Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1896-12-26
His Death May End she Struggle.

1t seems that at last one of the great
est generals of modern times, and
what is known in this country rs Ne
gro has fallen, victim TO Spanish
treachery.
The New YORK Worlds correspond
ent over the signature of Sylvester
Scovel gave the following description of
Gen. Antonio Maceo. the great tuban
lie ader:
49, Headquarters Gen. Maceo,
Tapia Hills, Pinar del Rio Cuba.
A magnificently proportioned man,
with the head and neck of a born light
ar and the smile of a boy 4; a man who
6oas not drink. smoke nor use Castil-
ian oaths. even after twelve years of
the toughest kind of war; man who
with twenty three bullet holes IN him
succ essfully leads a few thousand OF
corn cutters against i've umes the
nu,nber of modern rifles, and man
Who persuades timid ''pacihcOs" to
plough and reap for his armies-sueh g
man is Antonio Maceo.
REMARKABLE CHARACTER.
This clear olive-complexioned cuban
unuIatto is a wonder. This is proved
in one way at least by the fact that he
reioices in the titles of Second Gener'
al-in-Chief of the Forces OF Liberty
and "General-in-Chief of the Army o.
INVASION" and fully bears them out
In addition to the general and extern
sive RESPONSIBILITIES indicated by these
titles. Maeeo is under the Cuban pro
wisional Government in full charge o
both the civil and military jurlsdic-
tions of the western and by far thu
most important half of the Island o
Cuba. The war must be won or los
here, and here Maceo is Supreme.
THE CHIEF FIGURE OF THE WAR.
With the retirement of General Go
meg into Camaguey on account OF IN
firmities and the needs OF organlZatIon
Gen. Maceo at once became the chie
figure OF the war, and bids faIr to con
tinue so until it's close 1t IS not IKE
Iv that the old veteran, Gomez vii
have to tourney westward a secon
time. He was rally the Moses tina
nersuaded the somewhat reluctan
Army of Invasion" to follow into tn
desert Of a fiat. open country bristlin
with Spanish sword, bayonets and can
non.
CUBAN OF rHE oUBANs.
Antonio Maceo is a Cuban OF the CT
hans He prides himself that he Z" q
horn in the eastern province OF SAINTS
go and near the distinctiveiy nativ
City of Santiago de Cuba.
He did not speak when asked If h
loved the Island He simply locke
out at its beautiful hills When b
turned about the answer was on b
face His expression told more el'
nuentlv than could any words no
boundless is his worship.
1t explained why, after twelve yea
of hardship and peril, he is still in ha
meas. to stay so until Cuba belongs
tbe Cubans No man who loves h
land like Maceo fights from any oth'
motive than pure patriotism.
NO BRIDES GOULD TEMPT HIM.
And no man who has refused emo
mans and often offered brides TO mer
Iv leave Cuba, as has Maceo. or vi
has accepted a secondary position
the war when he might have got hr
Mace by q struggle, as has Mace
'should be accused of a desire for pc
sonaI supremacy in free Cuba at q
EXPENSE Of bitter and destructi'
war between its two races.
As long as Antonio Maceo lives the
Mill he no race war in Cuba. he low
his country too much to allow
Without his consent such war WI
never be even planned. The Negro
rrust and obey him implicitly. The
will make no unreasonable demands
long as he lives, nor, from all indic
lions. at any time.
Born in 1850, Maceo is forty-s