Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-16
The War Ia Cuba.

|
ago reports inspired by the Spanish
authorities were spread broadcast over
| this country declaring that the Cuban
| insurrection was practically a an end /:
| that the greater part of the island had
/ been pacified that Gomez and his
army were "penned in" by the Spanish
forces. and that their utter destruction
could be- at the farthest, but a question
| Of a few days--and that all along the
| line Spanish successes indicated the
speedy suppression of the rebellion.
| This was only few short weeks ago,
and these reports We're published
widely by the newspapers of this and
other countries Notwithstanding the
many evidences they bore of having
originated in Spanish imaginat ton, and
passed through the hands of the Span
| ish censor at Havana. Now come re-
ports that would seem to show that the
| discipline are stronger than ever before
and are disposed to take the offensive
| OF late they have largely confined their
efforts to the vicinity of Havana itself
and appear to have been meeting with
! almost uniform success, outmanoeuver-
| ing and out-fghting the Spaniards in
nearly every engagement. The cap
ture or death of General Weyler APP
pears to be the immediate object of the
has been forced by Spanish sentiment,
and the imperative orders of the gov
| eminent at Madrid, to take personal
command of the movements of his
troops in the field, started to return
on horse from Matanzas to Havana.
| Along the road he had posted three
| columns of Spanish soldiers, and he left
MatanZas with only so men as body
| guard General Castillo learned of his
| plans and gathered a force of fully 1900
rebels This force he hurled against
| the Spanish lines near Aguacate, where
Nftliti dl htSiN " do odPPcSNd " ~.
General Castillo commanded the insur-
gents in person and the Spanish Were
! under General Molina and Colonel
Aldea. The latter is reported dead but
| as a matter of fact, both he and Gem
eral Molina were only wounded.
| After making all necessary allow
ances, it is safe to say that fully 200
| Spaniards were killed and a great
many more We're wounded The rebels
used rapid fire guns. Their loss was
| comparatively slight.
! When darkness came the SpaniarJs
! retired, to return the next morning
| with heavy reenforcements, but the in
surgents only opened fire for about half
an hour and then disappeared. They
| divided into small bands and subse-
quent pursuit-was futile. Information
has also been received of the big fight
near Sague la GIande. General Gomez
in person, it is said directed the insur-
gent operations. After the fight al
Agucate General Weyler fell back to-
Guiana bacoa he was attacked by a
rebel force under General Rodriguez.
The rebels fired several volleys from
the hills along the roadside, killing Il
and wounding a large number of the
Spanish. but General Weyler refused to
give fight and kept on his march, driv-
ing before him 300 head of cattle that
he had collected along the line. Cen
eral Rodriguez followed in Weyler's
rear to within sight of the town.
After the rebels drew away the
Spanish troops commenced heavy
firing, the noise of which awakened and
| frightened the residents. There is
great excitement in the meantime in
Havana over General Weyler's in
ability to check the rebels, and every
body who can is moving into town from
the suburbs, as all nightly expect an
attack. The troops in the city are
| threatened Win IL uTeIu famine. Au-
gust 6, the military intendancy ad-
dressed communication to the cap
tain general, informing him that in the
provision department of the commits
sariat of war there are money re-
QUESTIONS for crackers, but they are
not available, owing to the fact that
the merchants who supplied the flour
refuse to supply more until their bills
are paid. The merchants have been
supplying -four through patriotism for
some months, but now they say the,
credit is exhausted. Hardly night
passes now that bands of insurgents do
not enter one of the suburbs of Havana
and receive from their friends supplies
of medicines and clothing.
These facts simply show how utterly
untrustworthy have been the reports
sent out from Havana by the Spanish
authorities, and really hopeless is the
Spanish cause.
Roosevelt on Civil Service in Navv M