The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-07-20
Terms Of Surrender Not
Arranged.
Commission Still at Work on
tho Details at Last Ac.
count.

count.
Washington. July Is There was a
long and anxious wait to-day to bear
further news from the commissioners
who bad been charged to make arrange
men,s for the surrender Of the Spanish
army at SaD.iago. For Is hours no
word came from either Gen. Shefser or
Gsn. Milee, although there was the
fseuest desire on the part of the Presi-
dent aud bis cabinet advisers to learn
shat had been done. and particularly
to know whether the actual surrender
Of Santiago and Spanish troops had
been carried out. When the cabinet
net as IL o'clock there was positively
nothing from the front which would
serve as guide for the deliberations.
Il vas shought the cable had bees is-
terruptea. bu. on inquiry of Gen:
Greeley. chief signal officer, he gave
assurance that the cable was intact
Tbereupon, Secretary Alger sent dis
patch aakiog foe the situation up to the
latest moment. aud particularly. ioqair-
ring as to how far the surrender bad
proceeded. No answer came while the
osbinet was 10 session 10 the mean
time Gen. Greeley had been csbied and
he was the FIRST Official to hear. from the
front. A dispatch from Lieut.. Jo1es.
military censos at Playa del Este. re-
ported shat the message from the score
sof wsr to Gen. Shafter was only 6
minutes 10 passing from Washington to
Playa.
The message received BY Gen. Gree.
ley came at 2:28 p o., aud indicated
that negotiations we're yet in progress.
but as she dispatch was saos,i,tea to
the President, no details we're given
ont. Toward The middle of the after
noon dispatches from Gen. Miles aud
Gen. Sbafter began to arrive ia re-
sponss to Secretary Alger'srasher imper
alive request. They we're Dot given out
80 full, but suan portions as. were made
public, showed that the neg6tiations
were still in progress and that the Span
iards had raised some rather unexpect-
ed quest ions.
Mosteim portant Of these was an in-
ssissarcs & chat the Spanish troops should
retain heir arnas when they returu to
Spain. There vas entire willingness
Oh the part of Gen. Toral to turn over
the arms to Geo. Shafter at the time Of
the surrender, but with this was to be the
understanding that the arms we're to be
returned 70 the Spanish troops when
,Spapish soil was reached.
This VAS q condition which hsd not
been anticipated. The authorities here
did regard it as serious, or as likely to
overcome final settlement, as it was
attributed to the Spanish resissiveness
aeainss the humiliation involved in the
laying down s'of their arms At the
sane time it vas o point on which nei
.her side appeared tc be ready to yield
One of the dispatches from the front,
alter Specifying that this difference bad
arisen, added that it was believed a
settlement would be reached before to
day closed. Gen. Shafter himself
summed up the situation by saying ):
1T cannot be possible that there will
be failure in completing arrange
menss."
No question whatever has been raised
a. to the surrender itself. Not only has
Gen. To,al agreed to it. but the agree
mens has been ratified by Gen. Blanco
and by the Spanish authorities a:
Madrid.
Gen. Greeley received another dis
patch at 5 O'Clock this afternoon ccn-
saioiog the information that Col. Allea
bad Iaoded the shore end Of the signal
corps cable at Playa from the cable
steamer Adria. Col. Allen vas not
allowed to land at Playa 90 account OF
the Adria coming from an infected dis
irics. ALI were we'll on board, but DO
one was allowed ashore Col Alice
resusos this evening to Baiquifi to re-
pair tie Fsenci, cable at shat point aOd
establish regular communications be-
sseeu Playa aud Santiago de Cuba. so
shat the srmy will be in communication
With Washington as 1000 as the city is
surrendered.
The perplexiog problem COW to be
solved is bow to carry out the pledge
made by Gen. Shafter to remove the
Spanish soldiers who surrendered. back
to Spaio. Il would have been no easy
undertaking to remove the 20,O0o men
across the Atlantic uader the best con
disioos, bat the repoets that Indicated
the existence of yellow fever among the
spaniards threatened all kinds of Off.
culties. After all. i. vas decided to be
only matter of mouey and il the price