houses in Qua
tao proves that the assertion of the au-
thorities that the insurgent troops took
refuge in them and fired on the Spaniards
is untrue.
These terrible scenes took place no far
Their from Havana than from the Battery
to Harlem, and the ignorance which Gen.
Weyler processes. Of the actual facts is
manifestly not to be believed.
Troops brought the bodies of the dead
from the house and fields and placed them
on the ground in front of the main store.
The prisoners who were captured in the
houses and fields without arms We're PIN
toned and compelled to walk to Maricno.
They were bruised and illtreated on the
way, and required medical attendance on
their arrival.
Among the dead was the grave digger,
making it necessary to obtain negro to
dig the graves.
Edward Sanchez, keeper Of a dry goods
store at Mariono and member of volun-
teers, openly boasts he went into bed
room at Guatao and shot man under the
bed. = = -, =, =
The facts. above related are verified by
persons who went to Punta Brara and
Guatao.
The towns of Guatao and Punta Brara
are now deserted. The residents fed to
Havana in fear of their lives. OF lilo
people in the latter town only fourteen re-
main The action of the troops so close to
Havana has created an intense sensation
here.
The only official notice taken by the gov
eminent is a telegram of congratulation
sent Marquis De Cervera, Alcalde of Mari
ono, Sunday. This was in response to his
message to Weyler. in which he said:
:'1They have done today what your excel
1ency SO gloriously did at Jaina, santo
Domingo. thirty years ago."