The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-20
ESCORT NARROWLY ESCAPED.
ONLY ARRIVAL OF REINFORCE
MENTS PREVENTED ANNIHILA-
TION OF THE GUARD.
GEN. MAoEo HOLDS PINAR DEL RIO.
Does as He Likes There and Gomez
ia Control of the East of the
Island.

has been solved and it furnishes an
other instance of the audacity of the
insurgents and of the troubled state
of affairs existing in the province of
Pinar del Rio. On Sunday last a
train having on board a number of
civilian passengers and a strong eS-
cort of troops, consisting of regular
cars and armored cars for the military
escort, left Consolation Del Sur; Pfnar
del Rio, for this city, and should have
arrived here the same day. But 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 mat
ter. In any case, throughout Mon
day the military authorities professed
absolute ignorance of the wherea bouts
of the train, although it was under
stood that inquiries of some descrip-
ton had been sent along the line, but
without any definite result.
This failure to obtain the necessary
information caused the railroad people
to renew their representations to mil
ttary headquarters, and eventually,
on Tuesday, several exploring parties
were sent out to search for the train
Two of those parties, consisting of
cavalry scouts, reported having heard
heavy firing yesterday between Bacun-
aqua and Taco Taco. The latter town
is about one-third of the distance be-
tween Consolation del Sur and Ha-
vana and not far from the important
town of San Cristobal Consolation
is only short distance from Pinar del
Rio, capital of the province of that
name. Later the scouts reported that
the engines and passenger coaches
together with the military cars, had
been derailed between Bacunagua and
Taco Taco, and that it appeared that
severe fighting had taken place be-
tween tho eocnrt of the train and the
insurgents who attacked it,
This news stirred up the military
authorities sufficiently to cause them
to send relief trains loaded with troops
toward the scene Of the engagement
These forces, consisting of the Arapiles
and Basbastro battalions, under the
command of Col. Arizona, they have
just returned with the story of the de-
lay in the arrival of the train The
troops brought with them passengers
who are over 48 hours late, and the
survivors and wounded of the military
escort of the train. The latter, it APP
pears, was running between Eacun-
aqua and Taco Taco. when near the
POINT known as Kilometre lib, the
train was compelled to slow up on ac-
count of an obstruction across the line
and as it 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 OBJ
StructionS across the road. Other in
surgents occupied themselves actively
in removing the rails behind the OBJ
struction, thereby catching the military
train in trap from which it could
neither advance nor retreat.
The troops returned the fire of the
insurgents. who kept we'll under cover
and whose bullets splintered the cars
and Hattened themselves upon the
sides of the armored wagons The
firing lasted three hours. according to
the official statement. at the end of
which time the insurgents are reported
to have been repulSed. 1t is added
that the military escort upon the ar
rival of the relief train, burned the
military passenger train and returned
to this city. Unofficial versions of the
affair. however, say that the train was
derailed and subsequently burned by
the insurgents and that the escort of
the military train was rescued just in
time to save it frcm being extermin-
ated by the enemy. AS it was six
soldiers of the escort are admitted to
have been killed and one lieutenant
and tWenty-One soldiers were brought
here wounded. The lieutenant is ex-
peCted to die.
The general situation of Cuba is
about the same as it has been for
months past. Each side seems conf
dent of firing the other out and little
or no progress is being made by either
the insurgents or the government for
ces. The threats of Capt. Gen. Weyler
to take the field in person against An
tonic Maceo, have turned out to be
nothing but mere rumor. Maceo prac-
tically holds Pinar Del Rio, while
Maxine Gomez appears to be doing as
he pleases in the eastern part of the
island.
Later details regarding the long over
due military train confirm the state
ment that it was derailed by the in
surgentS, who dynamited it and after
wards destroyed the cars completely.
The defense made by the escort is
said 10 have lasted, practically, three
days, although it is not claimed that
the firing continued all that time. The
rebels who attacked the military train
were in strong force, and, 1t developed
later today. they also tried to dynamite
the relief train, but without result
Col. Arizona reports that in retiring
with the rescued escort of the train
he was attacked by Antonio Maceo
and force of 5000 insurgents Artil-
lery fire, however, was opened upon
the enemy and the latter retreated
The insurgent loss is not known. The
Spaniards claim that the insurgents
did not burn the military train until
after the relieving column of troops
had retired.
Advices from San Jose de Los Ramos,
province of Matanzas, say that a
guerrilla force commanded by lieu
tenant which left the Guerrero planta-
ton, where the men had been stationed
in order to protect the laborers at work,
without permission, have been surpris-
ed by the insurgents But the latter
were beaten off with a loss of one officer
and two men killed. and fifteen men
wounded.
The statement published in the United
States that Pelo Garcia has captured
the city of Holguin, Province of San
tiago de Cuba, is announced by the
authorities here to be utterly false, and
they also deny that there is any truth
IN the statement that the OteiZas fill
clustering expedition has landed in
Cuba.
SPANISH GOVERNMENT CALLED.