The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-24
Lopez and His Ghost.


began in 1S4S has grown more and more
troublesome TO the government for JUS
half q century. Many Spaniards-partic.
ularly those resident in Cuba-have ar
Idea that this country looks with some
thing like approval on the fiibusterins
activities of those who aim to assist Gu
ba, but the course of the Washington
government has been consistent from the
! beginning. Raiders have been forbidden
to engage in attacks on Cuba; they have
been arrested, tried and punished on ma
ny observation-disclosures when such course
is possible. And when the raiders have
! been captured, as in the case OF Lopez
the United States has permitted Spain to
inflict what punishment she woodland il
has been savage enough, as the ghost OF
Lopez might testify.
Narciso Lopez was born in Venezuela, OF
a distinguished family. He was an arts
toerat, royalist, and when Spanish arms
clashed against those of the rising Vene-
zuelan patriots he took sides with the
crown and fought 10 put down the insur-
rection. He won so much favor at the
time that he went TO Madrid, and be-
came quite a hero. In that first and
greatest of the Cariist uprisings-which,
had il succeeded, would have given US a
man king of Spain instead of boy and
| a woman TO fight with today-LopeZ
fought with the crown soldiers and against
Don Carlos And when the war was over
it lasted from 1888 to 1S4o-Lopez was
greatly honored. He must have been a
man of much ability. Indeed, before the
revolution was fully defeated-in 1S39-he
was made governor of the Spanish prov
ince Of Valencia, and they gave him the
full rank of general in 1870.
| But he seems not to have been made of
| the stuff that could fill his life with strut
tings in fine uniforms through plazas, with
dawdllng at bull fights and with twisting
| cigarettes, so in 1841 he went to Cuba And
about the first thing he did there was to
| begin plotting against the crown. There
/ was a thought in Cuba that the island
/ should be free. That thought had al
ways existed. Lopez encouraged it. He
came to regard himself as the destined
| liberator of Cuba. And he fell under sus-
picion, though it was eight years after
his arrival before the elimination came.
Then he was hunted from the island by
| the Spanish authorities and came to the
United States.
He wanted to raise an army and free
Cuba at once. But President Taylor issued
| a proclamation forbidding Americans as
sisting the general in any way. He went
to New Orleans and began his labors.
General Lopez at that time must have
been magnificent figure. He was true
Castilian in appearance, almost heroic in
size, splendid in proportions gifted with
| most captivating manners, and with a
really gifted mind. He had but to make
his representations and the venturesome
youths of the south hurried to his stand
ard. He had company all ready for the
sailing, but the United States authorities
stopped him in 1S49-and all the jingoes
in the country damned President Taylor
till they were black in the face. They had
looked for different things from "Old
Rough and Ready" from the hero of Mex
leo.
Lopez himself was warned but he slip
ped away and went TO Cuba, having but
few adherents with him. He believed he
could have the island with the help of
500 men, and his Cuban friends told him
he was right.
So he returned to New Orleans, and in
the spring of 1850 he secretly organized a
company and left the crescent city on the
good ship Creole with $40 men. He dis
tributed titles and commissions right and
left, and carried most hopeful lot of in
NdO6TS. 4nSy ldDOeO dL next
to Havana the most important town on
the north coast, and less than 100 miles
from that capital.
The people did not rally to his stand
ard. He made little stand against the
Spanish soldiers, but was easily over
thrown. 1t may be interesting to observe
that we may read little lesson from Lo-
PEE right here if we care to do so. Those
610 men of his were of the stuff that had
conquered Mexico. In the number were
scores-very likely hundreds-who had re-
ceived their baptism of fire in the war
across the Rio Grande. They were armed
and provisioned in the best manner known
at that day. They were opposed to the
same kind of Spanish soldiers as those
now defending MORO Castle. And they
lasted about two hours.
Lopez himself escaped. So did some of
his men. The rest are still in Cuba-their
graves forgotten for half a century But
1t was easy to raise another company
Public sentiment demanded that the gov
eminent keep hands off" The whole
southern and western country had taken
fire from the vivid emanations Of Narciso
Lopez's hope. Colonel w. L. Crittenden
OF Kentucky, a nephew of John Jordan
United States senator, attorney general
was but one of many prominent Ameri-
cans in the party. General Progay. a
Hungarian patriot and hero, was but one
of the circle of nobility which cast lot
with Lopez. They had all the money they
wanted all the ammunition they could
carry, arms that had wrested a kingdom
from Santa Ana and all the liberty they
could have required had their purpose
been to take shellfish in Matsgorda Bay.
For, though openly forbidding and dis
countenancing the movement, the agents
of our government were secretly IN sym
pathy, supported by the lingo clamor OF
the nation, and a convenient blindness
seized all the United States officials at
New Orleans,
With coo men-he could have had 1000
if he had asked for them-Lopez sailed
from New Orleans July 1. 1880 and July
Ii he landed at the northern coast Of the
island. east Of Csrdenas and away from
cities He left Colonel Crittenden with 100
men 10 defend and hold that position. With
500 Americans he struck for the interior
of the island and raised the banner Of Gu
ban revolution. And the Cubans let him
raise It as high as he liked. They went
on rolling cigarettes
The Spaniards came down from Havana
and captured Crfttenden and his party.
took htem back and shot them. The ex-
ecution occurred July IS. three days be-
fore Lopez had been attacked The few
Cubans who had rallied 20 his side desert
ed him. Some Of them sold camp infor-
nation and led the Spaniards TO the at
tack July Is the revolution" was over.
Lopez was walking back 20 Havana-in
irons. The Spanish cavalry was hurrying
him and his unhappy friends through the
ys,hita dilst ard he farr.hle heat.