The evening times., 1898-07-29
THE FLAG OF CUBA LIBRE.
An Ensign in Reality Half q Cen
tury Old.


Although perhaps but few Americans
ever saw the emblem till recently, the
Cuban flag, which now meets the eye at
every turn, is really more than half
century old. Like many another thing
connected with the Cuban struggle
against Spain, the first Cuban flag took
shape in New York and is still there. in
the possession of Narciso A. Villaverde,
whose father was one of the three that
devised the banner. Concerning the CIR
cumstances that led to the flags taking
its present shape, Mr.. Villaverde said:
1T was in lS49, when Gen. Narciso Lo-
pez was arranging for his first expedi-
tion to Cuba. Gen. Lopez, my father,
Cirilo Villaverde, and Miguel Tolan, were
together at the latter's house at No. 39
Howard Street.
Gen. Lopez was speaking of his expe-
dition-it was a filibustering expedition
and said that all he still needed was a
flag.
AT that my father suggested that he
should adopt red, white and blue, as they
were then the colorS of every free coun-
try.
They were all Masons and SO they
agreed that theySwould place a single star
| in a triangle, which In Masonry signifies
strength. According to the practice of
heraldry the field should have been blue.
but Gen. Lopez said that ii must be red
instead to signify the seas of blood that
| they must wade through before the star
could hold its place.
Then they agreed that they would have
three stripes, one for each of the three
departments into which Cuba was then
divided. My father was for having the
IL t~,,& 7 "a
No; let the outer stripes be blue. Then
ii can be seen farther
with that, Toian, who was something
of a draughtsman-- dashed off a design of
the flag in lead pencil, and his wife,
Amelia Tolan, made the flag Immediately.
1T is this flag that l still have. 1t
passed into my fathers possession from
Gen. Lopez and thence on to me.
'"The flag is about two feet long and
about a foot wide. The stripes seem TO
be made from bits of ribbon, and the
blue Is darker than in many Cuban
flags as now made. Another popularity
is that one of the points of the star is
placed in line with the center of the mid
die stripe. The flag is still well preserved,
except that II is trife frayed at the
edges, and 1 have IT framed and covered
with glass to preserve 1t from any fur
ther damage. / also have the original
lead pencil Sketch from winch the nag
was made.
This flag. however, was not the one
that Gen. Lopez took to Cuba with him
on his expedition. The flag that went
with him and was the first Cuban flag.
too. was large and was made from the
original model by some young ladies in
New Orleans, whose names 1 do not re-
call.
This second flag. which was carried
by the first expedition that Gen. Lopez
headed. is now in the possession Of the
widow of Juan NJ. Maciais, who lived
until recently at 115th Street. near Lex
ington Avenue. Macias was Gen. Lo-
pez's adjutant.
"lt was on May 49, 1850, that this first
expedition of about six hundred men
landed at Cardenas and captured the
citadel. The flag waved ever the citadel
from morning until night on that day,
until the Spanish were REINFORCED and
drove Gen. Lopez off.
81 am positive of all these facts. be-
cause I have heard my father talk OF
them often. He knew, for he was with
Lopez and was captured and only es-
capped from the Spanish prison one day
before he was to have been executed.
"Gen. Lopez. think when he thought
Of the single star for the Cuban flag had
the idea that Cuba would eventually be
admitted into the Union