The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1898-06-14

from small squads in various direc-
TONS
Toward morning the fire slackened.
Dawn is the favorite time for attack,
and, as the east paled, the marines
lying on their guns were aroused.
Some were actually asleep, as they had
no rest for 4S hours and tired nature
no attack came.
Three new 12-pound field guns,
which could not be used during the
night for fear of hitting our own men,
shelled several squads of Spaniards
after daylight. They dove into the
bushes like prairie dogs into burrows
as the shells broke over them in the
gray dawn. As the correspond
ent talked with Maj. Cockreu, who
was in charge of the out
posts, word came of the finding of the
body of Sergt Smith. He was re-
ported as having been killed at five
o'clock on the previous day, but it ap-
pears that he had been seen alive at
ten O. clock in the evening. When and
| how he was killed no one knows at
this writing. Neither had the men
been mustered nor had the outposts of
Lieut. Neville and Shaw been relieved
Lieut-COl. Huntington and Maj.
! Cockrell gave high praise to the nerve
and steadiness of officers and men, es-
pecially the young ones, as the en-
| gagement was baptism Of fire for
large majority. The men were in
darkness and in a strange land, but
they stood to their posts with courage
and fortitude and there was no symp-
! ton of panic.
The marines, though very much eX-
hausted, were eager for more fighting,
promising to infiict heavy punishment.
They complimented the daring of the
! Spaniards with characteristic camp
profanity.
Sunday the amplest precautions were
! taken and as the Dauntless left rein
forcements were landing from the
Marblehead. A stormy time was ex-
pected.
Estimates vary as to the attacking
force, some say 200 and the figures run
as high as 1000. Col. Campina, the
Cuban guide, said the Spaniards were
mostly irregulars. but the reports of
the discharge of Mauser rifles would
indicate that they were regulars, as
most of the guerillas carry Reming-
tons. The Cuban guerillas, as rule,
have more dash and courage than the
regulars.
/ The new campaign uniforms prove
satisfactory and are almost invisible
at a distance OF 200 yards. The Lee
guns caused several accidents in draw
ing cartridges. Corporal Glass shat
tered his hand.
Despite the loss of the men, which is
keenly regretted, the marines rejoice
that they have been engaged in their
first fight on Cuban soil. They sailed
from New York the day war was de-
clared and expected to land within a
week at Havana. Since then, until
landed on the shore of Guantanamo
bay, they had been cooped up on the
Panther and they had begun to fear
that the troops would beat them after
all
In controlling the outer harbor of
! Guantanamo, where Lieut. Col. Hunt
ington's battalion of marines landed
on Friday, RI. Adm. Sampson secures
possession of the Cuban terminus of
the French cable to Rayti. The APP
paratus in the Office at the harbor
mouth was wrecked by a shell but
the cable steamer Adria has instru-
ments and operators aboard and Gi-
rect communication with Washing
ton will soon be established. The dis
lance overland to Santiago around the
bay is about sixty miles and the roads
have been rendered impossible by the
Cubans under Pedro Perez The first
division of the Cuban army claims to
have 1000 men, but these figures
are probably over estimated. The
Cubans believe that there are
about $500 soldiers in the vicin-
ity of Caimanera, which lies
at the entrance to the inner harbor.
, Guantanamo City is inland about Is
miles. The two harbors are connected
, by narrow channel. 1t is the outer
, harbOr which Adm. Sampson now
| holds with the Marblehead, the Yose-
mite and the Vixen, and with battal-
. ion of marines on the crest of a blunt
topped eminence commanding the
5 entrance on the western side In the
: inner harbor are two small Spanish
: gunbOats and at Caimanera there is a
: battery.
l An expedition OF three steam
launches, Differed by Lieut.. Norman,
: Ensign Eustis, son of Mr.. James D.
1 Eustis, former United States ambassa-
dor to France, and Cadet G. Van Or.
! den, under the general command OF
, { Lieut., Anderson, of the cruiser Mar