The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-11
A DESPERATE DEFENSE
Is EXPECTED FROM THE SPANISH
TROOPS At SANTIAGO.
Alleged TO Number About 10000 Men,
Chiefly Infantry, but with Some
Cavalry ana Artillery.
copyrighted. 1888, by Associated Press.)

On Board the Associated Press Dispatcl
Boat Wanda, off Santiago de Cuba, Thurs.
day afternoon. June 0. via Kingston, IA
maica, Juno 10, 1880 p. m.-In Santiago Dc
Cuba there are now about 10000 Spanish
soldiers. chiefly infantry, but with a lair
contingent of cavalry and field artillery
! drawn from the surrounding country.
! During the day the cavalry skirmsn In
the vicinity of the city, returning at pight
TO barracks.
During the last few days the activi y OF
| the Spaniards has been particularly no.
ticeablc. OK trains have been making their
way to the batteries, attachments lave
been working on empl1cenents and there
have been other signs shown tina. the
| Spaniards are preparing for u desperate re-
| sstance
| Some guns from the ships may be u.s. Il
| in the forts. The insurgents, about 5000
strong, have taken position on noun
| tain to the westward. Two THOUSAND IN
surgonts of this gathering are unarned.
| General Gomez. now about $50 miles In
land, is making toward the coast. ID
miral Sampson Is actively cooperating
| with the insurgents.
Yesterday General Miniett of The insLi =
gent forces and his staff. went on board
the New York for a long consultation.
The naval officers have been doing splen-
did and daring work in carrying communt-
cations to the insurgents. landing arms and
making trips ashore for the purpoie of
gaining information Upon the gunooais
Suwanee and Vixen this work has chi!uy
devolved.
Lieutenant Sharp of the Vixen ana LEU
tenant Commander Delehanty of the Su-
vance have been daily entrusted with i'm
portant missions and have carried the IN
out successfully. The Vixens wolE Las
been chiefly confined to carrying messages
to and fro, but the Suwanee has been &C.
cupied in a more serious task.
This little gunboat has landed 100000
rounds of small arms ammunition. 5000
Springfield rifles. 5000 machetes. WITT
equal equipments and provisions
These were landed yesterday abb l. fif-
teen miles west of Santiago to some so
insurgents. who came down to the beach,
the main body remaining in the mountains.
The debarkation of the supplies was ted
Gus, but uninterrupted
The insurgents reported that irregular
engagements between their forces and the
Spanish cavalry were of daily occurrence.
The Cubans were hard up for supplies and
ammunition and were overjoyed at the
sight OF the Suwanee and cargo.
Some were most ravenous and hacked at
the slices of bacon and ate raw belf. They
had been living on lines, cocoanuts ami
sweet potatoes,
Ensign Gilpin of the Suwanee went
ashore and accompanied the Cubans to
their temporary camp in the island, whore
he found ten or dozen wounled men in
need Of surgical attention. Bandages for
them were sent from the Suwanee. The
casualties were the result OF a brush on
the previous night with Spanish cavalry
To the correspondent Of the Associated
Press on the Wanda, Ensign Gilpin, de-
soribing bis experience at the camp, which
is about ten miles inland, said:
Il found tho insurgents rough looking
and mixed lot Of boys and old men, riggei
out any way, carrying arms Of all sorts AMI
all anxious to borrow everything | had,
from my blouse to my revolver Four Span.
ish soldiers in uniform, carrying rifles.
marched into the camp while was there
and said they wanted to Join the in.ur-
gents. They were enrolled. but a close
watch was kept on them, as they belonged
TO the civil guard. A Cuban officer told M
such incidents were not infrequent The
Spaniards had Mauser rines, which we're
in fairly good condition."
conservative authorities believe the
uhlted states troops will have to carry out
their plans without placing much reliance
uEon tho insurgents. Several plucky Young
onicers like Ensign Glpin have made the
Trips ashore and taken observations of tn,
interior harbor and Notifications locating
me exact positions of Admiral Ceryera's
four ships.
IL Is hardly likely however tha. +b,
spanish admiral's ships will be ancbore1 |
at the same place both day and night.