The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-07
WAS A CUBAN PATRIOT.
DR.. b. @. Nunnelly Tells About His
Experiences.

Tt is not generally known that DR..
R. G. Nunnelly, the man who addressed
the overflow meeting on the North Sloe
Friday, is a Cuban patriot. It is never
theless a fact that he spent three years
in the Cuban service before the war
with Spain was thought OF.
Dr. Nunnelly is a native of Kentucky
and was four years in the confederate
service. After the close of the war he
enlisted in the navy and after that
service. He has been over the entire
world and is an exceedingly interesting
tallzer.
Journal reporter this morning, THAT
began to make preparations to go to
Cuba. I raised $500 men who wanted
to go over Some OF them were COX
eyiteS and a good many OF them were
professional men, but they were all men
whom I knew could be trusted on an
expedition of that kind. Part of them
were sent south to work in the lumber
regions of Louisiana, so we said 9th
ers were sent to Florida on the pretense
of working on a railroad. We had to
be very secret in our movements to
keep the government from stopping US.
The men went over to Cuba in small
expeditions any way they could get
over. Some went around to Santiago,
some around the Isle of Pines and some
landed on the north coast. 1t was any
way to get over, but we all got there
all right.
I'VE traversed that island from one
end to the other, discriminating with
SDaQldIuS I
fight any. The most of them were ci-~
garette smoking, MISUNDERSTANDING
young fellows, with a two cent head
and a seven dollar hat, and no consti-
tuition to stand the climate, and as
result the smallpox and yellow fever
made havoc with them. They could not
stand before the Cubans although they
outnumbered US ten to one. remem-
Der in one battle there were seven
thousand Spaniards and only five hun
dred Cubans. We met them in mar
6nEf he +11rv
their artillery on us, but they presented
a solid wall of bayonets. Then we did
a cruel thing: We had with a lot of
scrawny ponies that we took along for
food in case starvation came too close
to us. We tied cotton balls on the tails
of those ponies, saturated the cotton
started the ponies towards the Span
iards. Tt broke the line of bayonets all
right. and we followed up the ponies
and utterly routed the enemy That is
a specimen of the way we fought
I'VE burned miles and miles of su-
gar cane, learning a lesson from the
way Samson burned the corn of the
Philistines in the Bible. Cuba is full
OF snakes, some of them venomous and
others not so. The Cuban children
catch the small non-poisonous snakes
and put them in a sack or barrel The
cane grows up ten or fifteen feet tail.
and the lower leaves die down, making
an underbrush so thick that it is al
most impossible to get through it, If
man should try to burn a field of cane
in the ordinary way it would be a tire
some Joo. But we hit on the scheme of
taking sack of these little snakes
OF course they would bite, but that
didn't hurt us.-We would saturate a
snake with tar, then cover the tar with
cotton, touch a match to it. and turn
the snake loose in the cane. The thing
fore he died"
Dr.; Nunnelly. at length fell into the
hands OF the Spaniards and was i'm
prisoner in MORO castle for several
months. In telling of this adventure
when General Campos was in com
mand OF the Spanish forces we had
great respect for him But the GOV
e el9.l .a didn't seem to like his meth
Ter to butcher u.s.. About the first of
January, 1885, we determined to as
sasslnate Weyler. and rs of us Cubans
comphsh 1t. We meant to blow IN as
much OF the town as we could II
would nave been very easy matter to
nave taken Havana at that time One
of the things I criticise this admins
trat1on for is for not capturing Havana
as soon as the war broke out. It could
nave been easily done. VIEWER xyaS
scared to death and kept himself guard
co IN MORO castle, and while we were
Waltlng to get a chance at him I was
captured had gone into a coffee
mouse to get some coffee, when 7 mo-
tlced three Spaniards watching me.
had some papers folded up in my poclx-
AAAGW WOQlQ De evidence !
against me if I should be captured. SO |
showed the bottom out of the pocket |
and pushed the papers on down in the |
nope OF hiding them. The three Snan- |
1ards arrested me and took me before i
w eyer IN MORO castle. He addressed !
me in English |
w hom have the honor of address |
sing?" he asked in sneering tones.
made no reply, and then he asked. |
Where are you from?'
g From Kentucky, sah,' said II Dr. /
Nunnelly speaks with the Kentucky ac-
cent?
II thought it was some heather |
country he said. or you would have |