The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-17
sANT1Aao's STRANGE SIGHTS.
Abilene Man Writes of American
Army's Hardships.

Abilene, Aug. 17.-Thomas c. Davis,
writing home from Ell Caney says:
This part of Cuba is very mountain
Gus and covered by a dense under
growth which is almost impossible
There are no roads, only paths wide
enough for men to march single file
only The soil is very rich judging
by the rank growth of grass which is
green all the year. The timber is small
here. The palm anu cocoanut tree
grow in great profusion. We have had
all the cOcOanuts we could use and find
they are very substantial fruit.
The condition of the people is simply
awful. Naked, starved and dying,
they are an object of pity. Pictures of
half the story of exposure and starVa-
ton The Cubans run in color from
the black negro to the genuine Spaniard
and most OF the seem intelligent and
judging from the fine plantations now
ruins, they have been industrious.
do not believe they are good soldiers
and they can't fight our way at all.
They are armed with every kind of
weapon known in ancient and modern
warfare. The machete you have heard
so much of is nothing but corn knife.
1 have cut corn with a machete many a.
day. Some of them are finely made
and engraved but a corn knife just the
same.
How do the Spanish fight? Very
much the same as our American Indi-
an His stronghold is ambush fighting.
with their position no army should have
defeated them. Col. Fred Funston
was right when he said they were poor
marksmen. Their sharpshOoters sell
dom killed a. man, only WOunding them.
had a very good opportunity of seeing
the effect of the famous Mauser bullet
1t makes a, clean hole not shattering
the bone or tearing the flesh, and those
OF our men VINO were not killed outright
have a good chance for recovery. They
are fired by smOkeless powder, the same
as our modern arms and this powder is
of the greatest Importance in the kind
of fighting that was done here. This
accounts for the large loss among the
volunteers. Being armed with the old
Springfield using the black powder,
they were easily located at every dis
charge of their pieces.
We had four rapid fire GatlingS and
two rapid fire Colts These guns while
constructed differently are capable of
firing 1900 shots a minute but can be
fired safely at a rate of 800. The dyna-
mite guns proved themselves to be ter
rible engines of war. Throwing 50
pounds of dynamite without any smoke
or noise they were something mySteri-
Gus and terrible to the Spaniards.
Today, after being on the island about
five weeks and undergoing hardships
that no American soldier ever went
through, finds nearly % per cent of the
army unfit for duty. Fever and chills
are the result of unbearable heat, cold,
damp nights, sleeping in wet clothes ana
on wet ground. The atmosphere con-
tdIHS d SlSheIIHS moisture IudL seems
to take all the vitality out of a man.
Our food until recently consisted of
hard tack, bacon, coffee and sugar
Pretty tough for a, sick man and it be-
comes very old to a well one in a
months time. The commissary de-
partment is to be praised for it's work
of getting even such rations through
to the men while in battle as but few
have had to go hungry from necessity
We are now getting fresh beef from
Chicago and fresh bread, baked by our
bakers in Santiago, potatoes, onions
and canned fruits.