The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-22
IN GOMEZ'S CAMP.
How the Commander and His Men
Look and Live.

How the Commander and HIS Men
Look and Live.
Mr.. N. G. Gonzales, editor of the Co
lumbia Is. c. State is at present in Cuba
serving as an officer on the staff of Gen.
Nunez. Recently he was sent with an
expedition to find and relieve Gen. Maxi
mo Gomez, the commander-in-chief Of the
revolutionary forces. OF the scenes in
Gomezs camp Mr.. Gonzales writes to his
paper from near Palo Alto, Camaguey, I'M
der date of July in part as follows:
The sweet but small notes of silver
cornet sounded up the road by the side of
which we were assem- bled, and troop Of
horesmen advanced toward us on brisk
trot dozen officers in brown linen IN
forms rode first, and then came figure
in black. Tailor a Cuban-erect, spare
and sinewy head proudly up, the whole
being one of authority and command. The
almost obllque eyes, the long, beaked nose,
the lean, brown jaw, the white noustache
and goatee, the general Tartar-like as
pect that had given him among his soldiers
the nickname of Eel Chino" bespoke the
presence not of Gomez the lesser, but of
Gomez the greater-the veritable Maxine
himself
What a thrill went through the assem-
bly,! Here was success at last. Here was
the man we came TO meet, and the man
whose presence was worth thousands of
men and meant the full fruition OF our
hopes.
Responding to our salute Gen. Gomez
passed on to the shore, there to meet the
generals. He had come, with his escort,
forty miles that night riding without
stops to meet the expedition. The honor
of finding him and bringing him to us
belongs to a Southerner big young fell
low named Fred c. Somerford. Flori-
dian who had lived seven years in Cuba
and had as a newspaper correspondent
and as a fighter as well, operated for two
years in the western part of Cuba, shar-
ing the priva lions of the patriots. Somer-
ford, not now a newspaper man, set out
with a guide soon after our camp was To-
Gated here volunteering to find Gomez.
His guide, who had the provisions, de-
serted him before he had gone far. Som
erford plodded afoot through the heavy
mud to the Cuban potrero, got poor
horse there and went on. 1t was o'clock
at night when he found Maxine Gomez,
in a neighborhood known as La Majagua.
His men had been without solid food for
three days. but he made them saddle up
instantly and set out, riding all night and
arriving here at $50 next morning.
Messengers dispatched by Gen. Gomez
to his widely scattered forces soon pro-
duced returns.
BY evening the 200 of the generals per-
sonal escort had been increased by sever
al hundred more. Yesterday afternoon
there were 500 in camp and by this even
ing we expect to have 5000. The Span
iards have large forces on the eastern
trocha to one side of us and on the Santo
Espiritu-Tunas Railway to the other
Many must surely know Of our arrival
and their failure to attack us as yet may
mean that they are gathering a heavy
force to crush us. ] had II from the gem
erals lips yesterday that he looked for a
battle to-day.
shall now set some things down which
will justify the State in it's constant con-
tentions as to Cuban conditions and will
perhaps influence some who have been
unbeiieving and Indifferent to join with
the State in urging the continuance. with
out cessation or loss of time, of relief eX-
petitions like our own. l have studied
tried to sift truth from untruth The
oretically have been well informed, and
nothing that 1 see here is surprising to
me. But II requires the seeing to realize
as one should the greatness of the needs
the enormity OF the privations of these
people, who IL ever men and women have
earned liberty by sacrifice and suffering
have earned theirs.
/ have written Of Gen. Gomez's escotta
or escort, numbering about $50, and re-
ferred 10 the first half dozen who rode by
os being uniformed. But the othersl The
tears came into my eyes and / felt a
strange thrill down my spine when there
passed these the picked body guard of the
commander-in-chief OF the Cuban army
who ought to be the best equipped in the