The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-06
MORE HOSPITAL MURDERS.
s,rlGE BRUTALITY OF WEYLER's
SOLDIERS At GOVEh.

..,, wounded Cubnns Bayonetted In Their
~Tot,-Cristinn nerrern's Awrui story-ner
rs..y.nr.Oid Daughter sold ut Auction TO
an. GuerriIias - Ba LuchaNs Confession.
u,v,x.. May l.-Cristina Herrera Ia n Cuban
-omsn. whose pitiful story affords once moro n
-,oo, Of the brutal warfare carried on by tho
sn.niords in Cuba. She was living with a son
sna two daughters in a Cuban hospital, near
oovea. in his province. where she acted rs n
80. The boys name Is Marcelino and he is
.rIv 4 wears old. One Of the girls. Socorro, II
sycars. The other girl, 10 years old, was named
Ir.ta. The hospital vas established by tho
c,hen leader Baldomero Acosta for the sick and
rounded OF his band. who were very numerous.
,,nccially those suffering from malaria and
ay.cntery. Acosta himself is sick with fever
md as Cristina Herrera declares, was cared
tr in the hospital. while his cousin, Of his own
name, led the band.
concealed between two hills. the hospital was
believed to be safe from the Spaniards, and
under that belief Acosta sent his cousin to attack
stanish column which, as no had been In
torned, would pass some six miles from there
nv the wagon road. Only i've soldiers and Capt.
Justo Torres remained with Acosta in the hos
pitnl. Besides Cristina Herrera and her chill
dren there were another nurse named Marta
Corrales and about i've women more, wives Of
solGiers of the band.
II is supposed that q spy told the Spaniards
efthe existence Of the hospital. The fact is that
the Spanish column, 1000 strong. attacked tho
place two days ago.
Torres and his Ave men, firing their rifles to
advise Acosta of tho proximity of the enemy,
fed to the forest. Acosta, jumping out from his
,tretcher, cried to the women to run with tho
children. and stood in the door firing at the ad-
vancing Spaniards. His resolute attitude made
the invaders believe for a moment that he had
somc force to resist them. A Spanish scout rec
ognized Acosta and told the commander Of the
column. who gave orders TO capture the Cuban
leader alive. To this circumstance Acosta and
some Of the patients owed their salvation. be-
cause the Spaniards did not use their guns, try
Ing 10 surround the hospital.
Acosta narrowly escaped, followed by those
who were strong enough to run. Four women
Fained the forest also without being hurt. Marta
Corrales was seized by two Spanish soldiers. but
matched a bayonet from the belt OF ono of them
and killed him with 1t. The other soldier then
loosed her so as to shoot her. but tho heroic wo-
man ran toward the forestand the soldier missed
her. She reached the other fugitives and es-
capped safely with them.
Cristina Herrera was not so fortunate. She
tried to follow the others. but could not go fast
because of her children. She took the two
younger in her arms and ran with Justa. But
she was oyerburdened, and neither she nor Justa
could escape. Caught by the Spanish soldiers.
they were driven back to the hospital to witness
the dire fate of the twenty sick and wounded
who, unable to save their lives by flight. were
ruthlessly slain by the Spaniards.
More than twenty men persisted in their beds.
pierced by the Spanish bayonets. A Spanish
soldier. a young man from Pontevedra, Galicia.
refused to Join in tho assassination of defence
less people, and protested against the crime. He
was shot dead by a Lieutenant.
The most cruel in the barbarous work were
the irregulars of the guerrilla forces. who are all
common criminals and outlaws from the Span
ish penal colonies in Africa, engaged by Gen.
weyler for this war Of determination. While
the killing was going on Cristina Herrera and
her children were guarded by four Spanish SOL
diers.
After the murders were done and the house
fred tho four guards sold. as in public auction.
to the mon of the guerrillas the young girl of ten
years. ACaptain won her for 80 and outraged
her. leaving her fainting to the hands Of the
soldiery. What followed is too shocking to de-
scribe. The poor mother. unsuccessfuly at
tempted to kill herself and fell in Q swoon.
When she recovered she was told that Justa had
disappeared. and with her other two children
she was sent to the neighbor1ng town Of Ell
Rincon. From there she was brought to Havana,
and is now imprisoned here in tho house of de-
tentlon for disreputable women.
A correspondent Of La Luchd saw Cristina
Herrera in FL Rincon and published yesterday
In that paper q report Of the affair, in which,
naturally, tho press censor did not allow all the
facts to be mentioned. Nevertheless, 1t was ad-
mitted that tho place attacked by the Spaniards
was a hospital belonging to the band Of Baldo-
nero Aoosta- La Lucha also admits that one
Aau1hfar NJ fhA ~ rriaffna Harvard Ia
missing. 1t is hard to understand how
such a confession could DO printed by a
Havana newspaper. OF tho other women
In the hospital La Luchd mentions the name of
Marta Corrales, and says in a paragraph added
BY the press censor that all them, including
Cristina Herrera, were wenches. living a vicious
life with the Cuban soldiers. The falsity of this
10 clear from the fact. acknowledged by the Span
ish newspaper, that the place in which the
women were found was a hospital filled with
sick and wounded.
People In Havana are accustomed to hear of
the barbarities committed in this war by the
spaniards. and only extraordinary cases can
ahake the conscience of a public which lives I'M
derthe sway of Weyler. The assassination in the
hospital at Govea Is one of those cases. AS q
well.known American resident here told THE
SUMS correspondent. 1t IL uncomfortable that the
conduct of the Turks in Crete should excite the
attention of the American people so much when
such dreadful things happen here at the very
doors Of the United States.