Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-05-24

| flag is safe in your hands, - replied the col.
oncl, and then, summoning the color
guard, he with his own hands placed it in
her keeping.
The trust was well placed. Two DAYS
later, mounted on her splendid bay mare,
10 hands high, she carried the standard
CALAMITY in a desperate charge and under
u hot shower of Mauser bullets.
At the close of the engagement she was
given the ranl; of flag lieutenant and her
commission forwarded for the approval of
General Gomez. Two weeks later, on Feb.
., at Manga Leargo, this fearless woman
rode in two fierce machete charges against
the strong guerrilla force of Corral False
With the standard slung on her left arm
and glittering machete waving in her
right hand, she rode in the front rank.
close to the side of her commander.
In this desperate engagement when sore
ly pressed she slew two OF the Spanish
horde.
One she struck three times, shouting
Viva Cuba librcr' and cut him from his
saddle. a single blow cleft the skull of
the other
Within month she participated in no
shot from under her. One was at Villa dc
liabaco and the other when with n small
scouting party She rode into an ambuscade
on the Last day OF March near Bolandron.
The gucrrillas, who fcarcdantl hated her
and called her the Cuban tigress. made a
desperate effort to capture her, but her de
voted followers rallied to her rescue, and
after II bloody engagement the Spanish
fled, leaving 80 of their number dead on
the field
During the month of April of that year
she participated in ten battles and many
skirmishcs. Always in the thickcst of the
fray, she tremendously escaped injury.
For distinguished bravery on the field
she was promoted to the rank of captain
Love Made One Woman a Traitor.
There is one, and only one, conspicuous
traitor among the Cuban women, the
daughter and sister of patriots, and her
name will 20 down in the history of the
island cxecratcd by hundreds whose friends
and kinsfolk she has betrayed to the
Spanish Her name is Nina Diaz. She is
said To he beautiful Clever she undoub:-
cdly is and the sweetheart Of a Spanish
officer. which explains the situation.
One day Wcylcr, Disguised at the ill sue
cess of his spies in ferreting out any in
formation OF the plans and purposes of the
insurgents, called his staff together
what we want" he said "is clever
woman spy. They are the best-that is, if
they work for the man they love"
so Nina Diaz was elected to the Office
and has done her work only too well. At
first she was always to be found at the
dock on steamer days mingliny with the
crowd, her ears and eyes open for all she
could see and hear As result Weyler's
nan fell upon one after another high in
Cuban circles
Then she was sent to ply her vocation in
Pinar del Rio amid all the horrors of war
There she first fell under suspicion by the
countrymcn whom she was selling into
the hands Of the enemy Caught while
communicating with "A Spanish officer. she
was arrested by the insurgents Brought
before Maceo, she explained that she was
the daughter of Felix Diaz and had come
into the lines only to see her father and
brothers. She claimed that the Spanish
officer who was talking to her was en-
deavoring TO bride her to betray her
friends. On this testimony he was shot,
no one believing his declaration to the
contrary.
She witnessed the execution of her Span
ish friend without a tremor and followed
her father and bruthers into camp, where
she made herself familiar with the plans
oil the insurgents. When night came, she
escaped TO the Spanish lines and gave such
Information that the Cubans were sur
priSed in the early dawn and Defeated aft
er severe fight. During the battle Nina
escaped to Havana disguised as a bow.
The most unprincipled act of her treach.