The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-06-01
1T WAS DEAD EASY.

Col. Lacret Lands an Expedition on Gu.
ban Soil, and Is Welcomed by the Insur.
gonts with n Brass Band-No spaniard,
Were III Sight. - SO ~
Copyright. 1898. by the Associated Press.)
KEY WEST, Fla, May sl.-Nearly
four hundred men, with pack train
and o large quantity OF arms and am
munition, sailed for Cuba on the Plant
line steamer Florida, on the night OF
May q. These men and the equipment
constituted an expedition able to oper-
ats Independently and to defend Itself
against any body Of Spanish troops
which might oppose It. s,s1
The expedition was under the COM
nland Of Col. Jose Lacret, formerly In
surgent commander In Matanzas prov
lnce. He assumed the direction OF at-
fairs on the landing Of the expedition.
Until then Joaquin Castillo was In con-
troll. e ,3ll -, zE3 IS,
In the landing Of the expedition the
United States army was represented by
Captain J.5A. Dorst, and Thomas Es-
trada Palma was represented by ]. E.
Cartaya, who has been the landing
agent OF nearly every flibustering ex-
pedtion for more than a year. Messrs.
Castillo. Cartaya and Dorst Will return
to Key West. Gen. Julio Sanguilly, on
the way to report to Gen. Maxine Co
mez, was also on the boat.
This Is the most powerful anti Span
ish expedition ever sent to Cuba. About
three hundred of the men are Cubans;
the others are Americans. The engin-
eer corps OF the expedition Is composed
entirely Of Americans. under Aurelian
Ladd. and With the party are Ameri-
cans.
The men were dressed in canvas uni
forms furnished by the United States
government and the commissary de-
part1nert had ratdons enough to last If
{ teenc days after landing. ( The pack
/. train consisted Of seyenty-dve mules
and twenty-five horses. The expedition
carried 1000 rifles and 100000 rounds
Of ammunition for Gen. Calixto Garcia.
The expedition Is composed OF hardy
young fellows who looked flt for any
thing. :,
The expedition was conveyed by the
cruiser Marblehead, the torpedo boat
destroyer Eagle and other warships. /,
Two younger brothers OF the late
Gen. Nestor Aransuren are with the ex-
petition
The Florida has been Quarant!ned but
she may be released in an hour or 50.
She landed her party about twenty five
miles east Of Havana and there was NOT
q shot fired. 5-t
The expeditions was landed on the
coast Of Cuba on Thursday morning,
May rs. J
When the. Florida, escorted by the
Osceo'a, drew up close to the shore at
the place selected for the landing, she
sent scouts to see II all was clear.
These scouts were greeted by Generals
Ferris and Rojas, with some 1900 armed
insurgents. Consequently, far from
there being any hostile demonstration
upon the part of the Spaniards, the
landing Of the expedition was in the
nature Of q triumphal invasion. The
Cubans who were In waiting for the
party had O brass band and welcomed
the newcomers with nationns airs.
The work Of unloading the cargo Of
the Florida was promptly begun and
carried on by the 1872 men. composing
the expedition. There was nothing In
the nature OF interruption until the
work was finished on Friday.
While her cargo was being unioaded.
an auxiliary gunboat. with her guns
ready for action. secuted about the VI
cinlty, looking for an enemy, but the
Spanlards apparently had no suspicion
of what was taking place. So easily
was the dangerous mission accomplish
ed that while some members Of the
party were getting the supplies ashore.
others were providing themselves with
fruit. sugar and other products Of the
landing place, O large stock of which
was brought back for Key West friends.