The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-12-24
Highest of all Leavening PowerLatest u Govt Report
R}>al q! Rs%desl: Rsk{Rs
ABSOLUTELY PURE
ABSOLUTELY PURE

youthful mule driver he had become
stern and uuyielding military lead
er. His dreams Of free Cuba were
growing brighter day by day. The
next notable achievement of MaceO
was in the battle Of Zarzal. where
| $500 Spaniards were utterly routed.
Later on, at the battle of Santa Maria
de Holguin, he charged the Spanish
line at the head of his picked follow
ers and many were cut down before
they could fire a shot
Gen. CaIixto Garcia was in com
mand bat Maceo led the machete
charge. The Spanards left 400 dead
on the field. 1t was at this juncture
of his military career that MaceO met
the present captain general of Cuba,
Naleriano Weyler The latter had
been made a brigadier, and at the
battle Of Guaimar0 was sent against
Maceo.
The latter had placed his men, with
the keenest sense Of strategy, across
a steep ravine in some heavy brush.
The Spaniards came tumbling and
running up to the edge Of the ravine,
and there they were slaughtered like
sheep.
Weyler fled, leaving 500 dead on
the field. He never stopped to look
back until he was safe within the
Spanish lines at Puerto Principe
Soon afterwrrd with 500 men, Maceo
attacked the San Quentin battalion,
1000 strong, under the command of
Col. Yoyer The Spaniards lost 200
men, and would have been annihilat-
ed had it not been for the timely ar
rival of Lieut.. Tirso with reinforce
ments.
For these brilliant acts Maceo was
made major general. 1t seemed as
If this new honor put additional spurs
to his heels. In rapid succession he
engaged the Spaniards in a series of
brilliant and bloody fights at San
Felipe, Baragua, Hato del Medic,
Sabana, Miranda and Cayo Rey.
1t was in the latter battle that An
tonic Maceo had one of the narrowest
escapes from death that he has ever
had. In the midst Of the fight, with
the guns rafting around him in quick
volleys, he saw the Spanish colonel in
command out in front Of his troops
cheering them on In an instant Ma
Geo had drawn bis machete and rush
ed forward to encounter the Spanish
commander IN a sword combat. The
latter saw the Cuban leader coming
and t1OurlShed his sword in defiance
/ A
rifle bullet through his lungs. He
reeled in his saddle and would have
fallen had it not been for Lieut.. Col
PacheO, who caught him as he fell.
At the same time Rodriguez, percelv-
ing Maceo's perilous plight, made a
gallant charge, and, under a sweep
ing fire, the Spaniards were checked,
and under the rolling curtain Of
smoke, Col. Pacheo carried Maceo to
a place of safety.
! For three months IN the mountains
Maceo fought battle for his life,
with bat meager attendance and slim
chances for recovery. At last his
natural rugged constitution triumph
ed, but his roaring and trumpet like
voice had vanished. Even TO the
present day his voice does not possess
half the compass it formerly did.
Once in the saddle again Maceo be-
gan to adopt new methods of Grip
plng Spain. He began to destroy
Spanish property and to burn Spanish
| plantations. In company with his
brother Jose, now grown to manhood,
and five hundred guerillas, he inyad
ed the Guantanamo district, leaving
behind him blazing weste. On
every hand he spread desolation with
fire and sword. He was the first to
adopt the tactics that have 50 serious
ly crippled Spain during the present
war
While he was in the midst of his
| fiery crusade the Cuban and Spanish
leaders met at Zanson and signed a
treaty Of peace. The news came to
Maceo as he was preparing to invade
Holguin. The messenger was author
lied to procure his signature to the
treaty.
Tell them.' said Maceo. in reply,
that L will never sign any compact
with Spain other than compact for
the freedom of Cuba. | will not sub
nit"
| So Antonio Maceo kept on fighting
He not only fought, but he called a
council of war at Baragua and issued
the famous document known as the
"Protesta de Baragua" After issuing
this document the undaunted leader
again took the field. 1t soon became
evident, however, that the backbone
of the war had been broken. Ter
years Of starvation and exposure il
all sorts of weather had broken the
spirit of all but Maceo.
Unable to obtain supplies he was
reduced to want. Then the capitula.
ton. He wrote Martinez Campos &
naughty letter, in which he agreed tc
lay down his arms, disband his forces
and submit to exile, on the condition
that Spanish man of war be placed
at his disposal to convey him and his
officers to Jamaica.
This offer was readily accepted by
Campos, as he, better than any one
else, realized the impossibility ot
catching MaceO in a country where
he knew every tree and bypatb.
| Maceo disbanded his meu in the
early dawn under big tree, neal
Guantanamo. This tree is still stand
ing, and is known as "Maceo's tree
There were men among that five hun
dred who had fought under Macec
for almost ten years. They We're rag
ged and unkempt and half starved
but they had stood together in the
brunt of many a hard fought battle
and it was no wonder that tears were
IN the eyes of many as they badt
their leader goodby
For them it was return to the
blackened sites of their burned home.
and their ruined plantations Fol