San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-12-13

NEWS LlliC lue CuDduS udu upTlSeu
and the island was in revolt. BY this
time the family had increased to elev-
Chime sons and two daughters
Young Antonio desired to fight for his
country, but Maceo the father prevail
ed upon him and his brothers to main
tain strict neutrality. Yet the father
deeply sympathized with the cause
of the insurgents, and often lent them
secret aid when he could. Perhaps
the Spaniards in some way learned
this fact, and it was that knowledge
that gave to Cuba her greatest lead
er. One day band of Spanish guer-
rillas under the lead of Captain Cam
pillo passed by the Cuban's planta-
ton. Maceo and his elder sons were
away upon trip to Baracoa. At
nightfall, when they returned, they
found their home mass Of blackened
ruins. The barns were burned, the
crops destroyed, the mules, horses and
cattle stolen. The mother with bro
ken arm was tied to tree moaning
from pain. Six boys lay on the
ground, bleeding and senseless. The
two girls were hiding, half dead, in
the bushes. What should now with
hold the Maceos from the conflict?
The next day the women Of the Maceo
household were placed in the hands of
friends and the father assembled his
sons together. He required them all
to register an oath never to lay down
their arms until the Spaniard should
be driven from the land and Cuba be
free. How we'll the sons have kept
that oath has been seen in the record
of blood and flame from one end of
the island to the other.
About this time Antonio Maceo first
met his present enemy, Capt. General
Valeriano Weyler. Weyler had just
been made brigadier general, and
was sent against the brave Antonio at
Guarimaro. The latter led the briga-
der and his men into a ravine trap
and slaughtered the Spaniards like
sheep. Weyler ran away, leaving 800
of his men slain, Soon thereafter
Maceo attacked with great success
the San Quentin battalion, and won a
major generalship. His promotion
added fire to his ambition, and he
fought many bloody fights at Bara-
qua, at San Felipe, Sabana, Hato del
Medic, Cayo Rey and Miranda. At
Cayo Rey Maceo was shot through
the lungs, but escaped and recover
ed. After his recovery MaceO adopt
ed new methods of hurting the Span
iards. His brother Jose had mean
while grown up to manhood, and join
ed Antonio. Between them they
conducted a campaign that bled Spain
to the heart. They marched through
the country, and left ruin and desola-
ton behind them. 1t has been this
method that has caused Spain her
deepest sorrow in the present revolu-
ton.
In the midst of his wrecking eXpe-
dition MaceO was panied to learn that
the Cuban leaders had signed a trea-
ty of peace with Spain. He refused to
accept the situation and continued his
rounds of destruction. But the back
bone of the rebellion was broken and
Maceo consented to put away his
sword on condition that Spain should
furnish him a war ship to carry him
and his officers to Jamaica. General
Campos accepted the offer and Maceo
retired. But it was not to rest. His
proud spirit was not broken, and in
his retirement he nurtured his scheme
of vengeance. He gave up his whole
time to the study of war. He bought
books Of all kinds treating of war and
residence in Jamaica he landed in
New York incognito. He made his way
to West Point, and there became q
hostler. No one dreamed that the
ready and willing dark-skinned labor
ing man with the burning eyes was the
hero of the Spanish revolution. The
cadets liked him. and would have
worshipped him had they known his
history. But he was secretly the most
attentive student at the academy, and
eagerly devoured all the books the
students gave him.
Leaving West Point he returned to
New York and sailed for Costa RIGA
with a library of books about the war.
For ten years he studied and dream
ed and trained his veteran cOmpan-
ions. In 1888 he began to plot the
present revolution. Going to Santiago,
disguised as muleteer, he was
becoming active when Spain learned
of his presence, and he was forced
to flee. He returned to Costa RIGA and
there opened correspondence with the
leading Cuban partiOts in other parts
of the world. General Gomez, in San
Domingo, Joined him, and in short
time Cuban juntas were organized in
almost all the big cities in the United
States. Early in 1895 the plot ma
tured and the news was flashed over
the wires to all parts of the earth that
the Cubans had risen. Maceo was
still in Costa RIGA. In February
Antonio Maceo and his brother, ac-
companied by sixteen veterans. sailed
for Cuba. They landed near Baracoa
locality every foot of which was ia
miliar to the general. They were in
tercepted by Spanish guerrillas, and
fought bravely for two days and
nights. Some of the patriots were
tured and brought before the leader.
the hat. He left his companions and
wandered off by himself. For two
weeks he lived in the woods on diet
of plantains and other tropical fruit.
One day he stumbled on band of in
surgents led by Rabi. He was cap
L. wW.~N.