The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-26
MADAME GARCIA'S STORY
WIFE OF THE LATE CUBAN GENER-
Al HAS HAD A WAR EXPERIENCE.
Reason Why She Was Not with Her
Husband During the Recent War
An Afflicted Child Held Her.
The New Voice.


Mrs. Calixto Garcia, the wife of the
dauntless Cuban leader who died a few
days ago in Washington, has for the last
three years made her home in New. York.
To meet her is to feel at once that one has
come in contact with woman of unusual
heroic spirit and of Spartan fortitude. Tall
and impressive in her person and bearing,
she greets one with all the warmth of the
old Castilian blood, tempered with that
dignity that comes from long experience,
suffering and the final ripening of character.
The utmost nobleness of thought is APP
parent in her face; and. in the beautiful
dark eyes that can still glow at times with
the fires of youth through their shadowy
sadness, you may interpret some of the ex-
periences that have fallen to her lot.
About two years ago, when l was making
my initial attempts to go to Cuba, l told
her Of my intentions, and met from her
mingled appreciation and disapproval. 1t
was then that she told me of her own trials
in war, and of the hardships that fell to
her share in following her husband in the
ten years war
Yes, / know all I want to about war;
said Mrs. Garcia. when the ten years
war broke out we were holding slaves in
Cuba, but we told them they were free.
Nevertheless many of them, knowing that
1 intended to follow the fortunes of my
husband in the war, refused to leave us. 1
chose several of the most devoted and took
them with me in my flight into the woods,
and to their fidelity owe my life and those
of my children many times. My husband S
idea was to have US follow ear enough for
us to be protected in the forest where he
could occasionally visit us, and yet hidden
in such way that the Spaniards could not
find US.
FOLLOWED THE ARMY.
"Thus it was that followed the army for
two years, sometimes hungry sometimes
fleeing from sudden attacks by the Spanish,
sometimes sleeping ON the ground, caring as
best we could for the sick and wounded
that sought us. We were quite a house
hold-myself, Leonora, Calixto and Carlos,
my mother-in-law, my own mother the gen.
erals sister and my sisters and retlnue of
these loyal servants.
For time we succeeded very well. The
general was able to visit me once in a while,
and sometimes he stayed for several days.
Ali this time there was price on his head,
dead or alive. and after the Spaniards found
that / giving 'succor to the wounded OF
our men price was set upon mine also, al
though the soldiers were charged to bring
me in alive, so that they might hold me
prisoner in the hope of bringing my husband
TO terms. In April, 1869, Justo was born.
AT that time we were living quietly in the
woods, having been unmolested by the Span
tards for some time; but on the night OF the
third day after my baby was born we were
Weakened by the tramplng of horses and the
shouts of the Spanish soldiery. Flight,
flight for our lives was the only thing pos
sible In an agony of fear | grasped my
boy and fled out into the darkness, but SO
great was the confusion of the household
in the sudden attack that we became sep
arated and each went a different way. our
retreat made the more hazardous by the
blaze OF light that came from our burning
home
time. partly because the savage band We're
so busy in looting the place of what little it
contained. Our party soon met again in the
depth of the woods and we continued our
way to a more remote place, where our
servants erected a temporary home and we
settled down once more After that we We're
pursued more closely than ever. do not
remember how many times we fled without
an instants warming.
''Our wardrobe was almost entirely de-
stroyed. AT times we had scarcely enough
clothes to cover us. The faithful servants
went hungry that they might give us food.
When we had scarcely anything to wear we
would go to bed at night and give our gar
ments to the servants. They would wash.
and dry them in the night, and in the morn
ing we would pat them on without the cere-
mony of ironing. Sometimes we were with
out food for days at time; and ] suffered
more from seeing my children hungry than
from being hungry myself.
AFRAID OF CAPTURE
For long time l felt that ultimate cap
ture was to be our Inevitable fate. We were
in the district OF Holguin when we We're
finally surprised and taken prisoners by the
Spanish They took US TO deliver to their
commander. and / walked the entire dis
tance. / do not know how far 1t was, but
was with them for twenty-four days most
of the time carrying my baby in my arms,
being relieved occasionally by some soldier
who would offer TO carry il on his horse for
awhile. No indignity was offered us but we
were compelled TO share the common fate of
prisoners of war: slept the ground:
there was no opportunity to change our
clothing; we had coarse and uupaatable
fare. After we reached Holguin we were
accorded better treatment From Holguin
we were sent under military escort TO Gihara
IN OK carts, and from Gibara by steamer to
Havana. Here we would have been thrown
into the Recocijadas. or the prison for dis
solute women, had IL not been for the inter
cession OF fhe Governor, who made as guests
In his house. and offered to make himself
responsible for our safe detention
We remained in Havana until 1872. when
we returned to New York. In the meantime
my husband had also been captured by the
Spanish, and had been sent TO Spain and
imprisoned The treaty of 1878 ended this
war, and ne was then liberated and came to
New York In the latter part or 1882 we
went 10 Spain, and remained there until this
war broke out. We at once returned 10 New
YORK city: and as soon as our family was
established we were once more separated by
the fortunes OF this war. My husband went
10 Cuba On the 18th of March 1896: Justo
my son, born during the ten-years war
went with him 10 fight for his country as
was with him also. The men OF my family
are an born lighters" she added, her eyes
aashing proudly.
She drew herself up with an indescribabIe