San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-05-10
THE CUBAN SITUATION.
SPANISH BOASTS NOT SUSTAIN
TIATED BY FACTS.
Terrible Butchery and Torture ResOrted
To By the Royal Troops in the
Defenseless Villages.
By Special Wire to the SUNDAY LIGHT.

By Special Wire to the SUNDAY LIGHT.
NEW YORK, May 9.-The fol-
lowing letter from the Cuban in
surgent encampment Of Maguara-
vas, dated April 10Th, has been re-
ceived by Thomas Estrada Palma:
81 have been operating. within
this zone during the last two
months, and am satisfied with the
success ! have attained, although
the Spaniards have given me few
opportunities to meet them. They
boast, however, that they are al
ways after us, and that we wish to
avoid fight, but | assure you that
such is not the case. They hardly
venture out, and when they do
they are very careful to remain
within a short distance of a forth
fled place.
"But IL they are unwilling to
meet our soldiers, they are very
active in committing all sorts Of
outrages against the country peo-
pie they come across. Scarcely one
is left alive for they proceed on the
theory that every Cuban is a rebel,
no matter what his attitude may
have been.
"Among the atrocities lately
committed BY the Spaniards 1 will
describe the following. They are
a fair example of the work they
are doing:
"The column commanded by
General Luque entered the village
OF Mslpaez, April 6, and ordered %
families living there to leave their
houses, which were Immediately
pillaged and afterward set on fire.
The whole village was consumed
by the flames and the poor in
habitants had to walk to the
nearest place with nothing
but the clothes they had on. All
the objects stolen by the Spanish
troops were lately exposed for sale
at the town of Ell Quemado de
Guines, and there disposed Of.
Among them were even the chill
dren's dolls. The Spaniards re-
ported that Malpaez had been
burned by the Cubans.
cat the same time they con-
veyed to Ell Quamado de Guines,
Don Luis Monoz, sn old man sixty
years of age, his brother, TelesforO,
and their Chinese cook, from whom
the Spanish soldiers stole 500.
There were beside four other men.
All of them were compelled to
walk the whole distance and were
ill-treated to compel them to move
on when their strength was giving
out. do not know what has be-
come of them.
"The same column, April 18th,
while passing by Maguarsyes, en-
tered a house were Narciaczo
Lopez, an American citizen, was
breakfasting. They made him
prisoner, took him to the roadway,
shot him and left the corpse un-
buried.
"The small column commanded
by Lazo, April 14th, while passing
by Santo Domingo, seized eigteen
peaceable citizens and shot them
all. The official report says that
they had an encounter with Cuban
forces which they routed, killing
them-the number above given.
"a day hardly passes without
atrocities of the kind stated, and
were 1 to attempt to give you an
account Of those which have come
to my knowledge within the last
three weeks, / would have to fill
many pages. But how mistaken
are the Spaniards il they suppose
that such misdeeds will break the
spirit OF our people, for the reverse
is the inevitable result.
~ am your friend and servant,
"MARIANo TORRES,