Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-07-21
THE CUBAN GENERAL
Interesting Interview Between Gar
cia and a Correspondent.
THE INPREGNABILITY OF SANTIAGO.
Pande was Completely Cut On-Disanec
ton Strong Among the Home Guard
Who Would Surrender Now
IL Opportunity offered.

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July 10, via Port
Antonio, Jamaica, July IA corre-
spondent who recently had an inter
view with Garcia says: Garcia appears
to be a man of SO years, with an inn
pressive presence, large, swarthy-
skinned, gray-haired, with faring mill
tary mustache, a pleasant smile and
graceful ways. He touched his broad
Panama in acknowledgment OF the
salute and spoke in broken English.
It was n Hard Struggle.
81 am a little tired" said he. "We
have had a hard struggle" and his
worn jeans suit and muddy top boots,
with a single Anticipated brass spur on
the right one, showed this.
1.-The enemy intrenched itself in San
tiago in very good shape" he con-
tinued, ''because, naturally, the place
is one OF the best in the world for that
purpose"
Gould the troops outside Of the city,
or at other points, have made a juno
ton with them at any timer" was
asked.
Pando was Completely Cut on.
Decidedly not" said Gen. Garcia,
''Pando was completely cut of. See
this" and he pointed to the tracing
cloth map before him with a finger
trembling with energy.
"Pando, who amounts to nothing as
a general anyway this with q hoarse
laugh of defance), was at Manzanillo
point at which the river Cauto empties
- IL. T. sG- x-s~aa rxv I'D
Santiago we had
Men Who Held Them Back.
But the elements did even more. He
could not come over the hills during
the rainy season, which is now on in
the interior even WORST than on the
seacoast. The coast was his only hope
and there he would have had to brave
the fire Of your ships. Behind him he
had yellow fever in it's worst shape"
Where else in eastern Cuba are the
Spanish troops2"
"Back at Holguin, on the North Coast
Said the general, once more pointing
to the map. Between them and San.
tiago Is an almost impossible range Of
mountains. In the passes are ma
chetes and Cubans, and, thanks to the
United States, there are now rifles
and ammunition. Gen. Loque has
10000 troops at Holguln, but
they are being reduced in num-
Der very rapidly. The records show
that the deaths in the Spanish army in
Cuba have been close to 10000 a year.
There will be double that number this
year, to say nothing of the loss caused
by the arrival of the American troops
and the war. I mean that from yellow
fever and the insurgent warfare their
numbers have already been reduced
very greatly.
Death Stares Them In the Face
And they know it.. l would not be
surprised to see one-half Of them lay
down their arms and join us at the
first opportunity. The disaffection is
particularly strong among the home
guard, and but for the presence of the
imported soldiery they would come out
of the cities and surrender now. The
United States navy has done wonder
full work"
The correspondent also talked with
Garcia's surgeon, Col. Valiente, who
also spoke English.
Their is No Great Danger of Yellow Fever
Along the southern coast" he said.
1.-THE fever district is along the Cauto
river valley, where Pando and his 1000
Spaniards are The fever along the
coast during the rainy season is a mere
malarial fever, easily prevented by the
free use of quinine. We have never
found it very bad even in the interior
when we have plenty of that drug. We
know hat
''The Spanish are Entirely Out of Drugs,
And they must be suffering terribly.
Our spies in the cities have been una
BILE to secur any quinine for a number
of weeks at any price, and we know
that the army surgeon seized the small
supply in the drug stores at Santiago. "