The record-union., 1898-03-11
Although the Insurgents Were Out
numbered -Four to One,
They Are Reported to Have Gained a Most
Decisive Victory.
The Spanish, After Four Days Of
Fighting. Forced to Retreat.
Leaving Nearly Three Hundred
Dead Upon the Field.

NEW YORK, March 10-The Cuban
Junta has received by messenger the
official report of General Lopericio.
who commanded the Cuban forces at
the battle of Najasa. on February Dist
To 24th. The details of the battle show
that While the Cubans were outnum-
bered four to one. for four days they
held their position and caused the
Spanish troops to retreat. leaving 29S
dead men upon the field.
The messenger who brought the off,
cial rews also brought q copy of q
Spanish paper admitting the return of
the Spanish soldiers, but asserting that
the four days lighting resulted in d
victory for Spain
On February 18th General Jiminez
Casteilanos left the city of Puerto
Principe with 1900 Spanish soldiers.
In addition to three squadrons of cav
airy the Spanish had two small Krupp
tieldpieces. Three days previously Cas-
tellanos was told that the Cuban
stronghold in the hills of Najasa was
not well protected ana could be taken
Najasa is situated on a plateau less
than forty miles from the city of Puer-
to Principe. Owing to it's natural
advantages, 1000 men. it is said.
can hold it against ten times that
number. The road leading to it is bad
and offers ambushes and protection in
case of attack.
On the morning of February DIST.
While more than ten miles from Naia-
sa the vanguard of the Spanish army,
composed of guerrillas, under Lieuten-
ant Ferojo, was attacked at a turn in
the 'oad. The Cuban cavalry. under
BriSa3ier Branlio Pena numbered sew
enty men. The vanguard comprised
fifty men. OF the fifty. three escaped
and forty-seven were killed The Gu
bans lost fourteen men. The Spanish
cavalry, under Major Copaz was at
tackled by the full Cuban cavalry, 500
strong. The loss in this charge by the
Cubans was slight. The men under
CopaZ were defeated without their FIR
ing a shot. the Cubans charging them
from the front and rear The men
were literally cut to pieces. They de-
Tended themselves with the butts Of
their Caibines
The C'lsaans secured eighty cavalry
horses with equipments. 100 carbines
and ammunition. After the cavalry
rout they were forced to retreat, as
the Spanish army. 1000 strong, came
into action. Retreating for more than
a mile. the Cubans made a stand behind
rocks and checked the advance of Cas-
tellanos' troops until nightfall. In the
night the Cubans' wounded were sent
TO the rear and earthworks thrown up
that would each protect a dozen rebels.
The troops were moved to higher
ground and everything possible done to
make Notifications. The battle of the
second day opened with an attempt by
the Spaniards to take a knob of ground
holding twenty men. After several in
effectual attempts one of the Krupp
guns was used and the position was
abandoned for one higher During the
Smelling of the small Notifications the
Cubans twice caused the piece to ne
withdrawn out of rifle range. There
was no attempt made to advance by the
Spaniards by the 22d. They kept up
a continuous fire, shooting whole vol
leys whenever Cuban showed his
head Twice on the third day General
Castellanos made an attempt to adj
vance On both occasions his troops
were driven back. On the 9th tho
fourth day of the fight, he suffered a
loss of more than 100 killed. and with
drew, leaving his dead upon the field
They retreated to Puerto Principe and
announced that they had defeated a
force of 5000 Cubans.
The dead were buried by General Re-
clos (not Lopericio's) troops. His own
loss was seventy-eight killed and more
than 100 wounded. Major CopaZ, COM
mander of the Spanish cavalry, was
court -martialed after the first days
fight for cowardice. The Spanish Of
fetal reports state that they fired
65.270 Mauser bullets and thirty-three
shells liz four days. The shooting of
the Spanish artillery, according to the
Cubans, was always wild. No shell
fired, according to them, went any
where near the mark.
BY the same messenger who brought
General Recio's reports came The story
of a Spanish outrage upon a pacitico,
Debio Betancourt.
Betancourt was sick in bed on his
plantation and was attacked by a
Spanish column under Pedro Gonzales.
He was attended by two of his daugh-
tiers, - and IL years old. respectively.
After the soldiers murdered the father,
the elder girl was subjected to indigni-
ties which led to her death The young
er girl attempted to escape. Her
struggles provoked a Spanish soldier,
who severed her left leg near the knee
with a stroke of his machete. The
girl was left to die where she fell.
The news of Betancourts death was
announced in Havana as a great VIC
tory by the Weyler organ.