The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-31
A CLAM0R.
Rival Cuban
Factions
WANT THE OFFICES.
Gen. Wood Having a Hard
Time With Insurgents.

Manzanillo, Oct SO.-The visit OF
Gen Leonard Wood governor of the
military department of Santiago, has
been instrumental in bringing ali the
elements among the Cubans to the
front. No fewer than two thousand
Insurgents, of whom 800 are officers,
want offices, and'their clamor amounts
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 Rabl faction, including the
mayoralty and the custom house in
spectorships. Gen. Wood, in order to
pacify the Rios faction has given
them 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 APP
pcintments. But neither party IS sat
ished, each thinking that it ought to
have all the offices. General Rios does
not dare express his opinion publicly
of Gen. Rabi, but he feels that this is
his district, as he has had the NOM
inal charge of it for three years. and
that it ought to belong TO him, so far
as appointments of Cubans 10 office
are concerned, and all the more so be-
cause he represents Gen. Calixto Gar
ella.
The majority of the insurgents there
have no money, and go about living
from hand to mouth, and wondering
what viii happen next. Armed men
are not allowed rations. AS the Gu
bans will not disDand and will not
work, nothing remains for them but to
strut about the city with macheres and
revolvers. Some OF them are spearly
naked; others appear in long-legged
patent leather boots with silver spurs,
carrying superbly wrought Toledo ma
chetes. A few wear Immaculate white
suits and panama hats.
These are for most part the New
York contingent, each man now Verit-
able Bombastes Furioso. Except when
he is on board the gunboat Hist, which
brought him here, Gen. Wood is be-
sieged by these seekers of office. Among
the interviews he has had was one with
Gen. Rios who wanted the mayor of
Manzanillo, one of Rabi's faction, dis
missed and his own man appointed to
the place. Gen. Wood asked on what
grounds the dismissal could be sus-
tanned. He said is not the mayor a
competent officer? Has he not an excel
lent reputation? Did he not serve
bravely and effectively throughout the
entire war?" To all of this Gen. Rios re-
piled in the affirmative, but he insisted
that his own nominee was entitled to
the position because he was a Rios man.
The interests of the city and the To-
cality were apparently minor considera-
tons in the mind of the Cuban COM
mander. But this appears to be the case
everywhere among the Cuban insur-
gents Gen Wood and Col. 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 sc 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.
Gen. 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 a very different form, the most diff
cult he has yet encountered.
1t was necessary to send a detach-
ment of the Fourth immune regiment,
under a sergeant, to the Rigney plan
tation, in order to compel the armed
Cubans to allow men to work there.
The undertaking, however, proved
successful, and 200 men are now regu-
larly employed. The latest advices
from Santa Cruz del Sur, the meeting
place of the Cuban assembly, do not
report the arrival there of Gen. Maxi
mo Gomez, but there are persistent ru-
mors that the friends Of Gomez, who
are delegates to the assembly, will en-
deavor to embarrass Gen. CaliXto Gar
cha and his supporters.
Lieut.. Young and the officers of the
Hist have been most enthusiastically
welcomed here by the Cubans, who
are grateful for the help many times
extended 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 well known to both parties as
the New York city hall is to- the resi-
dents of the metropolis. Lieut. Young
has formally claimed on behalf of the
United States navy, the wrecks of the
were sunken by the United States gun
boats in the memorable engagement off
Manzanillo, on July /.
After a final conference with Col.
Petit regarding the management of the
district, Gen. Wood left for Santiago
at noon today on board the the Hist.
Wednesday next he will proceed to-
Guantanamo, from which point, after
first returning to Santiago again, he
will leave for the north coast of the
province, to be gone probably week or
10 days. Two companies of Col Pettit's
immunes are to be sent Immediately tot
Bayamon.