The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-09-11
ARE WORTHLESS
LAZY YAGABONDS.
Solder from Santiago Talks Plainly
About the Cubans.
THlEWSH BAND or TRAMPS.
Mr.. r. B. start. a Member Of the En-
ginecring Corps, Tells What lie
Saw During the Fighting
Around the Iil-Fated City.

II the United states government should
issue a call for volunteers 10 go down 10
cuba again to neht spaniards very few
OF those who went through the mill II
Santiago would Dee in hurry 90 respond.
But if call for volunteers 10 light the
Cubans. the response would oa prompt
and general. believe almost avery
man who fought at the battle Of SAN
tago. and who witnessed what low or
der OF tramps reaeeades. thieves and
worthless vagabonds the Americans were
fighting for. would so back willingly snd
take great pleasure in wiping those mis-
cradle. treacherous wretches OF the facs
OF the earth
Such was the language in which Mr. II.
e. start expressed himself as he occu-
pied a seat in the s0u.no0unt train en-
route 90 Anella Friday
Mr. start IS on q thirty days furlougn
from Camp WILSON,. where he arrived a
few DAYS ago from Santiago. dc is just
Getting back his strength after @ spell Of
fever. For several weeks he Was HAT OF
his back in the iN-laled city and be
hardly thought hs would ever get back
TO this country alive. lie enlisted "a Tie
First Illinois Volunteers from Chicago,
and at Tampa was transferred 10 The
First Volunteer Engineer Corps. On
June 25th he sailed Tor Santiago. reiching
that city July lst. As memDe. OF the
Engineering Corps he air not DO any
actual fighting. bat occupied a position
on the hring line July "a and commanded
10 ~ b 70 HIHn |I
also occupied the trenches after they
were taken by The Americans. From his
nosition as Quarlarmaster on The En-
rineering Corps be had a mne 0DpOr-
tuitv 10 observe what transpired during
the fighting ana also TO learn a great
deal about the methods adopted by The
two armies and The comparative merits
Of the soldiers.
CHARACTER OF THE SPANiARDs.
"The Standards are nothing IKE 80
mean soldiers as they are reported by
the papers" said Mr.. start "Of course,
some OF them had t0 use severe measures
with the Cubans from time 10 time. but
A. must he remembered what a lot OF
out-throats and bushWhackers those Gu
bans are. Nobody really knows what
the Spaniards had 90 contend with until
they 20 down 20 CUBA and learn some
thing OF the CHARACTER OF the men tAet
were fighting. We dii not find the Span
iards a bad lot al all They showed no
disposition whatever % mislreat our men
after they captured them. IL Is true they
did fire once upon the hospital corps, but
n must be remembered that they were
seven hundred Yards distant and the
smoke was almost binding. / do not be-
lieve they really knew they were firing
on the hospital corps al the time 1t was
done.
NO EXPLOSIVE BULLETS.
go far as / could observe the prison.
ers Ne took showed no disposition 20 be
.roacherous. The stories about their
rising explosive bullets are untrue. They
rsed a small round bullet which was
Tsallv not so effective as the bullets from
he sprlngnelt rifles. The latter almost
aluays shattered the bones when strik-
ing solid. while the Spanish bullets made
round. smooth holes ard seldom shat
tered bones There IS no truth In the
statement that the Span.ards used brass
bullets that caused blood poisoning. Il
Is fact that the Cubans used brass bull
lets 10 a considerable extent. but so FAR
as could observe the Spaniards carried
ON a fair and square mode OF warfare.
(Conuuued on Fifth PageD