The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-15
HARD FACTS ABOUT CUBA.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE SENATE
COMMITTEES ON THE A
can PHYSICIANS Tell or tho EmcIency with
which tho Patriots Conduct Their Civil
a.oxernnenl and %NIIlLLarN dmlniatrnIIo

- FORMER OHirsr IN bur army nnd TWO Atnert-
can PhIsirihna Tell OF tho EmcIency with
which tho Patriots Condurt Their civil
Government nnd Military Naturalization.
Comparatively little OF the information elicit
cd Mt tho hearings before the subcommittee OF
the Senate Committee ON Foreign Relations in
June and July as to- the condition OF Cuba has
como before tho public. One reason is, apparent
", that it was doubted by the committees men,
bers whether the Information which some OF tho
questions were intended to bring out ought to
he made public, in view OF its possibly embar-
assing effect upon he Cuban cause, as Is to DO
scen In the report OF he testimony. There is a
good deal OF matter OF interest in tho testimony
given by Capt. William ID. smith. notably for
those who may have lingering doubts as to the
reality of tho warfare which tho insurgents are
carrying on, or as TO tho actual, effective ad-
ADMINISTRATION of a civil government by them.
Capt. Smiths story. brought out by question
and answer under oath. will have, in tho minds
OF some people, an additional value, because
Capt. Smith Is neither a newspaper corrospon.
don't nor u Cuban, but an American who served
i've years in tho United states Army, which he
entered as an enlisted man. He rose to tho rank
OF first Sergeant. He afterSyard passed an ex-
animation for IL commission, and at tho request
OF his company commander he was appointed.
He served In Troop +, Fourth Cavalry, on the
frontier when Fred Grant, now the Colonel, and
lately tho Police Commissioner. was First Lieu
tenant OF tho troop. Capt. Smith is A. years
old, but has had only ten birthdays. AS he was
born on Feb. 30. He resigned from the army in
1884 at Fort Lowell. Ariz.. and since then. UP
to the time he went to cuba in April. 1895, ho
had practisod law, having road law under SEN
ator Edmunds and been graduated from the
Harvard Law School.
He was in Cuba n year. He went there to
Join tho insurgents. For tho first two months
he was with Gen. Swarra in the province of
Camaguey. He was commissioned a Captain in
October, and recommended for appointment as
a Conmandante, corresponding in rank with a
United States Major, just before he came away.
-. CAPT. SMITHS STORY.
In tho middle Of June. 1896, Capt. Smith
Joined Gen. Gomez at Saratoga during the fight.
1t was one of the battles. he said. in which
Gomez gave tho Spaniards so thorough a thrash
Ing that they never denied their defeat. 1t lasted
two. days, yet the Cuban loss was only 90 killed
and 40 wounded. Tho exact Spanish loss was
not known to Capt. Smith, but he saw, he said,
$50 bodies dug up and counted. 1t Is necessary
there. he said, to bury u man almost as soon as
he drops, or there is no Saying in the n%eighbor-
hood. The only way the Cubans have of learn.
ing the Spanish loss is by digging up the bodies.
This they always do. the Captain said, rebury-
ing tho bodies at once.
The Captain testified that he had a record OF
forty.two engagements ho had been in with
Gomez, besides little skirmishcs which he did
not count. Where they outnumber you." he
said, "it is a dash and a few shots and get out
of the way"
There were 2i2 engagements, the witness
said, where Gen. Gomez had stood his ground
and camped on the ground Of the Spaniards. the
last of these engagements taking place just n
few days before the witness left Cuba. when
Gomez and Weyler met for the first time. This
was at La Tteforma, a cattle range. the most
t--..E -l--. A. a. - = 49,.
tion. in La Villas. 1t is the favorito camping
ground of Gen. Gomez. because his son was born
there. This battle wound up, Smith said, as
had most others in which Gomez figured: Gomez
Withdraw vn his troops and gone to Puerto Prins.
cipe. Gomez had 1,5oO or 1000 troops and
Weyler 10000. The witness said he was trying
TO be exact MS to figures and not to overestimate
o. numbers.
THE ONLY WAY THE SPANISH WILL FIGHT.
Capt. Smith said that the way Of fighting in
said he, ridiculous that 800 men would stand
march in a Column Column of / 200 'oG men and one c aiMsss
These 10000 men were all in the field at one
in ir9e eiiu pml .o'' T T. yo came into in a R msssi iin in tw wers
different directions. The trap was being laid by
G erai Was eash aG SaPt" or i Gef for G9 3me weeks mhs G ans
waited for them to come.
He would have 100 men light one column and
so fight another column. and 100 fight another.
Stood them off like that. / hi have re Known ten
Cubans to hold a Spanish column of 1000 men
imtnt Se and dS sef on Seni@ E1t tb sSHes At a dead hs i sfPsd.
still. l account for il, by the surmise that the
bnscade, and that they would not run into It.
That Is ten. Gomez's tactics; he has done 1t sew
Capt. smith said it was hard to estimate the
number OF wounded. He gave an interesting
SsS S a6i1 Ion OF # this ,sr, a A. great re many w99undIsSd ;,
reason was that the Mauser bullet passed right
through them without hurting them much. II
can show VDu.' he Suin. - n wound thar ypu
would have said. II il. had happened with any
other cartridge. would have necessitated an
and l. was only in hospital two hours-long
enough to have it done up. The bullet does not
amputation since ! have been. on the island, and
1t does not cause sepbicHmia."
He thought there were probably fifty or sew
e~nty:hye Cuban wounded. The Spanish loss
was $50 or is5 killed. He said that after leav.
had plotted Weyicr's men across the Rio sasse.
and A. thai an6 "a acG imn IN w. to Ihq soldiers tax, there
"Weyler was in personal command on the
one side and Gomez on the other at that time T.
Yes, sir; il was the first time that they had
ever met; THE NEW YORK Sun gave an ao-
Capt, smith said that al the officers above
the rank OF Captain hold their commissions from
the civil government, and that Gomez makes
daily reports to the civil government. Even il
n MADE sG nn eSoT are aa not g Thn s SySTy d day. they are
fac simile Of The United States army in regard
ThSre arc no toIeEarnp h tac Ii fes I nroSn Spr Iac
Island now, he said. although before the war
there were offices all over. Tho Cubans have
cut down all the wires.
STRENGTH or CUBA'a ARMY.
Capt. Smith said that the strength of the six
army corps at the last report was IO.2lO armed
mCE. II would be more now, he said, us three
expeditions had landed on the island since he
left. Gomez. Every landing of arms, he said,
made the strength Of the army greater, as there
were always from 800 10 1000 men waiting for
arms In Comes army. These waiting men were
not allowed in the immediate camp, but were
kept In the vicinity. II Gomez could get tho
arms the witness said, he could recruit and
maintain an army of II little over 90, 600 men.
In the way Of supplies for living, everything
with the exception OF beef. he said, was supplied
by the civil government, which collected taxes
all the length of the island. lie said that there
was not II Cuban in the interior OF the island
who wasnot either fighting or working ten hours
a day 10 support the fighters. Those who work
till the soil or make shoes or saddles or other
needed things by the troops. In the province of
PnerlO IrimClpc thcrc are 400 meChAnics In nna