The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-07-27

the shade of palm "shack'' on the
bundles of clothing and bedding which
were all their belongings. Smoked
and dried jufias-an animal peculiar
to Cuba and closely resembling big
musrat-hung on the poles and re-
vealed their previous means of subsist-
encc. Coffee was served to the guests
one by one in the single cup of the
family after it had been boiled in an
old can. We sat about and smoked
and listened to a young surgeon Of the
army-who had ridden his fifty miles
with case of paludic (malarial) fever
on him to our camp-tcll of his devi-
ces to cure the sick and wounded
without the aid of store" (drugs.)
He was Habanero, this Dr. Duque,
and he was specializing as to what he
could have when he got back to ''civ-
ilization." IL think l will take long
drink of cool cervega," he said, "of
cold, foaming lager beer.
The insurgents have planted large
crops Of sweet potatoes and yucca
(cassava) in the uplands, and in two
months more if the Spaniards can be
checked, there will be enough to eat
in the country regions Of central Cuba;
but meanwhile the suffering is extreme
and the supplies now landed will only
be sufficient to subsist the large force
concentrating here, and destitute non
combatants who will be encountered,
for less than a month. 1t is the pur-
pose of the war department to send
another supply Of food here soon and
it should be the pleasure of the press
to push the work of relief SO that not
a Gay shall be lost. The ability Of the
Cubans in the central and western
provinces to cooperate with the Uni
ted States forces depends wholly upon
the effectiveness with which our gov
ernment keeps them in food and war
munitions. Supplied from point to
point along the line Of march Gomez
can take from 10000 to 10000 Cubans
to assist in the reduction of Habana.
The war department will assign a
steamer-probably the Florida-to
the service Of supply; but it should
secure in addition a fast tug to be
used for communications between Key
West and points on the north coast of
Cuba, in order that there may be
maintained perfect understanding
between the American and Cuban ar
mics and that there may be no failures
of supply expeditions. 1t is hard,
very hard, to land safely on hostile
coast 1000 tons Of supplies, but it is
very easy for tug to steam close IN
shore and exchange dispatches with
Cuban messengers. We can be kept
within three or four days hearing Of
Washington by means Of this tug SER
vice.
Gen. Gomez maintains communica-
tion with forces stationed near all
Spanish posts, and his advices are
that the Cuban mono -combatants in the
cities held by the Spanish in this re-
gion are dying of starvation, while the
Spanish themselves have provisions
for but Is days more. The knowledge
of supplies landed here will do more
to stimulate the Spaniards to attack
us than anything else could do.
1t is but just that I should say how
much humane Americans, as we'll as
Cuban sufferers, owe to Gen. Nunez
for the initiation and success of this
expedition For two months ne la
bored to induce the United States
government to dispatch it. The de-
lays and discouragements he met at
Tampa made a martyrdom for him.
At last he prevailed, through Gen.
Miles rather than the war department.
in justice be it said-although Capt.
Dorst, U. S. A., who had visited
Gomex's camp, and got promoted to a
lieutenant colonelcy for the relatively
slight risk Of the adventure, offered
to bet his head that nothing more
than tugload of supplies could be
safely landed in Cuba outside of San
tiago province. But Santiago is safe,
with only six Spanish posts, and las
plenty Of food such as nature yields;
and Gen. Nunez, knowing Gomez S
plight, would aim only for him. For
weeks he visited army headquarters
daily and presented with all the energy
of full soul the greatness of the need
and imperativencss of succor. There