The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-05-21
GES. JAMES F. SMITH, commanding

GEN. JAMES F. SMITH, commanding
the First regiment, California volun-
teers, was ordered, on the 18th, to leave
San Francisco with his regiment for
Manila on the steamer City of Pekin
on the night of the 10th.
On the 18th the queen regent OF
| Spain charged Senior Sagasta to form a
new cabinet.
GEN. FITzHUGH LEE will command
the Seventh army corps. Gen. Lee has
positive assurances that active opera
tions will begin before the end of May,
and that his corps, to be composed of
troops from the south Atlantic, gulf
and middle states, shall be among the
first to land on Cuban soil.
A DISASTROUS fire occurred at st.
HYacinthe, Quebec, on the 10th, when
st. Joseph's convent was burned, caus-
ing the loss of seven lives and the in
jury of a number of the inmates. There
are also five persons un~accounted for.
ACCORDING to a telegram from India,
a terrible cyclone has destroyed a great
part of Bima, a seaport town on the
island of SuInbawa, Malay archapel-
ago. The shores of Sumbawa bay are
covered with the bodies of thousands of
victims.
THE blockading squadron has been
given a free hand at last. Wherever
Notifications are found along the Gu
ban coast the crews of the ships will
be given a chance for target practice,
and there is likely to be dirt and ma
sonry flying at a likely rate.
Gin a recent engagement sever leagues
from Cienfuegos, Cuba, Gen. Gomez de-
feated 1,G0O Spanish troops and COM
PEELED the Spaniards to retire to the
city. The Spanish were also obliged
to abandon the minor outer fortifica-
tionS.
MAJ.-GEN. WESLEY MERRITT may not
go to to Philippines after all. He OBJ
jects to taking command unless he has
5~,OO0regulars as the nucleus of his army
of occupation.
MADRID newspapers assert that let
tiers for Spain. even those containing
checks and other valuables, have been
stopped at New York and destroyed.
The papers demand that the govern.
ment make reprisals upon Americans
resident in Spain, especially in the case
of the correspondents of American
newspapers.
BY the falling of an elevator used
for hosting building material at the
uncompleted warehouse of the Boston
Wharf Co., in Boston, on the 18th, one
man was instantly killed and five died
.,,r, ,,f+,r, sc tl,;. ~ ,,Ia- rr,rN o4h
ers were probably fatally injured.
TIE British second-class cruiser Pique
has been ordered to the islandof Iloilo,
of the Philippine group. for the pro-
lection of merchants whose lives and
property are threatened.
THE torpedo boat Mckee and the aux
Hilary torpedo-boat destroyer Yankton
Norfolk navy yard.
Cen. MERRITT has wired Secretary OF
War Algcr that the interviews pub.
lished in the New York papers, on the
10th, were in every way incorrect and
unauthorized.
INSTRUCTIONS have been given to the
maritime authorities at Barcelona not
to permit the departure of large steam
ers which might be used as ''auXiliaryo
cruisers.
AT the request of Rear-Admiral
Sampson, the encouragement has APP.
pointed Edward X. Jones, of New York,
to act as special counsel in the trial of
prize cases.
A SPECIAL from Hong Kong says
that it is absolutely necessary that
more American wal ships and a strong
military force be SEM to Admiral
Dewey's aid at once.