Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-15
KANSAS Roy WHO Is FIGHTING FOR
CUBA WRITES HOME.
is LIEUTENANT COLONEL NOW.
WORN OUT BY HARDSHIP AND Is
COMING HOME SOON.
Thinks He Has Done His Share for
Cuban Independcnce-Inter
Account of the Famous Cap
ture of Los runns In
August.

ston has been heard from again. He Is not
in klondike as the San Francisco fake had
1t. 1t has been so long since a letter
had been received from him that his
friends We're becoming concerned for
his safety. but letter from hin,
which has just come relieves their
anxiety. He writes that he is so
broken down by the hardships he mas
undergone that he is. coming home about
Christmas. Il hate to leave now" he
says. but feel as if / had done about
my share for Cuban independence. a man
who has fought through four sieges and
TWENTY-FIVE m battles ought f2 rssSs SsasHJ StJ, So
leave and star: for
Funston says that I
gold star of lieutenan%S,SA
bly, for his services duringa
capture of Los Tunas. the
created such CONSERVATION
Spanish and so much elation
Cubans. Concerning the capt
Tunas, the letter, which Is d,
Tunas. August 81. 1881 says:
Just won the biggest victory of
other revolution, by capturing t.
Los Tunas, with its twenty-one I
taking its entire garrison, with
quantity of rifles. ammunition, etr1
fight lasted three days and two nig6N
was fearfully bloody affair
.On the night of the 9th inst, W
structed fortiflcations in the way of
intrenchments on the north side laye
town. the nearest fort being disti,. sc
yards. and placed therein four breecf
ing field guns and a Sims-Dudley eSS,
matte dynamite gun At the dawn ODE
on the 18th we opened fire on the six ~
within range and they replied most vi.
ously, peppering us with all sorts of hse.
ware, from krupp guns to Mauser bully
and tore our intrenchments to pieces.
that 1t was with the greatest difficulty
held the men TO their work. 1t was SON,
thing awful, shells exploding near US co.
stantly and our losses being very heavy.
THE pneumatic dynamite gun did wor.
ders. wrecking the Cavalry headquarters.
and in two shots blowing the top OFF from
Fort Conception. At 10 4. m. Lieutenant
Colonel Calixto Enamorado. with few
men. carried the latter work by assault.
losing one-thrd of his men by the fire of
adjoining forts.
But at II occurred the grand feature of
the siege. The strong fort called the Cav
airy Headquarters. because it had once bssr
used as such, had suffered much from our
fire. when Chief of STAFF Mepoca, ordered
the bugler to sound the charge. Hardly
had the notes died away before the same
lieutenant colonel. with 200 men. left the
shelter of the hill crest and started for the
until checked by tangle of barb wire
fences where. in the open, they held their
position, firing at the Spanish in the
trenches of the fort, until Lieutenant Colo
mel Carlos Garcia, son of the general. led
up $50 men to his support. Then there was
wild rush for the fort. The men cut the
tenant Colonel Garcia. with the Cuban flag
in one hand and sword In the other.
leaped the moat and the men followed
battles of the story books, and 1t was
worth years Of hum-drum life to see it.
hateT All Vas rs over , n ,i1, mnen. and when the
cuban banner. we in the intrenchments.
only 400 yards away, cheered ourselves
.'All the rest of the fearfully hot day we
pitched shells at the Spanish forts and
lodged those sent at us. The cannonading
was kept up by the infantry, who assaulted
and took two more forts.
The next day We put the guns in one of
the captured works and. at distance of
lao yards, shelied the great fort known as
the Infantry Cuartel' but with little ef-
feet. as the walls were very strong. Even
the dynamite gun had but little effect here.
With darkness the uproar ceased and the
wearied men on both sides got what snatch
es of sleep they could.
The morning of the 30th yesterday saw
| the end at hand. After an hours lombard
ment the flag of truce was sent from the
infantry Quartet and the plucky command
er having been killed. his men surrendered.
blocks of stone houses and threw up barri-
cades In the streets to attack the only re-
manning fort. the Quartet General more
than dozen forts having surrendered with
the Quartet Infanteria.' After few shots
and some flag of truce business they gave
in and the fight was over but at a fear
full cost-one-third of the Cubans having
fallen. But the Spaniards had fought as
heroes, losing 40 per cent of their garrison
in the defense. We captured twenty-oue
forts. 1.05O rifles. with one million rounds of
ammunition. two krupp cannons and a
train-load of prisoners ii do not know how
| many, besides great quantities of general
stores. The Cubans are wild with joy and
say it ends the war. but don't know about
that.
I'VE artillerymen are the heroes of the
day and nothing is too good for us The
Spanish officers say that they We're fairly
| thunderstruck by the way our cannon used
them. OF our nine officers two were killed
and three wounded. while half our men
were killed or disabled"