Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-07-15

On Santiago de Cuba. July Is. via
Port Antonio. Jamaica. July IA
correspondent Of the Associated Press
had an interview with Gen. Garcia.
Garcia appears a man of IS years with
an impressive appearance, large,
swarthy skinned, gray haired with
fiaring military mustache. pleasant
smile and graceful ways. He touched
his broad Panama in acknowledgement
of the salute and spoke in broken Eng
lish.
Il am a little tired" said he. eve
haze had hard struggle, and his
worn jeans suit and muddy top boots
with single ANTICIPATED brass spur
on the right one, showed this.
"The enemy entrenched itself in San
tiago in very good shape" he contin-
ued, because naturally, the place is
enc of the best in the world for that
purpose
! Gould the troops outside of the city,
or at other points have made junction
with them at any time?" was asked.
Decidedly not" said Gen. Garcia.
"Pando was completely cut off See
this and he pointed to the tracing
cloth map before him with a finger
trembling with excited energy.
"Pando, who amounts to nothing as
a general anyawy," (this with hoarse
laugh of defance), was at Manzanillo
with nearly 1900 troops. That is the
point at which the river Cauto empties
into the sea. In its ravines toward San
uago we had men who held them back,
but the elements did even more. He
could not come over the hills during
the rainy season, which is now In the
interior even worse than on the sea
coast. The coast was his only hope
and there he would have had to brave
the fire of your ships. Behind him he
had yellow fever in its worst shape"
Where else in Eastern Cuba are the
Spanish troops?"
Back at Holguin on the north
coast" said the General once more
pointing to the map. Between them
and Santiago is an almost impossible
range of mountains. In the passes are
machetes and Cubans, and, thanks to
the United States, there are now rifles
and ammunition. Gen. Lcque has 10,-
600 troops at Holguin, but they are be-
ing reduced in number very rapidly.
The records show that the death rate
in the Spanish army in Cuba has been
close to 10000 year. There will be
double that number this year, to say
nothing of the loss caused by the ar
rival of the American troops and the
war. l mean that from yellow fever
and the insurgent warfare their num-
bers have already been reduced very
greatly. Death stares them In the face
and they know it. l would not be sur
prised to see one-half Of them lay down
their arms and join us at the first op-
portunity. The dissatisfaction is par
ticularly strong among the home
guards, and but for the presence of
the imported soldiery they would come
out of the cities and surrender now
The United States navy has done Won
derful work"
The correspondent also talked with
Garcia's surgeon, Valente. who also
spoke English.
There is no great danger OF yellow
fever along the southern coast" he
said "the fever district is along the
Cauto river valley. where Pando and
his 4000 Spaniards are. The fever
elong the coast during the rainy season
is a mere ma1arial fever, easily pre-
vented by the free use of quinine. We
have never found 1t very bad even in
the interior when we have plenty of
that drug. We know that the Spanish
are entirely out of drugs and they must
l.
cities have been unable to secure any
quinine for a number of weeks at any
price, and we know that the army sur
geon seized the small supply in the
drug stores of Santiago