Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-09

will BY his very presence awaken a degree
OF enthusiasm of which any leader might
We'll be proud. His horse is always in the
best possible condition. His uniform which
is or light, cream-colored linen, trimmed
with blue, is of perfect fit and spotlessly
cream. his wide-brimmed panama, in spite
OF sun and storm, is always in correct
shape. No matter how short the stop, over
his tent the flag of the republic of Cuba
is always thrown to the breeze.
Antfthesis of Gomez.
Garcia is. in many respects, the direct
antithesis of Gomez, and yet both generals
are working for the same result and each
In his own peculiar way is Invaluable to
cuba Libre.' He is always affabie ana
never averse to the discussion Of his hopes
and plans for the future of the new repub-
lie. He is ever ready to listen to stories
of suffering and distress and his promise
OF assistance is as good as his bond As
a natural result. no man In Cuba has more
friends an admirers than Garcia. During
his operations in the Holquin district both
rnen and women stole out of the towns
by hundreds to see and welcome Calx;o
Garcia. l saw over fifty women IN the sub
urbs of Felasco all struggling at once to
embrace him seize his hand. With
smiles and tears of joy they hailed hun rs
the savior CT Cuba the "liberator OF the
Oriente."
Even Garcia's enemies respect and a6-
mire him. When near the city of Hoquin
the commander of the Spanish forces sent
the following message to Garcia:
Il have today given permission to more
than 100 families to remove their personal
effects and belongings to some place in
the country where food may be obtained.
/ am told that you have plenty. and it is
impossible for me to longer provide for
item in Holquin. Some of them may en-
terrain political sentiments unfavorabe to
your cause, but trust that You will treat
ali with justice and liberation" This man,
1t is needless to say, was not 4 protege of
Weyler
While preparing for an expec:cd battle
Gen. Garcia impresses ore as being per-
h&pS over-anxious, if not nervous, but the
nCment the first shot is fired and the en-
gagement is really On ne seems 20 undergo
complete change of temperament. The
thicker the bullets whistle by the more
satisfied is his smile, and his GOODNESS I'M
der fire would almost suggest that he
thought death huge joke.
An ILL stration of this eccentricity was
afforded one morning in July last. The
general admonished me for taking "A short
cut across country to witness one of Rabi's
famous machete charges. Your horse,
he said, got tangled up in the thorns of
a pima fence. You carried no machete, and
had not Chapleau come along and cut You
free you might have been killed or cap
tured. 1 don't want to bury you in Cuba,
SO you will please me this morning if you
will keep close by me-, or at least where 1
can Seep-sl. eJr On you
Goodness Under Fire.
Ten minutes later we ran Unexpectedly
into a small convoy on its way from Giba-
ra to Holquin. We had torn up the rail-
road. 1t was surprise on both sides.
They did not know our strength, Or We
theirs. The fight was short, sharp and hot
as long as it lasted. Most of the struggle
took place in the road between our advance
III
took a body of cavalry in sortie to the
right and Brigadier Menocal another to the
left. But in the meantime detachment of
fifty Spaniards had gained the crest of a
from their Mausers into the generals staff,
which had halted in the highway. Gen.
GGrcia's dress and commanding appear
ar ce on horseback had attracted the enc
my's attention, and they were making a
target of him. 1 was just in the act of cut
tirg into a beautiful juicy pineapple, the
first of the season, when along came
accommodating Mauser ball and sliced off a
piece of the rind. The general saw it and
smilingly called out: Turn the other side
of the fruit toward the enemy and they
will peel it for you" I ate the fruit, but
rot until we got into more sheltered spot.
How He Got His Wound.
While accommodating with a detachment
of twenty men. In the fall of '13, Gen Gar
cia found himself suddenly cut off from
the main body of his troops. Two hundred
Spanish guerrilas, led by Cuban traitor,
had completely surrounded the little band
of insurgents. Volley after volley was
poured into them until Garcia alone re-
manned on his feet. He then discovered
that the enemy were bent on capturing him
alive. This meant torture, disgrace and an
ignominious death. Rather than fail into
their hands Garcia placed the muZzle of his
heavy revolver beneath his chin and fired
his last cartridge, intending to blow him
self into eternity His head was thrown a
little too far back. The ball tore up through
the throat and head, passing out through
the center of his forehead Two Spanish
surgeons discovered little life in his body
Inspired. not by sentiments of mercy but
by professional curiosity and pride they
bent all Of their skill and energies to ac-
complish cure. In spite of the awful
wound Garcia recovered and was sent a
escaped to the United States in the fall of
20 and Joined the il surgents in Cuba soon
after. The wound has completely healed.
Tut the hole through the center Of his fore
head still remains. \ piece of wadded
cotton and sometimes plaster of paris pro-
teots the tissue of the brain from contact
with the outside air.
The Cubans are rapidly placing them
selves In position to carry on the war
be glad to permanently withdraw her arm
les from the island. When that day comes
Calixto Garcia can lay down his sword in
he nor, as one of the bravest heroes and
ablest generals. who took part in the two
wars for Cuban independence.
GEORGE RENO.