Evening star., 1896-01-04
LATE NEWS BY WIRE
CONSERVATION Prevailing in the City
of Havana
INDICATORS THAT fHE END is NEAR
Insurgent Cavalry Scouts Seen
from the Suburbs.
THREE BODIES APPROACHING

HAVANA, January 4-Un1ess all indica-
tions are misleading, the end of the Cuban
insure, tion is at hand, and the result, it
would seem, must be in favor of the in
surgents, wnose armies, under Maximo
Gomez, Antonio Maceo and Quintin Ban
dera. ere nearing this city from three diff
ferent direction s.
The above facts. so frequently denied in
official circles during the past two weeks,
are now generally admitted even in Off
clal circles, although all sorts of lame ex-
plantations of the triumphant advance of
the Cubans are put forth in the hope of
calming public excitement
But no amount of explanation will alter
tne fact that the insurgent cavalry scouts
are Delleved to have been sighted from here
TINS morning As these advance bodies of
the Cubans were at Tapaste. eighteen miles
from Guanabaco, practically a suburb of
this city. last night, it is by no means i'm
probable that the report that the Cuban
scouts have been sighted from the lines de-
Tending Havana is correct
IL II Is no longer a cry of ''On to Havana"
from the Cubans. They are slowly but
surely surrounding this capital, after a
triumphant march from the eastern end
OF OF Cuba; in spite of the best troops of
Spain Step by step Gen. Campos has
been driven back until here preparations
are being completed on both sides for the
hral and decisive struggle.
Gen. Dandera's Advance.
Gen. Bandera and his column camped last
hisht at San Jose De Las Lajas, short
distance from Tapaste, and his forces are
now said to be moving on Guanabaco or its
vicinity. in order to take I'D the position
assigned to them for the siege of Havana
another report has it that Bandera will
Try 70 pass by Mount Bejuical to Rincon
ana from there to Santiago de Las Vegas
10 cut the railroads leading into Havana:
but, in any case. it is admitted that he
VIII push onward toward this city, and his
SSalnPnres may tonight be visible from the
spanish outpoStS around this city
In fact, it is claimed that Bandera will
camp this evening at the Vento farm. with
In rifle shot of the outposts OF the Span
iards. Ne'
Gomez mt Duran.
The main body of the second ~insurgent
column under Gen. Gomez was reported
this morning to be at Duran, moving in the
direction of Guira Melna at the bend of the
railroad leading from the province of Pinar
del Rio into Havana Other portions Of
Gomezs column. by far the strongest of
the three, and now said to number 5000
men, were sighted today at Guiyican and
san Felipe, only slightly to the eastward
anu northward of Guira Melena
Where Maceo Is.
The third insurgent column, under Cen
erai Maceo,< was announced this morning
10 nave passed Ceiba Mocha, with Gomez,
Wnen last heard from, and should now be
IN the vicinity of San Antonio Venas. or
between there and Nazareno
All three columns have been continuing
the work of destruction, burning cane fields
and piundering the houses of the weather.
class, as they pushed onward. The Provi-
uence' Nombre De Diaz. Julia La Gia, Mer-
cedlta and other plantations in the Guines
dlstrict, through which the insurgents
nave just passed, have been completely
wiped out by fire.
CONSERVATION Prevails.
Here the utmost CONSERVATION prevails
In government circles. There is no denyins
that Havana is now to all intents and pur-
poses invested by the insurgents. Their
columns are pressing unchecked around
this city, and the military authorities seem
to have fallen into complete state of help
lessress.
Government officials are blaming the diff
ferent Spanish generals for the condition
OF anairs. utterly regardless of the fact
tnat Ii was Campos' plan of campaign the
wiz scattering of his forces all over the
Island, which Is mainly to blame for this
crisis, although other influences have had a
great share in the bitter humiliation of the
Spaniards.--H -
s,aneap dnneapacity has been supplemented by
dlers, in spite Of all denials, have deserted
IN considerable numbers, and in many in
stances shown sympathy with the insur-
gem cause. Stories are afloat here of a
wholesale republican propaganda at work
among the soldiers from Spain, and it is
claimed that it will yet bear astonishing
fruit.
Goodness of the Cubans
But the most astonishing feature of the
climax is the cool manner in which the in
sursents have pushed onward during the
past ten days. Right on the ground the in
surgents have just traversed are several
strong columns of Spanish troops said to
number in all about 1000 men, but who are
not fighting worth mentioning a skirrnish
here and there being all that is reported.
VI course great deal of this success is
due to the fact that the Cubans have the
sympathy and active support of nine out
Of ten persons they have encountered i'm
iheir march on Havana, while, On the other
hand, the Spaniards meet with little SYM
pathy from the natives of this island
thus the insurgents have been assisted in
every way possible in their endeavors to
keep clear Of the Spaniards, and the lat
ter nave been misled at every opportunity.
Gen. Echague, for instance, is in the
vicinity of Guines with a small army of
Spanish troops Yet the Insurgents have
passed right through his district, destroy
Ing everything in their path
Gen. Valdez is at Madruga, northward
and eastward of Guines, at the head of an
other little army of Spaniards, but the in
surgents passed, apparently unmolested,
right and left of Madruga and camped in
strong force not far from that place for
night.
Gen. Navarro, Of whom so much was ex-
pected. is apparently toying with time as
his picked troops from Spain smoke their
cigarettes at San Nicolas, Palos Aldecoa
and Nueva PaZ, in the heart of the terri
tory swept by the insurgents
The marine battalion, really fine lot If
men, are at Agdacate. hut the insurgents
have long go slipped by them.
Flocl<ing to Havana.
Well-to-do PEOPLE from the districts
around Havana are flocking into this CITY,
The price of provisions has already begun
to go UP alarmingly. In the streets the
hustle ard hustle of the military is visible
Every man or boy who can be placed un-
der arms has been called upon to shoulder
a rifle, and the warShps have landed every
man and every gun available for the de-
Tense Of the city. The authorities recog-
nize the fact that when the insurgent guns
are heard in the distance they may be the
signal for popular uprising here, which
will divert attention from the enemy and
enable the latter to make a dash into
Havana, which is expected to end the war
and enable Cuba to get her independence
Agents of the insurgents are known to
have slipped into Havana recently, and
from the sullen, exDectant attitude of the
,I~r,, rIo.o- t.