The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-07-06
SPAIN GUILTY OF MALPRACTICES
FORBIDDEN BY CIVILIZED
WARFARE.

While there is now some reason 10
doubt the reports tina; the bodies OF Am
erican marines who fell in the battle OF
Guantanamo were mutilated after death
by the Spanish guerrillas. it is neverthe-
less the opinion Of army men that the
main count Of the indictment against
Spanish brutality will hold good
Surgeons who examined the bodies OF
the men who died at Guantanamo have
reported that 1t is possible that the
CHASTITY mutnations were caused only by
the bullets from the Mauser rifles used
by the Spanish, but, in the opinion OF
men who have studied the work Of the
Mauser rifle. there is much evidence 10
show that the Spaniards used bullets
that were practically explosive. thereby
violating every law Of humanity In civil
ICED warfare.
Many years ago every military power
but one agreed that, in war. IT would use
no explosive proiec,ile less than one inch
in diameter Spain was one of the chief
promoters Of the agreement The one
nation which did not join In the agree
ment was the United States, and It re-
fused on the same grounds that man
might refuse to sign an agreement not 70
be a traitor to his country-that the
mere request was an insuferabls in-
suit America has never used the weap-
ons tina; savored Of barbarism, she has
never experimental with poisonous shells
or supplied her troops with bullets that
would mushroom when they struck
flesh. Spain has done these things and
is doing them yet though Spain signed
the agreement.
It is a fact, proved by many expert
ments. as well as the British campaign
In the Chitral, that only under sxcep-
tlonal circumstances will one Of these
small calibre bullets used in modern
military rifles cause mu,Ilati7n The
bullet Is specially prepared SO that u
cannot mushroom" II can also be spec
tally prepared so that it willard SPANS
troops have found out how 10 do 90.
The Mauser bullet innlcts d wound h0r-
rlble enough, even without the Spanish
Improvement II one of the ordinary
bullets hits a man in the chest at 1901
yards 1t viii pass through him. The hole
at the point Of entry would not admit the
little finger Of a surgeon, but at the point
Of exit would admit his clenched fist
Under the same circumstances, with one
Of the Spanish Improved bullets, the
wound at the point Of entrance would
admit a mans fist. There would - no
dlscernable point Of exit, for there simply
would be no back left upon the man
thus struck This, according 10 the de-
scripHons received from Guantanamo,
exactly describes the condition Of the
bodies of the marines killed by the Span
ish, except that, with true Spanish cour-
age, they had sneaked up and shot them
in the back The result was the utter de-
struction Of the yiscera and the pro-
duction Of wounds Of such ghastliness
that It is small wonder the survivors
believed that deliberate bestiality on the
part Of the spaniards had produced the
conditions they found.
The marines were probably wrong in be-
lleving that Spanish knives ana machetes
mutllated their dead comrades, but when
they learn, as they will, the story Of
the bullets used at Guantanamo. they
are hardly likely to regret the sterness
Of the revenge they took the next day
The bullets carried by the Mauser rifles
used by the Spanish are not as large
around as an ordinary lead pencil, and
are about an inch long. A heavy charge
OF smokeless powder gives them veloc-