The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-02-28
Uttered WITH DEAD
Road from San Cristobal to Can
delaria Strewn with Corpses.
AN UNRECORDED SPANISH DEFEAT
Col. Hernandez, with i, 200 Men, Attacked
on Both FlanIxs and Rear and the
Command Nearly Annihilated.
Patriots Destroy a Town.

Havana, Feb. %, via Tampa, Fla,
Feb. 26.-Refugees from San Cristobal
and Candelaria, towns on the Western
railroad in Pinar del Rio province,
bring news from a region that is with
out telegraphs, railroad trains and
regular mails. It is also a province
without salt, and in which inha bitants
are shut up in towns in a starving con-
dition, and guards of Spanish troops
threaten to shoot any one passing in
or out. 1t appears that a battle has
taken place which has not figured in
the official government reports. 1t was
at San Cristobal on the 18th inst. The
town had been occupied by the rebels
from January to that cate. Antonio
Maceo had fought with Gen. Luque at
Paso Real on one side of the town, and
later with Gen. CaEnella on the other
side. Col. Segura and 600 men had a
narrow escape from annihilation on
the main road between Candelaria and
San Cristobal on the 9th, but no fight
in San Cristobal has been announced
by the government. An eye witness
of the affair to-day said that Spanish
COluIllA l,@OO oOIOuS NOls AAOi
nandez arrived at San Cristobal on the
18th, supposing that the insurgents
had gone further east, for Maceo was
near Artenesia. The rebel leader Zayas
and five of his men were in the town and
900 of his followers were camped just
east of the town. Hernandez came
from the west, entering the main
street. Zayas and his companions
ran, firing their revolvers to warn
their men of the approach of the
troops.
Attacked on Flanks and Rear.
Zayas reached the rebel camp and
took command. He divided his men
men into three batallions of 300 men
each. Two of these remained at the
east end of the town and attacked Her
nandez's column as they came down
the narrow street. With 800 mounted
men Zayas rode around the town and
entered it at Hernandes's rear, attack
ing the troops and driving them in be-
tween the cross fire of the other rebel
bands. Hernandez fought desperately
and used several cannon, but the reb-
els had him in a disadvantageous po-
sition. He fought on, moving slowly
along the road east from San Cristobal
to Candelaria. Zayas' men fought him
on each flank and from the rear. It is
said that the road was Uttered with
dead soldiers for the entire six miles to
Candelaria. The informant said he
saw i'll the ruins of house which had
been burned on the road, the heads of
six Spanish soldiers, the bodies having
been burned to prevent Identification.
Two Bridges and Town Burned.
The rebels burned two large govern
ment bridges on the highway at Ha-
gassa and Rio Hondo to prevent Span
ish cannon being again taken to Pinar
del Rio province After Hernandez
retreated the rebels re-entered San
Cristobal. On the 10th the rebels
burned the town of Cabanas on the
north coast, twenty miles west of Ha
vana The garrison was driven out of
the town, and the torch was applied.
While the insurgents were in the town
the gunboat Alerta, which once before
fred upon the re bells, shelled the town.
That completed the work of destruc-
UIOu. lC DlttIlO 0C ID pun
fishes the following account of the de-
struction of an insurgent hospital near
Bolondron, which is semi i-official, since
all matter passes through the censor's
hands before publication: Receiving
confidential notice that in the place
called Mayea there existed a hospital
of the enemy, Count Lersunda went in
that direction and ordered an advance
of section of his troops commanded
by Senors Pozo and Gonzalez, directed
by the scout Ramirez. Hardly had the
sentinel of said hospital seen our
troops than there were seen coming
out of the same eight unarmed individu
ais, who Immediately fled. There were
captured medicine case, cartridges,
one Mauser rifle and sundry other eff
fects. The hospital was destroyed,
with everything which could not be
transported.