The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-06-29
A Famous Trio Meet.

4 hicndfu nafulng DAVIS senus 10 tne
New York Herald the following graph
ic description of the meeting Of Ad-
miral Sampson, Gen. Shafter and Gen.
Garcia, IL miles west Of Santiago, on
Monday:
The first landing Of tie regular
army has just taken place at this little
point of land, u miles west of Santiago.
1t was a landing for conference only,
and the most Interesting feature of il is
that without military escort of any
sort, Gen. Shafter, the commander of
the army of invasion, and his staff, and
Admiral Sampson and Lieut.. Stanton,
his chief OF staff, have landed in a
small boat on the shore of the enemy's
country within u miles OF 1900
Spanish soldiers and the castle of Nor
ro, without a musket or revolver to
protect them. The Marblehead lag of
shore. a ragged escort of Cuban sol
diers met them on landing, hut of
United States soldiers, except in the
sense that the officers of the highest
rank in the army are soldiers, there
was no one. 1t Is a historical moment
in the history Of Cuba, if not of Amer
lea, for Gen. Garcia, Gen. Shafter and
Admiral Sampson to have met for the
first time. They are grouped together
under sun so hot that it burns the
eyes, on high cliff overlooking a mag
niiicent valley of royal palms, which
meets motiOnless blue sea broken
only by lines of white breakers on the
shore and which further out is broken
again by the slow-moving hulls of 80
transports aud 30 ships Of war. The
three commanders are seated on boxes
under the palm-leaf roof of an open
hut. One of them has blue print
map on his knees, and before they roll
it up again the attack on Santiago will
be decided upon and its fate sealed.
Outside this hut are five negro senti-
nels, naked to the waist, and on the
open space about the hut are hundreds
Of the Cuban army officers, well-armed
and well-uniformed privates of every
shade of skin with every make Of
weapon, and laughing boys armed
with machetes, or not armed at all.
The palm leaf hut where the confer
ence is taking place is open TO the hot
air at both ends, and on each side and
standing about it or. kneeling on the
ground in order to obtain better view
is the strangest gathering of persons
that this war has thrown together. Col.
jean Jacob Astor is crowded by "A black
giant with only guard belt 10 cover
his naked shoulders. There is also
Gen. Ludlow, of the engineers; Gen.
Costello aud Lieut.. Miley and Admiral
Sampson.
Col Goetzen, the German attaehe, in
spotless white, and Cuban officer, in
a linen blouse and with bare feet, are
talking in signs, and with them is
Capt. Lee, tae British attache, booted
and spurred, with field glasses, helmet
aud immaculate kharki. Capt. Stew
art Brice, in the uniform OF the volun-
teer army, in blue jacket, with breech-
es rolled above the knee, and group
Of ensigns from the warships act as q
background 10 the principal actors, and
still further back OF them are the
Cuban soldiers, squatting on the ground
curious and interested, and showing
their teeth in broad smiles of welcome,
and touching their straw hats when
any one Of the American officers looks
their way. Any land would seem fair
after week on the troop ships, but
there are few lands more fair than this
one, and few places on it more beauti-
ful than this camp of Garcia's lying
between the great mountains and the
great sea, shaded by the royal palms
aud colored by the brilliant and scarlet
flowers. The conference is ended, and
Gen. Shafter and the admiral are bid
ding good-by to Gen. Garcia, who
looks, with his beard and mustaehe Of
the third empire, like a marshal Of
France.