The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-23
NUNEz ON THE EXECUTION.
The Stan officer Claims 1t Was Jus
tilted by the Rules of War.


tilted by the Rules of War.
New York, Dec. 22.--Gen. Emilio Nunez,
a member of the staff of Gen. Gomez, and
veteran of the ten-years war, arrived
here to-day from Cuba.
"Col. Ruizs execution" said Nunez,
was one of the fortunes of war. but the
Spanlards, in their desperate extremity,
lie seeking to make it appear that 1t was
Vie act of savages and not an act of civ
iized warfare, and with the extraordinary
facilities they possess for disseminating
news of any sort that will help bolster UP
their tottering cause, they have succeeded
temporarily in creating a false impression.
Permit me to quote from the military
code of Spain, in which it is provided that
whatsoever shall attempt to induce any Off
Ger or any soldier or any body of troops
to join the enemy or to desert his flag in
time of war, shall be deemed guilty or
treason, and the code provides that tine
offender shall be first degraded in his
Office and then suffer death. The regula-
ton is practically a copy of similar
clause in the military code of France.
'In your own military regulations 1t is
provided that any officer or soldier of the
enemy who advises or endeavors to per-
suade any officer or soldier of the United
States to desert the service of the United
states IN TIME OF war snail De ueeU1tu
worthy of death.
''These are the rules that give complete
justification to Brig. Arangueren for his
act. Col. Ruiz was not killed under
a flag of truce, but as a spy warned
beforehand not to enter the insurgent lines
and fully aware of the consequences that
would follow the viola ton of the order
'In what was known as the little war
of 1879. l was in command of a plantation
in Santiago. Juan Betarte, a Spanish
planter a non-combatant said to me he
desired to introduce a friend, to which L
offered no objection and he presented a
few days later Col Agureilia, whom sup
posed to be a Cuban in sympathy with
the movement against Spanish oppression.
Il asked him why he did not join him,
and was astonished when he informed me
that he was a colonel in the Spanish army.
l asked him why he dared to come to my
camp without permission, and he replied
he came as a. brother Mason, and made
known to me that he was a member of
that organization. He said he wanted to
talk on general topics.
Meanwhile two of his comrades were
talking to one of my officers, saying that
Col. Aguilera had been authorized by Gen.
Blanco, the same Blanco who is in Ha-
vana to-day, to offer $4,000 in gold and
free transportation to any part of the
world, if / would quit the Cuban cause.
AIteE twenty minutes Ndihs AOls ABuhicid
departed, giving me his word of honor
that I should not be molested for twenty
four hours.
MY previous experience had taught me
to distrust Spanish promises and instead
OF remaining at the spot where | had met
Col. Aguilera, 1 broke camp and moved
off several miles. The next day force of
1900 Spanish, soldiers descended on the
abandoned camp to capture me, despite
the assurance given by the Spanish SOL
der, as a gentleman and Mason, that
should not be molested and / had per-
mitted him to depart unframed.
1.-TWO days later l saw. in the Spanish
organs of Havana that Col Aguilera had
met me- and that | was ready to treat
with him. This was followed by the send
ing of two Spanish spies, disguised IS
Cubans, into my camp. One of them,
Corpl. Rojas, was entrusted with the mis-
sion of fascinating me. Capt. Pena,
now a colonel in the Cuban army, dis
covered their intention, seized them and
executed them.
after the war was over / met Col.
Agulera, and accused him Of having sent
the spies to me- He threw the blame 20
Lieut.. Col. Escova, but admitted that the
men had been sent ostensibly to treat rs
peace commissioners. That is a sample Of
Spanish honor, and is known to hundreds
in Cuba "