The times., 1898-05-15
"NIalching with GomeE.,

NlH are interested IN the present war, Is
Marching With Gomez" by Grover
Flint, and as nearly al the people in the
United States are comprised in one or
another Of these classes, Mr.. Flint's au-
C!e-ce is likely 70 be a large one. He
wcHt to Cuba early in the year 1896 10
ger correct information as TO the situa-
tion in that island. Not linding what he
wanted in Havana. ne went into the in
ser.or and visited the insurgents. He had
formerly been a solder in the United
States Army. and had seen life on the
plains. and he had also lived in Spain
loIg enough 10 become familiar with the
Spanish language and character. He
thus was fally competent not only to
take care Of himself in the rough life 10
which he was exposed, but TO gain much
useful and interesting information. The
book Is IN two parts, Searching For Co
mez. and Marching With Gomez and
Ghere is also an appendix containing ad
ditioual facts. The illustrations are main
y after sketches made by Mr.. Flint, and,
rhoUgh rough, have the interest which
pertains 10 drawings made from life. The
book a whole gives one vivid and
fascinating picture Of the actual condi-
lions Of life in Cuba, both In peace and
war. At the very beginning there is a de-
has its charm in contrast 10 the sterner
and sadder scenes which follow:
Snug in 2 grove Of buslv. green poplars iay a
meat. cne-siOried Cuban homestead, Andalusian
in STYLE with white ''dobe'' walls an old fash
Toned red pottiled roof, and broad. shady porch
From a wing that gave an open side the
main building where il faced the west, curl Of
bluish smoke among the trees, and lean
Old negross, turbaned Ike a Southern nanny,
hustled II her cooking. Fat geese Waddled in
and out Of the cook-house in search Of scraps,
while family Of peacocks, perched over turn-
bo-dOwn farm wagon. were scarcely awake after
the heat of 4 long afternoon There was peace
ana rest about the place, as If IRE and machete
would never sweep trom the distant highway 70
the little home among the poplars.
on The east porch, away from the mumuT Of
tie Kitchen and the stir Of farmyard crea-
tures- gray-hesded, gray-bearded, powerfully
bulit ole gentleman. with complexion burned
and dried by sun and wind, bent over table,
Ealnilne, Win hair pencil and colorless fluid,
leaves OF written paper A little girl hung on
lls shoulder. taking the leaves in turn, and plac-
Ing them where the suns siantine rays and the
heat given of by the earth might quickly dry
Ihem. Then new writing loomed out each
sheet and the old man read secret instructions
from the revolutionary Junta in Havana 10 be
transmitted 10 troops in the field.
just within the open doorway the sonora and
her elder daughter, Gloria, in broad, white ker-
ciefs and black-stu dresses, busted themselves at
sewing; while a boy Of twelve sat swinging his
feet in an American cane chair, playing at in
valid, with his left arm N sling IRON wound
h. Spanish bullet.
Such was p2cificO household not many leagues
out OF Cardenas, which surprised late on the
afternoon Of March % 1886, 10y squirming through
the barbed wire fence OF the pasture
do not mention my kind old hosts name for
many and obvious reasons. Desolation came to
his home IL last and some months ago he fell
under the machete while defending field hos
Whether the Senorita Gloria, with her widowed
ngT hrOrhe-- and her little sister
outrage and death OF are herded, a starving fam
aly group, among the fever-st-icken ooneentra-
dos IN some pestilenJial seaport town, have
never learned.
It was not more than a day or two
before the insurgents heard of Mr.. Flints
presence in the vicinity, and sent an es-
cort and a horse 10 convey him to their
nearest camp. Some Of the arrange
me1ts Of this camp seem to have been
primitive beyond description. a fact due
not 10 the character OF the leaders, but
10 the necessities Of the situation. Clothes
seem to have been rather scarce, and a
Nttle tale is told of the way In which
these necessaries were sometimes obtain
ed. Says Mr.. Flint:
In Matanzas and Havana and Western Las VII
lEs tie Msmbi has no f'taileres' 10 draw from.
and must Tenoyate his costume as best he can
The pacifco was the insurgents quartermaster in
those provinces.
have often seen a neat, well-fed pacifco. with
q good hat good trousers, a clean shirt and serv-
iceable shoes, come out smiling TO meet a ragged
column OF insurgents The first man CT the ad-
vance guard clGus him the back and cheer
fully changes hats; the second buu0Ws his shirt
while the third negotiates for his shoes trous-
ers. u he cenurss he Is called an unpatriotlC,
scouncrelly ''Gringo,' and sent home in the
simple gunny sack costume Of the militant Mambi
Horses are acquired IN the same way; for. like
everything useful in war they are regarded as
government property. In fact, the best horse /
have ridden ] exchanged for a jaded ruin OF my
own with 4 well-mouHted pacifco.
In campaign Of General Lacret. in
which Mr.. Flint participated, the insur-
gent force camped in a spot between
three Spanish forces-two hundred Gu
bans within three miles Of a Spanish col |
ulnn Of 500 men in one direction, another |
column five miles distant in another di- |
rection, and the town OF Cardenas, with |
It's garrison, three miles away on a third |
side. The correspondent supposed with
reason that during the night Spanish
scouting parties might locate the Cuban |
camp and have every outlet ambuscaded. |
He expressed this fear 10 the general, |
who assured him that the Spaniards never |
dared send out scouts. because they were |
certain to be captured by the Cubans: /
that they only moved about the country |
tn heavy columns. The event proved |
This statement true At . o'clock in the |
morning Lacret's forces were on the /
4AtAtAt-r anu EDEBlN A1DlElEQ Ilffn- lnlS /
general Wore a particularly tail and con-
spicuous Mexican hat. al which the enemy |
fired all through one lively skirmish, |
without disturbing either hat or wearer !
Mr. Flint gives a somewhat detailed /
sketch Of this man. and Of other officers |
with whom he came in contact; and he |
says that all of the men, officers and |
soldiers alike, served absolutely without |
pay, and on pain Of a death If captured /
grrr .rc
Customed 10 meet when taken prisoner by |
The ADache Indians. Half of the en- I
listed men in Lacret's force were ne
Eroes, with here and there a Chinaman
The officers were of all classes. and il is
stated that by a recognized but unwrit-
ten law professional man in good /
standing was entitled TO a Iieutenant's
commission and servant Mr.. Flint
saws thar they We're. on the whole lust
such troops as Georgia and the Carolinas
would have sent TO the field early in this
century.
One OF the most interesting chanters is
that which deals with Nine Hernandez
1.-The Queen OF Cuba" She was the wife I
Of Maceo's STAFF surgeon. and assisted her
husband IN the care of the wounded
never finching under the hottest fire i
Another Cuban Amazon is Nine. Con
zales. wife Of captain under Perez
She has had two horses shot under her
There are some descriptions and sketch
e. Of terrible scenes among the pacffcos
OF the sort with which recent reports have /
made the public familiar. The author
says that the country rang wi h tales OF
the unspeakable methods ernploved nv
the guerrilla officers in torturing men
who were marked for vengeance, and
every prefect could furnish memoranda
of horrors. Some of the victims of these
tortures were seen by him, and he vis-