The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-04-07

did so much against humanity
and civilization? Nero, Caligula,
Tamerlane, Torquemada, Alva
when compared with Weyler,
appear mild and humane. A
poltroon, besides being an
assassin, he never offered battle
to the Cubaans or took the field
to fight. In his time Spain sent
100000 soldiers to Cuba. He
kept them inactive guarding
the trocha from Mariel to Ma
jana in Pinar del Rio province
or from Jucaro to Moron in
Puerto Principe. At other
times from his palace in Hava-
ma, following on a map the
imaginary positions of his
enemies, he ordered his col
umns to make combined move
ments that always resulted in
defeats.
One instance of the stupidity
and cowardice of Weyler oc-
Cured on May 1. 1896. He or
dered one of his favorite COM
bination of columns against
Maceo at place called Cacara-
jicara in the province of Pinar
del Rio. The result was that
the forces of the Spanish
Colonies Inclan ahd Gelabert
were shattered by the Cuban
leader and the havoc made in
the Spanish lines was so great
that the Spanish soldiers, panic
stricken, threw themselves into
the sea to escape the Cuban
machete. Weyler, as in all
other cases, accused his sub
ordinates of not having obeyed
his orders exactly.
On Dec. 7, 1896, Maceo, after
having crossed .Weyler's
famous trocha and entered Ha-
vana province was assassinated
in an ambush near Punta
Bravo. The revolution lost in
him a great patriot and a heroic
soldier. But Weyler soon un-
derstood that the murder of
Maceo was not the death of
Cuba's cause. In March, 1896,
Gen. Calixto Garcia landed in
Santiago de Cuba. He soon re-
placed Maceo as a dashing
fighter and a brilliant COM
mander. At the same time
Gomez in Santa Clara had won
the important battle of Saratoga
and controlled the whole pro-
vince. The battle of Juan Criollo
in February, 1897, was another
of Gomez's important victories
and in Santiago de Cuba the
latter part of the year was con-
spicuous by the triumph of
Gen. Garcio at Victoria de las
Tunas, an event of which The
Sun printed at the time a long
and accurate description.
Weyler was recalled in
November, when after the
death of Canovas and the fall
of short-lived Azcarraga Cabi-
net, Senior Sagasta was selected
as Prime Minister by the Queen
Regent. It is a well-known
fact that after the message of
President Mckinley Weyler's
recall was imposed upon Spain
by this country.
Gen. Don Ramon Blanco,
who was to change the san
culinary methods of warfare of
his predecessor, entered Hava-
ma Nov. 20, 1897. Spain granted
to Cuba an autonomist system,
which has been declared a
nockery by allimpartial judges.
The Cubans have rejected it,
and the new regime inaugural
ted in Havana on the first day
OF this year by Gen. Blanco is
now generally considered as a
complete failure.
The patriots have declared
the acceptance of autonome an
act of treachery to their flag.
They have hanged as spies all
the Spanish agents sent to
them to propose such a scheme.
They have rejected with scorn
the offers of money made to
them by Blanco. The death of
the Cuban General Aranguren,
near Havana, has not dis
couraged the patriots in the
least. They keep up the war
as enthusiastically as ever,
having adopted as their motto
independence or DEATH"