The San Francisco call., 1897-02-18
Crushing Defeat of the
Spaniards by Gomez's
Forces.
Although Badly Frightened
Weyler Published a Report
of Victory.
Gallant and Telling Hand to- Hand
Conflict With the Deadly
MacheteS.

NEW YORK, n. Y, Feb. 1.-THE Suns
Havana correspondent, writing under date
OF February 8, says:
Trusted Cuban news has been received
giving further details of the battle at Juan
Criollo, in Las Villas, reported last Friday
by cable. The first Spanish account of
the battle claimed victory, as usual, but
with painful paucity of details.
The second report. which was COM
municated by the press CENSOR to the
American correspondents here, read that
Colonel Arajanoa made brilliant COM
bined bayonet charge and cavalry attack
upon the insurgents, dislodging them
from their positions after two hours of
hand -to-hand fighting. In neither of
these reports was the name of General
Gomez mentioned, nor did his name ap-
pear in La Lucha and the Diaro de la
Mariana il the accounts of the battle
which the press censor permitted them to
print.
All the information proves that the
action at Juan Criolio adds another page
of glory to the history of Comes military
career. The battle decided the campaign
In Las Villas in favor of the Cubans and
frightened Weyler so far that he, as
already known. teIegraphed to Havana
for re-enforcements. declaring himself un-
able to withstand General Gomez unless
he had more troops under his command.
The battle was fought on February 1,
and lasted from about to o. clock in the
afternoon. 1t began after General Gomez
had raised the siege OF Arroyo Blanco on
the arrival of the column of Colonel
Arianes from Cieno de Villa in aid of the
besleged garrison OF Arroyo Blanco. When
the first shots OF Arjanes' vanguard were
heard few minutes after O'Clock Gen.
eral Gomez ordered his troops to abandon
the siege ana concentrate on the estate of
Juan Crioilo, between two hills and with
several prominent positions dominating
on the plain in which Arroyo Blanco is
located
Gomez took possession of those strategic
points. Arjanes was in command of $500
men, to which he added 600 more gath
cred from Cieno de Villa. There were two
cannon, one or thirteen and the other of
six pounds. Gomez had only 250O we'll
armed men. Gomez had also a pneu-
matte dynamite gun, but it was not very
effective. However. two OF three bombs
exploded at Juan CriolIo IN the Spanish
ranks when tie fighting began produced
terrible confusion. With the aid of Gen
eral Carrillo, General Gomez succeeded in
driving the Spaniards to the center of the
estate of Juan CrlolIo, where a terrible
fight began.
At last the Spaniards, having been chas-
tised by the com biped fire of Carrillo on
one side and Gomez on the other, became
panic-stricken, and the Cubans had before
them merely mob of men. Just at this
iuncture the Spanish major, Posada, fell
dead, his chest pierced by bullet.
The confusion of the Spaniards now be-
came greater than ever, for Posada was
struck down nearly in the center OF their
forces. The Spanish surgeon, DR.. Cenicero,
went to assist Posada, but when he lifted
him from the ground to see his wound,
another voIley of the Cubans killed him
also.
The order ITO the machete," given by
General Gomez, decided the action. The
Cubans charged from all sides, and q
hand-to-hapd fight began. In the first
moments the Cuban colonel, Remegio Lo-
peg was killed by bavonet thrust. The
S anish lieutenants, Don Martinez and
Don Federico Pena, fell dead, Martinez
from blow by a machete which cut his
head off. Eighty Spanish soldiers were
killed with the machetes and more than
100 were severely wounded and left on the
field. Before the hand-tC-hand fight be-
gan the Spanish losses were already more
than 100 men.
In great confusion and suffering at