The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-07-02
.THE POLICY or SPAIN.
liial Of Competitor Prisoners will
Be Still DELAYED.
FIRM YET FOR CONVICTION.
tplia Bound % Find the Msn Guilty
and Yet Afraid 10 wnl Cause Trou-
bic II such IL Dons-Dissass
Raging In Parts OF Cabs.

New York. July Ia dispatch 10 the
Herald from Havana says:
The trial Of the Competitor crew viii
not take place on July FIRST. as has been
reported Il may not take place for
several months yet. unless the United
States government presses the matter.
The authorities here hesitate 10 bring
the men to trial for diplomatic reasons.
They realize the fact that II the laws OF
Spain mean anything and are not to be
brought into dlsrepute the sentence Of
the Competitor hlibustrers must be a
severe one. on the other hand. Spain
does not desire TO aggrayaie any hos
tile feeling that may already exist In
the United States against her. Il was
Just about the middle OF June that Con-
sui General Lee. by direction Of hls
government. pressed for an early trial
lie pointed out that a long delay had
already taken place and declared 4 un-
just To the consu's letter General
Weyler sent a most indefinite reply.
He began By excusing past delay on
the ground that the proceedings on the
part Of the prosecution had consumed
much time. and now. he said the law
yer who had been assigned 70 the prls-
oners been given until the end OF
July to pfo ,are his defense In conclu.
sion General weyler stated that Il was
impossible to say when the trial
would be brought on"
This means that Il has been thought
best to delay the trial indefinitely.
In the meantime the Competitor
crew are langulshing In the prison.
Some Of them cannot stand conhne.
ment much longer. They are not treat.
Cd badly. 50 far as Spanish treatment
of prisoners In Cuba goes. Americans
cannot realize what confinement In Ca.
hanas during these hot months means
When Melton. for example waf taken
prisoner, he was a remarkably fne
specimen OF manhood. Today he is
broken down beyond recovery. his
shoulders are bowed and hlu frame h
wasted to skin and bone.
Disease among Spanish troops IN
Santiago de Cuba has been 90 severe
that when General weyler ordered the
move into the interior against the
rebels. The only soldiers available
were convalescents. An over the Il.
land disease among the spanish troops
Is Increasing at fast rate. Out OF the
thousand men IN TIE vegara battalion
In Plnar del Rio nearly 200 have been
rendered undt for service By malaria
and dysentery The hospitals In Ha-
vana are crowded 10 overaowlng.
General Ruiz Rivera Is dangerously
~. The prison doctors have performed
delicate operation upon him. and be
Is now In a critical condition.
The Herald's correspondent in Ma
ianzas reports a fierce engagement on
Saturday last between spanish troops
and a large body Of Insurgents Be.
tween 60 and 20 spanlards were Killed
and wounded. The rebel loss Is not
known. General Molina. who was near
by with a column Of men. went 10 the
assistance Of the Spanish and was bad.
ly wounded during ;as engagement
There are In the vicinity Of Natanras
22oo insurgents well armed and
equipped.
The rebel leader. Guarcha. captured
and killed two Spanish spies near the
city limits Of Matanzas on sunday las.
The correspondent also vouches for the
statement that spaniards machetcd II
paeiheos, men and women, who had
left town for a plantation to get food.