The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-30
MACEO'S HORSE IN SAVANNAH.
DROUGHT HERE BY CAPT. PURDY
OF THE CUBAN ARMY.

| With Him From Cuba on the MIMI
toba-BOth Horse and Man Have a
Record in the Cuban Revolution
and Bear Marks of Their Service.
Capt. Purdy's Experiences in the
| Warfare of the Patriots.
The transport Manitoba brought up two
passengers from Cuba, both of whom pos
sess considerable personal interest If the
latter adjective may be applied to one of
! them. One is Capt. F. Hovey Purdy,
! formerly of Galveston, Tex, but now of
| the government guard of Cuba and the |
other is Camaguey, the famous horse Of
| the Cuban general Antonio Maceo, who
died for his cause after having won rep
utation achieved by no other negro soldier
in the history of the world The horse
is now the property of Capt. Hovey, who
has just returned to this country after
| three years In the service of the Cuban
government
Many people in the city have doubtless
noticed, during the last few days, a trim,
neatly butt young man, of medium hight
! and blond mustache, Drawing the wintry
winds in a white duck suit and a big Pan
| anna straw hat. They might also have
noticed that the white duck suit was trim
med with gold braid, and that there were
straps on The shoulders indicative of an
officers rank. This is Capt Purdy, and
he has an interesting story to tell, or
rather, so many of them, that it is i'm
possible for him to tell them all at once
Capt Purdy comes to this country back
l,,a
of letters from President Masso and other
| Cuban leaders to show that he is what
| he claims to be, and he has some matters
which he will present to the government
| at Washington He is now waiting TO
make connection with his bag
gage and effects, which he left
at Tampa several months ago. before
proceeding further. This is why he is still
wearing his white duck suit.
The horse which Capt. Purdy brought
up with him is at Younelove & Sipple's
stable, on West Broad street. 1t IS
long coupled bay, with a bodied tai and
with evidence of having seen service,
though not in bad condition by any means.
The animal is lean and siuewey, and looks
like a genuine campagner. This is the
horse" said Capt. Purdy, to a Morning
News reporter, that Gen. Maceo rode Oh
his famous march across the Island, wheE
he crossed the trocha. The horse became
the property of Col. Rodriguez after Ma
ceos death, and was presented to me by
him. The Cubans are devoted to the an
imal, and they would never have let me
take him out of the country had they
known my purpose. 1t is about all have
to show, however for my three years
service"
Capt Purdy is New Yorker by birth,
but a Texan by adoption and in appear
ance and manner he is an apt combina-
ton of the live New Yorker and breezy
Texan. He was doing well in Galveston,
, he said, and went into the Cuban revo-
luton purely in a spirit of adventure and
out of sympathy with the down trodden
Cubans. He left this country with a fiji
clustering expedition, landing on the north
coast a Guanaja and joining the COM
mand of a Capt. Gonzalez as a private.
, They joined Gen. Garcia in the mountains
of Santiago.
''In fact all of my service" said Capt.
Purdy was in The eastern end of the
island, except forty-two days which
spent in Havana as a secret agent of the
Cuban government. II was my luck TO be
there at the time of the blowing up of
the Maine, but l was compelled to leave
after that incident. going to Tampa. !
returned to Cuba with Gen. Iacrets eX-
petition, which was the first large expe-
0 dition of Cubans sent out by the United
i States government after the declaration
Of hostilities on the steamer Florida bear
ing arms, ammunition and supplies to the
Cubans.
Capt. Purdy said that it was well I'M
derstood in Havana, among all classes,
that the Maine was blown up by the
Spaniards. The latter made their threats
!, freely, and openly predicted that the
e Maine would never leave Havana.
. she has not gene yet" they would say
D significantly when reminded that the
! Maine was still safe
. How Capt Sigsbee could have been
: so confident is beyond me to under
b stand" said Capt. Purdy. HE evidently
: failed 10 comprehend the Spanish nature
which is to smile in your face while they
: stab YOU in the back. He did not exer-
t else the precautions which he should have
$ done under the circumstances.
d Capt Purdy did not serve under Gomez
2 or the Maceos, but was most of the tina
e with Garcia in Santiago and Puerto Prin-
l cipe. He rose 10 second heutenantcy
e ana after the battle between the Spaniards
G and Cubans at Holguin, where he was
twice wounded, he was transferred to the
government guard. a sort of presidential
body guard with the rank of captain.
1.-THE newspaper correspondents have not
. given the Cubans justice for the work done
bv them in the Santiago campaign" said
Can't Purdy Everything else was sunk
y in order TO magnify the bravery of the
9 American soldier. Gen. Garcia was ordered
10 hold back the 5000 Spanish troops
which were coming from Holguin. He en-
n deavored to do SO, ana in a severe en-
Il gagement loss /, 100 of his men. A part Of
i the Spanish force only slipped into Santi
ago."
practically everything which the cor
Il respondents said of the Cubans was true,
= said Capt Purdy. but there were miti-
y eating circumstances which were not men
toned. The Cuban army in the east was
: the provost representative of this
!. revolutionary armies in the field
u The mountains of Santiago have been in
tested with bandits for many generations
i When war was declared these bandits
II fiocked to the revolutionary standard, fill
= ed with the hope of plumber In addition
\ the rffraff of the country generally flock
:. ed to the revolutionary standard. There
= were thousands of The patriots, also, anG