The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-07-15
THEY FOUND GOMEZ.
Lively Fighting by a Filibustering
Party Carrying Supplies


Key West, Fla. July 15.-Those cham
pion filibusters, the Florida and the
Fanita, under convoy of the little gun
boat Peoria, have landed the largest
and probably the last expedition sent to
the aid of the insurgents. 1t was
task beset with peril and difficulty,
costing one man his life and wounds to
half a dozen others.
Captain Jose Manuel Nunez, brother
Of Gen. Emilio Nunez was killed, Win
thrOp Chanler of New York, was shot
through the right elbow and five Gu
bans suffered trifing injuries. How
many Spanish lives answered for this
will never be known, but there were
enough to more than balance the score.
The debarkation was effected on July
3, at PalO Alto, on the southern coast
of Cuba, but the fighting occurred be-
fore then. To the Peoria, one of the
newest acquisitions to the mosquito
fleet, goes the full glory of the achieve
ment. The Peoria was until lately
pilot boat at Philadelphia. The Florida
and F'anita left Key West on Saturday,
June 25, under the convoy of the Pc
oria, commanded by Lieutenant T. w.
Ryan. On board the steamers were IS
CUbans under General Nunez. 500 troop
ers of the Fifth United States cavalry
under Lieutenants Johnson and Ahern
and % rough riders under Winthrop
Chanler, brother of Colonel William
Aston Chanler The cargoes included
the horses of the cavalrymen, with for
age; two dynamite guns, with $50 30
pound prOjectileS; two full batteries Of
light field pieces, ten three inch rifles,
with 5000 cartridges for the same; A.
600 Springfield rifles, with 954, 600 cart
ridges; 200 MauSerS, with 100000 cart
ridges; 200 Colts revOlverS and $1,000
cartridges; !, AS saddles, $50 brides, T.,
663 infantry unifrOmS, including 5,O0S
pairs of shoes and blankets, shirts. hats
and hammOcks and over 200 900 pounds
of provisions, including bacon, corn
meal, coffee, sugar, beef, beans, hard
tack and canned corn.
1t had been intended to land the ex-
petition at San Juan point on the north
coast, midway between Cienfuegos and
Trinidad, but at that point, on We'd
nesday evening, June %, the expedition
was fired upon by the Spaniards con-
cealed in an old block house near the
point.
From this point the expedition sailed
eastward about 40 miles to Las TunaS,
where they arrived on the following
afternoon. Four miles west Of the
town, at the mouth of the TallabOca
river, stood a large fort, built of rail-
road iron and surrounded by earth
works. The Peoria ran boldly in and
fired several shots from her three
Founders, but brought no response and
no signs of life. Here a scouting party,
made up of fifteen volunteers, under
Winthrop Chanler, and as many CUbans
under Capt. Nunez, was sent ashore.
The Peoria took a position within short
range of the fort to protect a. landing
or cover a retreat, as events might de-
termine, and the small boats headed for
the shore. They reached it, 500 yards
east of the fort. The boats were
beached and their occupants cautiously
Scramb led toward the brush. At al
most the very moment they set foot
on the sands the fort and the entrench-
ments around it burst into flame and
shot and Shells screamed about the
little band of invaders Capt Nunez
was stepping from his boat when
shot struck him between the eyes and
he went down dead. Chanler fell with
a broken arm. The others safely
gained the thicket and replied with
sharp fire directed at the entrench-
ments. Meanwhile the Peoria set all
her guns at work and rained shells
upon the fort until the enemy's fire
ceased A retreat was ordered and the
party rushed for the boats, but volley
after VOlley came from the shore, and
they were compelled to throw them
selves into the water and paddle along
side the boats with only their heads ex-
posed, until the ships were reached.
The Spaniards had the range, however,
and five CubanS were wounded. though
none seriously. The Peoria opened her
guns on a grove of cOcOanut palms,
from which the Spaniards had been
sending in a hot fire. and must have
Killed many SpaniardS, for her shells
dropped into the smoke and flash of
the adversaries' fire, silencing it. When
the small boats reached the ship it was
dark Then the discovery was made
that besides Capt Nunez, whose body
was left on the beach, there were miss
ing Chanler, Doctors Iund and Abbott,
Lieutenant Agramont and two Gu
bans. It was reported that Chanler
had been MORALLY wounded, and was
kept af1oat in the bushes along the
shore by the two doctors. No less than
four rescue parties were sent ashore
during the night. Toward morning
Lieutenant Ahern in charge of one of
these found Chanler and his compan-
ions. Chambers wound proved to be in
the right elbow. After sunrise Agra
mont and his Cubans were discovered
and brought off
The next day the gunboat Helena ar
rived, and on Friday morning she and
the Peoria steamed in towards Las
Tunas, which the Spaniards had been
vigorously terrifying. Las Tunas is
connected by rail with Sancti SpirituS,
a town of considerable size, and rein
fOrcements of artillery had been rap
idly coming in Range buOys had been
placed in the bay, but avoiding these,
the ships drew into close range and
opened fire. The Spaniards had sew
eral Krupp field pieces of three or
four inches mounted on earthworks
along the water front, and they be
gan a vigorous but i'll directed reply
with shell and shrapnel. The fire of
our ships was most accurate and de-
structive.
The Spanish gunners fired but ff-
teen or twenty shots before their guns
were flying in the air, their earthworks
a mass of blood-stained dust and their