Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-04-27

Tampa, Fla, April 26-W. G. Dygart,
of Greenwood, Ills, arrived here this
afternoon from Cuba where he has just
been released from prison. He has been
confined two months exactly. Dygart
left Tampa February 18th, without get
ting a passport He went into Havana
on February 23d. He was arrested in
the province of Havana and placed in
prison at Guines. The only charge
against him was that Spanish soldiers
found an old Sharpe gun near the place
where he was arrested. 1t was of very
ancient make, and no cartridges are
now made to fit its large caiibre. lie
was given several so-called examina-
tions. permission TO write to friends or
the United States Consul was refused,
but when he was searched the soldiers
failed TO discover several hundred dol
lars in paper money concealed on his
person. Soon after his incarceration
he
BRIBED A GUARD
to report his case 10 the American
Consul, paying twenty dollars, eighty
to be paid on receipt Of information
that the case had been reported. On
March 20th the guards handed him a
piece of Spanish newspaper from which
he learned that the case had been re-
ported. March 2Sth Consul Williams
notified him that his release had been
requested April 2Sd he was carried to
Havana and taken before a judge at
eight o'clock at night and informed
that if he would sign paper written
in Spanish he would be released. He
found that nothing taken from his was
to be returned, so he refused Consul
Williams came down about ten o'clock
and his release was effected. Dygart
says that during the time he was in
prison he was confined in a room about
sixteen by eighteen feet. Thirty-two
ether prisoners were in the same room.
THE DRINKING WATER
was awful, and kept him sick a great
deal of the time The food was very
scarce and of decidedly poor quality.
Dygart is a placer miner from Idaho
and was simply out TO the south during
the winter months when he could not
work. After he arrived in this city he
decided he would see something OF the
tropics and concluded to go to Cuba
and did not care to experience the de-
lay necessary to get a passport. He
will lay his case before the State De-
partment at once and ask that action
be taken as soon as possible in damages
against the Spanish government.
PROGRESS OF THE WAR.
Madrid, April 26-Havana advices
state that Calixto Garcia has been ap-
pointed commander-in-ch OF the in
surgents by Maximo Gomez, who, in
future, will promote the rebel cause in
another capacity.
Havana, April 26.-Senor Marcelo de
Azcarraga, the Minister of War, has
telegraphed TO the authorities here that
he considers the defense of Fort Zanja
by small Spanish garrison near Man
Zanillo, in the province of Santiago de
Cuba, as glorious page in the Cuban
campaign, and that the Queen Regent
and the government offer their con-
gratulations to the heroic garrison
1t is reported that Maximo Gomez
has effected countermarch. and is
HoN at MGlldJdDdllS, utJtcu LllIbS lIOll
Villa Clara.
The insurgents opened fire upon the
forts of San Cristobal and their leader,
Federico Nunez, was seriously wound
ed.
A detachment of sentinels which was
patrolling the town Of Sancti Spiritus,
has killed Lieut.. Joaquin Quinzanto
and has seriously wounded corporal.
They mistook the two officers for in
surgents.
THE TROCHA CROSSED.
New York, April pa dispatch 10
the World from Havana says: General
Maceo has given the Spaniards n Shock
by sending Bermudez and Sainz across
the Trocha with thousand men.
The Cuban leader himself has not yet
tried to cross the eighteen mile bar
rier of trenches, fences and forts wricl
the Captain General has thrown across
the narrow part of Cuba to imprison
the dread mulatto cavalry leader in the
eastern end of the island and force him
to surrender or fight 1000 Spanish
troops with his half naked and hungry
followers.
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