The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-01-09
THE PEOPLE IN HAVANA ARE Be
COMING VERY PALE AND
NERVOUS.
CUBANS ONLY TWELVE MILES AWAY
in Insurgcnt Hands-Work of De
vastating Plantations Goes on
Without Interruption.

IldNuld, Jan. o.-lliNduu mas spent Il
day of nervousness and anxiety and has
been in hourly apprehension of an at
tack by the insurgcnt army or a part of
| it. Yesterday the bands commanded by
qua, n village not more than ~ miles
from Havana. 1t must not be supposed
that the city is open to the advance of
the insurgents or that there are none
within its borders to offer resistance.
There has been no overt act of defiance
Of the authorities within the city, and
there have been numerous voluntary of
fcrs to bear arms in defense of the city
thousands of them, the authorities say.
But there has been Il considerable convic-
ton in the minds of the residents of Ha-
yana that they were in no real danger of
molcstatiOn by the rebels. Many hun
dreds of nOn-combatants in the island
have come to Havana to await the pas
sage of the storm. Still more have sent
their wives and families here as II safe
refuge. This class OF the population is
may and panic.
The authorities no longer make the
slightest concealment of the serious view
they take of the situation, and there are
some who do not hesitate to rail at the
Spanish generals and troops and make
bitter criticisms of them. There have
been no fear that the light and water
supply would be cut off by Il sudden raid
of the insurgent forces. The idea of the
city being left in total darkness for the
unseen working of plots and seditions is
itself enough to work Il panic i'll the nerv-
Gus condition of the public mind. Special
preparations for the defense of the works
that supply these have been made and ar
tillery has been placed to command them
against all probable sources of attack.
All possible recruits have been enlisted
for the defense of the city, and the
available guard about the city has been
filed with batteries of artillery, which
are manned day and night. The Spanish
authorities have maintained a Gordon OF
military forces running from Havana to
the town of Batabano on the south coast
since the insurgent invasion of MatanZas.
This Gordon has proved no more cffcc-
tive than did the line of La Trancha,
which was laid to keep the insurgents
out of Santa Clara province. This line
was broken yesterday by the forces I'M
der Gomez, and the main body of the i'll
surgents today passed into the province
of pinar del Rio and are now Overrun-
ming that province with fire and the
sword. The passage was effected near
Batanabano ut Poso RcdondO and Gomez
burned the village of Mabril on the way
and partially destroyed the town of Guira
Melcna and of Alquisar. The work of
destruction in Havana province has been
as complete us was that i'll MatanZas and
the sugar lands in Pinar.
In effect the whole island of Cuba out
side the city of Havana is now in the
hands of the insurgents. They have not
they routed the whole army in any single
pitched battle. Yet the situation is COM
pletely in their hands and so completely
have they out-generalcd the Spanish
that to all appearances Martinez Compos
army might as well be i'll Spain for any
check it puts upon the movements to and
fro of Maxine Gomez army. The lat
tcr's progress was marked by additions
to his forces by volunteers. and he mas
captured enough horses, rifles and arhl-
lcry to- add immensely to the store OF
arms he has. He has practically carried
his base of operations with him, and has
usually countermarched over n wholly
different route from that of his advance,
apparently counting with confidence upon
living upon the country as he went.
There is but little doubt really felt here
that he will get as much or more sympa-
thy in Pinar Del Rio than he did III
Santa Clara and Matanzas, and the gem
pral fear here is now that after squirting
over Pinar Del Rio he will come on ia-
yona from the west. cooperating in an
attack with the forces of the insurgents,
which have been east of Havana for sew
eral days past. The advance of Gomez
beyond Balabano has cut the line of tele-
graph and cable communication with
the eastern part of the island, upon which
Campos principally relied for directing
his forces in Santiago de Cuba, Puerto
Principe and Santa Clara.
Details are meager of the movements
of Gomez in Pinar Del Rio today, and
it is not known whether he is proceeding
to the westward portion of the province
or has turned northward toward Havana.