Evening star., 1898-11-14
Serious Conditions in Havana Result.
ing From Spanish Greed.
SOLDIERS CLAMOR FOR THEIR PAY
Other Unpaid Soldiers Called on te
Suppress Them.
BAD SANITARY CONDITIONS
Special From a staff Correspondent.

| HAVANA, November 13, via Key West,
November 1.-THE mutiny Of the orden
! publico must force the unpleasant fact on
| the Washington authorities that something
| more is to De decided in Havana than yell
| low fever. Besides, the condition which has
| resulted from troops bivouacking in the
| streets raises fresh sanitary dangers. If
| they remain much longer the city will not
| be habtable for American troops this VIM
| ter
Blanco and his subordinates are confident
they will be able to suppress any revolt.
| They may be right, but it is a dangerous
experiment. when public order depends upon
a set of underpaid troops keeping in check
another set Of underpaid troops. That is
| the exact itLaticn.
| Today more soldiers are massed in Ha-
vana than at any time since the riots of
| last January. They are orderely but they
paralyze the little that was being done to-
ward surface sanitation.
| No one ventures to predict the outcome.
| The orden puElico organization has
been dis banded, and, 1t is claimed disarm-
| ed, though the extent of this disarmament
| is doubtful. They may not act In a body
| but the question which no one answers is
| how active other battalons may become
| IN sympatbiZing with them and in demand
Ing pay. Gen. Aroia's popularity among his
| soldiers has disappeared since he killed the
| orden puolioo. The people of Havana are
| absolutely quiet, with no disposition to mix
in the troubles of the army. PEPPER.
| Spain Tries to Raise Money.
| By Associated Press
| HAVANA, November 13 (via Key West
| Fla, November 1D.-The disturbances here
| are momentarily over. Everything is quiet
and regular Spanish troops are patroIling
| the city.
The Spanish government yesterday offer
| ed the market here f425,00O at three days
/ on London in order to apply the proceeds
| to the payment of the troops. Two Span
| ish bankers took f120,O00, but the foreign
houses refused to touch the paper unless
first advised that the necessary funds had
been deposited in London banks to meet
the drafts.
The paper is being offered at one or two
points below commercial rates. showing
| how far spain's credit is impaired.
1t is reported that forty-fva ringleaders
and the chief promoters of the mutiny
of Thursday have been arrested and i'm
prisoned in MORO Castle, but it is under
stood that none of them will be court
| nlartialed.
Orden Publfco Disbanded.
HAVANA, Nov. 13, via Key West, Fla,
Nov. 14.-The mutiny of the orden pub
| leo forces, which for two days threatened
the peace Of this city, has resulted In the
dissolution Of that body today, when, af-
ter the payment of some arrears and the
promise of full liaudation the revolving
troops laid down their arms. Capt. Gen.
Blanco then ordered all the foot and mount
ed regiments of the orden publco to be
disbanded, that organization ceasing to
exist from this date
AS originally yrta laJ
that the mutiny should have extended to
the gardia civil and the artillery regulars
aud it would in that event have assumed
much graver Importance and might per-
haps have inaugurated a reign Of terror
and bloodshed in the island.
For some time pest the uprising of the
troops In consequence of the non-receipt
of their pay has been feared. Not only is
tteir pay owing for months and in some
cases for years, but the reserve pay of
the soldiers. their savings since the date
of their enlistment, which were looked
upon by them as sacred, have been ap-
propriated or stolen, as the men say 10y
the government, which now turns a leaf
ear to their protests.
Amount Reaches Millions,
What amount this reserve pay reaches it
| is Impossible to estimate, but 1t is known
that it agsrega tes millions. This IL what
| has been participating riots, causing mu-
tiny here, impe!ling the men to insuherdina-
ton at Nuevitas and which may yet give
rise to further widespread disturbances in
the island.
The Havana mutiny, which was started
yesterday, vas precipitated by Gen. Arolas,
the military governor Of the city, whose
fiery temper and brutal treatment of ofIi-
GERS is the source of daily spreading dis
content.
At midnight on Wednesday General Aro-
las, at the head of battalion of regular
infantry, having been apprised of the in
in the.,
and demand their pay, surprised the artii-
lery outposts stationed along the Vedado
road, including the Santa Clara and Reina
Chorrera batteries, disarmed them and
placed them under surveillance
The next morning (Thursday) the third
company of the orden, publico numbering
generals palace, in the Plaza de Armas.
and demanded their overdue pay The men
were ordered to retire, but refused. General
Arolas, who arrived on the scene almost
his baton of office and savagely attacked
some OF the onlookers, seriously hurting a
government employe, who had rushed out
of the palace from curiosity
BY this time the Plaza de Armas was
filed with wildly excited crowds, who loud
ly condemned and cursed Gen. Arolas.
Soldiers Demand Their Pay.
At that period of the excitement the or
den publico, with fixed bayonets, assumed
an attitude of deep hostility toward Gen.
Arolas, whom the men considered respon-
s:ble for the disgraceful way in which
they had been treated. That moment Gen.
Solano, Captain General Blanco's chief of
staff, appeared at the palace door and
commanded the attention of the men. H3
addressed them in a conciliatory tone,
upbraided them for their insubordination
and condemned the Hl-advised course they
were pursuing.
Then placing himself at their head Gen.
>ral Solano himself marched the men back
IL their quarters. where he again addressed
them, promising them they would be paid
Thursday. The day passed quietly without
any further incident until dusk
The mutinCus Crden publico had then
learned that Gen. Aroias had called over
1000 regulars in from the suburbs Beliey-
ing that Gen. Arolas meant to disarm them
the orden puhico again left their quarters
each man with $50 rounds of ammunition
in his belt and lined up in the street oppo-
site the armcry, ready to offer resistance, if
necessary.
Troops Would Not Charge.
Shortly after nightfan General Arolas. at
the head of the regulars, and preceded by
a band of music playing national airs, ar
rived before the orden publico's headquar-