The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-31
CUBAN OFFICE SEEKERS
HORDE OF 2,OOe CLAMORING AT GEN.
WOODS HEELS IN MANZANILLO.
Rival Factions Demand the Mayoralty
and Prefer to Stnrve. Rather
than Lay Down Their Arms.

MANzANILLO, Oct. 80 - The visit of
Gen. Leonard Wood governor of the mill
tary department of Santiago. has been in
strumental in bringing all the elements
among the Cubans to the front. No fewer
than 1900 insurgents, of whom 500 are Off
GERS, want offices, and their clamor amounts
almost to a demand. There are two leading
factions-one headed by Gen. Jesus Rabi
and the other by Gen. Rios. At present
most of the offices are held by representa-
tives of the Rabi faction. including the
mayoralty and the custom-house inspector
ship. General Wood, in order to pacify the
Rios faction, has given it six positions on
the rural police force and turned over to
one of their people the lighthouse at Cape
Cruz, together with several other minor
appointments. But neither party is satisfied.
each thinking that it ought to have all the
offices. General Rios does not dare express
his opinion publicly of General Rabi, but
he feels that this is his district, he has
had the nominal charge of it for three
years, and that it ought to belong to him
so far as appointments of Cubans to Office
are concerned. and all the more SO because
he represents General Garcia
The insurgents here have no money, and
go about living from hand to mouth and
wondering what will happen next Armed
men are not allowed rations. AS the Gu
bans will not disband and will not work.
nothing remains for them but to strut about
the city, with machetes and revolvers. Some
of them are nearly naked; others appear
in long-legged patent-leather boots, with
silver spurs. carrying superbly wrought
Toledo machetes. A few wear immaculate
white suits and panama hats These are
for 10 NovU X0rlx o0nfin-
gent
Except when he is on board the gunboat
Hist, which brought him here, General
Wood is besieged by these seekers for Of
flee. Among the interviews he has had was
one with General Rios who wanted the
mayor of Manzanillo, one of Rabis faction,
dismissed and his own man appointed to
the mayoralty. General Wood asked on
what grounds the dismissal could be sus-
tanned. He said: rs not the mayor COM
petent officer? Has he not an excellent
reputation, and did he not serve bravely
and effectively throughout the entire war;"
To all of this General Rios replied in the
affirmative, but he insisted that his own
nominee was entitled to the position be-
cause he was Rios man. The interests
of the city and the locality were appar-
emily minor considerations in the mind of
the Cuban commander. But this appears
to be the case everywhere among the Gu
ban insurgents
General Wood and Colonel Petit regard
the outlook as rather discouraging. Still,
they hope that some means may soon be
found to break up the Cuban army. The
members of the rank and file are anxious
to go to work, but the leaders refuse to
allow them to do so, and the men do not
dare desert as they would certainly be
shot if captured. General Wood is hoping
that the other towns he will visit in his
trip around the province will not present
the same vexatious conditions as prevail
here, where the Cuban problem is presented
in very difficult form, the most difficult
he has yet encountered. 1t was necessary
to send detachment Of the Fourth Immune
Regiment under sergeant to the Rigney
plantation, in order to compel the armed
Cubans to allow men to work there The
undertaking, however, proved successful,
and 200 men are now regularly employed.
The latest advices from Santa Cruz del
Sur, the meeting-place of the Cuban Assem-
bly, do not report the arrival there of Gen.
Maxine Gomez, but there are persistent
rumors that the friends of Gomez, who are
delegates to the Assembly, will endeavor to
embarrass Gen. Calixto Garcia and his sup
porters
Lieutenant Young and the officers of the
Hist have been most enthusiastically well
coined here by the Cubans, who are CRATE
full for the help many times extended to
them. The gallant little boat during the
war was as much an object of love to the
Cubans along the coast as of fear to the
Spaniards. She was quite as we'll known
to both parties as the New York City hall
is to the residents of the metropolis. Lieu
tenant Young has formally claimed, on be-
half of the United States navy, the wrecks
of the Spanish gunboats that went ashore
or were sunk by the United States gunboats
IN the memorable engagement off Manzan-
lilo on July /.
After final conference with Colonel Petit
regarding the management of the district,
General Wood left for Santiago at noon
to-day on board the Hist. On Wednesday
next he will proceed to Guantanamo, from
which point after first returning to Santi-
ago again, he will leave for the north coast
of the province, to be gone probably a week
or ten days. Two companies of Colonel
Pettits immunes are to be sent Immediate
ly to Bayamoa.
Maltreating a cough Beware of irritating po-
tons and of opiates. Hale's Honey of Horehound