Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1896-08-26
AupAclouS Gu BANS.
Held Up and DsraiIed military Train
Near Havana.

L which was due here last Sunday, ha
J. been solved, and it furnishes anothe
0 instance of the audacity bf the iusur
gents and Of the troubled state of af
fairs existing in the province of Pinal
, del Rio.
, On Sunday last, a tra II having on
, board a number of civilian passenger
and strong escort of troops, consist
ing of regular car and armored cars
for the military escort, left Consolation
, del Sur, Pinar del Rio, tor this city,
and should have arrived here the same
, day, but the train did not appear. The
railroad authorities BECAME alarmed
and the military authorities were no.
titled. Apparently, however, the lat
ter were very slow in taking action.
In any case. throughout Monday the
military authorities proffssed absolute
ignorance of the wherea bouts Of the
train. although it was al derstood that
inquiries Of some description had been
made along the line, but without any
definite result.
This failure to obtain the necessary
information caused the railroad people
to renew their representa- tions to mill
tary headquarters and eventually on
Tuesday, several exploring parties,
consisting of cavalry scouts, reported
having heard heavy firing between
Bacunaga and Tacou. The latter
town Is about one-third the distance
between Consolation del Sur and Ha-
vana, and not far from the town of
San Cristobal. Consolation del Sur ia
only short distance fir bm Pinar del
Rio, capital of the province of that
name. Later, the scouts reported that
the passenger coach, together with the
military cara, had been derailed be-
tween Bacunaga and Tacou, and it
appeared as if severe fighting had
taken place between the escort of the
train and the insurgents who attacked
1t. This news stirred up the military
authorities sufficiently TO cause them
to send relief trains loaded with troops
toward the scene.
These forces, consisting of the Ara
piles and Basbastro battalions, under
the command of Colonel Arjoua, have
inst returned. The troops brought
with them passengers, who are over
forty height hours late, and the survtv-
ors and wounded of the military escort
OF the train. The latter, it appears,
was running between Bacuuaga and
Tacou, and when near the point known
as kllometre 113, the train was COM
PEELED to slow up on account of an OBJ.
struciton across the line. As it did so,
smart rifle fire was opened upon the
train from both sides OF the road, while
a party of insurgents were seen to
march out of concealn ont behind the
train ard place heavy distractions
across the road. Other insurgents oc-
cupied themselves actively in remov-
ing the rails behind the obstruction,
thereby catching the military train in
trap from which it G uld neither ad.
vance nor retreat.
The troops returned the fire of the
insurgents, who kept well under cover,
and whose bullets splintered the glass
Of the sides of the coaches The firing
lasted three hours, according to the
official statement AT the end Of this
time, the insurgents are said to have
been repulsed 1t is added that the
military escort upon the arrival Of the
relief train, burned the military pas
senger train and returned to the city
with the Babastro and Arapiles battal-
ions.
Unofhcial versions of the affair, how
ever, claim that the train was derailed
and subsequently bun ned by the insur.
gents and that the escort Of the mill
tary were rescued just in time to save
them from being exterminated by the
enemy. As it was six soldiers of the
escort are admitted 10 have been killed
and twenty.one soldiers were brought
here wounded. The lieutenant is ex-
pected to die.
Later details confirmed the statement
that 1t Was derailed by the insurgents
who dynamited it, and afterwards de-
stroyed the cars completely.
The defense made by the escort is
said to have lasted practically three
days, although it is claimed the firing
continued all that time.
The insurgents who attacked the
military train were in strong force,
and il developed later today they also
tried to dynamite the relief train but
without effect, Colonel Aronaja re-
ports that in retiring with the rescued
escort of the train, he was attacked by
Antonio Maceo aud force of 5, 600 in
surRents ARTILLERY fire, however, was
opened upon the enemy and the latter
retreated. The SIaniards claim the
insurgents did not burn the military
train until after the relieving column
of troops had retired.
/ !