The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-20
Daring Exploit Ofthe Cuban
Insurgents.
They Attacked and Destroyed
the Entire Outfit.
Official Account Of Affairs Disproved
by Late Reports.

Habana. Aug. 2o.-The mystery OF
missing military passenger train has
been solved, and il furnishes another
instance Of the audacity Of the in
surgents and OF the troubled state OF
affairs existing in the province OF Pinar
del Rio.
On Sunday last train having on
board a number OF civilian passengers
and a strong escort OF troops consisting
of regular cars and armoyed cars for tha
military escort left Consc,acion del Sur
Pinar del Rio. for this city, and should
have arrived here the same day. But
as the train did not appear. the railroad
authorities became alarmed and the
military authorities were notified. APP
parently, however, the latter were very
slow in taking action in the matter. In
any case. throughout Monday, the mill
tary authorities professed absolute
Ignorance of the whereabouts OF the
train, although IL was understood that
inquiries of some description had been
sent along the line, but without any def
mite result. This failure to obtain the
necessary information caused the rail-
road people to renew representa-
tons to military headquarters, and
eventually on Tuesday, several explor-
ing parties were sent out to search for
the train. Two OF these parties, con-
sisting of cavalry scouts, reported bav-
ing heard heavy firing Tuesday be-
tween Bacunagua and Taco Taco. Later.
the scouts reported that the engine and
passenger coaches. together with the
military cars, had been derailed be-
tween Bacunagua and Taco Taco, and
that II appeared that severe fighting
had taken place between the escort OF
the train and the insurgents, who at
tackled It,
This news stirred up the military au-
thorities sufficiently to cause them to
send relief trains, loaded with troops.
toward the scene OF the engagement.
The forces consisted Of the Arapiles and
Basbastro battalions. under the COM
nand of Colonel Arizona and they have
Just returned with the story OF the de-
lay of the arrival here of the military
passenger train from Consolation del
Sur. The troops brought with them the
passengers, who are over As hours late,
and the survivors and wounded OF tho
military escort train. The latter, ii ap-
pears. was running between Bacuna-
qua and Taco Taco, when, near the point
known as kilometer ll3, the train was
compelled TO slow up on account of the
obstruction across the line, and as Ii
did SO a smart rifle fire was opened upon
the train from both sides OF the road,
while "A party OF insurgents was seen
to dash out OF concealment behind the
train, and place heavy distractions
across the road. Other insurgents occu-
pied themselves actively in removing the
rails behind the obstruction, thereby
catching the military train in a trap,
from which IL could neither advance,
or retreat. The troops promptly re-
turned the fire OF the insurgents. who
kept well urdar cover, and whose bull
lets splintered the cars, and flattened
themselves upon the sides OF the ar
mored wagons.
The firing lasted three hours. accord
ing TO the official statement, at the end
of which 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 pas
senger train, and returned to this city
with the Arapiles and Basnastro battal-
ions.
Unofficial versions Of the affair, how
ever, say that the train was deraiied,
and subsequently burned by the insur-
gents and that the escort OF the military
train were rescued just in time to save
them from being exterminated by tho
enemy AS ii was, six soldiers of the
escort are admitted to have been Killed
and one lieutenant and 21 soldiers were
brought here wounded. The Lieutenant
Is expected to die.
Late details regarding the train con
finn the statement that 1t was derailed
by the insurgents, who dynamited IL
and afterward destroyed the cars com.
pietely. The defense made by the es-
cort is said to have. lasted, practically,
three days. although il is not claimed
that the firing continued all that time.
The insurgents who attacked the mili
tary train were in strong force. and il
developed later that they also tried 10
dynamite the relief train, without re.
suit. The Spaniards claim that the in
surgents did not burn the military train
until after the relieving column of troops
had retired
The general situation In Cuba is about
the same as II has been for months.
Each side seems confident OF tiring the
other out, and little or no progress is
being made by either The threats OF
Captain General Weyler to take tho
field in person against Antonio Maceo
have turned out to be nothing more than
rumor. Maceo practically holds PinaI
del Rio, while Maxine Gomez appears
to be doing as he pleases in the eastern
part of the island.
Rustiers Neck In Danger.
Denver, Aug 20.-1he body OF Puui
Rose. a Wells county cattle man, who
was murdered recently by cattle rust
lcr, has been found, buried i'm the sand
near Colorado Nebraska line. His herd