The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-15
TALK WITH GEN. GARCIA
HE TELLS WHY PANDO DID NOT Sue
COR SANTIAGO DE CUBA.
RaviDes and Passes Held by Insur-
gents-HiIls impossible on Account
of Rains-Many Dying of Fever.

OFF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July 13. via
Port Antonio, Jamaica, July 14.--A corre-
spondent of the Associated Press recently
had an interview with General Garcia. Gar
cha appears to be a man of fifty-eight
years, with an impressive presence, large,
swarthy skin, gray hair, with a long mill
tary-looking mustache, with a pleasing
smile and graceful ways. He touched his
broad Panama in acknowledgment of the
salute and spoke in broken English.
II am a little tired" said he. 1--WE have
had hard struggle" and his worn jeans
suit and muddy top boots with a single an
tiquated brass spur on the right one showed
this. THE enemy intrenched itself in San
tiago in very good shape" he continued,
because, naturally, the place is one of the
best in the world for that purpose"
Gould the troops outside the city, or at
other points, have made a junction with
them at any timer" was asked.
Decidedly not" said General Garcia.
"Pando was completely cut off, See this
and he pointed to the tracing cloth map be-
fore him with finger trembling with ex-
cited energy. 'Pando, who amounts to
nothing as general, anyway Ghis with
hoarse laugh Of defance), was at Mania
Milo with nearly four thousand troops. That
into the sea. In its ravines toward San
tiago 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 on in the interior even worse
than on the seacoast 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 it's worst shape"
Where else in eastern Cuba are the Span
iSh troOpS?"
Back at Holguin on the north coast"
said the general, once more pointing to the
map. Between them and Santiago is an al
most impossible range Of mountains. In the
thanks to the United States, there are now
rifles and ammunition. General Loque has
10000 troops at Holguin, but they are being
reduced in number very rapidly The rec
ords show that the deaths in the Spanish
army in Cuba have been close to $1,000 a
year. There will be double that number this
the arrival of the American troops and the
war. L mean that from yellow fever and
the insurgent warfare their numbers have
already been reduced very greatly. Death
l would not be surprised to see one-half of
them lay down their arms and join us at
particularly strong among the home guards,
and but for the presence of the imported
soldiers they would come out Of the cities
and surrender nov The Ufited States navy
has done wonderful work.
The correspondent also talked with Gar
cia's surgeon, Colonel Vsliente. who also
of yellow fever along the southern coast"
he said THE fever district IS along the
eau river valley, where Pando and his 4,00O
Spaniards are. The fever along the coast
during the rainy season is mere malarial
fever, easily prevented 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 be
suffering terribly, Our spies in the cities
have been unable to secure any quinine for
number of weeks at any price and we
know that the army surgeons seized the
small supply in the drug stores of Santa
co."