Evening journal., 1896-12-14
The lNFAMY OF SPAIN.
General Maceo's Death Was the
Work of Assassirs.
LURED INTO A SPANISH AMBUSH

Patriot Leader Murdered In Gold Blood
For the Price weyler Had put Upon
His Head-yictim of Plot of DIR. xer.
tncha and Marquis de Ahumada.
NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-Tbe Cuban iunta
In this city is in receipt of Trustworthy in.
formation confirming the reports of the
death of General Antonio Maceo and as
serting positively that the great patriot
leader was foully assassinated-the victim
OF the, most cowardly and treacherous plot
in tne annals of modern warfare
The facts as received by the junta are
substantially these:
Early in November Maceo received y
mysterious message which appearnd +,
come from the Marquis of Ahumada. with
full authority from General Weyler as the
messenger carried a safe conduct issued by
Weyler personally. Nothing was written.
the message was only verbal The messen.
ger stated tAat he came to offer an inter.
view with the Marquis of Ahumada to ar.
range U.e terms for the evacuation of tho
ISLAM by the Spanish troops.
AT this conference only Brigadiar Miro.
chief of the staff OF Maceo, was present.
Well, F" answered Maceo, Ego and tell
tho Marquis Of Ahumada that / viii con.
slider the thing and give him an answer. /"
Maceo Immediately gathered his staff
and, explaining the situation, asked the
opinion Of his suborainates.
Brigadier Miro expressed his belief that
the whole thing was a scheme of the Span
lards to catch Maceo in a trap. But DR..
Maximo Zertucha tried TO convince the
Cuban leader that it was wise to meet the
Marquis of Ahumada, as the financial sit
~ ole fn1 haf fIc
Spanish army would soon have to abandon
the fight Though Maceo was satisfied that
the situation of Spain indicated coming
crisis he accepted tho views of Miro and
resolved to wait thinking it strange that
the first proposals for peace should be
made to him and not to General Gomez
Maceo was very modest and unambitious
man, and as brave as he was faithful tc
his superiors. Without first knowing the
opinion of General Gomez he would never
enter into any kind of treaty.
When this first attempt of the Spanish
failed, Weyler returned to Havana to con
fer with the Marquis of Ahumada This is
the explanation of the sudden return OF
the butcher to the capital after he started
to Pinar del Rio to take personal com.
mand OF the Spanish forces with the prom
lse that before his return the revolution
should be crushed.
Campos' Honorable Refusal.
1t is known that when Captain General
Martinez Campos returned to Havana
from Bayamo, after the battle Of Perale-.
10, some Spaniards in the capital suggest
ed to him to pay a large sum of money to
some traitor in the Cuban ranks to assas-
sinate Gomez and Maceo.
Even So, 000 900, " was said to Campos.
could be paid for the lives of those two
men. Without them the revolution win
fail completely in a short time, and the
revolution will cost Spain hundreds of
times that
"If you propose that scheme to me seri-
ously, answered Martinez Campos to the
Spaniard who spoke in the name Of the
Others, you are not a patriot and you are
not gentleman. prefer to see spain in
the abyss Of defeat rather than to stain nv
conscience and my name with such a
crime
The suggestion was never made again
to Campos, but as soon as Woyler landed
1t was renewed to him. Weyler accepted
with joy and aimed at Gomez as his first
victim, but Gomez is a very suspicious
man and permits to approach him only
those in whom he has full confidence
When Maceo invaded the province of Pi-
mar del Rio for the second time. the sec
ond attempt at his assassination was plan
ned, and Maximo Zertucha, the surgeon.
was found as the traitor to carry out the
crime. First Barrera the chief of police.
succeeded in communicating with Yer
tucha. Afterward the traitor had commu-
nications with the Marquis of Ahumada.
through Colonel Tort, who before the war
was an intimate friend of Zertucha, and
70 whom, as arranged previously, the
traitor surrendered in San Felipe. He was
subsequently given his freedom. and un-
questonably received the reward which
is said to have been $50, 600, for his treach
cry.
Colonel Tort, who is a very bloodthirstv
Spanish officer, recommended Zertucba to
tho Marquis Ahumada as the very man
needed to attract Maceo 10 a given place
and to inform the Spaniards of all the Cu-
ban leaders movements. Weyler agreed
and, after promising Zertucha, through
Tort, a monetary reward with which he
could live safely in Spain, started again To
Pinar del Rio with moro forces still to
compel Maceo to make a desperate effort
which Weyler hoped would bring him into
the desired trap.
Led Into a Trap.
Maceo had received advices from Gomez
that the commander in chief was prepar.
ing an invasion of the west with Calixto
Garcia, and that he thought it would be
of the best moral effect if, leaving "a good
leader in command of the forces in Pinar
del Rio Maceo should pass the trocha, Join
him and march with him to the very gates
of the city of Havana. The crossing of the
trocha was not an easy affair with large
body of men, and even when opportunity
offered but few Cuban soldiers could do
it without attracting attention Maceo
knew how, and moved to Mariel but The
Spaniards, through Zertucha, knew of his
movements and Of the communication
from Gomez.
On the I'd of December Maceo sent four
men 70 reconnoiter the trocha on the north
side They exchanged shots with the sen
tlnels, and by this the Spanish knew the
proximity of the insurgent leader. Then
orders were given by the spanish COM
manuef not to resist On the Sd Maceo
sent some more scouts, who came back
ana assured him that the trucha was not
well defended on that side. He passed the
FIE.F n