The herald., 1896-01-11
A PRETEASE Of Retreat
The Insurgent Gomez Escapes
the Spaniards' Trap
TOBACCO AT PlNAR DEL RIO
Is 10 Suffer the Same Fate as the
Sugar Crop
Evidence of a Conspiracy to Cause an Up
rising in Havana -insurgent Vic
tories and Defeats

Associated Pres Special Wire
HAVANA, Jan. 10.-Iue lull which
seemed to have taken place in the activi-
ties of the insurgents in the past few days
have given place ouce more to an unex-
pected dash on the par of Maxine Gomez
into the heart of the rich tobacco growing
district OF Pnar del Rio.
Confident claims have been made for
several days past on the part Of the au-
thorities that the time was fast approach
ing when the insurgents were TO pay the
penalty for their temerity and when the
Spanish were to close in upon them as in
a trap and annihilate them. The sympa-
thizers with the insurgents have themselves
not been free from Keen anxiety at the
persistent stand the leaders were making
on the northern coast Of Pinar del Rio and
almost up to The outskirts OF Havana itself,
while the continued activity OF The Spanish
generals were di@posing about them
force OF troops that seemed likely to hem
them in ard cut them of.
The news cabled last evening that Go
mez had passed Alquzar and Gura Me-
lena, in Havana province. was received
with relief by the friends OF the insurgents,
though the direction he had taken beyond
that was not known, but it was not gem
orally supposed he was bent upon retreat
into the eastern PROVINCES, glad to escape
the trap set for hiu!.
1t is now evident he was merely making
pretense at ret,eat 10 mslead his enemy,
and meantime he has not only counter
marched. like a fox doubling upon its own
tracks, but tonight he has nearly his Whole
effective force in the tobacco district in the
southern part of PipAr del Rio. ready to
visit the destruc ion upon the tobacco crop
,uI,, oh he,f f,a ,ix is,ta
the sugar crop.
There ale ind stinct rumors here that an
important expedition for the relief OF the
insuT gems has been landed upon the
northern coast of Pinar del Rio. The
boldness of the Insurgents in remaining
upor his coast in face OF danger of beng
cut off has been attributed to their expec-
tai ion of the landing of the expedition.
| The authorities have discovered evidence
| of what they consider a conspiracy 10
cause an uprising in Havana, and to hand
the city over to the insurgents. The con.
spiracy is believed to be widely ramiiied
! and its discovery is causing grave uneasl-
ness in Havana and suspicious that dis
affection is much more widely disseminated
! than has been dtlnit ed.
! Thirty persone have been arrested for
completely in the plot, and eight have been
! imprisoned, while Aquilino Solano, police
| inspector for the port of Havana, has been
relieved from duty.
| An engagement has occurred between
the combined columns of General Navarro
and Colonel Arizon aud the bands led by
| Maceo aud 2ayas, at point between the
| plantations oI Naeaido aud BeCoua, in ihe
| district of Chanas. The Spaniards, it is
reported. took the insurgents position,
who fed, leaving twelve killed and carry
ing off many wounded.
1t is announced that 1913 wounded in
surgents who we're picked up IN the battle
field at Laceioa are now in the Spanish
hospital at San Antonio dc los Bauos.
The garrison at Hoyo Colorado, twelve
miles from Havana, consisting of twenty
/ Spanish volunteers, has surrendered TO the
insurgents twelve miles from here.