The Van Buren press., 1896-12-19
MACEO KILLED.
A Record of Treaehery and Foul As
sassinatiOn.-A Murder Pure
and Simple.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Dec. 2.-The
Citizen tomorrow will contain the fol-
lowing from Key West relative to the
death of Antonio Maeeo
Justo Carrillo, a we'll known Cuban
of this city, brother of the Cuban
General Carrillo, has received the fol-
| lowing letter from a Trustworthy CORE
spondent in Havana, confirming the
reports of the death of Antonio Maceo,
and showing that he was killed by
treachery:
HAVANA, Dec. 8, 1896 Dear
Friend Justo: Our brave General
Antonio Maceo and the greater part of
his staff have been murdered by the
Spaniards. the Spanish Major Cirujeda
acting the part of the assassin, with
DR.. Maxine Zertucha as an assistant
in the horrible drama:
Convinced that, notwithstanding
his enormous army, he could do nothing
against our gallant leader. who had SO
repeatedly defeated the Spanish generals
in Pinar del Rio, Weyler conceived the
idea of appeasing his beastly instincts
by cold blooded murder, and, making
| the best of the relations between DR..
Zertucha and the Marquis of Ahumada
| he planned with the latter his hellish
| scheme.
ITO carry out the plan the agreement
was that orders should be given to the
detaehments of troops stationed on the
| trocha in the section between Mariel
and Guanajaya to allow Maceo, with
| his staff, to pass the military line I'M
molested
Time was required to mature these
arrangements, and, to give them all the
appearance of truth, Ahumada feigned
that before acting he must make them
known to Weyler for his approval.
This explains the sudden arrival of
Weyler in Havana and his prompt re-
turn to Pinar del Rio.
The conditions and place of meeting
having been agreed on, Maceo crossed
the trocha over the road to Guanajaya
without being molested by the forts,
but as soon as he arrived at the place
decided upon, he and his party We're
greeted by tremendous volley from
the troops under Major Cirujeda, who
lay conveniently in ambush Most of
the officers on his staff fell with General
Maceo. 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
because, in their stupidity, they hope
that the war may end with the death of
| this leader.
Par from it. The spirit of the
| III. IAr1f nd
today they are resolved to make every
sacrifice before surrendering their arms
to their relentless tyrants. In this very
| Province of Havana, in which our army
is least numerous and has the least
means of defense, the Cubans are
operating with greater and greater
activity, and not day passes that we
do not hear in this city the firing on
| Guanabacoa.
The Spaniards may treacherously
murder some of our patriots, but no
earthly power can annihilate the spirit
of liberty, floating now, as ever, over
the Cuban people.
Joaquin Forum pointed ont yesterday
the following facts, which are, in his
opinion, corroborated by the statements
in the foregoing letter, and indicate that
MaceO really Is dead:
'First-La Lucha published an
article last Saturday in which it was
stated that on the previous day Major
Cirujeda had had an engagement with
an insurgent force and had killed 80
Cubans, not named, at precisely the
place in which General Maceo was
murdered.
"Second-The first dispatch sent from
Havana reporting Maceo S death, which
was received Tuesday, stated that
Major Cirujeda had previous knowledge
of the horse that General Maceo was to
ride. How did he acquire that
knowledgel
'Third-Weyler publicly attributes
the glory of the event to the Marquis of
| Ahumada, who has not been away from
Havana. Why should not the glory be
given exclusively to Major Cirujedo,
who had the good fortune, if the
encounter was an accident, to come
unexpectedly on Maceo's party.
'Fourth-From the first, even before
convincing proofs had been offered,
such assurance was expressed at the
palace as indicated a preconcerted plan.
Fifth Zertucha's previous con
duct, it now appears, is not altogether
| free from blemish.
"Sixth-A manifest contradiction
appears between what is said by the
authorities in Havana and what the
| Spanish minister of foreign affairs
announces in his contrmatory telegram
to Minister DeLome at Washington.
The Havana authorities distinctly say
that they have been unable to secure
| the body of Maceo, while the telegram
| from Madrid states that the body has
been identified This version was
! transmitted to Madrid to give the home
government full assurance of the fact,
while it was later thought fit to conceal
the truth from the press in Havana in
order to conceal the dAstardly crime.
MACEo's SUCCESSOR.
New YORK. Dec. II -Brigadier
Juan Rims Rivera. who will PROBABLY
s,,,..ea5 Antonio MacpOaS a commander