The record-union., 1897-01-21
MerCileSS Treatment Of Inhabitants by
Spanish Troops in Cuba.
Fired Upon While Fighting Flames to
Save Their Effects.

Burning Houses, Which Had Been
Previously Fired by Insurgents
and Were Cremated.
NEW YORK, Jan. 20-A "Herald''
special from Jacksonville, Fla, says:
According to advices received by Gu
bans here. 500 insurgents, under COM
mand of Colonel Francisco de Paulo,
dashed into San Miguel, Padrone. Ba-
Vana province, Saturday night The
Spanish garrison, consisting of 600 men,
withdrew from the town without firing
a gun. The insurgents held possession
for three hours, looting the stores, pub
lie buildings, and many of the residences
occupied by Spanish families. They
captured the Mayor and forced him to
deliver the money in his possession.
amounting to $1,000 After firing the
best portion of the town and several pri-
vate residences, the insurgents with
drew.
AS soon as the insurgents Withdrew
the inhabitants, men, women and chill
dren, busted themselves trying to ex-
tinguish the flames and saving their eff
fects from burning buildings. While
thus engaged the Spanish forces re-
turned, and, it is alleged, opened fire on
the men, women and children who We're
fighting the flames.
Volley after volley was poured in on
the helpless inhabitants, many of
whom in their terror rushed into the
burning houses and We're cremated. The
Spanish then charged through the
streets, using the bayonet on all whom
they met, sparing neither women nor
chlldren. The report says forty per-
sons were killed outright, eighteen of
WhOm We're women and children Sixty
others We're wounded, some of them
FATALLY. Several of those wounded fell
by the side of burning buildings and
perfshed.
ADDING to the forty killed outright,
those who had fled into the burning
buildings and perished and those who
d1ed OF their wounds, nearly 100 per-
sons fell victims to the Spaniards. In
reporting the affair, the Spanish com
mander, it is said, stated that insur-
gents burned the town. but We're re-
pulsed with heavy loss. He admits that
twelve Of the inhabitants were killed
by insurgent bullets.
WORSE THAN THE MACHETF.
NEW YORK, Jan. 20.-Advices to the
sum from Havana say: There are
Z,uo3 cases of smallpox in Havana At
Guanajay, in Pinar del Rio province.
which has only 10000 inhabitants. there
4
are also ravaging the country. and it
may De safely said that the sanitary
condition of Cuba is far a greater dam
ger TO the United States than the much
feared buoonic plague of India Cuba
Is cFose TO our coasts and there is daily
communication between the island and
the mainland
AT the end of March the depressing
warm weather begins here. and then
diseases of contagious nature spread
twice as fast as during the winter.
CUBA is now focus of disease and
may become source of danger to the
whole world
Inc smallpox was introduced here by
ehe @oo'ooo soldiers from Spain. The
spanish common people are not clean
ly IN their habits, and, moreover, they
come TO Cub2 crowded by thousands in
the dirty steamers of the Compania
Irans-Atlantica, in which no we'll bred
Aiiericah would travel if he could pos
srply help it. Under such conditions
e.ieoe 9oiulerS land in this city, where
ehere Is no sewerage system.
1here is no hope of improvement In
TINS state Of things under Spanish
domination. The municipal laws do not
allow the city councils to take any
steps IN the matter without authoriza-
tlon from the Captain General who
must affix his signature to any loan
raised Tor sanitary works. and further
more the municipalities are all in the
hands or Spaniards, most of whom have
NOT the least notion of hygienic require
ments.
WEFLERS BRUTAL TACTICS.
NEW YORK, Jan. 2O.-A Sun" spe-
elai from Washington says: Senior Ques-
ada, Charge 'Affaires of the Cuban Le-
satlon IN this city says he has received
informa ton that General
"eyler is following the tactics that he
rthployed IN the last Cuban war, when
ne inrilcted all sorts of indignities upon
Cuoans. Senor Quesada asserts that
" eyer mas the idea that by seizing and |
throwing INTO prison the female rela-
lVes OF cuban leaders he can compel |
those leaders TO sue for peace. Acting
lhoer ms orders Avecilla, the Governor
ol Puerto Principe has arrested four |
oi the most important ladies in Cuba |
Quesada said this afternoon:
These ladies. who are the peers of |
any women on earth, We're dragged |
Lhrough the streets of Puerto Principe |
by spanish soldiers. as If theys Were |
common criminals, and We're thrown IN
10 prison. There is not hole in the |
o"est sums OF an American city half |
50 hlthy or vile as a Spanish prison. |
The ladies We're placed in an apartmei t |
with olsorderly women. who had evil |
iently been arrested in advance for the |
purpose OF making the indignity visited |
upon the ladies all the more outra- |
geous.
From this you can see what weyler |
means by his alleged policy of pacifica |
lon- Ana this outrage is, we are m
ormed, only the beginning of a general |
arrest OF every decent woman in t,,c |
-uban cities now under Spanish con-
roi VINO Is either a relative of a Gu
pan patriot or who is known or sus-
,ected OF cherishing sympathy for the
Cuban cause
Can anyone imagine for moment ;,
continued Quesada, that men with a !