Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-05
He DEADLY MACHETE
A Weapon That Is Winning
Freedom for Cuba.
IT SERVES MANY PURPOSES
Originally an Implement of Husbandry-In
the Hands of the .lnsurgents a
Deadly Weapon.


the machete in the hands of the brave
patriots, the cause of Cuba's liberty must
have been irretrievably lost before this
time. 1t ss this weapon that is winning
Cuba's freedom, for at the beginning of
the present revolt there were but few
hundred rifles in the possession of the
insurgents, and until the Bermuda landed
her cargo on the island only an occasional
filibustering expedition, and these car
rying small supplies, had managed to
elude the vigilance of the Spanish watch
dogs
The ease of the transmission from an
implement of husbandry to a weapon,
and the fearful effectiveness of the ma
chete when employed against human
flesh instead of sugarcane or logwood
has made this great cutlass from time
immemorial an important factor in prl-
vate quarrels in Cuba, and the patriots
were not slow to perceive it's advantages
when they began their struggle for liber-
ty. 1t was the one weapon with which
every peasant was familiar. Even had
these poor mountaineers been versed in
the handling of firearms, the supply of
the latter was SO precarious that large
proportion of their troops would have
been quite uselessSbut for the cutlass;
and a terrible foe have these machete-
men proved themselves in dozens of en-
counters.
Cutlass Against Bayonet.
1t requires a sufficient amount of brav-
cry to stand up before a line of guns
belching out flame and death, but in a
hand-to-hand struggle, such as becomes
inevitable with these great knives, per-
sonal activity and physical strength are
tried to the utmost, and the leaders of the
insurgents are forced to originate a sys-
tenn of tactics quite at variance with the
rules of military science. There were few
wounded after the bloody battles of Ca
Gao, Tobite or San Geronimo, for the Gu
bans, having crept through the long
grass, their machetes held between their
teeth, would await in breathless silence
the approach of the Spanish troops, and
the suddenpess of the spring from the
ambuscade left no time to shoot; 1t be-
came cutlass against bayonet on the in
stant and the cutlass generally did its
work better.
AT the battle of Cacao, Rabi the insur-
gent leader, found his men supplied with
but two rounds of cartridges, and the
country was too open to admit of an am
bush Compelling captured trumpeter
to sound the Spanish bugle call, he rode
full gallop with all HIS force at the APP
preaching column, crying: Viva Espa-
na!' In the clouds of dust the Spaniards
did not perceive the truth till their enc
mics were within few yards, and then
1t was too late, for their ranks were shat
tered by the impetuous onset of the Gu
bans, and only bare handful of the de-
tachment escaped the deadly machete.
Always the news is of the same char
acter for in such fighting the mercenary
is no match for the son of the soil strik-
ing for his home and for that. principle
of liberty which was embodied In our own
constitution by such a CHASTITY expendi-
ture of life. The Spanish generals have
tried the experiment of arming their
troops also with the machete, but 1t was
found to be almost useless in the hands
of the inexperienced, and the insurgents
have still a monopoly of it's terrors. The
mere shout of "Al machete'' has been
known to create panic in the enemy's
columns, and it is dreaded with reason,
for there Is preserved In the Madrid mu-
scum of artillery rifle which, during
the ten years war, was cut squarely in
two, wood, steel and all, by a single
stroke of a cutlasS.
The last battle of any size which has
| been reported, was on March "a, the
| same day on which General Gomez cap.
| tured the important town of Santa Clara,
| and after holding 1t for five hours, re-
| treated before a superior force, carrying
with him over 100000 cartridges besides
| supply of arms and clothing. The
former engagement took place midway
| between Guiana and La Fe, in the Pinar
| Del Rio province. The insurgents at
| tackled the Wadras battalion, and al
| though the Spaniards were drawn up in
| a square with a protecting force of caval-
| ry, they were quite unable to Withstand
the fierce onslaught of the machete-
| armed warriors, who scattered them in
| every direction, using their keen weapons
with fatal effect during both the fight
and the pursuit.
| An Implement of Peace.
| 1t is not surprising that the Cuban
| should be so wonderfully proficient in
| handling this weapon when one reflects
what 1t Is to him in times of peace; 1t is
| then about as comprehensive an imple-
| ment as could be devised; he uses 1t for
| anything from peelng stalk of sugar
| cane to telling tree 1 " feet in diameter,
and 1t is really rare sight to see peas
| ant without his cutlass. either carried in
| his hand or swinging in a long leather
| sheath. In appearance 1t is much like a
| corn knife, but 1t is usually longer and
heavier, with a home made handle in
| comparNbly more comfortable than the
| blster-raisng device which every coun-
| try boy has tested in cutting down row
| Of corn. The readymade handles of horn
look like quite the proper thing to the
novice, but the veteran machete man is
| almost sure to discard this as a snare
and deluson, substituting a piece of
wood carefully cut out to fit his hand
| and bound around ingeniously with Irvine
| to hold the blade firm and give a good
| grip. So attached do these men become
| to their own particular implements that
you can materially lessen your best work.
| mans efficiency by starting him out with
| strange machete; indeed. he is more
| than likely to refuse to work at all under
| such conditions.
Naturally, the choice of such constant
| companion is weighty matter, and
however poverty stricken man may be