Connecticut western news., 1896-04-16
VICTORY FOR MACEO.
DEFEAT OF WEYLER's FORCES IN
 PINAR DEL RIO.

The Intrepid Leader of the Patriots Out generals the Spanish oncers and Routs Their soIdiers-Consul Williams Conn., pIiments His Successor.
 HAVANA, April 15.-News has been re- ceived here of a battle near Lechuza be- tween the Alfonso XIII battalion, under command of Colonel Debos, and the insur- gents under Maoeo.
 Colonel Dehos reports that his battal. ion. in combination with other bodies of Spanish troops left Mariel. in the prov ince of Pfnar del Rio, for the purpose oi giving the enemy battle.
 They met the advance guard of the in- surgents. consisting of a fierce of goo cav airy, who opened fire upon the govern ment column.
 The Spaniards continued their march toward Lechuza, although opposed at ev cry step and every elevation being occu- pied by them nt the cost of fight.
 Upon arriving in the vicinity of Lechu- za they found the insurgents gathered in strong forces, and the patriots made ap attempt to surround the Spanish column.
 The Spanish troops fought with great desperation against heavy odds. says De. bos, but were defeated with losses of many killed and wounded.
 Divining the intention of the enemy to encircle his column, Colonel Debos order ed a retreat
 The Spanish column retired to the San Claudio estate on the north coast, where the troops fortified themselves, awaiting the arrival of other government columns.
 Kept the Enemy at Bay.
 General Inclan arrived with his column very opportunely, and the troops under Colonel Debos were also protected by the gunboat Alerta, which kept the enemy at bay.
 Colonel Debos estimates that the force of the insurgents who charged upon his command numbered 5000 men. The off cial report says that the losses of the ene- my must have been very great, as many men were seen to fall before the fire of the Spanish troops
 The government column, according to the official report, lost men killed and officer and 13 soldiers wounded, hut the fact is that the government losses were very heavy, the details being withheld by the authorities.
 A civilian who volunteered to carry the news of the predicament of the govern ment column to the nearest fort ran the gantlet of the rebel fire and was compel led to jump into the water twice to save himself.
 General Inclan reported that upon his arrival at Colonel Dehos' camp he com pelled Maceo to retreat from San Claudio.
 Trying to Force a Battle.
 The object of the Spanish general fof some time past has been to compel the Gu ban leaders to fight a battle. General Weyler drew up plan some time ago to prevent the reunion of the two separate armies of the insurgent army and to de. stroy at a single blow that one of them which for some weeks has been the most aggressive and successful.
 The force under General Maceo, num- befing between 0,000 and 15, 900 men, has been under the province of Pinar, west of Havana, more than 100 miles away from the force under General Gomez. The ob- ject of the Spanish general was to confine Maceo's force within the district which it occupied, SO that the main body of the Spanish army might be directed against 1t with overwhelming force.
 The maneuvering on both sides began about a fortnight ago and went on day and night. The Spapiards thought that Maceo was shut up in narrow quarters, from which escape was impossible.
 Two troohas, or walls. of soldiers had been established across the island near Ha- vana, and upon these there were at least 50,O00 Spanish troops, supported by other bodies stationed in Maoeo's rear and on both sides.
 It looked as though Spain had at last caught the second best Cuban leader on the inside of that quadrangle which Wey- Ter had repeatedly tried to draw him into since he discovered that a triangle could not hold him.
 The object of the Spanish maneuverine was to close upon Maceo, and the object of Maoeo was to prevent the enemy from closing in upon him. It now looks as If the Cuban tactioian had once more succeeded in frustrating the carefully laid plans of the Spaniards-