The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-07-15
MILES AND TORAL
MEET UNDER A
FLAG OF TRUCE
Terms Of Surrender Discussed
by the Commanders Of the
Rival Forces.

GENERAL WHEELER'S HEAD
QUARTERS BEFORE SANTIAGO DE
CUBA, July Is, p. m, via Kingston.
Jamaica, July 14-White flags still hut-
ter over the opposing lines. The truce
has been extended until tomorrow
noon and negotiations looking to the
surrender of Santiago are proceeding.
Both sides have yielded somewhat. Cen
eral Toral, the Spanish commander, re-
allies the hopeIessness of further re-
sistance and the American commander,
General Shafter, is inclined to reduce
the harshness of the terms which he at
first proposed to impose upon the enc
my.
1t appears that on Monday General
Shafter did not again demand the I'M
conditional surrender which General
Toral had refused on Sunday, but Of
fered as an alternative proposition to
accept the capitulation of the enemy
and to transport the Spanish officers
and troops to Spain, they to leave all
their arms behind and he to accept their
parole. 1t was this proposition which
General Toral declined yesterday.
This morning it was decided to hold
a personal interview with General To-
raj. General Miles and his staff, who
got no further than General Skaters
headquarters last night, accompanied
by General Shafter and his staff, rode
out to the front shortly before o'clock
under a flag of truce. A request for a
personal interview with the Spanish
COMMUNICATIVE chief was made and &C
ceded to and at about o'clock General
Miles, General Shafter, General Wheel
er, General Gilmour, Colonel Course,
Captain Wiley and Captain Maus rode
up, passed over our intrenchments and
went down into the valley beyond. They
were met by General Toral and his
chief of staff, under a spreading mango
tree, at the bottom of the valley about
half way between the lines. The inter
view that followed lasted an hour.
The situation was placed frankly be-
fore General Toral, and he was offered
the alternative of being sent home with
his garrison or leaving Santiago prov
ince, the only condition imposed being
that he should not destroy the existing
Notifications and should leave his arms
behind. This latter condition the Span
ish general, who does not speak Eng
lish, explained, through his interpreter,
was impossible. He said the laws of
Spain gave a general no discretion.
He might abandon a place when he
found it untenable but he could not
leave his arms behind without subject
ing himself to the penalty of being
court martialed and shot. His Govern
ment had granted him permission to
evacuate Santiago. That was all. Fur
Their than that he was powerless to go.
Without saying so in words, General
Miles said the tenor of General Torals
remarks all betrayed his realization
that he could not hold out long. When
General Shafter explained that our re-
Inducements were coming up. that he
was completely surrounded and that
new batteries were being posted,
General Toral simply shrugged his
shoulders. Il am but a subordinate"
said he. land / obey my Government.
If it is necessary we can die at our
posts"
In the course of an interview General
Toral said the bombardment of Sunday
and Monday had done little damage.
He admitted that shells from the guns
of the fleet had destroyed four houses,
but he asserted that only half a dozen
soldiers of the garrison had been in
jured. He also volunteered the infor-
nation, when General Miles CALAMITY
inquired after General Linares' condi-
ton, that the latter would probably
have to undergo the amputation of his
left arm at the shoulder.
General Miles at the interview did