San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-05-04
A CUBAN OUTRAGE.
HOW SPANISH SOLDIERS DEAL WITH
FRIENDS OF THE INSURGENTS.
An American Driven From His Plantation
With His Family and His Prop
erty Ruthlessly Destroyed.

Your correspondent has had an
interview with Pedro Casanova, a
Cuban who was driven from his
planta ton at San Miguel de
Jaruca by the Spanish soldiers.
Catanova's family consists of
wife, five children and a nephew
Julie Vidal, a young man and ma
tive American. His story is as
follows:
81 have suffered great outrages
at the hands of the Spanish sol
diers. The soldiers recently passed
on the road and my wife called my
attention to the fact that they had
broken into vacant house where
valuable property was stored and
were pulling things to pieces.
Just then l saw two officers COM
ing towards the house. 1 went
out to meet them and invited
them to enter the house and re-
fresh themselves. They accepted
and said they liked coffee. While
they We're drinking one or more
soldiers came and spoke to the
captain who asked me: who are
the men in the sugar house?'
"My employees l replied fnclud-
ing one engineer. The others are
engaged in REPAIRS"
"The captain said: Il hear rebels
are hidden there. l must take the
men before the major for examina-
ton; the major himself will be
here tomorrow
CATER he left found the door of
the house on the hill broken open.
A quantity Of provisions had been
taken, also my saddles and other
things. Other things OF women's
wearing apparel were tossed into
the yard. went to the station.
The drug store looked as If it had
been visitid by a mad bull. All
the shelves and drawers were
thrown out and smashed. An
empty store opposite was in the
same condition. The counter was
thrown down and the door posts
hacked by matchetts. The large
coffee mill was broken and all was
in disorder. An account of this
work was what the soldiers had
whispered to the captain. The
officer had remarked to me with a
sneer: The insurgents are very
kind to you, as no harm has been
done here
II was surprised on the following
Wednesday to hear shots as II OF
several volleys Of musketry. About
800 soldiers, infantry and cavalry,
were in fact outside having sur
rounded my house. More soon
appeared under command Of Capt.
Cerezro Martinez. In most brutal
and vulgar terms he ordered all in
the house to 60 outside. The SOL
diers rushed in and dragged me
out by the collar. My wife with
her baby were taken out, a rifle
being pointed at her breast. Flu
trie Zamabri, a negro servant who
was badly frightened, tried to hide.
He was pulled to the front and be-
fore my eyes soldier struck him
a heavy blow with his machette,
cutting him deep in the head and
arm, leaving a pool OF blood on the
floor.
Gan order was then given to take
into custody all the men on the
estate. At tree on a hill, about
100 yards from the house, l stopped
about forty PAGES from the others
to talk to the captain, who had
Of fhn hnI1cn q uunnk hnfnFn
About that moment a young negro,
Manuel Feres, made a dash to
escape. Some cavalrymen rushed
after him, firing at him. He fell
and they mutilated his body, TAX
ing out his eyes. The officer, en-
ragged at the negro's flight, pulled
out his saber, shouting to the rest
of the party: "Get down on your
knees % They did so and he had
them bound and kept in that posi-
tion a quarter of an hour. While
1 was talking to the captain my
wife and five young children were
begging for mercy for me. The
cavalrymen helped themselves to
corn for their horses and finally
started: The officers told me that
my nephew's life and my own were
only spared because we were Amer
leans and they did not want to get
into trouble with the United
States. They then ordered me to
leave San Miguel without waiting
q moment.
"Their explanation Of the raid
was that the rebels had fred upon
tha troops and that thew saw one