The age-herald., 1898-07-15
LAST EXPEDITION
 0F E BUSTERS Florida anlS < *aita Land En0r- nous c 5 for Insurgents HAD A HOT LITTLE FIGHT Capt. Jose Manuel Nunez, Brother ot Cuban General, Was Killed, and Several Others Wounded
 Peoria and Helena Bom-
 bard Las Tunas.
HAD A HOT LITTLE FIGHT

Key West, July A.-Those champion fill. busters the Florida and Fanita, under cons yoy of the little auxiliary gunboat Peoria,
 have landed the largest and probably tfis last expedition sent to the aid of the in- surgents. It was task beset with peril and difficulties, costing one man his life and wounds to half dozen. Ii
 Captain Jose Manuel Nunez, brother of General Emilio Nunez, was killed. Win
 throp Chaner, of New York, was shot through the right elbow, and five Cubans
 suffered tri1ing injuries. How many Span.
 ish lives answered for this will never bs known, but there were more than enough to balance the score.
 The debarxation was effected on July 3, at Palo Alto, the southern coast of Cuba, but fighting occurred before theq. The Florida and Fanita left Key West on Saturday, June 20, under the convoy of the Peoria, commanded by Lieutenant T. w. Ryan. On board the steamers were 300
 Cubans, under General Nunez, fifty troop
 CTS of the Twenty-fifth United States cav-
 airy under Lieutenants Johnson and Ahearn, and twenty-five Rough Riders ur1- der Winthrop Chanler brother of Colonei William Astor Chanler. The cargoes were enormous. There were the horses of the cavalry, with nine sacks of oats and 2lo bales of hay to feed them. Topping the list of arms was two dynamite guns, with 150 30-pound projectiles to fit them and two full batteries of light field pieces, ten 3-inch rifles of regular ordnance pattern and 1bOO cartridges. In the matter of infantry rifles
 there were 4,000 Springfields. with 9o4,VW
 cartridges and 200 Mausers, with zOo,V9O shells. Among the supplies carried were 200 army Colts revovers and 2I,0J0 car tridges, 1475 saddles, 9O5 saddle cloths, 4,5O brides, 2,533 brown canvas army fatigue suits and 5000 fatigue uniforms of cotton and linen of the Mexican troops 5,700 pairs of army shoes, 275O army blankets, 45o shirts 400 hats and 25O hammocks. Tine Commissary Stores These were the commissary stores which are calculated by pounds: Bacon, 672i5; corn meal 31 250; roasted coffee, 15,2O0; raw | coffee, 3,25O; sugar, 2,425; mess pork ana beef 9600 canned beef, 2i GOO; beans, lS,- | 9OO; hard tack, 125O; cans of corn, 12o0 | landing was effected at San Juan | point on the south coast of Cuba, mid- way between Cienfuegos and Trinidad on Wednesday evening, June 29
 Being fired upon, the three ships moved to the eastward. About o'clock the next afternoon they arrived at Las Tunas, forty miles away.
 Four miles west of the town at the mouth of the Lalladabacoa river stood large fort built of railroad iron and sur- rounded by earthworks. The Peoria ran bodily n and fired several shots from her three-pounders without response. scout
  teen volunteers under Winthrop Chanler, | and many Cubans under Captain Nunez 1 The Peoria took a position within shorc range of the fort; the boats were beached. | and their occupants cautiously scrambled i towards the brush. At almost the very mo- ment they set foot on the sands the forts and entrenchments around it burst into | flame, and shot and shell screamed about | the little band of invaders.
 Captain Nunez was stepping from ms | clln l eyes and he went down dead. Chanler fell with broken arm. The others safeiy gained the thicket and replied with sharp fire directed at the entrenchments Mean- while the Peoria set all her guns 10 work and raind shells upon the fort until the en- emy's fire ceased. A retreat was ordered, and the party rushed for the boats, but yolley after volley came from the snore and they were compelled to throw tnem- says into the water and paddle along beside the boats with only their heads exposed until the ships were reached. By this time
 darkness set in. Then the discovery was made that besides Captain Nunez, whose body was left on the beach, there were missing Chanler, Drs. Lund and Abbott, Lieutenant Agrlmont and two Cubans. Res- cue parties were sent ashore during the night. Toward morning Lieutenant Ahearn found Chanler. After sunifse Agrimont and his Cubans were found and brought off,
 The next day the gunboat Helena arr rived, and on Friday morning she and the Peoria steamed in toward Las Tunas, which the Spanlards had vigorously fortified. Las Tunas Bombarded Tunas is connected by rail with Sanctt Spiritus, a town of considerable size and endorsements and artillery had been raS pidy coming in Range buoys had been
 placed in the bay, but avoiding these the
 ships drew into close range and opened fire.
 Twice tlsat day they .silenced the Span- ish lire. That night the Spaniards burned large wharf .and the adjacent buildings evidently expecting landing in force nexe
 
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