The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-24
SUNDAY. JULY a. 1898
GARCIA AND his Gang.

xt-,.-, tt,e announcement FIRST came mat
.ho cuban General Garcia hae taken
Great oneass because General Smarter Ola
M, tsu down before him as conquerins
nero and that So his high dudgeon ne
cad taken himself and his bandit on TO
~bA mountains. leaving shafter to what
over fate might hefau him. nobody was
disDosed 10 credit the news. because mo-
fodv supposed that any but spanlaIa
,pouId be fool enough 10 enact such
,,orfornance And even now there are
some features OF the case that suggest
q doubt whether the thing possibly can
baasft is represented AS the story goes
Garcia. is going 20 give nap the three
.oYare meals OF our food that DE and his
bandit get each day. and hetake them-
selves 20 the cuban mountains ana suoh
.,ourishment as hucKelberries' and orlar
roots give Garcia is no doubt very
r-oyd but Cubaus get very hungry. and
when it comes IN o. choice between sooih-
,nr Gar-ia's pride and satisfying their
keen appeutes. we expect 10 see the
bandit stay near tho United states fnp-
ply ships
Garcia is a Cuban. but then, as his
name shows he is nothing but spaniard
Cubanised. and his letter 10 General
shafter IS just as foolish ass anything
that was 10 Doe expected from a Spaniard
He saws shafter did not notify him that
Santiago was about 10 cap.tulate. And
what IL Shaftcr did not? What was the
important thing 20 Garcia, that Santiago
should capltulate or that no should be
notified that the place would capitulateF
He has been complaining that the Span
3ards I'm Santiago cruelty wronged and
oppressed him and Shafter had taken
them By tho napes OF their necks and
had booted them ont OF Cuba Was not
that the important thing TO Garcia, and
was 10 a matter Of any serious moment
20 him whether he learned the fact from
ehafter or some one else, so that ho
learned the fact 20 be a fact?
When our army landed at Santiago
end was introduced TO General Garcia
and his army. we found out what had
already become pretty evident. that Gar
cia's army was very similar 20 Sir John
Falstafrs. and that his gang of half
naked frcebooters was about as much en-
titled TO the consideration accorded an
organized army as a band Of wharf-rats
are 20 the most polite attentions of the
Prince OF Wales our army hd1 20 do
their fighting while they loafed around
the outskirts spying out whatever they
could steal. and General Shafter is not
20 be much censured IL he forgot AN about
them when his whole mind and attention
was engaged in persuading those Span
iards TO deliver up to him tho Mauser
rifles that they had used with such effect
a few DAYS before. So that an things
considered. we shall acquire most happy
radiance II Garcia and his freebooters 90
of 20 the mountains IN hish dudgeon.
but we have about as much idea that
they are really going TO put themselves
where they can draw no more OF our
rauons as we have that the moon Will
turn 10 green cheese
Garcia tells General shaner that he
might have pocketed his wrath at the
indign.ty put on him A. shafter had not
continued the local government In San
tiaeo that existed there I'm Spanish days.
BUT This. said bee. was too much. because
The officers were not elected by the ciu-
gems Of Santiago. but appointed by the
Queen Of Spain.
And pray what opportunity had there
been. when General shaltor authorized
The old government 20 continue its func-
uons. 90 hold an election and choose "A
mayor. chief-of-poHce, police justice, DC?
The old government must have remained
in control until an election could be held
or there must have been an interrognum,
during witch the city would be in a
state OF anarchy Garcia plainly suggests
that ne and his bandit could have sup
Piled an enectual government in the
mean time. and he scornuliy rcpudiates
sA Idea that because his frcebooters were
naked they were any the more wanting
IN civilization being more like the Amer
leans OF Saratoga and Yorktown. than
like the savsges they are thought 70 be-
But General shaiter dld not take that
view OF the case. and the American peo-
pie are going TO approve entirely OF his
conclusion In the matter Americans do
not believe that the wolf is the best guar
dian for the sheep, and they VA never