The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-01


Guanabacoa train last year. The attempt
was made with the idea of Selling Maj.
Fonsdeviela, the military despot of Guam
abacoa The act that attracted the most
attention to him was the execution of
Col. Ruiz, who was sent by Gen. Blanco
TO try to secure his support TO autonomy
by the offer of a bride. In a recent let
ter to friend in this city Arangupen
wrote:
You must all know by this time of
Ruiz sad end None more than l. regret
ted his death, but | am a soldier, and as
! such must obey my superior's command.
/ Several weeks ago Ruiz, who had always
been q personal friend of mine, wrote to
me that he was going TO pay me a visit
! replied that providing his visit was not
! 10 propose autonomy / would gladly well
| come him. A few days later | was in
! formed that Ruiz had left Havana on
| the head of battalion to pay me his pro-
! posed call. The following morning as l
! was sitting under my tienda de campana
sentry sent me word that a large force
! OF Spaniards had halted a short quarter
OF mile down the road. l hastily mount
| ed my horse and rode to the outpost. Sew
! en- men, among whom | could distinguish
| Ruiz, were advancing toward the camp.
/ rearing some treachery, / removed my
/ force to an estate about a league away
/ and there awaited the outcome of this
! strange action.
The following day Gt was 10 o'clock in
| the morning) Ruiz, in the full uniform of
/ a Spanish colonel and accompanied by
! two praticos, presented himself at one of
! the outposts. From the very start | felt
| nervous and would gladly have avoided
the encounter, but it was not i'm my power
| to do so. Mounted / met Ruiz at the en-
| trance TO my camp. He was very pale
and acted in a nervous hesitating man
| ner. He rode forward and attempted to
grasp my hand, which l refused to let
him have.
How fine you are looking, he said,
not appearing to notice my action This
! life evidently agrees with you You are
! a fortunate boy; no man among you all
has the future that you have Autonomy
has been granted and YOU my dear friend,
have been selected as the first one to be
| pardoned'
In vain did I hold up my hand and
motion him to stop talking.
1 have come he continued, to offer
! the pardon of a generous government and
| such a position as you may desire. Ask
what you will and you will have it, 1t all
| lies with you. Ask
Ruiz had condemned himself. and | or
| dered my men to arrest him He was at
once tried, found guilty. and shot. He met
his death like a brave man, fearless to
| the end This is a true account of how
ali this sad affair occurred, and when my
friends in the North read this / hope
they will reason as l did that a soldiers
duty to his country comes first of ALL"
Gen. Aranguren, although young
man, had the confidence of all his supe-
riors. Gomez called him The Cuban Sher-
idan.
While 1 was in Cuba year ago, saws
w. E. Curtis in the Chicago Record [
wrote of one of Aranguren's exploits which
T1ras oh -nafop lin -e1
ty or thirty negro cavalrymen he captur-
ed railway train one morning about day
light, upon which an even dozen officers
of the Spanish army We're returning to
their posts in the neghborhood from a ball
! that had been given at the club in Havana
the night before. They Wore their best I'M
ifoFms and dancing Shoes, and were chat
ting about the Incidents of the evening
when the train was stopped, the cars were
invaded and they were placed under arrest
| by Aranguren'S ragged troopers. One Of
these officers was a native Cuban who had
accepted a commission in the Spanish
army. He was hanged forthwith as soon
as he was identified within a few yards of
a railway station. and a piece of paper was
pinned 70 the body bearing an announce
ment that such would be the fate of all
Cubans who served the government of
Spain. The other eleven being natives of
Spain and officers of the regular army
| Aranguren entertained them at breakfast
He gave them the best he had of food and
drink, treated them with the greatest cour-
tesy and then sent them back to Havana
with an impertnent message TO Gen. Wey-
Ter, saying that If he was not more careful
he might lose many of his officers and
men.
The captives amazed their friends in Ha-
Vana by the story of their experience but
they were court-martialed for being absent
from their posts of duty without leave and
for submitting to capture without making
an effort in self-defense and sent back to
Spain in disgrace.
Aranguren had been the hero of many
incidents of this sort, the latest being the
brutal murder of Lieut.. Col Ruiz, an inti-
came to him on an errand of peace. He and
Ruiz had served together in the employ
of the water works at Havana until the
breaking out Of the revolution. and were
intimate friends. Aranguren was a native
of the city, belonged to an excellent family
and was always notorious for reckless dis
sipation He was only % or "a years old.
but already had a record for crime and adj
venture that was unequaled by any man in
Havana He killed three or four men ana
fought several dUes before he reached his
majority, and had the reputation of being
the most reckless gambler in Cuba His
career had placed him almost beyond the
bounds of liberation when the rebellion
broke out, and when he left the city to
join the insurgents 1t was a matter of con-
graduation not only among the police, but
among the fathers Of young men who were
inclined to initiate his example.
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