The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-01
CIRUJEDA'S MEN ARE
DOOMED.
They Are Slaughtered at Every
Turn by the Cuban In
SurgentS.
WEYLER'S LYING REPORTS AS
TO PACIFICATION.
All the Provinces Are Yet Swarm
ing With Rebels and They Even
Threaten Havana.

HAVANA. CURA. April S0.-It is hard
to understand how General Weyler dares
to announce the pacifcation of the prov
inces of Santa Clara, Matanzas, Havana
and Pinar del Rio. when at least 25 900 in
surgents are in them. 1t is notorious
fact that in this province the insurgents
are more than 5000 strong. we'll provided
with arms and ammunition around Ma
druga alone, not more than fifty miles
from the capital. Colonel Raoul Arrange
has 1900 troops. About 5000 Cubans are
scattered in bands of 500 and swarm be-
tween Guines and Bataba1 10, harassing
the Spanish columns.
General Alejandro Rodriguez. who is
the insurgent commander-in-chief OF the
province, is farther eastward with 1000,
and the rest of the patriots in this region
are under Colonel Nestor Aranguren, near
the boundaries of PInar del Rio province,
and commanding many small towns
around Punta Bravo and a great part of
the coast.
The names of Rodriguez, Arrange and
Aranguren are so well known and their
military operations commented on so
generally that Weyler's declarations have
been admitted to be a lie even by the un-
compromising Spaniard press, which is
gagged. The papers do not con tradict
the captain-general. but even the scanty
news of the war which the censor allows
TO ho y,uh lieb od 10 10
fighting is constant at the very gates of
Havana.
The battalion of San Quintin, which
Cirujeda commanded when gallant Gen.
eral Maceo was killed. has been nearly ex-
terminated in several engagements with
the insurgents few miles from Havana.
Weyler hopes to defeat the insurgents by
guerrilla warfare and ordered the San
Quintin Battalion scattered into lands of
100 each and to fight without rest. The re-
suit has been that one after another of the
Spanish bands have fallen into am bush,
according to the plans prepared by Rodri-
guez and Aranguren, and few have es-
capped the machetes of the Cubans.
Without thorough knowledge of the
country and embarrassed by rural nom
com mbatants, who hate the Spaniards on
account of the persecution ordered by
Weyler, the Spanish soldiers have wan
dered blindlv about, while the Cubans are
constantly appriseu of the enemys where
abouts OF the 1000 under the command
OF Ciruj jed in February only $50 remain.
The battalion has been reorganized with
troops from other detachmen and the
guerrilla system abandoned.
In Pinar del Rio province the insurgents
are about 5000 strong They are not con-
fined to the Sierra de Organos Mountains,
as official reports say, but scattered from
San Antonio Cape to Mariel. Vidal Du-
casse, their best leader, is lighting the
Spanish column every day.
General Weyler has received orders by
cable from Spain to go slowly with the in
PRODUCTION of reforms, but to announce
them and promise that they will be exc
cuted more literally than the decree indi.
Gates. The general opinion is the promul-
CATION of reforms is intended oaly as
prelude to trying again in France or Eng.
land to negotiate new loan.