Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-07-23

Practically the entire population of the
city was in evidence. AS the vessels
made the stream the bands on ship
board and ashore played national airs.
and the thousands Of people cheered
like mad. The expedition will sail d.
rectly for Porto Rico.
Santiago, July 2l.-rhe Spaniards feel
no resentment and are accepting their
defeat with dignified grace. Many of
the soldiers are anxious to become
American citizens, and are applying for
naturalization. A number of the Of
ticers of high rank condemn their gov
| ernment's policy in dividing it's forces
in Cuba. Porto Rico and the Philippine
| islands instead OF concentrating them
and possibly saving one colony. The
cutting of the fleet is also strongly CEN
sured.
The useable ammunition of the Span
ish troops here was exhausted before the
surrender, as the 100000 cartridges
found in the magazines Of Santiago do
not fit the Mauser rifles. The Spanards
say our troops fought like tigers, and
that their discipline was excellent, but
they insist that more lives We're lost on
either side than was anticipated by the
conditions of July l. They assert that
our troops could have walked into the
city without having shot fired at them,
as there were no soldiers left within the
walls at that time. 1t appears that they
had only few thousand men, and all
went to FL Caney at the time that that
battle was fought, leaving Santiago un-
protected. Reinforcements, however,
arrived later and brought the number
Of the Spanish troops up to 5000 men.
General Linares cabled to Madrid on
July 3, before General Skaters demand
for the surrender Of Santiago. long
message setting forth the inability of
the city to hold out against an enemy
superior in numbers, with the Span
iards dying of fever and starvation and
demOralized by the loss of the fleet. He
urged the government for the sake of
humanity to offer to capitulate, but
added that. if ordered to remain to die
like rat in a trap he would do so, as
his soldiers were doing their duty. al
though realizing that a mistake had
been made. Somehow information in
regard to the message leaked out, and
the Spanish officers here are loud in their
condemnation of General Linares, whom
they accuse of showing faintheartednes
throughout the war to the extent of, I'M
der the plea of a slight wound laying
the mantle of the shame of surrender
upon General Torars shoulders instead
of facing the disgrace himself. This
feeling in general among the men, who.
| when passing the palace where the stars
| and stripes are flying, clench their fists
| and mutter, What a shame to our
| country, but she deserves it WE'LL
There is no readymade clothing in the
city except blue and white striped lined
uniforms, and many of our men are
dressed in these Spanish garments.
They present strange appearance, and
are greeted with laughter. The read-
ness and avidity with which the store
keepers accept greenbacks Is remark
| able. Cigars and tobacco are nowhere
to be found, as all the factories have
been closed for months and they had no
stock on hand. Our men expected to
find quantities of tobacco when Santi-
| ago fell. and they We're greatly disap-
pointed at not being able to find any
thing to smoke.
The change in the appearance Of the
city is Kaleidoscope, and a couple of
days, when further shipments arrive,
will suffice for the normal business to
revive. All the stores are open by Cen
| eral McKibbin's orders, but the saloons
remain closed for the present. The
electric light plant is working and the
pawn shops are doing a rushing bust
| ness. Officers tender their medals, spurs
and swords and civil employees offer for
song their tortoise shell. gold head
canes Of office. which are in turn bought
| at fancy prices by American soldiers,
| officers or newspaper correspondents as
relics of the war. There have been more
machetes sold to our men as souvenirs
than We're laid down on the morning of
the surrender. and crosses. service
stripes and orders are cheerfully parted
with for American cash.
Santiago today presents bright and
cheerful picture to what it did two days
| ago. Over 30 steamers flying the stars
and stripes lie proudly In or near the
harbor. Small boats are plying briskly
to and fro on the blue waters, and sew
eral steamers are alongside the wharves
unloading their large cargOes of sup
plies and provisions Tn short. every
thing denotes hustle and activity. To
the graveyard appearance of the city
Tuesday has succeeded a scene of life
and energy. traffic and general ac-
tivity. The immense sheds along the
water front are already packed with
merchandise, and the large stores are
receiving goods. Everywhere there are
signs of a revival of commercial &C.
tivity.