The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-23
COMPLAINTS ABOUT INSURGENTS.
worthless for Any Purpose Exceut
TO Keep RatiOns From Spelling.

A'AiOnS rom SP0lhnS.
From the New York Press
Siboney Cuba. July 1.-THE Cubans
won't fight and they won't work. And
these are the people we have come down
here to fight for"
l have heard this statement repeatea in
one form or another ever since the army
OF invasion landed at Baiquiri and sibo-
ney' Two weeks ago. 1t has been made by
volunteer soldiers from New York City;
by the volunteers from Michigan and
massachusetts; by soldiers in The regular
army ana by officers of every grade and
RANK hhe and staff, regulars and volun
teers.
,,, liie actions Of the Cuban insurgents in
LtS armies or General Garcia and General
Cdsuno nave borne out this svveenino. C,,if-
Ism according TO my own observation
3'N 'lle observation of nearly every army
~ ~ itel'oHdeht with whom [ have talked.
~ Stnefai criticism of the Cuban SOL
ei,r,ro ~lpi'ts' OF course, only to those in
-s rli'e Whom General Skaters army
~ NJ me- "a the nelghborhoOd of SANTIAGO
L ne island of Cuba is more tban zoo ,,,;ias
lcuS ana the Fifth Army Corps has occu-
pieu isss than p miles of this country
:, iie 1AIieIlcan troops have seen nothing Of
80 80 al Gomez command; nothing of the
other ana smaller bodies of troops mat
naEF peeh IN the field in the eastern and
ihdale provinces of the island. What bas
oeen seen of the JCubaus around sanfialo
ana .he Juragua country bears out tGe
american army's present estimate Of The
Cuban forces
IN lle very hrst engagement on Cuban
soil-tnat Of June "A, when the Rough ria
S CO.. I l1aFcnea lnto a letter V formed Of
,opaIIsn soldiers and Spanish fed pieces
the Cubans We're not ahead of Roosave-r,s
regiment as scouts. bur sonewhcro ~, ia
right what became Of them when the
SKI hish began only the bushes and the
IAN grass and the cacti of The Jungle
| KNOW When General Wheeler's division
aiter hghtlng from a m. 10 o. m. an
= iiudy' July 1, finally occupied Ell Caney
slie CuDahe who had made no charges
Iorced no Spanish position, captured no
| blockhouses or even cleared out a single
spanish rlne PIT, appeared in force
And they proceeded to go through the
hllle town OF El Caney as thoroughly and
as systematically and as energeticanv as
II plliage and loot were their only mission
on earth.
captain Findley and his troop Of the
Nihth cavalry We're put on the plaza in
IIohi OF the church as guard. and thew
did all they could to check the maraudInsr
ana the sackng. But there was little nor
table property in Eel Caney that did not
| get mo cuban hands before nightfaU and
carry inc next morning, when the Ameri-
| can troops were still fighting before SAM
ago long procession of armed Cubans
! came along the mountain trail toward 81
| boney, each man carrying something from
| the pl!laSed town. IL was either n clock or
Il chair or bundle of clothing or cool5inr
utensils. or household goods of some sort
BEFORE the American troops had driven
the last spaniard out of the little town. the
Cubans had begun their work. In one
store was a small safe in which were sev-
eral hundred Spanish 5-peseta gold pieces
| The safe was smashed and aeI the oold
was gone before the American soldiers had
| a chance to drop fighting and take up no
lice work. In the last few DAYS I have
seen several of these same Spanish cold
pieces IN the hands of our soldiers In ev-
cry case they were bought from Cuban
as souvenir 10 send home to the United
States. When The Cuban was asked where
he got them he said, "El Canev." and
| laughed.
ON Saturday morning, July ?. when so
many of the Cubans We're trudging. heavy
laden, TO the rear all of our own men who
could De spared from the fighting line
Were busy bringing in the wounded The
! Cubans refused to aid in this work gener-
ally, but IN one case which l can youcl
Tor, because | witnessed it, a wounded
man on a litter was carried two miles
along the road to Major Woods division
hospital by Cuban soldiers The man On,
the litter was a private of the SEVENTH
first regiment, New York and the Cubans
picked him up and trudged along with him
| because of the persuasion OF S.vsn,,,-
first corporal. who followed the litter with
his Springfield rife loaded and AT fire.
quent intervals aimed at the unwillinr
bearers.
Il met these four men lying by the road
side eating said the corporal They had
some of our canned beef and hard tack
and lot of plumber from Caney was living
on the ground beside them. Four of our
men came along, carrying this poor fellow
and ] ordered the Cubans 10 take tbeir
places on the litter. They refused and
picked up their plumber. Then | persuad-
ed them with the gun here and sent our
men back in the woods TO hunt for some
more poor fellows who'ye been lying there
all night"
did not prove much of surprise "a our
army because of the extraordinary amt
tude for picking UP things which the in
surgents already had displayed Whanev-
er regiment marched up to the FRONT
from Siboney, under the hot sun. the long
trail was sure TO be lined, after the regi-
ment had passed, with blanket rolls nav
cry article of uniform or equipment that
could be droppedA except weapons and am
munition. A couple of hours later
all these would have disappeared.
The Cubans picked them up. Now
whenever orders are given 20 dis
| card equipments, guard is left with
them al the side of the road.
The correspondents have not received
the exact language Of General Garcia's
official report to General Shafter eNDlain-
ing why $500 of Pando's men were allow
ed TO reinforce Linares and Toral. ON
GERS at General Skaters Headquarters
have told what the Cuban excuse is, how
ever, and they have been the reverse of
reticent in telling and commenting upon it.
The main body of Cubans took up po-
eition covering one road ana sent 800 insur-
gents TO cover the other road Pando's
men came along this other road. the 800
Cubans fred one volley at them from their
ambush and then fed. The junction of
the $500 soldiers with the army IN Santiago
was effected successfully, and the Gu
bans explanation Is.
aUTs,s c,,r-. ia. toolf tt,., rrrar,o nod