The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-05-10
CUBA'S WORST CURSE
The GUERRILLA, FlEND OF PlLLAGE
AND SLAUGHTER.

Chiefs Brazenly Appropriate Articles of
Rare Beauty and vaIue-Rank and File
siay and Steal at VIII.
Captain General Weyler's order OF
concentration gains added terror from
the means adopted 10 enforce il. The
guerrilla of the Cuban war is the per-
sonification Of the struggle. He typifes
ats character. The guerrilla is robber
and murderer. That is the kind of
war this is. Fair, stand up fighting has
no place in it. Cruel work is to be done.
The guerrilla is at home there. He has
come to be the most efficient branch of
the service. The regular soldiers from
Spain guard the trains and move about
the country in columns. They would be
fighting if there was any battling to be
done. The volunteers perform guard
service in the cities and towns where
they live. But the guerrillas are the
Spanish troops intrusted with what is
now the most prominent feature Of
Weyler's plan Of campaign.
The guerrillas are organized into
bands of about 100 men. The members
are residents of Cuba. Usually the
chief of the guerrillas is Spaniard,
but in the ranks are found Cubans and
negroes. The guerrilla is in the service
from mixed motives, but not one OF
these motives is laudable. Criminals
have been released from Jail to enter
these bands. Some desperadoes trans
ported for life have been brought back
from Spain's penal colonies and turned
loose upon the pacificos to prey like hu-
man wolves The guerrillas Of Cuba are
the men with bad records. Among them
may be some who should not be so class
ed. But the nature of the service calls
, for that unmanliness which knows not
justice, much less mercy.
Nearly every city and town of impor-
tance on the island has a band Of guer-
rillas recruited and assigned to it. The
guerrillas are well mounted. Each band
scouts and scourges the country sur
rounding its station. Day after day the
guerrillas ride over the fields. To them
are charged nine -tenths of the outrages
perpetrated on pacificos. Their efficien-
cy is spurred on by plunder. One Of
these guerrilla bands in Santa Clara
province has made speciality of looting
the fine houses on the sugar estates. At
fidavits which will cut a figure when
Spain's reckoning day comes for the
losses sustained by American citizens
are now on file at consulate showing
that a certain guerrilla chief of this
province has carted away from one es-
tate great quantities of property. The
residence was gutted. Fourteen OK cart
loads constitute part of the plunder.
This chief even went SO far as to haul
from place left unguarded by the own
er lot of lumber, which he is using IN
the construction Of q house for his
mother in-law. Machinery, water tanks,
even the roof tiles, have been taken by
this guerrilla and sold for whatever
they would bring. One of the owners
of the estate thus plundered is a vice
consul of the United States in Cuban
city. From a neighboring estate this
same guerrilla chief has stolen fine CHI
ma, costly furniture, imported saddles,
clothing, statuary and whatever else he
desired
The chiefs plumber on scale COM
mensurate with their rank. Everything
is grist that comes within the grasp of
the guerrilla private. Members OF the
bands may be seen riding into towns in
Santa Clara, carrying before them on
their saddles sewing machines taken
from pacificos. They have been known
TO sell these machines for 81 apiece.
Cubans tell by the hour tales Of
guerrilla outrages. The American finds
himself wondering why the pacificos do
not rise against their prosecutors. The
thought was suggested to an intelligent
native who had been recounting some
of the horrors. The Cuban shook his
head sadly as he replied:
''If these things were done in the
United States, your people would all be
up in arms. But there is not the spirit
of fight in the Cubans. We are too mild.
Among the pacificos are many able
bodied men, but they do not go out to
fight as you would expect. We are
people naturally peaceable. If we ever
get our independence, we shall not have
the lawlessness that those who do not
know us fear. We shall not be warning
among ourselves. am not afraid that
Cubans will fight among themselves.
That which is our weakness now will
be our strength if we become nation.
am only afraid Of the Spaniards, who
will remain disturbing element. They
are revengeful. The Cuban has not that
trait. No feuds among Cubans would
survive the war;"
''What about these guerrillas? Would
they be allowed to remain If independ'
ence is obtained?"
"Yes. As grievously as the pacificos
have suffered can say from what
know Of my countrymen that as soon as
the war ended there would be q spirit
of forgiveness for all. Why, we had the
guerrillas in the ten years war. At the
end Of it they were allowed to settle
among us, and nothing was charged
against them. It will be SO again If we
gain independence.
"The climate of the island" the Gu
ban continued. "seems to take out of