The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-07
DIAzS EXPULSION FROM CUBA.
THE MISSIONARY on THE ROsTRU8I
AT ATLANTA.

lie Was Captain in the Cuban
Army During the Ten Years War
and Is n Personal Friend of MaceO
and Gomez-He Thinks His Work
Among the wounded and Dead
Excited WeyIer's Suspicious
Against Him.
Atlanta, Ca, May 6.-Rev. A. ]. Diaz,
the Cuban missionary OF the Southern
BAPTIST convention, who was recently ex-
PEELED from Cuba, after being imprisoned
by Gen. Weyler's order, made a public
address tonight at the First Baptist
church, giving an account of the strug-
gle in Cuba and his own personal treat
ment at the hands of the Spanish authori-
ties DR.. Diaz, though an American citi-
zen. is a native Cuban and in personal ap-
pearance is a manly type of his nation.
During the ten years war in Cuba he was
q captain in the rebel army and is the
personal friend of Gen. Gomez and Gen.
Maceo, with both of whom he has served
on the field of battle. In the present
struggle, however, he says he has held
himself apart from the conflict on ac-
count of his church work, although as a
member of the Red Cross Society. or the
White Cross Society, as it is called in
Cuba, he has succOred the wounded and
buried the dead after a score Of engage
ments between the insurgent forces and
the Spanish troops. 1t was probably this
work that led 10 suspicion against him
and that led TO his arrest and imprison-
ment. However, no speclnc charge was
made again him or his brother, who was
arrested at the same time and confined
i'm adjoining cells in the police barracks
-They knew" said Dr. Diaz this MORN
ing, that l had been in the rebel army
before but l had not had any communi-
cation with the rebels during the present
struggle, because l was devoted TO my
church work.
"Why / was arrested / do not know.
The day before L left Havana ] wrote d
letter 10 Consul General Williams asking
MIN for the reasons for my arrest, but ne
dld not answer me and viii not. 1t was
persecution because / was known to be
an American citizen, am satisfied. A few
weeks before my arerst some one placed
Two dynamite bomb i'm the lobby of my
church. They exploded during services
ara snattered the glass in the building, but
no one was hurt"
The day of my arrest" said DR.. Diaz.
twenty persons were shot. Among them
were small boys and Old men. Before they
marched out, they were all made TO go
out and dig their own graves. 1t was a
Describing the tlking of q Blptist
church in one of the suburban towns near
h4yana by the Spanish soldiers, DR.. Diaz
sald: Ihey had fight with the rebels in
the vicinity Of 1t, and declared that the
people in the neighborhoOd were in sym
pathy with the insurgents. Not stopping
with the destruction of the church furni-
ture, they butchered one hundred persons.
Ihey said these victims were insurgents.
among them were two cousins of mine
ana several members Of the destroyed
church. Two of them were women, and
chlid was shot also. My brother and l
saw these dead victims with our own eyes
when | through m
affairs here, we shall set te work to re
count to the people of the world the hor-
rlDle atrocities that are being perpetrated
by the soldiers Of the government. have
been on twenty battle fields and have seen
the graves where the helpless victims,
VINO have faleln into the hands of the sol
diers. afterwards were buried, some times
During his confinement. DR.. Diaz was
summoned before a military court but
refused to answer the questions put to
him, because he declared that he was en-
titled to civil trial. He had communi-
Gated with the consul general, and had
seen him, and the consul being apprised
OF the conditions, the military court had
TO dismiss him.
From the written questions put to him
the court suspected that he had been writ
ing letters to the insurgent chiefs, and
that he was associated with Alberto Fer
nando, rebel leader. DR.. Diaz, however,
declared that he did not know Fernando
ana mad had nothing to do with the in
DR.. Diaz was banished from Cuba, to-
gether with his family, including his
brother. Unless there is q revocal Of the
order, ne can never again set foot upon
the island without being arrested. HIS
Wife and three children are now in Tampa
Fla, where they will remain for some
Llme. his brother is also there. He left
Tampa last Wednesday. Under the de-
cree Of Punishment they We're ordered to
leave Cuba by the first steamer that
cleared from the island the day that DiaE
was released from Jail He, however,
would not 80 until he had made his busl-
ness arrangements TO that the churcn
property, which in Havana alone is valued
at $4,000, was safely provided for