The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-02-11
REPORTS OF PACIFICATION OF
PINAR DEL RIO NOT BORNE
OUT BY FACTS.
GENERAL WEYLER MAY Be CUT OFF.
1t Is Rumored There Is Big Surprise
in Store for the General When
He Tries to Return TO
Havana

the paciticatiOn of the province of Pinai
del Rio, and the almost complete disap.
pearance of the insurgents in that part
of the island are far from being borne
out by facts. AS intimated in these dis.
patches when the captain general made
the assertion that Pinar del Rio was as
quiet as he wanted it to be, it was asked
what had become of the supplies and
stores of the 1000 men said to be- there.
As matter of fact the insurgents in
Pinar del Rio seem more thoroughly
| equipped and organized than at any time.
In support of this claim the following
statement, gathered from the most re-
liable source. is given out:
At Catalina and Las Cruces are the
insurgent leaders Varona and Las Pcrces,
with about 800 men, well armed and hav-
ing plenty of ammunition, though poorly
clad The insurgent Laso has been seen
with 600 men. Laso is wounded in both
arms. Vidal Ducusi has 700 men under
his command. At the heights of GuambO
and the Sierra del Leon the insurgents
are under the command of Brig. Gen.
Ruiz Rivera and the leader Perico Del
gado. They consist of infantry and some
cavalry, estimated to number about 500
men. At Sorica is II force of insurgents
under Antonio Nunez. Nunez, however,
is said to be wounded At the Toma
heights is the Zorro Bermudas band, and
in the district of Punta Bravo are the
insurgents under Garraga and Luis Mar
tineZ.
The insurgent leader FREDERICK Nunez
is at Las Mangas, and near ARABIA La
carto and Artemisa are insurgents forces
under Lora.
These forces, with the forces of the
known leaders in the field, are estimated
to number about 5000 men, and yet the
captain general claims that Pinar del
Rio is pacified. In addition to these
forces is a strong body of insurgents
which seems to have mysteriously dis
appeared from the neighborhood of
Havana. The exact whereabouts of this
force is attracting much attention and
is known to be causing the Spanish staff
considerable anxiety.
The friends of the insurgents intimate
that big surprise is being prepared for
Capt. Gen. Weyler when he tries to re-
turn to Havana.
On February the insurgents destroyed
by dynamite culvert, situated at point
about 115 kilometers from here, between
Taco Taco and Guanajay, Pinar del Rio.
At the moment of the explosion an ex-
ploring train from Vuelta to Abajo was
passing over the culvert, and the engine
fell through. The culvert was totally de-
stroyed, and of the passengers on the
train one was killed. The engineer, two
firemen. captain of artillery volunteers
Suarcz, and five soldiers of the battalion
of Anticosta were seriously wounded
Two of them have since died of the in
juries they received. In addition eight
soldiers were slightly wounded. The ex-
plosion caused panic among the pas
sengers, who were eventually transferred
to another train. The line was inter
rupted on Tuesday.
Dinonsi Saragorre, a well known insur-
gent, surrendered last week at Trinidad
He was Immediately liberated, under the
captain generals decree, but was after
wards arrested at Union, with compan-
ion, CacinirO Vivas.
Owing to the campaign of La Lucia
thousands of persons are being vaccinat-
ed daily throughout the entire province.
In spite of this it is asserted about 5000
case of smallpox exist in Havana, and
during the four days forty persons, or
about \ per cent of the entire mortality,
nave ulcu from TINS disease.
During the month of January, at ia
ruco alone, out of 326 deaths, 312 were
due to smallpox.
Gen. Weyer, from Las Cruces, marched
to Villa Clara, capital of the province of
Santa Clara, and it was reported from
Villa Clara that he will push on to Place
tas and Remedies.
Advices from Santa Clara province
say that Gen. Gomez has moved from the
district of Sancti Spiritus to Las Cruces,
which caused the rumor of conference
between the generals, and eventually
conclusion of treaty of peace. But
these rumors have been denied from in
Surgent sources
All the rumors published about promi-
nent home rulers and former leaders of
the ten years war being engaged in treat
ing for peace are entirely without toun-
datiOn, and ar only inspired by the Diaro
de Ia Marina, and perhaps reproduced
by some of the correspondents here. All
the statements to the contrary notwith-
standing, it can be affirmed on excellent
authority that the insurgents except in the
long run something more tangible than
the reforms" offered by the Spanish
government. 1t is recalled that the
Diaro de In Marina, during the captain
generalShip of Campos, announced that
wv hdu lHt VI gong Iur-
thcr in giving the Cubans home rule than
outlined in the cable dispatches of the
reforms Just proclaimed in Madrid. The
Spanards here, it can not be denied, are
heartily sick of the war. except those who
are without money or property, and who
actually make 4 better living out of war
than they ever did before or could hope
to do again if peace is proclaimed. Then
there Is another class anxious for war
to continue-those who hope to better
themselves considerably should the in
surgents triumph.
Gen. Gonzales Munoz is upon the point
of returning to Spain on leave of alb
sence. His example is to be followed by
Gems. Berani, Beral, Purin, Figuero and
LOST, in March. Those officers. the
friends of the insurgents claim. see alb
solutely no chance of glory in Cuba, and
considerable danger of disgrace, to say
nothing OF disease and wounds, Conse-
Quently, their enemies add, that seeing
the insurgents must eventually triumph
by the machete or otherwise, they are
adopting the policy of the rats, when the
latter became aware that the shin was on
the point of sinking.
The insurgents recently fired on a Ma
tanzas train near Campo Florida. wound
ing Spanish major and two Messengers
As this dispatch is sent, it has become
known that some of the most prominent
of the home rule leaders here. after con-
sulting together over the reforms project
ed for Cuba. succeeded in sending a ca
BILE message TO Madrid. requesting the