The record-union., 1896-03-31

While Maceo was in the west and Go
mez moving eastward, columns, acting
under special orders, have razed these
camps, and many wounded rebels have
fallen into the hands of the Spanish
troops. J. FRANK CLARK.
RAPPELEYE'S VIEW OF THE STU
ALTON
NEW YORK, March 30.-Elbert Rap
peleye, the Cuban correspondent Of the
Mail and Express, who was recently
expelled from Havana, arrived here to-
day on the steamer Yucatan. In an
interview with a reporter of the United
Press, NJ Rapppleye SAID:
Il con-. oaCf nom Cuba as a depor-
tado of General Weyler. In his decree
expelling me from the island 1 am called
an enemy of Spain, that charge being
based on letters published in the Mail
and Express over my signature. Any
person familiar with existing cOndi
items in the island of Cuba would know
that the only enmity, If any, 1 have
shown toward Spain has been in tell
ing the truth, without fear or prejudice.
This, of course, has resulted in my ex-
pulsion.
AS an impartial observer sent to
Cuba to study and inform myself and
report the progress of events there with
out restrictions having been placed
upon me when l accepted the mission,
unhesitatingly wrote that within three
months the insurgent cause would be
triumphant if the United States Gov
ernment would grant the belligerency
rights and give the Cubans anything
like fighting opportunity.
THE Spanish are now on the defen-
sive. Every battle fought in Cuba in
the past thirty days has been invited
by the rebels. They have more ammu
milton now than they ever had, and if
they can maintain a source of supply
there is not anything that can prevent
them from winning. General Weyler
has been Spain's greatest mistake in
the war. His name and reputation car
ries an odium which attracted the at
tention of the world The best evidence
of his bad generalship is his complete
failure to hold the insurgent armies
back after they had left the western
provinces of Cuba
'Maceo started his western campaign
which is now complete, with $4,000
men, one-third of whom had not a sim
gle arm to fight with. Those who had
cartridges and fought, knowing that
unless they captured the enemy's am
munition they would have nothing to
fight with the next day. They are COM
ing back now with the whole cargo
from the Bermuda, and General Weyler
is withdrawing the Spanish defenses
from al least One-half of the principal
points of the island to bar their pro-
gress.
This leaves Gomez with a larger
army than Maceo practically unre-
stricted to do as he pleases in three
quarters of the area of Cuba, while the
barrier which Weyler is attempting to
place between Maceo is acknowledged
by one Of his own generals, with whom
[ talked before my departure to be
much weaker numerically than Maceo's
army, notwithstanding the fact that in
all the invasions heretofore the Span
ish have unsuccessfully attempted to
prevent them with numbers in their
favor of at least four to one. While
there has been some doubt-perhaps
justified-about the military organiza-
fion of the rebels. they need not exist
any longer. as they are perfectly organ
lied, with commanders in every rank,
Quoted as systematically as those of
the Spanish Their one appeal to the
world is not for sympathy, but for am
munition.'
THE BERMUDA SAFE.
PUERTO CORTEZ (Honduras),
March 30.-The British steamer Ber-
muda, from New York, which, it is al
legged, landed arms, ammunition and
filibustering expedition off the coast of
Cuba, arrived here yesterday.
TALK OF WEYLER'S RECALL.
WASHINGTON, March 30-No in
formation has been received at the
State Department to lend an air of YER
similitude to the rumors of the recall
of Captain-Gene Weyler. AS one
official stated, these reports have been
coming regularly like weather bureau
prophesies of wind, and some day they
will be verified, but it does not seem
likely just at this moment that a change
will be made in the Captain-General
and Commander-in- Chief.
MEXICO NOT WITH SPAIN.
CITY OF MEXICO, March 30-The
report of an alliance between this coun-
try and Spain against the United States
| is regarded preposterous in official cir
cles The purpose of Mexico is to main
tain cordial relations with the United
States, and even if the Government
were disposed to consider any such ne
gotiations popular sentiment is over
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