Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1898-06-15
He Saw and Counted the Ships
From a Point of Vantage
on Shore.
Officials Praise the Achievement
AS One Requiring Great
Courage
SIMPSONS Report of the Guanta.
namO Skirmish Was Very
Brief.

WASHINGTON, June Is. The last
lingering doubt that may have existed
as to the presence of Cervera's fleet in
its entirety in Santiago harbor was re.
moved when admiral SIMPSONS latest
| despatch reached the navy department.
Up to that time, information as to the
number and character of the vessels
lying in the harbor, shielded from OBJ
servation by. the hills, had been OBJ.
tanned through Cuban sources, sup
plemented by such glimpses as could
be obtained by naval officers from the
outside entrance. Now, however, &C.
cording to Lieutenant Blue, the ships
have been actually seen by an American
officer, counted and inspected from such
points of vantage as were afforded by
the high hills surrounding the harbor.
The officials here are full of praise
for Lieutenant Blues achievement.
Victor Blue has long been known in
the navy as an enterprising and daring
young man, but it required good deal
of sustained courage for him to go
ashore in hostile country and make
this reconnaissance. He was in the eye
of military law nothing more or less
than a spy, and had he been captured
by the Spaniards he would have been
tried by drumhead courtmartial and
executed.
Considering the fact that the marines
fight at Guantanamo last Saturday
night was really the first engagement
of the war on shore, Admiral Samp-
sons reference to the affair in his dis.
patch was remarkably brief. Hence it
was inferred that
Perhaps Too Much Importance
has been attached to it by the public.
The action of Lieutenant Colonel
Huntington in removing his men to a
more secure point than the exposed po-
sition occupied by them on Crest
Heights is taken here as an indication
that no offensive movement is to be
attempted by the marine corps, but
that it will limit its operations to the
defense of small point on Guanta.
namo harbor, to project the coaling of
our warships, and perhaps to serve as a
cable station when the necessary oper-
ators and instruments are secured from
Cape Haytien to enable Sampson to re.
open the cut cable. It does not follow
by any means that the place seized and
held by the marines at Guantanamo
bay is to be used as point OF debarka-
ton of the United States regular troops
now on their way to Cuba On the
contrary there is the best reason to be.
lieve that another point very much
better adapted for landing has been
selected. But this point also is
believed to be much healthier than any
point on the shores Of Guantanamo
bay where yellow fever is said to be
epidemic all the year round.
Were Undoubtedly MutiIated.
The officials here were very reluctant
to believe that the Spanish who fought
the marines at Crest Heights had been
guilty Of the horrible barbarism of
mutilating the bodies of soldiers. The
first press reports by some Of the of
fcers were supposed to be based upon
the horrible wounds inflicted under
certain conditions of range by the steel
clad bullets of the Mauser rifles. Ad-
miral SIMPSONS report, however,
seems to remove all doubt on that
point, for his surgeons undoubtedly
would be able to distinguish at once
between the effects of bullet and of
machete.