St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-04
TWENTY MILES OF. THE CITY
OF HAVANA.
sPAElARDs FEEL PANicKY.
UNCERTAIN wHETHER 1T MEANS
AN ATTACK OR A
RUSE.
MARTIAL LAW IN THE PROVINCE.
Hasty Preparations for an Eject
i've Defense Against Possible
Invasion.

HAVANA, Jan. .3.-The authorities
confessed the grave condition of af-
fairs today by proelaiIning martial law
for the provinces of Havana and
Pinar del Rio. The insurgents are
apparently making a swift advance
directly on Havana. The advance
guard of their cavalry, under Gen.
Lacret, was at latest accounts at Ia
paste, which is only eighteen miles from
Guanabacoa, the latter being but d
suburb of Havana, five miles from the
city, where a bathing beach is located.
Word received from La Catelina, be-
tween Guines and Bainoa, and about
a dozen miles from Tapaste, reports
that there are indications of a rapid
advance movement in considerable
force on the part of the wing of the
insurgent army under Bandera. Moth
ing definite is known as to the strength
in numbers of Bandera's command,
but the news of the near approach of
the insurgents has caused the utmost
anxiety among the authorities and ev-
cry preparation is hastily being made
to have the city's defenses in readi-
ness to repel an attack or to prevent
damage being done within the city,
even if the projected movement should
prove to be nothing but dashing cav
airy raid. The railroad station at
Xenes, near Bainoa, has been burned
by the insurgents. So far as is known,
Gomez is still operating in the region
about Guines with a large force of
insurgents, and nothing has been
bot tac ir,ro a q
movement on his part to cooperate
with Bandera in an attack on Ha-
vana. 1t is believed that Bandera is
simply planning demonstration to
divert attention from Gomez and the
southern wing, while that general COM
pletes the work of destruction in the
cane fields of Havana province or
makes dash into Pinar del Rio.
INVITING DESTRUCTION.
Nevertheless, the unparalleled bold
ness and tntrepidity of the movement
creates something like panic here, and
the conviction is universal that unless
ample force is displayed to show the
rebels that they would court annihila-
tion by attacking Havana, there is
danger that they will make destruct-
i've dash into Havana itself. Skirmish-
lDS Is TSpOIlSu lIOIl lll6
of Jovellanos, in MatanZas province, in
which the insurgents are reported to
have lost six killed. In the cane fields
near Amarillas are said to have been
found the dead bodies of thirty-seven
insurgents, four of them badly burned
Gomez has declared his purpose to
penetrate into the province of Pinar del
Rio. Although his forces have not
reached the borders of that province,
the action of the authorities in proclaim
ing martial law is understood to indi-
cate that they have no hopes of prevent
ing him from carrying out his threat.
1t is not only the organized armed force
of the advancing insurgents that they
find themselves compelled to prepare
against. The irresistible progress of the
insurgent army, whittier it listeth, from
one end of the island to the other, has
served immensely to increase the bold
ness of sympathizers, who have hither-
to remained passive non-combatants.
If these were to see the occasion for
successful stroke, there is no doubt that
great accessions to the insurgent forces
would be gained throughout the prov
ince of Havana and Pinar del Rio. and
there are grave fears that an uprising
would occur in the city of Havana itself.