The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-09

tiOn OF MAJOR ClruJeud Olncldl report tndl
the engagement with Maceo on Dec. 4.
when he forced the trocha, was "a fearful
combat" which is the first official admis-
sion that Maceo brought with him across
the trocha a considerable equipped follow
ing and fought a hot engagement to effect
his passage After the Cubans had passed
into Havana province the Spanish COM
mander effected, fresh concentration in
that province and awaited the arrival of
Maceo He had received confidential in
formation of the proposed movements of
the Cubans and arranged his forces ac-
cordingly. He had. in addition. received a
detailed description of the horse which
Maceo was to ride as we'll as of it's capari-
sons. The expected battle occurred yester-
day. but no details of the engagement are
given out for publication here.
After the fight the Spanish troops made
a reconnaissance of the ground previously
held by the Cuban forces. Here was found
the two corpses lying together, and, indeed
almost locked in an embrace of death. The
one body was that of a mulatto, a stout
man with gray, crispy, curling hair, and
the other. that OF q slender dark-haired
youth. Both men wers. dressed in white
linen duck suits. When the linen suit was
removed from the corpse of the elder of
the two Ii was found TO have under it a
fine undershirt, with the initials "A. Nj.
upon it, The pair of black silk socks on
this body contained the same initials
worked in REQ ink. There was a gold ring
on the finger containing on the inner rim
the engraved inscription Antonio y
Maria" A revolver with an ivory handle
and marked together with a small gold
mounted telescope, were also found on the
body. The head of the younger mans body
was resting upon the body of the first.
There was found on it a silver watch, an
ammunition bag and several handker-
chiefs bearing the initials IF. c. Among
the papers the following letter was found.
written in somewhat grabbed handwriting
of an aged man. it being dated, Cuban
I.iberator Army general headquarters,
Cuba, in the field Sept. To- 1885,
| Dear Pancho-I wrote you not long ago:
| am informed of your running aground and
| the cause of 1t. L am just thinking how
| long your stopping will last No doubt you
haTe been in w pH for W6 e Success hef has
| come to them. For three days past there
| has been attack at Cascorro and the enemy
| is quite tired, so that IL no reinforce
ments come they will yield. Yesterday l
20. Embrace Caesar Miguel and the COM
rades and Artega in particular"
| Vi.
| Gomez. 1t is stated in addition to the
above particulars that there was found on
the body of the younger man letter writ
ten in pencil. saying that he died rather
| than abandon the corpse of his general,
| Maceo.
Such are the details of the Identification
| upon which the Spanish officials rely for
their firmly expressed conviction that An
l. NJ
received since the outbreak of the insur-
rection has caused so great a sensation in
Havana or has been deemed so encouraging
to the Spanish cause. Since the famous
raid of the Cubans across the whole of the
island last year, when Maceo invaded Pinal
del Rio while Gomez returned to the east.
ern provinces, the mulatto general has hello
his own In the western province against
the utmost efforts of the Spaniards to dis
lodge him. He transferred the whole sea-
of war from the east to the west end ant
while his enemies claimed he had run into
a trap and built strong trocha across the
island to keep him there he continued
his indefatigable campaign and consistent,
claimed always that he could cross tn.
trocha when he wished and effect june
ton with Gomez in the east
The diary of Macec's operations found
with the body in addition to the detail!
already stated. says that Maceo himself
was wounded before crossing the trocha il
a skirmsh at Vejerano. Dec. 3. After eros
sing the trocha on Dec 4 he Joined tn,
local Havana bands of the insurgents.
Major Cirrujeda arrived in Havana a
noon with the documents which had beer
taken from the bodies of Antonio Macet
and Francisco Gomez.