San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-09-22
SPANISH BUTCHERY.
WORSE THAN THE UNOIVILIzED
RED MAN WAS.
Helpless Families Gut Down and Chill
dren Locked Up In Burn
ing Buildings.

New York, Sept. ga special to the
Herald from Havana, Cuba, says:
Late reports give official details of
serious engagements in Havana pro-
vince Sunday, on the large estate near
Calabazar, of a small government col
umn, composed of Havana volunteers,
members of the regular engineer corps,
and cavalrymen of the line. 1t is al
legged they were attacked by five hun
bred insurgents, commanded by the
leaders Castillo and Delgado, who re-
peatedly attempted to surround and
overwhelm the royal forces, but the
Spanish remained on the defense, hold
ing their ground and repelling the sue
cessive rebel machete charges until
finally re-inforcements of volunteeres
arrived.
when this arrived, by brilliant
Spanish counter-charge,t the rebels were
ultimately routed and driven from the
field The enemy's loss is estimated
at one hundred killed and wounded.
In the retreat they abandoned their
dead The government losses were
twenty-nine volunteers killed and three
wounded, and two regular cavalrymen
wounded. 1t is reported that both
Castillo and Delgado were wounded in
the engagement, the former seriously,
the latter only slightly.
IAN important decree, issued by the
Captain General today, places Havana
drug stores under military supervision
and prohibits medicines being sold to
retailers in the interior towns unless
authorized by special permits from
Spanish commanders.
well authenticated reports of bar
barous acts by the Spanish troops con-
tinue to reach here. Recently the Ha-
vana papers published an account of
an alleged battle near Chuco de Arce
in which after an hours desperate
fighting, the Spanish drove the rebels
off, killing nineteen and taking many
prisoners. The papers suggested that
the government should reward Col.
Aguelera, the Spanish commander, for
his bravery. The facts in regard to
the battle, according to Cuban sources,
are as follows:
ION SEPTEMBER Is, ten rebels went
out to attack a guerilla band, but met
troops hidden in the high grass. The
rebels fired a volley, killing two officers
and wounding three soldiers. The
troops fired back, hitting nobody.
"Lieut-Col. Aguelera, who command
ed the troops, went then toward col
ony named Pablo Diaz. There he
found family of twenty-five persons,
women, men and children. He asked
if they had seen any rebels in the
neighborhood. On receiving a mega
tive answer he ordered, as alleged by
the Cuban, general slaughter, includ-
ing the children and women. OF that
colony nineteeu were butchered and
six made their escape. The men Of the
guerilla force boosted of what they
had done when they went back to We
ga, about two miles from the colony.
"Col. Aguelera on September start
ed with his troops and guerilla band
from Nueva Paz. toward the estate Of
Cuervo Near a place called Cuzzo,
he saw a house, went to it and found
only three children in it. He asked
where the parents were. They an
swered they had gone after SEINE fuel
to prepare their breakfast. The Col.
ordered the three children, Cten to
fourteen years OluD, 10 De loCheu up III
the house, and after this was done he
ordered the guerilla's to set fire to the
building. The guerilla's, Mortified,
disobeyed at first, but under the threats
of Arguelera, they complied and the
house burned with the children in it,
On their reutrn to Nueva Paz, the
guerilla's told the people what had
been done.
This information is from a Spanish
source.