Evening star., 1898-11-16
The Truth Prevailing.

It is noteworthy circumstance that just
as General Garcia is on the eve of starting
for TIE United States to confer with the
President on the subject of Cuba the last
and most damaging of the charges brought
against his men in the Santiago campaign
is officially disposed of. leaving the Cubans
under his command at that time and him
self with a record of character and eff
cheney to their credit.
The indictment brought consisted of three
counts; ID The insurgents We're cowardy
and wholly inefficient. They were repre-
sented as having rendered no aid at all to
the United States forces. (2) The men were
thieves and gluttons. They purloined
everything they could lay hands on, gorged
themselves with Uncle Sans grub and
then ffunked when the fighting began. (3)
They conducted themselves like savages in
the presence of Spanish prisoners. Special
mention was made of the way in which it
was alleged they haG behaved toward the
sailors from Admiral Cervera's fleet when
those helpless men were cast ashore after
the Spanish ships went down. 1t was stat
ed that but for the intervention of the
crews of the American ships the Cubans
would have butchered the Spaniards.
These charges have now, one by one, been
disproved by the highest authorities. Cen
erals Lawton. Wheeler Ludlow and lastly
General Miles, all make acknowledgment
of services received at the hands of Gen
eral Garcia and his forces. and General
Miles in his lengthy report states that not
only did General Garcia take orders from
him. but succeeded in obedience to them in
keeping a large force of Spaniards out of
Santiago after the American investiture OF
the city began.
As to the alleged pilfering and gormandz-
ing by the Cubans General Wheeler has
explained that they merely picked up in
plain view of everybody what had been
thrown away. The Americans found them
selves too heavily clad for the tropics. and
upon landing and beginning their march in
land began stripping themselves of all ex-
tras. The Cubans, who were nearly naked,
gladly snatched W what their deiverers
thus discarded, and clothed themselves with
ii. There was doubtless some petty thiev-
cry, but Gen. Wheeler explains away the
gravest of the charges. The Cubans proved
to be healthy feeders. because for the first
time in three years they found themselves
at a bountiful table
The last, the most serious charge of all
has now been refuted by Admiral Cervera
himself, whose report of the destruction of
his fleet and all the attending circum-
stances is before the public, After describ-
ing the pitiful plight of himself and his
men. who had been cast ashore naked the
admiral says:
The Insurgents had captured about two
hundred men. and with them five or six
VINO We're wounded. The insurgents ten
dered their services. which l thankfully de
clined. We have surrendered to the Amer
leans, 1 told them. If You have surgeons
with you, kindly permit them to attend to
the wounded. several of whom are in d very
bad condition. -
So that instead of being towards and
thieves and savages, according to the wild
yarns of the hour, the men commanded by
General Garcia, according to official re-
ports, carried themselves like soldiers and
were of service to the United States forces
TraducinS the Cubans has so far not been
eminenIlY successful