The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-09-22
CHAPTER OF HORRORS
Stories Of AtrocIous Butcheries by Span
lardSI In Cuba, that Disgrace Civilization.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN SLAUGHTERED
Twenty-Five Persons, Including an
Entire Family, aIl Hon.Combnt.
nnfs. Ktlicd with Mnchetcs ana
nnyonets-Chiidrcn Burnod Alive
An Old Man Hacked TO Pieces.

Havana, Sept. 49, via Key West, Fla,
Sept. 21.-Well authenticated stories OF
barbarous acts by the Spanish troops
continue TO reach here. Recently the
Havana papers published an account of
an alleged battle near Chucho de Arcc, in
which, after an hours desperate lighting,
the Spanish drove the rebels, killing 10
| ana taking many priSonsrS. The pa
| pers suggested that the Government
should reward Col. Agueilla, the Span
ish Commander, for his bravery. The
| facts of the battle" are as follows:
| on September 10 ten rebels went to
attack guerilla band that had started
from Vegas to the field. When the
rebels, in ambush. were ready 10 attack
| thcy noticed II strong body of soldiers
roninE towards thtni Hidden In high
grass the rebels let the soldiers come
close and then fired volley, killing two
officers and wounding three soldiers.
The troops fired back a volley into the
! grass, hitting nobody, as the nemy could
not be seen. Lieut.. Col. Aguellla, who
commanded the troops, ana came from
DIS headquarters, Nueva-Pas. went after
this action towards a colony named pab-
| 10 DiaH. There lie found a family COM
posed OF % persons, men, women and
children. He asked If they had seen any
rebels in the ncighborhood. On rec. iv-
| ing negative answer he ordered a
general slaughter of everybody, includ-
ing children from / TO 10 years of age.
young man begged TO be killed in
stead of his mother, who was in the
eighth month of pregnancy. but he was
killed with a machete and Dayonct i'm
the presence of the mother Then they
| Ifranspicrced the abdomen OF the mot her
with Il bayonet, after which they dis
embowcled her with II machcte. The
littl" children were first pricked with the
end of the bayonet. then finished with
the machete. or the % human beings
present in that colony nineteen were
butchered and six made their escape,
hiding themselves in the cane where
they remained until late at night, when
| they could come out safe. Besides
truthful witnesses. the men of the guer-
| i!!a boastcd of what they had commit
ted when they wen: back to Vegas
about two miles from the colony
ON September is a traveller passed by
the spot of the murder, and was mortified
| at the number of carrion crows dcvour-
ing the bodies. None had been buried.
on September IS Col. Agucilla started
with his troops and a guerilla from
Ntuva Pas towards the sugar estate
Cuervo. Near place called Cuzco he
saw a house. went TO it and found only
three children In it. He asked where the
parents We're. They answered they had
gone after some fuel to prepare their
breakfast, and would soon return The
Colonel ordered the three children 90 to
ii years. to be locked up in the house
and after this was done he ordered the
guerilla to set fire to the house The
guerilla. hoTrifled. disobeyed at first, but
under the threats of the Colonel they
acted, and the house was burned down
with the children in il. On their return
to Neuva PaZ .;hc guerilla horrified. told
the people what had been done. This
information is from Spanish source.
After that house had been burned
Agueilia went on and met an old man 10
years old. carrying vegetables. who was
accompanied by two negroes. He was
asked where he was going; he answered
he was taking the vegetables home 10
Neuva pa2. The Colonel ordered him
10 be killed with the machete, and the
negroes also
The body OF the old man was thrown
into well near by. where ii was found
two days afterwards. traced by his hat
that was found near the we'll The
bodies OF the two negroes were chopped
to pieces and thrown into a cave. where
they were found. All this was related
by sergeant and the soldiers.