Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-05-06
BLocKHoUsE BLOWN TO BITS
FIFTY SPANISH REGULARS WERE
SITTING ON TOP OF 1T.
Dispatch Boat Leyden, Sent to Cuba
With Arms and Ammunition
and to Confer With Insur-
gents, Has All Kinds
of Fun.

Jug lAeyuen, captain D. II. AHSus' o'e"AA'"
into port this morning and told the follow
ing story of desperate encounter WITH
Spanish troops on the northern coast OF
Cuba: The Leyden left here Monday alter
noon with a party of insurgents under Cen
eral Acosta and including five Cuban
scouts. under the leadership Of Captain
]. H. Dorst. of the United States cavalry.
The Leyden also carried a large quantity
of arms and ammunition. The tug landed
five men with four boxes of ammunition
and 200 horses. General Acosta also land
ed and penetrated to the interior. where he
| communicated with the forces of the In
surgents. The Leyden lay to outside until
5 o'clock in the morning, when. observing
a troop Of Spanish infantry approaching.
| she put to sea and got safely away. The
| same night she proceeded to Matanzas and
Tuesday afternoon another small party
landed near there.
Fearing attack by the Spaniards, she
| looked for the monitors Terror and Amphi-
| trite, which are on the blockade in the
vicinity. but, being unable to locate them.
| the Leyden returned to the original land
| ing place, reaching there early yesterday
| morning. Here she was met by Acosta
| and about 200 Cubans. half of whom were
| armed with rifles. They united with the
| men on the tug and an attempt was made
| to land the remaining arms and men, when
| a troop Of 200 of the Villa Vicosa cavalry
| swooped down on them and a fierce en-
| gagement of half hours duration fol-
| lowed
When the Spanish cavalry discovered
the Leyden, they promptly opened fire.
| The tug was taken at disadvantage.
| having no cannon aboard. but Commander
| Angus decided upon a desperate bluff. He
| mounted an old fiagpole and another round
piece Of timber in the bow of the boat and
| stationed "gunners" there; but the ruse
| was of little avail. The Spaniards took
| shelter near the blockhouse and poured
| in a fusilade of bullets. Meanwhile. the
Cubans attempted to draw the Spanish
| fire, with a view to diverting the cavalry
and giving the Leyden a chance to slip out.
| The Cubans finally repulsed the enemy,
driving them into the woods. During this
| engagement. several rifle bullets went
| through the Leyden's smokestack. but no
one was injured The plucky little tug
|
| her lying near Havana and reported the
story. Rear Admiral Sampson sent the
| gunboat Wilmington back with the Ley
| den. The two vessels reached the scene
| of the landing yesterday afternoon and
| found the Spanish cavalry in waiting to
| welcome another attempted invasion. The
Wilmington lost no time in preliminaries.
but promptly opened fire upon a number
| of small houses marking the entrance to
| f1a MI Tha Sro1 hot
| which Immediately drove back the Span
iards. and Captain Dorst. with the ammu-
| milton, landed safely last night, the Ley
| den returning here.
| New York, May ga special to the Mail
and Express gives the following account
| of the Leyden's trip:
The tug left Key West Monday after
| noon. AT daybreak yesterday her men
| made the first attempt to land an inter-
prefer to confer with party of Cuban in
! surgents who were waiting on the beach.
| While this conversation was being held.
| the people on the Leyden discovered
| about fifty Spanish cavalrymen coming
down from a hill toward the shore, as II
accommodating. The Leyden signaled dam
ger to the insurgents, and the latter took
| to the bushes. Up to that time eight cases
of Winchester rifles had been landed See
ing the cavalrymen, the Leyden's boat
| returned alongside lying about a quarter
| of a mile off shore. The cavalrymen lev
| eled their rifles at the tug, but hesitated
\ about firing. The insurgents, in the mean-
| time, had opened fire, driving the cavalry
back up the hill, the latter firing as they
| fed.
The cavalry returned shortly with REIN
| forcements. They paid no attention to the
| insurgents, but began a sharp fusillade at
the tug. Bullets flew around the tug
so fast that the lookout aft came down.
The Leyden. seeing no chance to land the
| ammunition just then. picked up the men
she had landed and steamed back to the
| flagship off Havana. reporting 1t would
be impossible to land her cargo unless pro-
tected. The gunboat Wilmington was i'm
| mediately ordered to help the Leyden. On
| returning to the landing point. the Will
mington held off shore about mile and
half, the Leyden going close In to the
beach. The tug was signaled by the in
surgents that the coast was clear.
Manned by four men, a boat then left
the Leyden with ammunition and two
large boxes Of dynamite. When short
distance from the beach, man aloft on
the Leyden sang out that the cavalry
were coming down to the beach again in
strong force.
The Leyden then signaled the Whining
ton and the later came a trifle closer to
short range and, with stern facing the
beach, fired four shots from her 4-inch
rapid fire gun. The cavalrymen retreated.
and the boats cargo was then landed.
While waiting to attack the cavalrymen.
the Wilmington fired at a blockhouse fur
ther down the beach. There were some fifty
Spanish regulars sitting on top of this
blockhouse watching the Leyden and the
insurgents.
The Wilmington's first shot went wild.
The twelfth and last shot hit the bulls
eye. When the smoke cleared away. the
blockhouse, men and all, had disappeared
as though swallowed up. The Spanish col
ors that had flown from the house were
seer high up in tree where a shot had
driven them.
The Leyden and Wilmington returned to
the flagship, and the former then came
| here. There are dozens of holes in the
tugs smokestack from the bullets Of the
cavalrymen.
New York, May 5.-The announce
, ment made to-day at the headquart-
ers of the Cuban junta in this city
that two small parties bearing i'm
pcrtant messages to General Gomez
from the United States and the junta had
effected a landing in Cuba. 1t was said
that the number in each party did not ex-
ceed twelve.
II Particulars with regard to the landing
Of the news-bearing parties were refused,
nor was it stated at what points the land
ings were made.
Big Standard OIL Dividends.
] New York. May 5.-The liquidating trus-
tees of the Standard Oil Company have de.