The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-23

rife and carbine balls. Agperro is the
little bronzcd man with grizzled hair and
beard who is minus a left forearm and has
only q remnant of q right hand.
Born in Camaguey of q wealthy and
much respected family, Aguerro went out
in 1869 under General Ignacio Juan Agra
monte to fight as a private soldier in the
cause of Cuban independence. He was then
% years old.
Tho first serious engagement in which he
participated was that of Savanna Nueyas
Tn Nov. IS, 1869, which lasted 81 hours.
The old mo says with grim satisfaction,
ttWc killed plenty Spanish"
Colonel Aguerro participated in four
big battles and innnmerable skirmishes in
the COURSE Of tho ten years yar. At the
battle of Palo Seco, Dec. 5, 1878, nearly
half of his right hard was shot away. and
in that of Qlasiina de Maehado, which
vas n continuous fight for four nights
and lse days, ho lost his left bard. It was
shattered by a bullet, and for lack of caro-
began to gangrene and had to be cut of.
He had not paid much attention to little
Incidents such as machete slashes that al
nest split his skull and severed the calf of
his right leg and bullet holes ii his chest,
but could not ignore the fact that losing
his hands threatened to be a serious mat
ter.
TO lack fingers enough to grip well the
maobetc and be without O left hand for
using / orsvolver handicapped him. New
erthcless he went in cheerfully to do what
he cauld IN the big fight of Jan. ID, 1875,
az the Pedroso sugar plantation. Suisse
quently the Spaniards caught him and
sent him to tho prison Of Valladolid, in
Spain. There he remained for two years
and eight months in q cell not ~infrequent-
iy flooded above his knees, suffering hun-
ger. tortured often by meroiless beatings
and wearing heavy chains en- beth legs.
Grover Flint, the author of the book
"Marcbing With Gomez, found q littlo
household Begr Carc1nas where the Span
isll army lay in force. A little maid hardly
out of babyhood was helping her father to
develop messages written in invisible ink
for the insurgents. The big sister, Gloria,
and the mother wero ready day and night
to help Insurgents with food, shelter and
information. A small boy, the youngest
of the family, had his left arm in ! sling.
While riding near the railway track Oh a
pet donkey bravo Spanish soldiers had
fred 4n him from an armored train for
fun. killing his pet and shattering his
arm.
There are women today marching with
tho insErgcnt forces, cheerfully sharing
the hardships of tho men and toiling like
slaves as cooks, washerwoinen and purses.
Many do moro than that and serve as
amazons, fighting side by sido with the
mon. III fed. scantily clothed, they sleep
in the swanlps, IN rains and stealIine, fe-
yer laden air, ready to protect the camps
with machetcs If the enemy should break
through tho cutter lines. Most OF these
women are nogresses, but Flint met
woman who was tho real amazon of TO-
nance.
She is q beautiful and educated woman,
of good descent, end she has the title of
lieutenant. She acts as flag captain and
has been through many charges. Her
nasre is Nine. Pauliaa Ruiz Gonzales,
and her husband, Captain Rafael Com
gales, lie an officer Of Pancho Perez, briia-
dicr general of tho Santa Clara division of
the Cuban army. She Joined q band OF
insurgents one night ard rode to Perez's
camp. She would not permit the soldiers
to leave her in the rear, and she begged to
be allowed to carry tho flag.
Two days afta' sne jeinod there vas Q
hot fight, and Tie il. urgents were delight
ed to find that she did not finch EXON
when the buIlers 1ained al round hos.
She pressed on in the van, and her brav-
cry was SO marked that she won a lieu
tenancy.