The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-21
Of the Spanish MarkSmen,

marriage of General Grant. and gradu-
ate Of Annapolis spent eleven years in
the navy, but was retired by injuries to
his eyesight resulting from Chagres fe-
yer. He applied for duty Immediately up
on the outbreak of hostiIties, however
and is now one of the instructors on the
training ship at Newport. Much OF his
leisure time was passed in Chicago. where
he is widely known and well liked. His
acquaintance with Latin-American peo-
pies is extensive. He likes the upper
classes of them as companions having
found them, he says, uniformly courteous
and obligng. but he holds that they have
a fundamental organic fault which pre-
vents them being or becoming fit fighters.
They shut their eyes and turn their heads
the other way when they pull the trig-
ger. and they can't help Il.
Many years ago, Lieutenant Dent told
me. when one Of the forgotten South
American revolutions was revolving. the
old, blunt-ended numbering Philadelphia,
on which I was an ensign, was ordered
| TO Cartagena TO protect American inter
| ests. I never knew what those interests
| were, nor could I see that they were in
any danger. but we went. A sailor man
| would as soon cruise 10 Eucuador a. else
! where. II IS all so many days run and
the anchor down and shore leave al the
| end Of 1t. We found Cartagena invested
| by the gallant rebels and defended by the
gallant government troops. II is certain
! that not any Of the gallant privaees knew
what they were fighting about, and. al
/ though I tried many times, I could not
/ find out; but they did fight every day
! The firing was brisk and the cheering the
/ most enthusiastic and continuous I ever
/ heard We could smell the burned powder
fifteen miles out into the offing, and long
! before we sailed into harbor we could
! hear the vivas like a succession of cat
calls a South American, you know, will
| scream Viva! and dance frenziedly about
If you let off a hrecracker.
We were six weeks at Cartagena, and
I have never spent a more enjoyable time.
1t was Fourth OF July every day. and
when we wanted quiet we had only to go
on board. sit down in the messroom and
fight cockroaches. This was the order
of procedure six days in the week, Sun
day being holiday. There were two or
three thousand troops outside the walls
and as many inside. They rose at 2
II the morning and breakfasted Then
the bands played. Then the rebels out
side squatted behind fences and stumps
and shot at the walls. The fellows inside
peeked over the walls cautiously and shot
until II. when everybody knocked off
Then the bands played They dined from
y to l, and smoked cigarettes from / to
2. The siesta lasted until $3.50. At firing
was resumed and continued until 6. Sup
per was eaten and cigarettes were smoked !
The officers went to the house of the
general If inside, or to the tent of the
general II outside, and reported that they
had been shooting. Then the bands |
played.
ing was done. The fellow along the wall |
would sight carefully al something out |
side, turn their faces toward nv with |
their eyes closed and jerk the trigger. I |
observed that the folks outside did the |
same thing. Not any Of them ever look |
ed to watch the effect Of a shot They |
knew that 1t didn't have any. The conse-
quence OF this sort of thing was that |
the bullets went anywhere from fifty
yards to a quarter of a mile wide, depend
ent upon how far around the chap turn
ed his head and how hard he terked at
the trigger. At first we were chary about
going around during the herceness of the /
engagements, but soon learned that a po-
sition on the walls was less dangerous
than a seat on Chicago street car We
used TO stand and laugh. 1t sounds like
exaggeration, but is the simple truth, that
during the six weeks Of our stay but one
man was killed, and he was a non-com-
Blatant Englishman peacefully walking
along the street. He was struck by a near
" spent ball which in some mysterious
manner found its way over the wall. At
the end of that time the rebels had long
and gesticalatory talk with the presidents
people, and then they left. When they
went away all their bands marched along
the walls and footed and all of the loyal
bands stood on the walls and footed. To
my knowledge the only men killed in that
revolution were a lot of rebels who at
tempted one night to surprise town. It
was carefully planned and some of their
number Immediately sold out for money.
They landed on the beach, five or six COM
panies Of them, and machine guns were
waiting for them. The slaughter is ex-
planned by the fact that a machine gun
doesn't care whether or not you shut your
eyes. 1t keeps on working.
y have seen other Spanish-Americans
shoot, Cubans among others. and they all
did IT in the same way. It seems to be
an ineradicable trait When I read an
account Of a battle between Spanish reg
llars and Cuban Insurgents and learn that
one man was wounded II does not puzzls
me any. I think 1t probable that he shot
himself, or some comrade behind him let
off his gun accidentally. I am unable to
see how he could have been hurt by an
opponent"
Probably this mattF-of-fact statement !
~ Lieutenant Dent explains why Monte
o's vessels could fire al Dewey's squadron :
'or hours and not kill man; why Amer
can ships can constantly engage land .
batteries in Cuba and show only an occa-
,ional dent in token Of It: why Aneri-
an small boats at Cienfugos could hang 7
around for an hour within easy rife shot /
md saw cables in two with rldicul0usly !
ew casualties; why American vessels OF e
III sizes and srmors stagger backward r
md forward within a half-mile Of Spanish D
ortihcatons and never lose a piece OF
tring. The Spaniards turning their heads
yhen they press the buttons or pull the
anyards could make 10 material differ i
nee, but probably they shut their eyes o
efore they aim. OF course they are not e
Xpected 10 shoot like Anglo-Saxons e
Anglo-Saxons and Germans are notorious
Y the best marksmen in the world. But =.
ne would think that they ought to be :
bic TO hit flock OF ballons with a
litrailleuse twice in a month. anyhow.
HIS. CANFIELD.