Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-08-10
AFTER THE SURRENDER.
PITIFUL SCENES ON THE ROAD
TO SANTIAGO.
STARVING REFUGEES-A ROUGH RID
ER'S COMPASSIONATE CITY'S DE-
FENCEs-sPANISH SOLDIERS.
From the New York Sun.

a Few hours after the Spaniards had sur
rendered their arms and the American
flag had been raised on the governors
palace. 1t was Sunday, and exactly a
week before our batteries had opened fire
on the Spanish trenches to let Toral know
that unless he submitted his army would
be destroyed. Our lines extended round
the head OF the bay, SO that retreat for the
Spanish army was a strategic impossi-
bility.
On Saturday Gen. Shafter had declared
that he would allow no one to enter the
city after capitulation, but finding no
evidences of disorder in Santiago, and see
ing that the Spaniards were not ill dis
posed toward their conquerors, he decided
to issue limited number of passes. He
was the more moved to this course be-
cause the officers and men of the two
armies were mingling with the utmost
good will, the officers cracking an oc-
casional bottle of wine together and the
men swapping food and cigars.
The Spaniards were in half-starved
condition, and gladly exchanged bottle
of rum for five crackers. A pound of ba-
con brought handful of cigars. As soon
as formal surrender was made 1000 of
the Spanish troops We're marched into the
valley between the trenches and went into
camp. There they will remain until the
ships to take them to Spain are ready
AS the Sun man rode along the road to-
ward Santiago, exhibiting his pass to a
chain of sentries who had rigid orders to
let no one go into the city without per-
nit, he passed through a procession of
refugees returning to their home in the
city from Ell Caney. Many of these peo-
pie were so emaciated and weak that they
tottered along. There were almost naked
children in the throng, whose bones
seemed to protrude through the flesh, and
women, whose faces seemed mere hollow
eyes and cheek bones, were being sup
ported as they put one uncertain foot be-
fore the other in the long walk to the city.
Often they held out imploring hands and
pointed despairingly to their mouths.
Others chartered their needs shrilly in
Spanish in the hope that the stranger
would understand them. The stronger
s.,
and even children of six years were plod-
ding along with bundles, often crying
with hunger.
During the early hours of the day the
American soldier had done his best to help
and feed them. 1t happened that Col.
Roosevelt's regiment, the First volunteer
cavalry, was holding ridge cut in two
nv 7 no tp I
given away their rations in the most reck-
less manner to the unfortunates Further,
they had helped to carry the weaker chill
dren along the road as far as their officers
would permit them to go. Happy jack
of Arizona, diamond in the rough, was
the most conspicuous in this good work.
But DR.. Church sternly forbade it as soon
as he learned of it, telling Col. Roosevelt
that he would not answer for the i'm
munity of his men from fever if they per-
sisted in carrying the children and help
ing along the women. For the first time
in his life "Iiappy jack developed re-
lgion.
Cod he said to Col. Roosevelt,
wouldn't let fellow catch yellow fever
who was doing good turn for the kids"
In the roadway which the visitor to
Santiago traversed lay the skeletons of
many horses brides still hanging to the |
skulls and the bones picked clean. Starry
ing Spaniards had begun the work of
stripping the flesh, and the buzzards had I
feasted on what was left. These horses |
had belonged to the enemy's cavalry, and /
had been killed by our shrapnel The air
was filled with the stencil of putrefaction.
As one assembled the last ridge of hills |
outside the city it became apparent that
the spaniards had surrendered position
of extraordinary natural strength BY
Smelling they might have been dislodged,
but it would have cost our infantry very
dear if they had been called upon to take
the ridge by assault. A food famine, and
probably dearth of ammunition, were
evidently the impelling causes of surren-
der.
In the suburbs of the city, where only
matched houses were to be seen and the |
very poor lived, trenches, barbados, and
cherour de friSe were encountered in the
streets. The Spaniards had planned to fall
back and contest every foot of the way to
the heart OF Santiago, but hunger had cast
the die against them.
The first large stone building encoun-
tered was the hospital over which the Red
Cross flag had been waving ever since the
first gun was fired. Our men had been
rather skeptical about the uses to which
this building at the very threshold of the
city was being put, but it was really hos
pltal full of wounded men and admir-
ably conducted, as glance through the
windows disclosed. The rooms were clean
and high and the corridors cool and rest
ful. There was neat array of glasses,
bottles, and Walls on the shelves. In beds
and hammocks the wounded We're lying
comfortably.
Santiago's narrow streets We're full of
Spanish soldiers i'm some olacee of a,.,, =,