The herald., 1896-08-20
THE CUBAN REBELLION
Prosecuted by the Use of
Dynamite
A military TRAIN IS AMDOSHED
The Guard Narrowly Escaping
determination
THE INSURGENTS REPULSED
According to Reports Of the Spaniards
Who Escaped
But Not Before the Cars Had Been Utterly
Destroyed
The Steamer Three Friends, Held at Jack SON.
willie As q FIiibuster, Is Ordered Re-
leased by Acting secre-
tary Curtis
THE INSURGENTS REPULSED
According to Reports OF The Spaniards
Who Escaped
But Not Before the Cars Had Been Utterly
Destroyed
Associated Press Special Wire.

HAVANA, Aug. 19.-(Copyright, 1896
The mystery of a missing military pas
senger train, which was due here last
Sunday, has been solved, and it fur
nished another instance of the audacity
of the insurgents and of the troubled
state of affairs existing in the province
of Pinar del Rio.
On Sunday last a train. having on
board a numbe of civilian passengers
and a strong escort of troops. consist
ing of a regular car and armored cars
for the military escort, left Consolation
del Sur, Pinar del Rio, for this city and
should have arrived here the same day
But the train did not appear, the rail-
road authorities becam alarmed and
the military authorities We're notified
Apparently, however. the latter We're
very slow in taking action. In any
case, throughout Monday the military
authorities professed absolute ignor-
ance of the whereabouts of the train
although it was understood that inquir-
les of some description had been made
along the line without any definite re-
suit. This failure to obtain the neces-
sary Information caused the railroad
people to renew their representations to
military headquarters and eventually,
on Tuesday, several exploring parties,
consisting of cavalry scouts, reported
having heard heavy firing between Ba-
cunaga and Tacou yesterday.
The latter town is about one-th third the
distance between Consolation del Sur
and Havana, and not far from the i'm
portant town of San Cristobal Conso-
lacion del Sur is onlysa short distance
from Pinar del Rio, capital of the prov
ince of that name Later the scouts re-
ported that the passenger coach, to-
gether with the military cars, had been
derailed between Bacunaga and Tacou
and 1t appeard as if heavy fighting had
taken place between the escort of the
train and the insurgents who attacked
1t.
This news stirred up the military au-
thorities sufficiently to have them send
trains loaded with troops toward the
scene. Those forces, consisting of the
Arapiles and Basbastro battalions, un-
der the command of Col. Arjoua, have
just returned The troops brought with
eight hours late, and the survivors and
wounded of the military esco \of the
train. The latter, 1t appears, were run
ming between Canacagua and Tacou
when near the point know as Kilometer
113. the train was compelled to slow up
on account of an obstruction across the
line, and as it did so a smart rifle fire
was opened upon the train from both
sides of the road, while party of in
ssurgents was seen to march out from
concealment behind the train and place
heavy distractions across the road
Other insurgents occupied themselves
actively in removing the rails behind the
obstruction, thereby catching the mill
tary train in trap from which it could
neither advance nor retreat.
The troops promptly returned the fire
Of the insurgents, who kept we'll under
cover and whose bullets\splintered the
glass in the car windows.
The firing lasted three hours, accord
ing 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 passen-
ger train and returned to this city with
the Basbastro and Arapiles battalions.
Unofficial versions of the affair, how
ever, claim the train was derailed and
subsequently burned by the insurgents,
and the escort of the military train were
rescued just in time to save them from
being exterminated by the enemy. AS
it was. six soldiers of the escort are ad-
mitted to have been killed and twenty
one soldiers We're brought here wound
ed. The lieutenant is expected to die.
Later details confirmed the statement
that 1t was derailed by the insurgents
who dynamited 1t and afterward de-
stroyed the cars completely.
The defense made by the escort is said
to have lasted practically three days.
although it is not claimed that the fir
ing laster all that time.
The insurgents who attacked the mil
itary train were in small force, and it
developed later today that they also
tried to dynamite the relief train. but
without effect.
Colonel Aronojo reports that in retir-
ing with the rescue escort train he was
attacked by Antonio Maceo and force
of 5000 insurgents. Artillery fire, how
ever, was opened upon the enemy, and
they retreated The insurgent loss is
not known. The Spaniards claim the
insurgents did not burn the military
train until after the relieving column
Of troops had retired.
A VESSEL RELEASED
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19.-Acting Sec
rotary Curtis today instructed the coll