The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-06

10 be known As one Of the very beat
officers in the Spanish possessions and
when. a few years later. the CubanS
attempted to establish q republic and
orders came out from Srain. supple
mented BY transports flied with troops.
to put down the insurgents. Count Val|
maseda. the general In command, ap-
pointed Weyler general of one Of the
flying columns Of his battalions, as
signing him to the eastern part Of tina
Province OF Cantiago, a district that
needed q cool head and a cruel hand.
How well Valeriano weyler Nicol.s
au learned his lessons Of military bru-
tishness under the tuition Of the In.
human Valmaseda-if indeed anyone
was ever able to teach THE Butchers
anything in the way of fiendishness
that he did not already know-may be
judged from the fact that Valmaseda
considered him his best general and
the most promising officer Of young
Spain. In the few years Weyler spent
In doing more than his part to render
Cuba waste and blot out her inhabi-'
tants he was meanwhile adding to his.
repute and Importance at Madrid. No
sooner was the rebellion finally SUD-.
pressed than he found himself pre-.
ferred. as were few others, for promO-t
tion. The crown knew II had found,
the right man to decimate and torture
During the years that followed hard
ly month passed that Weyler did not
distinguish himself In some manner:
With his secret ideal the famous Duke
of Alva, who headed the Spanish CAM
paiEn in the Low Countries over 500
years ago, once there establishing his
Council OF Blood. and killing with grim,
laughter that he might confiscate for
his master. Philip of Spain, "The.
Butcher" made himself a modern Alvas
with wonderful fidelity. The Spanish
government sent him Off to the Philip.
pine Islands to Quell an insurrection, +,
and he covered those bits Of territory
out In the China sea with fountains Of,
blood. returning successful beyond thO
hopes of the Cortes.
This last great exploit of his was inb
1889. Since then he mas been living.
| quietly In Spain in command of one oe{
the divisions of the Spanish army al
home resting on his laurels, but With
his prestige growing greater each year.
When 1t was seen that Campos coultls
not put down the present insurrection.
the entire country's thoughts turned al
once to Weyler. 1.-The Butcher" and Il
was the word among diplomats on ev-''
cry hand that he was the one man who
could terrorize and force to her knee6.
the Cuba of revolt.
| THEY WOULD KILL HIM.
| With his headquarters in Havana, ,
Valeriano Weyler is plotting day by day'
for his great strategic moves. One
thing, and one thing only, Spain seems
to fear-that before he canb ring his
ciushrng machinery OF death in every
direction, innocent and guilty alike, hs
will die by an assassin's bullet or dag,
ger. With the helmsman struck down.
failure would be almost inevitable.
There is no small likelihood of this,
for there are thousands of men in Cube
today today who would gladly sacrifice
their lives for the purpose of killing
this man. They would do this in tho
remembrance of the outrages and indig-
mites their mothers or wives, perhape
even their children, suffered q. quarter
OF century ago at Weyler's hands.
For the most horrible thing about this
mans campaigning. and that which is
striking terror through Cuba, is that
it is not alone the insurgents that suf-
fer under his rule, but the Innocent
and helpless as well.
Incarnate savagery is the only de-
scripton. Bestial, sensual cruelty are
but faint words to describe what these
men remember. And the Weyler Of to-
day, 1t Is feared, Is worse, immeasur-
ably worse, than the Wsyler of 1870,
who was to some extent restrained be-
cause he was not in complete command.
Now there Is nothing to prevent his
carnal, animal brain from running riot
with itself in inventing tortures and
infamies Of bloody debauchery, which
he will dignity under the comprehen.
sive title of Martial Law