The San Francisco call., 1896-03-10
Tactics of Certain Officers Cause
a Reign of Terror on the
Island.
WEYLER TRIES TO CHECK 1T.
Outrageous Abuse ofPower and Wan
ton Murders by Some of the
Army Leaders.

HAVANA, CUBA, March Z, via Tampa,
Fla, March 9.-Arrests of civilians under
the sweeping provisions OF General Wey-
Ier's proclamations of February 16 have
been made at such rate and in many cases
with SO little evidence of guilt that Gen
eral Weyler was compelled week ago to
issue instructions to his officers to be mer-
ciful, as he required more proof than ver bal
denunciation. Yesterday he issued cir
cular in which he stated that absolute
proof must be furnished by other than in
terested parties before accused persons
will be deported, and warning command
ers that they will be held responsible for
false answers.
Without doubt General Weyler has in
view the effect of this order abroad as well
as here, for the manner in which Cubans
who have never borne arms against Spain
have been dragged from their homes,
from their families their stores or their
farms and thrown into prisons with
felons and after few days delay placed
on board ships for what is probably the
vilest penal colony on the face of the
earth, has become a shame that cries
aloud for redress.
General Weyler upon his arrival set at
liberty a number of these civilian prison
ers whom General Pando had taken from
their daily occupation in the eastern end
OF the island. l saw twenty of them at
the palace one day. They were white, in
telligent looking and bore the appearance
OF being shopkeepers or clerks. They
were not bronzed by exposure to the
weather as all are in the field. The only
eviden against these men was paper
purporking to be list of the people who
were Ring and communicating with the
enemy. 1t was made up by Spaniard.
Since that time General Weyler has re-
leased others captured in the same way.
Hundreds have, however, been sent to
Ceuta, Africa, and to the isle of Pines,
and the arrests are increasing In number.
General Weyler has removed the alcalde
of all towns in whom he had not absolute
confidence and has appointed the ranking
military officers of regular troops or volun-
teers alcalde or Mayor. These men are
usually of the grade of lieutenant or
major. They possess arbitrary powers.
Under the proclamation the life or death
of any man, woman or child in their zone
is in their hands.
believe Weyler to be a man of severe
measures, man who will quickly approve
any extreme act on their part They look
upon his circulars as intended for effect in
the United States. sThey expect praise
and promotion for shooting war prisoners
as soon as taken. In their reports they
are careful TO have the prisoners or the
peaceful citizens killed found in the field
after an engagement, but between the
lines the manner in which the victim met
his death is not difficult to decipher.
General Canella was sent back to Spain
by Weyler either for having shot down
seventeen prisoners or for having reported
seventeen bodies were found in another
part of the field" but the man who con-
fessed to his friends here and probably to
General Weyler of having killed seventeen
people in cold blood received no more
severe punishment than being deprived OF
his command.
When the horrible story of the butchery
of eighteen peaceable citizens in the little
hamlet of Guatao was published in
the United States and wired back
here General Weyler announced that
he would make a thorough ex-
animation and would punish who-
ever was respons ible for the outrage, if
one had been committed. Two weeks have
gone by since the affair occurred and no
official has lost his stripes.
Guatao was so near Havana that Ameri-
can correspondents succeeded in demon
starting the absolute truth of the story.
Dozens of reports of affairs similar in
that unarmed citizens are killed by Span
isb troops have been received here, but
the authorities have placed obstacles in
the way of correspondents so that ii is i'm
nossible TO visit the localities and estab-
lish the facts.
In dozen cases refugees from towns
where fights have occurred state that after
the rebels are driven away citizens who
took no part were shot down and counted
in the official reports as dead insurgents.
The Government officials deny these
stories, and while it is common talk in
Havana that certain affairs were
butcheries, the correspondents are III most
cases obliged to accept the Governments
version.
have visited towns where nearly every
family had fed in terror. leaving dishes
standing on the table and everything in
disorder, showing the haste IN which
homes were abandoned. | talked with the
few who remained and was told that the
people did not dread the insurgents put
fed from fear of the excesses OF the Spanish
troops. On the other hand, III some Sec
tions where towns have been used by the
Spanish the insurgents have burned the
whole town and the people were left home
less Other towns which have harbored
the insurgents have been destroyed
by the Spanish troops and the wreck
and ruin which are being visited upon the
fair island of Cuba are pitiful to contem-
nlate Rnt for the warmth of the climate