Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-04
NEUVITAS STILL HOLDS OUT
No Confirmation Of Report That 1t Has Been
Evacuated.
All but About 1,SOO Troops Had Left
Before July 20-Abandon-
ment Is Expected.

KEY WEST, Fla, August 4.-No confirm
aticn has been received here of the report
that Neuvtas. the chief port of the prov
ince OF Puerto Principe, has been evacuated
by the Spaniards after a bombardment by
American warships.
The auxiliary cruiser Badger which cap
tired three prizes at Neuvitas on July 20
and left with them that day for the Tor
tugas arrived here this morning. Capt.
Snow said that, at the time of his depart
ure all but about 800 Spanish troops had
left the city ana a general evacuation was
expected, but that to all intents and pur-
poses the place was still held by the enemy
and there had been nothing in the nature
of an attack The large gunboat Pizarro
and the armed tugs Anita and Yumuri
were in the harbor.
The only Intelligence of the reported as
sault ard evacuation of Neuvitas was that
furnished on July 20 by Lieut.. Col RojaS
OF the insurgent forces, to Commander
Maynard OF the gunboat Nashville at Gil
bara.
The Badger was covering the blockade
station at Neuvitas on July 26 when one of
the Spanish boats slipped stern foremost
to the mouth of the harbor and took peep
at her The enormous hull of the Ameri-
can ship, bristling with Nordenfeldt guns,
scared her, and she scurried back to shell
ter.
S"ptuFcu the IhFec.
A little while later, three vessels were OBJ
served coming out. in excellent formation,
and Capt. Snow thought a good fight was
coming. He brought his ship up to the
mouth of the harbor and prepared to give
the Spaniards a warm greeting, when it
was discovered that instead of gunboats
the advancing ships were tug, brigan-
tine and barge, the last two in tow, all
flying Spanish and Red Cross flags. A
couple OF shots from a siX-pounder were
fired in their direction and they promptly
surrendered. The tug was the HumberJo
rodriguez fine and new, and worth about
SUoo0. The brigantine was the Sati and
the barge was the San Fernando.
A party from the Badger boarded the
prizes and found distributed over them
about 400 Spanish soldiers, who, 1t was
SAID mad been ordered to Havana by Gen.
Salcido. Tie surgeon in charge asserted
tnat there were six cases Of yellow fever
among the troops, but careful examina-
tlon by the Badgers doctor and afterward
oy otner physicians at TortugaS showed
there YVES no infection among the men and
that the Red Cross flags were used as a
decoy.
Took Deserters Aboard.
AT Neuvitas the Badger also took aboard
eight deserters from the Spanish army, who
are still on board the ship. JCThey are a
sergeant and seven privatest of the 22d
Cadiz Battalion. They were marching from
the town Of Puerto Principe to Neuvitas,
ana when near the latter place the sergeant
reported TOUR men missing and asked for a
detail or three men to find them. This was
granted, but the detail also deserted, and,
with the other men, made their way to
Martinilles Light Here they took the light
keepers boat and rowed out to- the Badger,
surrendering themselves with their Mauser
runes and ammunition. They said they did
not want to serve under Spanish rule. In
Neuvltas. and, in fact, throughout the en-
tire province, they said, the inhabitants are
starving H.
The Badger proceeded with her prizes
from Neuvitas to Havana, where she re-
ported to Commodore Howell, who ordered
dhem TO Iortugas. At that place Captain
SNOW communicated with the Washington
authorities, and was instructed to send all
the prisoners to Havana IL one ship could
carry them; II not. to put some of them on
a second ship and send them to New York.
one OF the prisoners in the meanwhile died
OF dysentery at the Tortugas.
In accordance with the departments in
structions, Lieut., Edward Nice. Peters.
with Two officers and two men, was put in
charge or the prizes and left with them for
havana He will then proceed with tug
load OF the Spanish prisoners to New
YORK. The Badger is manned by New Jer-
sey naval reserves.