The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-01-09
VICTORIOUS CUBANS

GEN. CAMPOs' SOLDIERS ARE ON.
THE RETREAT. 5
Latest Reports From Cuba Indicate
That the Insurgents Are March,
ing Toward Havana and That
They Are Driving the Spanish
Forces Back - Terrible Damage
Done by Cubans.
Havana, Jan. 4 An engagement be-
tween the Spanish troops and insur-
gents has taken place at Ell Estante,
south of Alfonso NIL, and not far
from the frontier Of the province of
Havana. The official announcement
says that the troops captured the in
surgent positions, but the loss to the
enemy is not known. 1t is admitted
that two Spanish officers and four sol
diers We're killed and nineteen were
wounded.
e The insurgents, following their usual
tactics, did not accept decisive en-
gagement, but after the skirmish pro-
ceeded westward, devastating the
country as they marched onward. The
authorities here, in announcing this
3skirmish, added the significant state
ment that the troops were moved
closer to the province of Havana"
which would seem to indicate that the
Spanish forces are once more in re-
treat.
Later in the day it was announced
here that further lighting between the
Spaniards and the Cubans is taking
place in the vicinity of Ell Stante,
which, with the announced movement
of the Spanish troops ''closer to the
frontier Of Havana" leads people here
to believe that the insurgents have
been s:
In Pursuit Of the Spanish
in that vicinity. The latter are COM
manded by Col Galvis, who was also
in command of the troops first en-.
gagged in tbe vicinity of Ell Estante,
which seems to be confirmation Of
the superstition that the Spaniards
were worsted and that the Cubans are
making for the frontier Of the province
of Havana, in spite Of all the state
ments to the contrary.
progress Of the insurg gent cavalry, Gen.
Campos has ordered the Spanish otti-
Gals in all the disturbed districts to
seize all the horses they can lay their
hands on, in order to prevent them
from falling into the hands Of the en-
envy. But it is believed that the Gu
bans are already as well mounted and
supplied with horses as they need be-,
and there are people who claim that
this. order might have been issued
with better advantage some months
sooner.
The damage being done by the Gu
bans is terrible They have burned the
best part of the town of Jaguey and
the cane fields Of Perla, Rosario and
Australia in that district, and in the
NaXerrete district the plantations of
Vinas, Mendez, Garay, Eccalant and
Hasa have been destroyed by> the red
torches of the SpaniarG's enemies.
In addition the Cuban forces have
burned many houses in the Cardenas
district of the province Of Matanzas
and have set fire to and destroyed
many cane fields in the Onion de
Reyes, Ruena Vista, Jaguey and the
'Grande Macurijes districts.
Havana Is Threatened
The news that the insurgents are
still on the borders of the province of
Havana has increased the feeling Of
nervousness, which Las prevailed here
from the time they entered the prov
lnce Of Matanzas, and no explanations
which the authorities can furnish APP
pear able to dispel the popular impress
sion that there is no real check Of the
insurgent adavnce, and that all the
effort of the Spanish troops to drive
them out of Matanzas have proved
more than fruitless.
AS already cabled, every man who
could be spared from the regular vol
unteer forces has been sent to the
front, but this does not seem to have
changed the situation, and the military
authorities continue working night
and day in their efforts to place Ha-
vana in the best possible position to
| resist siege. But the sentiment of
the population here, as already noted,
is gradually. undergoing a change in
favor Of the insurgents cause, and no
body would be astonished to find that
it has taken a more decided form than
passive sympathy. The police are
carefully watching the quarters in
habited by people supposed to be in
sympathy with the insurgents; but
this has not prevented numbers Of
young men from escaping from the
city and making their way to the in
surgent camps.
In addition to the trouble threatened
from the direction of the province OF
Matanzas, it is feared there will be
more trouble from the direction Of the
province of Pinar del Rio, on the other
side of Havana. Although all news or
this subject is carefully guarded, it is
known the insurgents in that part Of
the country are rapidly increasing in
numbers and daring, land nobody would
be astonished to hear that an insur-
gent force will adavnce upon Havana
from Pinar del Rio as soon as the
main body Of the insurgents, under
Gomez and Mace, is near enough to
Havana to warrant such movement.
Havana, Jan. 6.-The authorities con-
fess the grave condition of affairs by
proclaiming martial law Tor the prov
inces of Havana and Pinar del Rio.
Maxine Gomez has declared his in
tentiQn to penetrate into the province