The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-18
Captured by Spanish Soldiers During
Charge Of Incendiarism.
GEN. WEYLER'S DEATH TRAP
A wOMAN's VIEW OF THE SITUATION
IN THE WAR RENT ISLAND.
Both Sides Accused Of Lying-2, 900
wounded Spanfards fn Havana
HOspftals-Bishop Diaz's Arrest.

HAVANA, April 1.-Three prisoners OF
war-Gregoro Borges. Esteban Hernandez
and Jose Bacalao-were executed at Z
o'clock this morning at the Cuban fortress.
They belonged to the insurgent. band COM
manded by DR.. Bruno Zayas, and were
captured by the soldiers of the Arapiles
Battalion during the attack made by the
enemy on Managua, this province, and the
burning of property in that vicinity. Borges.
while in the death chapel of the fortress,
was very nervous, and would only drink a
little lemonade. Hernandez displayed ad-
mirable coolness. He presented DR.. Do
mez, who had been appointed to care for
the prisoners, with yellow belt, and asked
him to write to his mother and beg her
to pardon him for his misdeeds. while as
suring her that he died in the bosom of
Christianity.
Bacallao, in his ''deatnbed," as he termed
1t, seemed full of life and even naughty.
He tried to run away from the chapel. as
If by so doing he could shorten his period
of torture by being shot and killed by the
soldiers on guard. But he was watched so
closely by the officer on duty that 1t was
impossible for him to carry out mis- inten-
ton. AT 4:30 O'Clock Bacallao and Herman
dez had a breakfast of beefsteak and eggs,
and each drank cup of wine. They con-
fessed to several priests, having been en-
treated to conform to all the religious GUS
toms. This caused Bacallao to remark:
What Is the use of conforming in my
case, father, considering that within a
short time have to die?'
At o'clock the square was ready, and
the troops were drawn up under Maj. Car
los Justiz. The prisoners were conducted
there In the usual solemn manner. Bacal-
lao and Hernandez were courageous and
cool, but Borges. who had been so nervous
in the chapel and who had refused any
stimulant with his breakfast, turned out
to be the bravest of all, and met mis- fate
with the most remarkable courage. Bacal-
lao smoked a cigar during his last mo-
ments, and calmly threw 1t away as he
knet down with his face to the wall and
ls Rneh paiH down witS his s ands IN his pocets
and coolly turned his head toward the so.-
diers who were to shoot him. Hernandez
attentvely watched the shadows of the SOL
all was ready the officer in command of the
squad lifted his sword, the rifles were
sword and the report of the volley echoed
from the fortress walls. Borges was killed
outright, but Hernandez and Bacallao
snd hsd Is on ns to nd
lao to his account.
When the execution was over and the
on the heights silently wended their way
to more congenial scenes, and only three
pools of dark blood half m hidden 1a,ss. by sand md
mained to mark the place where three more
of the insurgent army had fallen for Cuba
n let Is marks on the eefe fortress walls but few
such tokens more or less are but little In
these days. and arouse little or no interest
among the Passefs,oy an hean .nree Ss Saread gas
with incendiarism, and had been convicted
Of that crime. They took part. in the at
tack on Managua as a1reaay toiq as mem nd
naturally, property was destroyed by fire.
At Camajuani, province OF santa cara,
another tragedy in the history ot ,e she DnDan IN
troops under Colonel Lopez Amor, oDerat-
ing in the Camajuani district, received In
formation that Antonio Bernudez, wei.-
known insurgent leader, was concealed In
the house of a. woman who was his mis-
tress. A detachment of troops, headed by
the colonel himself, Immediately started Tor
the spot, surrounded the house and called
on Bermudez to surrender. The latter,
taken by surprise. seized rifle which was
handed to him by the woman and hred two
shots at the colonel, missing him. Just as
the insurgent chief raised his rine TO take
another shot at the Spanish officer, several
of the soldiers fired, and Bermudez fell
back, pierced by a bullet, and died, as his
mistress threw herself. wounded and in an
agony of grief, upon his body.
The insurgents under Maceo yesterday
burned number Of houses on both sides OF
the railroad between San Cristobal and
Candelaria in the province Of Pinar del Rio,
and, II Is said, hanged an aged man In the
presence of his family because the latter
refused to burn his house
A dispatch from Matanzas says that Man.
uel Dominguez. an insurgent, has been tried
by court-martial there. The public prosecu-
tor has asked that he be imprisoned for
life.
From jan "A to March 81 there have been
1874 cases treated of sickness OF all kinds
In the military hospitals here, of which
number only ninety-six men died.
The Weyler guerrillas were drawn by
force of insurgents into an ambush at Reg
lita plantation, Santa Clara Eight insur-
gents were killed during the lighting which
followed.
A soldier named Eulogio Casado was exc
cuted in Matanzas this morning for having
wounded his superior officer. He met death
bravely.
The guerrilla force of Mayo Lazo. the
vanguard of the column of the battalion Of
Luzon, shortly after leaving the village Of
Rodrigo, in the Sagua district, came In sight
of a group of men which they believed was
alse a guerrilla force. Major Goicoochea
advanced toward the group, they also ad-
vancine, and when the two were six PAGES
apart the troops discovered that the other
force were insurgents. Some one shouted
Rebels" A bloody combat ensued with the
machete. Twenty-one of the insurgents
were killed and eleven of the guerrillas
were wounded, one seriously.