The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-10
POSSESSION OF MANZANILLO
COLONEL RAY, U. S. A., WILL RE-
 CEEVE IT TO-DAY.

SAS1V 4s LA AV-DiLs
 The Trouble Which Nearly Resulted ina
 Clash Between Spanish and Ameri-
 can Troops General Parron Wildly
 Excited After the Incident-Declar the Man That Allowed the Americans
 to Pass the City Must Die and That Quickly.
 mission)-The Spanish troops expect to leave Manzanillo tomorrow Gen. will trun the city over to the mayor, who will make the official transfer to States on Monday. General Parron paid visit to Colonel Ray this morn ing and the two officers exchanged com pliments. The conversation touched mainly upon military life in the trop- ics. Forty Spanish soldiers Now in the hospital will leave with the retiring force. A collision between the Spanish garrison and Colonel Rays troops yes terday was, it appears, even nearer than then seemed to be the case Gen. eral ParronS orders from Havana were to resist the Americans to the utter most. Additional rounds had been is- tn thn v,I al, ,tAo, would probably have brought the Span | ish force up to 1,200. as against fewer | than 300 Americans.
 | Colonel Ray would certainly have obeyed his original intentions when the hour for closing the cable arrived, and there would have been only the slight est chance of avoiding a fierce engage ment with the odds largely against the Americans, both in numbers and in arms. The Spaniards were armed with Mausers, while the Americans had Springfields. The echoes of yesterday S excitement have not died away. Though General Parron, on the sur- face is courteousness and dignity per- sonihed, he created a great scene at the palace after the incident, striking ter 1 TOT to the hearts of his subordinates. He cursed in flowing Castilian, com- pletely forgot his dignity, and with the oaths of a 'longshoreman, vowed that 1 the honor of the Spanish had suffered a blow. The Spaniard to blame for it., he declared, must die, and that quick ly.
 l In his fury he sent for the military l commander, but found that this officer had left with the Spanish troops the night before Then he sent for the ad- 1 jutant general and asked him why the Americans had been let through the city gate The reply was a disclaimer of authority and suggestion that the inquiry should be put to the officer who was in charge of the guard. Then it was discovered that the officer had been withdrawn several days before, leaving a sergeant in command. When the sergeant arrived he declared that General Parron's orders were to per- 4 init the Americans to pass. That was the mules," shriked Parron, mot the soldiers. Away with him to the guard house." The luckless sergeant has been courtmartialed. At first it was l IGpOIlSu lIldl Ilc WStO u DC SllOt lO-hlOl row at daybreak. Thereupon Collector Donaldson and the Rev. MT. Zimmer- man, as private citizens, called upon General Parron to entreat him to dc what he could for the unfortunate man Parron replied that he was grateful for the sympathetic feeling displayed by the Americans in the welfare of the Spanish and promised that if there was conviction he would infiict tha mini- mum penalty-probably only a few days pay. As the Spanish rank and file receive no pay anyway, this would be no very great infliction. The Span iards had intended taking away the lantern of the lighthouse with the ap- purtenances, claiming the whole as
 movable property, but Colonel Ray ob- jected and the Spaniards after being shown copy of the evacuation agree
 ment abandoned their intention.