The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-06
LEADERS SEE VICTORY.
Mr.. w. r. Hearst Interviews
Shafter, Sampson and Garcia.
COMMANDERS SURE OF SUCCESS
santiago and Cervera's Squadron Only
Await Attack to BE Ours, Say These
Three Men of war-Garcia Says the
Spanish VIII Make Desperate Fight,
Infantry to Decide the Issue-The Spirit
of Our Forces Splendid.

OF Our Forces Splendid.
! Mr.. w. r. Hearst, editor of the New
York Journal, who interviewed Gen
erals Shafter and Garcia, also Admiral
Sampson, at the seat of war; writing
under the date of June 81, says:
1t is satisfactory to be an American
and TO be here ON the soil of Cuba, at
the very threshold of what may prove
TO be the decisive battle of the war;
The struggle for the possession of the
city of Santiago and the capture of Ger
| vera S feet seem TO be only few hours
away, and from the top of the rough
green ridge where write this we can
| forms of Sampson S fleet lying in semi
circle in front of the entrance to San
| tiago harbor, while here at out feet
masses of American soIdiery are pouring
| from the beach into the scorching val
| ley, where smells of stagnant and fer
mented vegetation ground under the
| feet of thousands of fighting men rise in
| the swooning hot mists through which
| vultures that have already fed on corpses
Of slain Spniards wheel lazily above
the thorny, poisonous jungle.
Santiago and the flower of the Span.
| ish feet are ours, although hundreds Of
men may have to die on the field before
| we take possession of them. Neither
Cerveras crews nor General Linares'
battalions or squadrons can escape, for
| the American fleet bars the way by sea,
and o,r ;pfautrxy apd d;cuo,ntad oayaI
ry are gradually encircling the city,
driving the Spanish pickets backward
toward the tiers of trenches in which
the defenders of Spanish oppression
must make their last stand.
There are three commanders who will
direct the fight against Santiago-Samp-
son, Generals Shafter and Garcia. /
have seen and talked with the three, and
each has assured me that victory is alb
solutely certain. General Shafter alone
expressed doubts as to the fighting ca
pacity of the Spanish infantry. Both
Sampson and Garcia declared that the
Spaniards will fight desperately. This
is to be practically an army fight for
the navy can do little more than prevent
the escape of Cervera' s feet The agony
and glory of taking the city will be
shared by the Cuban and American
armies under Shafter and Garcia.
Fortunately one great danger had
been averted. 1t was feared that when
the two commanders came together, as
they did yesterday, the Cuban general
might refuse TO cooperate with the
American forces unless Shafter in some
way formally recognized the Cuban re-
public, but when Garcia met Shafter
the gallant old Cuban soldier turned out
his half naked regiment of patriots to
salute him and with tears streaming
down his bronzed face took the Ameri.
can commander by the hand, saying: II
thank you and your soldiers for coming
down here to help me fight enemies of
my country. We will serve with you
and take your orders without question.
And so today nearly 1000 Cubans are
leading the advance ON Santiago, and
Skaters authority is undisputed.
l saw Sampson on his flagship in
front of MORO Castle. He is quiet,
conservative man, with thin features
and almost snow white beard and mel
ancholy eyes. AS he sat under a sail
cloth awning on the quarter deck and
talked in soft voice it was hard to
imagine we were lying in front of q
great stronghold of the enemy. Ships
stretched ont en- both sides in perfect
order. Everywhere were signs of intel
ligent method.
1--WE have had men ashore" he said,
land have located the position of Ger
vera's entire fleet Every. one of his
vessels is lying safe from our guns be-
hind that high hill there, with such
narrow entrance and with >thick fields
of mines that the navy can do nothing
but stay here and prevent any egress.
of the Santiago forts and capture MORO
Castle before we can remove the mines
and enter the harbor
lone thing seems to be quite clear.
Cervera cannot bring his guns to bear
upon our land forces during the taking
of the city, and the only guns that have
been removed from the feet for use on
land are those from the Reina Mercedes,
which we injured the other day. There
40 ~ way VI CoSopC AOi thC PpahlsH
forces. They must surrender or fight
and be beaten. believe they will fight
very bravely in the trenches which sur
round the CITY,"
1t is not hard to describe General
Shafter-bold, lion headed, hero eyed,
massive as to body, a sort of human
fortress in blue coat and flannel
shirt. While / talked with him today
he was surrounded by officers of his
staff bronzed, clear eyed men, covered
with jungle stains, who reported to him
from time to time the progress of the
landing Of men, ammunition and food
and the condition of the wounded ON
the hospital ship. When the surgeon
told him that bullet had crushed the
spine of Marshall the New York Jour.
nails gallant correspondent who fell in
the front rank of the rough riders, the
rough old warrior was deeply moved
and said: $50; he never made a com.
plaint moor falloxv flo IL n varxy h~o,,r