The herald., 1897-01-18
cuDHSS DON'T NEED Cannon
Until Ready to Lay Siege to
Havana
A LETTER TO THE JUNTA
Confirms the Earlier Accounts Given Of
Msce0's Death
Hospital Service Reports From Havana
Indicate That Yellow Fever and
Smallpox Are Still Epidemic.

iHuicdle 1Hdt elHOW ever ana
Smallpox Are Still Epidemic.
Associated Press Special Wire
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Jan. ia
letter has been received by one Of the
representatives in the city of the Cuban
junta confirming the dispatches of Fri
day giving an account of the death Of
Gen. Maceo. The letter is from Lieut.
Col Hernandez. who has encampeG with
company of cavalry and other forces
| near where Maceo was ambushed.
The insurgents are reported to be en-
camped within nine miles Of Havana.
HEALTH AT HAVANA.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE current
number of the public health reports, Is
sued by the marine hospital service,
contains report from Sanitary inspect
| or Burgess at Havana, who says that
during the week ending January there
were 306 deaths in the city, 81 of which
were caused by yellow fever, with ap-
| prox imately 10 new cases; S5 were caus-
ed by smallpox, with 702 new cases, ap-
| proximately; were caused by so-calIed
pernicious fever: 4 by paludal fever; 1
| by diphtheria; Is by dysentery and by
| the grip; by pneumonia and 81 by tu-
| berculosis. Sixty of the sixty one deaths
| from yellow fever during the week were
among Spanish soldiers in the military
| hospital, while all of the seventy deaths
| from smallpox occurred among civilians
| in the different parts of the city. Yellow
| fever, on the whole. rather diminishes,
as might be expected from the cooler
weather which has bcen prevailing for
some time, but smallpox 1, cIeases
The vice-consul-general of the United
States at Port Au Prince, Hayti, under
date Of December Is, reports that yellow
| fever epidemic that prevailed there has
| ceased In it's ravages.
Henry S. Camineero sanitary inspect
or at Santiago de Cuba, says that fifty
| two deaths have been reported during
| the week ending January 2, of which
three were from yellow fever The lat
ter disease has abated somewhat. but
the inspector says that as new regiments
| arrived from Spain January l, he has no
doubt the fever cases will again increase.
| Malaria is as usual claiming many VIC
| tins.
| INSURGENT PROSPECTS
NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-THE World this
morning prints an interview with Gen
| eral Ruis Rivera, obtained in the field
| near Cameo, near PinAr del Rio. In this
interview General Rivera says: IT do
| not wish to criticize our friends in the
| United States for 1 believe them IRE
| ferring to the junta), patriotic men.
striving to do their best for Cuba, but
we here in Pinar del Rio have been some
what neglected.
Great reliance was placed upon Gen
eral Maceo, our beloved commander, and
it was thought that he could rot only
defeat the enemy in the province but
finally make junction with Gomez. But
he knew and our frie nds should have
known also, that four or five or ten
| thousand men, poorly armed and most
OF the time with but scanty ammuni-
ton, could not prevail against $4,000 we'll
armed and we'll fed troops. One or two
| small expeditions landed-one at Cor
| rientes bay-but otherwise for nine
| months we have been depending upon
our strategy and knowledge of the prov
| ince to keep US out of pitched battle"
! Speaking with reference to- cannon,
he said: II wish it could be communi-
| Gated to our friends in the United States
that cannon are more in the way Of
| ourselves than of the enemy in this prov
ince. In the first place, they are incon-
velfient to take about over the hills
through the district of Managua and
through the woods. The cannon we now
have represent an outlay of four OF five
thousand dollars, and yet almost 1000
OF course when we are in position to
assault Havana heavy guns will be a
necessity. Do we expect to do so? No.
not very soon. About the end of the
winter, 1 hope.
There is certainly nothing to be
gained by making statements that are
! untrue, or tut do not believe in my
self 1t would be wrong for me to give
our friends in the United States the i'm
preston that we are perfectly able to
take care of ourselves, no matter what
happens. Indeed. now that you are here
representing paper that has been true
to us from the beginning, l hope my
statement will reach those who are en-
deavoring to aid us directly and assist
them in arriving at proper conclusions.
Some of my best friends may criticize
me for speaking so plainly, but wish the
Cubans of New York, Philadelphia.
Jacksonville and Key West to know we
here in Pnar del Rio, like our brothers
of the Orient are willing to die for Cuba
or to win. We can't fight alone with our
hands or even with machetes against an
enemy that is equipped, fed and drilled.
We do not need men and above al, we
do not want foreigners to come unless
they are men OF military science. IL is
ret, as you know. because of our lack
of appreciation of the sympathy o1 as
sistance of the foreigner. We pray to
God that the American nation exists
and we know and appreciate the great
help it has been TO us.
I'VE do not want young Americans to
come to Cuba as fighters. Not one in
ten knows word of the language of our
country-a language we would change
ii we could, since we dislike everything
Spanish.
There We're, perhaps, forty or fifty
Americans with Maceo in this province,
but 1 do not believe there are half q
dozen of them left.
II do not know how General Gomez
feels in this particular. but as far as !
am concerned l do not want any for
eigners. There are plenty of Cubans in
the United States who should be, and
presume are, willing and anxious to
come to the assistance of their fighting
brethren. II men are to be sent, let
Cubans be the men.
But as a, matter of fact we are not in
need of men at all. The whole native
population is with us. and l am conf
dent that an army of $4,000 could be
pla ced in Havana province before the
winter is over II we had but the arms
and ammunition. Our CubanS are
brave, and patriotic, and willing to die
for our republic, but they are not yet
strong enough to face an enemy's bull
let's with empty hands. Telhthe Ameri-