The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-11-20
CUBAN REFTCEES STORY
How a. Patriot Editor Escaped
Genc1al Weyler's Clutches.
THE CAPTAIN GENERALS POWERS.

His Edicts, which Have Cost the Lives of
Many Innocent Persons, Are Published
Only in the Omcial Gazette, which Cir
oulates Only Among Spanish OmciaIs.
NEW YoRr, Nov 2O-Mnnucl NJ. Coro-
nado. the editor of the Cuban patriot news
paper La Discussion, published in Havana,
who escaped from that city in the last
days of October, after General Weyler had
ordered his arrest, reached New York yes
terday and went to the home of his
brother, Francisco Coronado. He brought
with him important news for the junta in
this city, and early in the afternoon Wis
tied the headquarters. OF his escape he
said:
when learned by private tip that
General Weyler had ordered my arrest l
made immediate preparations for escape.
The order was not a surprise ! had Sc
cured as disguise the costume of an or
dinary sailor. When my house was sur
rounded by troops hastily shaved off my
heavy mustache, and donning my dis
guise, which also included heavy false
black goatee, 1 slipped into the house
adjoining mine and made my escape to
the street. as 1 thought, unobserved. 1t
was 2 o'clock in the afternoon l jumped
into carriage, but the alarm was given
and the police pursued me in another.
"Then 1 worked an old game, l told
my driver to keep ahead, and watching
my opportunity l jumped from the NOV
ing carriage, and walking back on the
pavement mingled with the crowd and
made my escape to the country. A few
days afterward, 1 prefer not to give dates,
/ shipped aboard a sailing vessel as Il COM
mon sailor The captain, however knew
me. We reached New Orleans after an
uneventful trip, and l came on to New
York by rail"
In reply to a question as to the general
feeling of people living in Cuba he said
through an Interpreters
To-day we might say that Spain holds
Cuba by sheer fc.ce of arms. The whole
country, Spanish and Cuban alike, desire
peace even at almost any sacrifice, and al
though it may seem strange, the Spanish
elementis quite as pronounced in this feel
ing as the Cuban, and wish peace and the
independence of Cuba. 1t is thought that
Cuba again under Spanish control would
be unable to pay the enormous war debts
already incurred or to stand the tremen-
dous taxation which would inevitably be
imposed by Spain upon Cuba, and that
another uprising would under those con-
ditions follow Spain would have to eX-
pend great sums of money to keep Cuba
in submission. The war debt now is esti-
mated at $500, ,0O0,0OO and is accommodating
nt the rate of Sl2, 100000 a month.
"lf Cuba gains her Independence in this
struggle as hope and maintain that she
will, she will start afresh with wonderful
possibilities before her. Spain will soon
be forced by lack of funds to withdraw
her troops The opinion l express is not
of transient Cuban residents but of mer-
chants and land owners, Spanish as well
as Cuban. The Spaniards express their
opinions in private only, as public express
sion of it would insure their execution Hs
rebels.
''Weyler does as he pleases. His latest
edict is that all persons, men, women ana
children, who are found outside of the
| Spanish lines shall be considered rebels
and shot as such. This edict was pub
| lished only in The Official Gazette in Ha-
vana which circulates among Spanish
officers and officials only. There was no
way in which those outside of these circles
could learn of the edict There is no rail
road to Pinar del Rio from Havana, and
it is in this province that the edict has cost
the greatest loss of life, People taken
under this edict are marched outside the
gates of the city and shot down by the
soldiers The reports of prisoners captured
by Weyler are only the capture of these
poor devils.
"The former practice of the Spanish au-
thorities Of shooting prisoners in Moro
Castle and throwing the bodies into the
water beneath as food for sharks has been
stopped, because not long ago several
bodies drlfted into the bay of Havana.
The authorities explained to inquiring
citizens that the men had probably been
drowned. Bullet holes in the head, how
ever, disproved this.
''The people would welcome anything
to hasten the end, Not only on account
of the loss of property and life, but on nc
count of the mnssncrnsN "