The record-union., 1897-02-18
One Hundred Prisoners Taken Shot
Down in Cold Blood.
Many Women and Children Also
Captured, the Latter Being Put to
Death-General Weyler Issues an
Imperative Order for Reinforce
ments, Having Been Outwitted by
General Gomez.

"A band of guerrillaS, commanded by
Major Taso of General Perez's army, in
Pinar del Rio province, is reported to
have captured the Heights of Monte
varf, north of PaSo Real de Santiago,
putting over 100 prisoners to the sword.
! The heights were partially fortified,
and number of Cuban families were
there, the insurgents numbering about
200
Taso had the aid of a deserter from
the camp, and making a night attack,
surprised the place and after three
hours. hard fighting captured it. About
100 insurgents escaped, but the others
and many women and children were
captured. Drawing the prisoners up
in line the Spanish troops shot shem
down in cold blood, and then put to
death the children, reserving the wo-
men and girls for the soldiers. The
bodies We're thrown down the heights,
completely choking up a small gorge.
An imperative order for reinforce
ments was received here to-day from
| General Weyler. 1t is reported that
Gomez has outwitted the Spanish COM
mander in some manner, and that his
plans have miscarried, much to his
chagrin-
Captain Weyler was received
at Saint Espiritu to-day with enthu-
siasm. Local authorities and an i'm
mense crowd gathered to acclaim his
arrival with shouts of joy. Almost all
of the houses in the town We're decor
ated in honor of the event
Over 5000 cases of smallpox were re-
ported as being registered in Havana
to-day.
Advices from Pinar del Rio state that
the insurgent leaders Ramon and Lazo,
who recently surrendered while suf-
fering from wounds, have since died.
Greet military activity is noted on
| both sides of the province of Santa
Clara.
Sylvester Scovel, the correspondent of
the New York World" who was ar
rested at Lunas on February 9Th, has
been transferred to Santa Clara for
trial. 1t is understood General Lee,
United States Consul-General. had pre-
viOusly wired TO Secretary Olney sug-
gesting the withdrawal of the petition
to transfer Mr.. SCovel to Havana, in
view of the receipt of adviceS stating
that the prisoner had been we'll treated
at SantO Elspiritu, and that he had been
shown every courtesy under the Span
ish law.
Private advicss received from Col
menar, near Ceida Mocha, province of
Matanzas. say that Lieutenant Colonel
| Allan has had a three hours engage
ment with the insurgents under Raul
| Arrange inficting a heavy loss Of
many men upon the enemy. II is fur
! nar +al bot i,-a1 100 "a
| killed The troops had two men killed
and one lieutenant and eighteen sol
diers wounded.
LARGE CUBAN EXPEDITION.
| DALLAS (Tex), Feb. 1.-THE
News" tomorrow will print the fol-
lowing story, which its reporters cannot
verify, except to strike disconnected
| fragments here and there:
| "One of the largest Cuban expeditions
that has sailed from the Gulf Coast
squared away tonight for the Queen
of the Antilles, from Pass Caballo. mid
way between Corpus Christi and Cal
| weston. The Colorado and New Mex
thoroughly armed frontiersmen, mostly
| from Colorado, but many of them from
| North and West Texas and New Mex
! leo. The Colorado and New Mexican
! contingents are part of Colonel Roberts
| organiza aion that has been getting to-
gether in the Southwest during the last
| few days The men forming the ex-
pedition have been sent to South Texas
points in squads of from five to twenty
many Of them having passed through
| Houston and Galveston without sus-
/ piciUn as to their identity being assur-
/ faa f1e,r Da1-
las and Fort Worth, and a few from
| Greenvile and Texarkana by Cuban
| sympa thizers.
The vessel on which they sail to-
night is owned by wealthy private
parties, non residents of Texas. 1t lay
for several days last week near the
port of Brazos de Santiago, at a point
north of the bar from which it quietly
slipped out last Friday night, reaching
Pass Caballo on Sunday.
During the last thirty days arms
and ammunition have been shipped as
hollow ware, white lead hospital sup
| plies and musical Instruments In all
| 10000 rounds of mixed ammunition
for rifles, shotguns and revolvers which
had been quietly gathered in North
| Texas points, the bulk of it at Dallas
and some of it at Fort Worth. and some
Of the biggest arms companies in ST
| Louis have been shipping from those
cities under the direction of Cuban
sympathizers. and forwarding in such
packages as not to arouse suspicion as
to the character of their contents.
The expedition hopes to join Colonel
Roberts command of Americans in
Cuba or General Garcia's. The point
where it Will land has been selected in
| advance, but II is only known to the
| officers of the crew and the promoters
OF the expedition. The crew consists
of twenty experienced sailors, at the
head of whom is Captain Miller, who
! has spent a great deal of time during
| the last two or three weeks in Calves
ton. Dallas and Huston. One of the
| crew is Bob Allen, the assistant gum
ner who helped Walsh work the Hotch-
| kiss gun in the sea fight last December
| on the south coast of Cuba, when the
Three Friends failed TO land its expe-
dition and had TO put back. Another
| of Captain Mialer's crew is Tom Nc
Donald. a member of the crew of the
Three Friends.
''All of these men are under bonds
for the alleged piracy case growing out
| of the naval engagement. They have
been in Texas for over two weeks. as
sisting in getting UP the expedition
which was sent on foot about three