The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-05-27
HORRORS OF CUBA'S WAR.
A FUGITIVE AT ATLANTA TELLS
OF THF CAMPAIGN,
Shameful Treatment of Women by the
Spanish officers and Men and Then
Killed. The spanish Soldiers
Represented as Having no
Heart in the Fight.
Heart in the Fight.

Represented as Having no
Heart in the Fight.
Captain George Forbes, lately on the
staff of Cisyeros Betancourt, president
of the Cuban republic, is in Atlanta.
He made his escape from the Spanish
soldiers, who had attacked him and his
guard of eighteen patriots while he was
performing secret mission for Presi-
dent Betancourt in the province of Man
tanzas on the 18th of last month. Six
teen of his men were killed by the sol
diers, and Captain Forbes only escaped
by means of fishing smack, in which he
and three fishermen made the voyage to
Port Royal, S. c., where they arrived on
the 9th of last month.
Captain Forbes, aside from the story
of his own perilous experience and hair
breadth escape, gives dramatic descrip-
tion.of the situation in unhappy CubaF
"There is no page in the history of
the campaign" said Captain Forbes, $50
iONOANtAAS 40 Viz bbAOSlIJ vi bAI6 DUdu-
iards as practiced every day upon the
women and children of the island.
The common soldier is freed to deal
the torture of the deadly blow at the
point Of his rficer's sword, the officer is
forced to prosecute the campaign of as
sassination at the point of his command
er's rifle. The fairest daughters of tue
island, rich, educated and refined, are
subjected to the out ages of the officers,
and then their bodies are mutilated by de-
grees until slow and excruciating
death has brought them relief. Mothers
are bound and gagged in sight of their
tortured children and afterwards sub
ladies, grandm others, are slowly kill d.
First, the nails are pulled from their
toes and the flesh cut from their bodies.
Then they are shot, and the bodies burn
ed in the ashes of their houses. This
may sound unreasonable, but it is true
and it is not al me in certain portions of
Cuba, but in every section where the
Spanish can pilfer, and are t in the
immediate neigh borhood of patriot
army.
"The atrocities are not confined to
those who are suspected of sympathy or
connection with the rebel movement nor
to Cubans, but to Americans, Europeans,
any one whose wealth or influence would
not be large enough to precipitate seri-
Gus complications.
''In my official capacity have had
fifty of these assassinations reported in a
day. Until the time that escaped from
Cuba there were reported in the execu-
tive offices at Cubitas over 900 cases e
the brutal assassination of civilians and
their families, none of whom could be
suspected or adjudged, except on general
principles, to be in sympathy with the
Cuban cause.
"Seven weeks ago the town of Camza-
res was laid waste by the insurgents.
The fort was captured, and in the en-
gagenent four soldiers and three women
were wounded. They were left to be
cured for by few charitably inclined
people of the town. The very next day,
IS is always the case, the Spanish troops
swept down upon the wrecked village
and the sick and wounded people that
were found in the home, including the
women, were tortured and killed, as
were those who dared to give them shell
ter"
Speaking of the military operations,
Captain Forbes says Fourteen thous.
and Mauser rifles, besides other arms
and more than COO, 900 rounds of ammuni-
ton have been wrested from the hands
of the Spanish soldiers by the wander
ing bands who now have in Cuba no fac.
tories of ammunition of their own, and
who, despite their sufferings and the
awful odds with which they have to con-
tend, know and feel that they are strong
enough to drive the oppressor from their
beloved shores.
"1he Spanish force in Cuba consists
today of 10000 men. The Spanish
troops are carried to the island for the
purpose Of DISCRIMINATING the Cubans.
They are forced without regard to tao
tics or the science Of war to annihilate
whenever an opportunity presents.
They are forced at the rifles mouth
to keep step to the orders Of the officers.