The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-05

view its hay and envsrons. For the rest. Il
is like all Cuban cities with narrow
roughly paved streets. grated windows
through which q glimpse 81 cool interior
courts can be caught. blind walls, narrow
sidewalks and all the rest tha. goes TO
make up q Spanish tropical city. There
were SEQ soldiers in garrison there.
AZ O'Clock the train started back 10
Havana retracing Is morning road, with
out Incident until Within FIVE miles Of Ha-
yana- There the landscape had changed
since mo-aing. Thick columns of smoke
ohScured its beauty. Socn the train was
running close 10 burning huts and houses
a moment later and a column of cavalry
appeared, with women and children as
prisoners among them The column halt
ed In the road. while squad went 10 set
IRE 10 another house close by. The plead
ing occupants were hauled out ard the
torch applied. These people. whose all
was thus destroyed, had committed no
crime. and were accused az none. Mill
tary evidence required that tho country
he laid deselate. THAT is all.
As it happened. / was IN Guiana hacoa
the day before this. and saw Gel. Fonde-
viela. 1.-THE butcher" send out this coll
unau on its mission of destruction. lie
Was an understood man, rather stout. with
excellent features and r pleasant smile.
He gave the handsome sticsr in cam-
mand Of the detachment his orders IN \
plesS SAINT tone, and laughingly wtshed him
luck. This was the errand or which he
sent him.
Grown holder by the success Of my trip
10 MatanZas, / soon decided 10 make the
longer journey Ia Sagua-ia- Grande, in
santa Clara province, In the eastern part
OF which Gomez WAS supposed 10 be.
expected Mr.. Crosby. my colleague 10 ar
rive soon. and / hoped that I might hs
able TO make some arrangement at Sagus
fhAf oil III al.
lines upon his arrival. In any event.
would learn the lay of the land.
l hated TO so alone. as / spoke Spanish
very imperfeotly. and knew almost moth
lug of the country. / was delighted, there
fore. when Karl Decker. OF New York.
who had just arrived. and wanted to get
10 Gomez, volunteered to go to Sagua-
la-Grande with me. He spoke no Spanish
at all, but as he was over six feet tall
broad In proportion and game, his pres
ence was very comforting. did not then
know how game he Was. He Was tho
only man utterly ignorant of Spanish who
tried TO reach Gomez, and had the nerve
TO bring back a mule load OF letters, GU
riosities and the like, from the rebel camp,
and work them through the Spanish
lines.
We were TO go by steamboat to Sagua.
and then trust 10 chance to direct us.
The boat leaves Havana at sunset. II IL
small and close. with narrow passages
and ill-smelling compartments. There are
few staterooms, and most OF the first-eIass
passengers are compelled TO sleep bahind
curtains in open herths, two deep, ranged
round the sides OF the after cabin. These
berths are comfortable enough for a. sIua II
man, bearabls fer a medium-sixed man
but are instruments of torture 10 a tall
man. Their only furnishing consists of a
pillow and sheet stretched over bed of
plated straw work. like that OF straw
bottomed chair. There were no mattresses
or blankets. Perhaps II Is as WELL as yell
low fever and smallpox could find no bet
ter lurking places. Usually blankets are
not required, but on this particular trip
a heavy "norther" was raging, and the