The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-03-11
ANOTHER BATTLE
FOUGHT IN CUBA
0atnumbered insurgents Hold Spanish
Troops at Bay.
SPANISH SOLDIERS CRUELTY
Deisa,sless Girls Outraged ssd Murdered
cuba0s TsSd the Gossdsa Of Both
sidss--L0ssss Heavy.

New York, March i0.-The Cuban junts
has received BY messenger the ofhcial re
port Of General RscIos who commanded
the Cuban forces at the battle Of Najas'
on February q and 2 The details Of TN
battle show that while the cubans werS
outnumbered to ]. for four days theJ
held their position and caused the Spanish
troops to retreat. leaving 20 dead men or
the field. The messenger who brought
the news also brought copy Of Span
ish paper admitting the return Of ths
Spanish soldiers. but asserting that ths
four days fighting resulted in a vlctoJ
for Spain. On February IS. General il.
mlnez castellanos left Puerto Principe
with 100 Spanish soldiers. In addition
10 three squadrons OF cavalry the Span
iGsds had two small Krupp held pieces
Three days previously Castellanos was
told that the Cuban stronghold In the
h.lls Of Najasa Vas not well protected
and could be taken. Najasa Is situated
OF the plateau less than 20 miles from
the city OF Puerto Principe. II is the
base Of the Cuban supplies for Puerto
Principe province and Is used as a hos
pital station. Several attempts have been
made to take II In the past. Owing 10
its natural advantages 100 men. II Is said,
can hold q against ten times that num-
her. The road leading 20 II offers am
bush AMI protection IN case Of attack.
On the morning Of February n. while
more than ten miles from Najasa. the
vanguard Of the Spanish army composed
OF guerlllas under Lieutenant PerojO. was
attacked al turn in the road. The Gu
ben cavalry under Brigadier Branlio,
numbered 70 men. The vanguard COM
prised 80 men. OF the 80. three escaped
and a were killed. The Cubans lost Il
men. The Spanish cavalry under Major
Copaz was attacked by the full Cuban
cavalry. 800 strong. The loss In this
charge by the Cubans was slight. The
men under Copaz were defeated without
their firing a shot, the cubans charging
them from front and rear. The men were
literally cut TO pieces. They defended
themselves with the butts OF their car
bines. The Cubans secured y cavalry
horses with equipments. 100 carblnes and
ammunition. After the cavalry rout they
were forced to retreat. as the Spanish
army OF 400 came into action. Retreat
ing for more than a mile. the cubans
made a stand behind rocks and checked
the advance OF Castellanos' troops until
nightfall. In the night the Cuban
wounded were sent to the rear and earth
works thrown up that would each pro-
tect half dozen rebels. The troops were
moved TO higher ground and everything
possible done to make fortihcations. The
second day opened with an attempt by
the Spaniards to take knob holding %
men. After several Intellectual attempts
one Of the Krupp guns was used and the
position was abandoned for one higher.
During the shelling OF the small fortl6ca-
tons the Cubans twice drove the Spanish
out OF rife range. There was no attempt
to advance by the Spaniards on the I'D.
They kept up a continuous fire, shooting
whole volleys whenever a Cuban showed
his head. Twice on the third day General
Castellanos made an attempt to advance.
On both occasions his troops were driven
back. On the 2ith, the fourth day Of the
fight. he suffered a loss OF more than 100
killed. and withdrew. leaving his dead on
the field. They retreated to Puerto Prin-
cipe, and announced that they had de-
feated a force OF 300 Cubans.
The dead were buried by General Re-
clos troops. His own loss was Is killed
and more than 100 wounded. Major CO.
paz. commander Of the Spanish cavalry,
was court martialed after the first days
fighting for cowardice. The Spanish offi-
cial reports state they fired $40 mauser
bullets and 50 shells. The shooting of the
Spanish artillery, according to the Gu
bans, was always wild. No shell. accord
ing to them. went anywhere near the
mark. BY the same messenger which
brought General Recios report came the
story of Spanish outrage upon a pa
cific, Debio Betancourt. Betancourt was
sick in bed on his plantation and was
attacked by Spanish column under Pc
dro Gonzales. He was attended by two
Of his daughters, Is and Il years old re-
spectively. After the soldiers murdered
the father one of the girls were subjected
to indignities which led to her death. The
younger girl attempted to escape, She
was caught. Her struggles provoked a
Spanish soldier, who severed her left leg
near the knee with a stroke of his ma
chete. The girl was left to die where
she fell. The news Of Betancourts death
Was announced in Havana as great vic
terry by the Weyler organ