The record-union., 1896-04-25
Forcing Them to Take Refuge in the
Burning Cane Fields.
Public Executions of Prisoners of War
Again ReSumed-AIl Cuban Patri-
OTIS Who Fall Into the Hands of the
Troops Liable to be Shot at Once
and Counted With the Number
Killed in Battle.

HAVANA, April "a fFrom a staff
correspondent of the United Press).-
Official advices received here state that
Colonel Aldea, while in pursuit of par
ties of rebels, encountered several
bands of them on the Carmen estate
near Sabanilla, in the province Of Ma
tanZas. The insurgents were fleeing
from an attack which had been made
upon them by the Rey column The
troops charged upon the rebels upon all
sides, forcing them to take refuge in
the cane fields, which were Burning
fiercely, and many of them perisned in
the flames which they themselves had
started. The troops continued in pur-
suit of the fleeing rebels, killing many
of them. Twenty-three dead insur-
gents We're left behind, and it is be-
lieVed more than that number perished
in the cane fields.
Other than Government authorities
assert that the affair was similar to
many others which have occurred,
wherein unarmed men were killed. The
official report says the. troops had one
man killed and one wounded.
Colonel Francis reports that the rcb-
els fired upon the rear guard of his line
near Mariel, but retreated as soon as
the troops returned the fire. Captain
Medina LajaS, with a force of gCer-
rillas, together with the forces Of Wis
caya, dislodged the enemy from me
estate of E.strella near CienfuegOs, Of
which the Spanish took possession.
The rebels lost twelve killed and the
troops lost one wounded.
Julio Sanguilly, the American citi-
zen, who was acquitted yesterday of
the charge of kidnapping Spaniard
named De Castro, is still held in prison
here pending. the decision of the SUI
preme Court in Madrid upon his con-
viction and sentence last December 10
life imprisonment in the mines of ecu "a
Africa for the crime Of rebellion.
General Wey1er is satisfied tha. Moth
ing in the line of intervention or rec
ignition Of belligerency may be looked
FOR from Washington, at least for the
present, and the public executions Of
prisoners of war, which were SUspef J.
ed for g. time, have been resumed.
There is supposed to be "A general un-
derstanding among commanders of the
Spanish columns that no prisoners are
to be taken in engagements in the fit Id
All Cuban patriots who fall into the
hands of the troops through being
wounded or some other reason are la
BILE to be shot at once and counted
with the number killed in battle. Some
of the Spanish commanders act accor1-
ing to this understanding, but Tiers
decline to slay unarmed and wounded
men, and deliver their prisoners to
General Weyler in Havana.
Many of these so-called prisoners Of
war never carried a gun or engaged
in battle, but were taken from plan;a-
tions or small towns or hamlets in the
interior, where the Spaniards assume
that all men are rebels, and are not
far from being right. The prisoners
are brought to Havana bound and
strongly guarded to prevent rescue be-
fore reaching the city and mob vic, ance
afterward The lower class of SIan-
iards gather about each batch Of pris-
oners and clamor for their blood as
they pass through the streets to the
ferry to Cabanas Fortress or Moro
Castle.
The court-martial before which the
prisoners are tried is a perfunctory af-
fair, composed of five military men, who
order the death penalty, under Wey-
ler's decree that all insurgents are ban
dts and incendiarieS and deserving of
death. The prisoners have no oppor-
tunity to make a defense, and all Gu
bans in the rebel armies know that cap
ture means death.
Most of those brought in, it seems,
have been wounded, cut off from their
columns or caught without arms. When
condemned to death they are given
twenty-four or forty-eight hours to
prepare for the end. They are given
what they want to eat and are placed
in the chapel at CabanaS fortress, with
priests in constant attendance for the
last twelve hours.
Most of the Cuban patriots who have
paid the extreme penalty since Weyler
has been here have died bravely. l
saw three of them meet their fate last
Friday morning. They were Jose Bas-
callao and Estiva Hernandez (white)
and Gregorio Borges (colored. During
the night before the execution Bascal-
lao made several feigned attempts to
escape from the chapel, hoping that the
guards would shoot him down, prefer
guards forced him back each time with
out firing at him.
l crossed the bay few moments after
8 O'Clock on the morning set for exc
cution- 1t took place promptly at Z
O'Clock. The three men, escorted by
a file of soldiers, and supported by an
order of lay brethren of the Catholic
Church, We're taken from the chapel to
space between the outer and inner
walls, and at the eastern end of the
fortress, where a battalion of Spanish
regulars formed three sides of a square.
The fourth side was the main wall of
the fortress. In front of that the pris-
oners' arms were tied behind their
backs, and they were led out Just out
side the square a hundred people had
gathered to witness the execution OF
the rebels, most of them being Span
iards.
On the walls of the fortress two or
three hundred soldiers were grouped
where a good view could be obtained.
heard no expressions of pity from the
spectators for the men who knelt with
the priests and prepared fof the end.
A young Lieutenant of the guard who
was ordered out to do the shooting,
however, asked to be excused He was