The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-29


New York, Nov 2S.-Lieutenant Jose
Rios, a special messenger from the
! Cuban government to the junta in this
city, arrived here last night on the
/ Clyde line steamship Algonquin, from
Jacksonville This afternoon ne told
a startling story in the headquarters
! of the Cubans in this city which would
go TO show almost beyond doubt that
a battle which took place in the Rubi
hills in October last and in which 1000
/ Syaniards are said to have been killed
had been construed into an engage
ment with Weyler's troops in the same
territory about a week ago. The de-
/ tails of the October battle are Strik-
ingly similar to the details of the story
of Weyler's alleged engagement, which
was attributed to Lieutenant Rios.
although he now denies that he ever
gave out such an interview. He de-
clares instead that what he said about
the alleged engagement with Weyler,
was simply common talk in Jackson
vile while he was there. His story is
as follows:
Il am a Galician and went to Cuba
when II years old. For a long time 1
+ have been in the commission business
in Havana. Having worked hard for
the Cuban cause l was some time AGO
appointed a lieutenant in the Gomez
army, and took part in the battle of
Saratoga. On October %, last, l was
given documents by General Gomez
and by the Cuban government, repre-
scented by General Cisneros, at a town
called Arancana, an encamDment near
CanaQuay. With eight men | left a
certain part of the island in a small
boat, and set a course for Nassau. We
arrived there in five days. A Spanish
gunboat which had been hunting for
us got into port two hours later but
she was quarantined and we were safe.
From Nassau, after some delay, we
went to Jacksonville, thence to this
CITY,"
Some shrewd questioning at this
point led Lieutenant Rios off the sub
ject of his story and into the details
Of a fight that he said occurred in the
Rubi hills just where General Maceo's
engagement with Weylers troops is
said to have taken place. He declared
that he knew it TO be an absolute fact
that the Spanish general, Aelquizo,
with $1,000 men, the exact number that
Maeeo is said to have engaged a few
weeks ago, came suddenly upon Cen
eral Maceo with 5000 Cuban patriots
to work first and before Melquizo could
get his line into shape he was greeted
with a shower of leaden hail that
moved great gaps in his line. The
battle continued for some time before
Maceo, who had been evidently waiting |
for Spain's soldiers, began to slowly re-
treat. At this point, as in the story |
of the alleged Weyler engagement, the |
dynamite incident comes in. Hun
dreds of Spanish soldiers were killed !
instantly by the discharge of the
dreaded substance almost under their
feet. The slaughter was terrible.
Maceo still retreated and was followed
slowly by the broken lines of the
Spanish forces Then from an eminence
(this same eIninence is mentioned in
the alleged Weyler engagement Maceo
brought a dynamite gun to bear on the
Spanish and killed 500 of them before
darkness ended the fighting. Maceo
and his victorious troops got away.
Lieutenant Rios declared that the
Cuban loss was only 80 The Spanish,
ne declared. lost nearly 1000 men.
Lieutenant Rios was then asked if
he story dated Nov. 26, from Jackson
Vile, Fla, and purporting to be an in
erview with him, was true. He re-
0lied, through an interpreter, that the
writer's story he knew nothing about,
)ut explained when he was told its
,urDort that he had heard the same
hing before leaving on the Algonquin
or this city.
do you know whether it was true?'
- was asked.
His reply was that he knew nothing
Vt all about it.
This seemed to settle the story of
General Weyler's engagement with Ma
eos men in the Rubi Hill district,
which he declared was an lxtruth.
Lieutenant Rios says regarding the
occupancy of the province at CANA
,uay by the Cubans: THE Cuban
government is in healthy operation in
his district. The Spanish have given
t up. In the mountains, under the
oofs of the old farm houses the new
government of Cuba libre conducts
chools for the children of patriots
'he pupils range in age from to Is
ears, all the boys of a greater age
han that being engaged in the fight
or the islands liberty. In the prov
noes of Camaguay and ORIENT they
ave shoemakers' shops for the shod-
ing of the Cuban soldiers, and black
NTH shops for the shoeing of the
orses. A tax is levied there by the ,
government, but it is not compulsory.
'hese provinces, the Civil Governors
Iandosa and Manuel Cespedes are in
barge of. A very small force of men
all that is necessary to protect the
eoDle there"
He was accompanied to this city on
he Algonquin by Captain Dupier and
mother Cuban. The documents sent {
V Gomez and Cisneros are in the
ands of the Cuban iunta