The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-14
LIEUT.. MILEY'S MISSION.
SURRENDER or THE SPANISH SOL
DIERS Outside SANTIAGO.

-
A Delicate aud somewhat hazardous vi
rand Into the Interior oF Cuba Lionel!
Ride of n Sun Correspondont-Scenes a
tho Surrender of tho Garrisons-rhe E1
perlence OF n Planter During the War
SANTIAGO. July 20.--Lieut. j. d. Mlley OF the
fifth Artillery. Gen. Skaters righthand stat
I1icer. has Just returned from n delicate ant
Iomewhat hazardous mission into the bach
country. He was directed TO receive the sur
render OF the Spanish troops Mt FL Cristo, Dos
Caminos. Moron. AllosonRo. San Luis anj
Palma Soriano and to disarm them. Three
thousand In number, they had not fired a shot
Turing the war; they had probably been kept
In ignorance Of the fall Of Santiago and Of the
destruction Of Cerveras fleet, and report had
Il that they were impatient to prove their valor
In the field and we're confident Of their ability
10 teach the American piRs"a lesson. The
iobtHtdriOs were rancorous in their hatred.
Lieut.. Miley took with him Capt. Ramus OF
Gen. Llnares's staff to act as n buffer and to
reason with the truculent. Capt. Ramus is the
Dnly surviving Spanish staff officer Of the
bloody fight at Cancy. which. 1t was said. had
10 affected his mind that he had lost his nat
nrally biithe spirits and become a prey to
melancholy. Certainly the vlsage Of this
bearded Spanish officer was most lugubrious.
and he seemed to have almost lost the power
Of speech. expressing himself In monosyllables
and with o painful effort replying to questions.
Ramon q. Mendoza of New York city.
one OF Gen. Lawton's most versatile
utaff officers. went along to act as
Interpreter. an office that required tact. flucncy,
and, above all. quick intuition. Lieut.. Miley's
escort consisted OF mounted Troops A and q of
the Second Cavalry. under command of Capt.
4. j. Lewis, an old Indian fighter and a vigilant
Dflcer. The other officers were Lieuts. w. +.
Clark and j. b.. Christian OF Troop @ and Lieut..
q. II. Pope OF Troop A. DR.. Arthur Jordan ac-
eompanied the little force to look after the sick.
and as It turned out his services were very
much In demand.
Meeting The SUN correspondent at noon Of
Tuesday, July 10. Lieut.. Miley asked il he
would like to go along as chronicler OF the ex-
petition. The Sun man had to visit Santiago
during the afternoon and the Lieutenant's par
Sy had to start for the interior at once.
I'VE shall camp near Ell Cristo tonight" said
Lieut. Miley. land you could overtake us
there"
Ten days rations were to be carried. As it
was known that the Spanish garrisons were
short OF food, Gen. SKATER had ordered that a
store OF provisions be sent to them. To take
along the supplies. which were to consist OF
bareback. bacon tcalled by the soldiers SOW
belly. beef and tomatoes. a pack train selected
from the camp Of Spanish prisoners between
the lines was employed. There was o
Spaniard to each mule. and in tWen-
ty minutes they made ready for the
road. u feat which opened the eyes
of our packers. who. although each had more
mules to lace and tie up. were all fingers and
compared with the Spaniards. To the
latter, however, mule transport is second ma
ture. In the matter Of shocking oaths the
Spaniards were also ahead. When they had
done their packing they stood around and made
uncomplimentary remarks. soto rOce. about
the slowness Of the Americans.
Lieut.. Miley. representing Gen. Shafter; Capt.
Lewis, the military commander of the expedi-
ton. the troopers and the two mule trains got
away at l O'Clock. 1t was n normal Cuban sum-
mer afternoon, with alternate sunshine and
cloud and always q threat Of thunder in the
rugged. abyssmal mountains. which
seemed to interpose an impossible barrier be-
tween the coast and the back country. There
was not a soldier in the army who had not won
dered what lay behind those great peaks.
At 4 O'Clock The SUN man rode out Of San
tiaGo to catch the At Capey. foul
and nauseating with heaps OF decaying rubbish
left In the streets by the departed refugees,
and with here and there an unfortunate lying
from fever in q corner OF a room,
Lieut.. NJ. +. Davis of the cavalry could only
Indicate the direction in which the sold iers had
gone. There was no road.
LONELY RIDE.
III you can trail them" said he. " you are
oil right. ! wish l could go with you"
The way was a mere COW path. Here and
there where the ground was sodden the shoe
prints of the horses could be seen. That was
what Iinut Davis TnpnDt NV trniIinn Tbn coli;
tude OF the mountains was oppressive. The
clank OF the mares hoof on a stone rang out
ike a warning. And the trail seemed to be all
stones, pitched and heaped together in chaotic
And it was all up hill and down,
dusk In the depths OF ravines and amber light
on submits Occasionally the Cuban black
Dird shrilled a plaintive note. Bushes reached
out their arms across the path, whipping the
patient marc and causing the rider
20 grip his hat. IN steep descents the
mare footed gingerly, sometimes sliding
down on four feet and again stumbling
almost to her knees. Hours seemedt to pass be-
fore the mountain chain was crossed. AS night
came on the bird notes ceased and the mountain
walls closed In. 1t was almost dark when the
matched huts OF San Vincente came into view.
Ihere was a hum OF suspended labor in the
one street and q fiddle sounded a forced strain
OF gayety. Some negroes were dancing with
steps to its discords. 1t was dark when
the lights OF Dos Bocas threaded the valley.
Trailing was now impossible and THE Sun
man had to push on as best he could. In Dos
Bocas' the next town. there were abandoned
houses with pillars. terraces and remains of
gardens in which perfumes still fingered.
Misinformed, THE SUN man took this town
Tor I'll Cristo. Pushing on in the hope of CATCH
Ing a glimpse of a troop fire. with the men eat
Ing their suppers about it. he struck into a dim
grass path above n railroad track. Half a mile
the village he became aware OF q num-
Der OF white PROSTATE forms in the cut below. |
Ihey were SPRAYED out in q way peculiar to
soldiers. and they hailed him.
" Buena %noche." he returned in his pigeon
and switched his horse to get on.
But the detachment In the cut scaled the
bank and made after him with indistinguish-
able cries. Not knowing whether he was on I!
the right road and in doubt OF the surrender OF
the Spanish troops. his only thought was to put |
As much distance as he could between his pur-
suers and himself. But the mare was dead