The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-14
STREAMOFREFUGEES
STEPHEN CRANE DESCRIBES THEIR
FLIGHT FROM SANTIAGO.

the date Of July 8, Stephen Crane de- :
scribes in che New York World how
the refugees poured into our lines from
Santiago as follows:
During today's lull in the hostilities
a steady stream of refugees has poured
into our lines from the beleaguered city
of Santiago. Women, by far. have been
in the majority. Men, strong and able
bodied, have been few indeed. Spain
has urgent need of such, wherefore
Santiago has given up few more than
wrecked and helpless creatures, too far
upon the road to death to aid in staying
our advance Yet, as the truce advanc-
ed, it changed the number and the char
acter of these refugees. More men flock
ed in, young men and strong men. Ger
tainly among them were deserters.
| There was the air of the true Spaniard |
about them. They had cast aside their |
distinguishing uniforms, to be sure, but |
they could not so easily disguise the
ways and bearing of the soldier. Un-
doubtedly they were renegades But,
then, what matter? They were permit
ted within the lines, the one place
where they would find safety from the
impending avalanche Of death soon to
roll down upon Santiago from the hill
side.
One saw in this great, gaunt assem-
blage the true horror OF war. The SICK,
the lame, the halt and the blind were
there. Women and men, tottering upon
the verge of death, plodded doggedly on
ward. Beyond were our lines and safe
ty But so long had this same horror OF
war been before them that no longer
could they feel its horridness. Their air
was stolid and indifferent. TWAS for
lorn hope at the best. If this was safety,
we'll and good If death, what differ
ence how it came.
In sharp contrast to this one saw now
, and again women radiant with JOY.
These were the kindred OF the insur-
a gents. Some had been separated from
those stout hearts in the field for many
I weary weeks-yes, months and even
years At the crest of that weary slope
, thew knew whom they should find.
Toiling upward and onward they press
!. ed, and finally, with glad cries, in the
. great gathering Of troops they came
O upon the ones they sought. This indeed
q was another side of war.
Again, in the throng toiling on te
>. safety were men and women carried II
q chairs and litters, some even in cot BEDS
4 Our ambulances went forth to NEE
a them. Then when these stolid, hopeless
"a unimpassioned ones found the dreaded
20 enemy receiving and aiding them witt
"a kindness they showed for the first tim
! some trace of feeling. Whatl Should
these mad, despised Americanos spent
~ time aiding the weak and agedl Thi
!, was q wonder indeed. But Though Tn
N Americans hands were turned to dom
gentleness it was otherwise with thos
~ Spanish miserables, Spain's ignobl
o. pride, the guerrillas. They lurked alon
w the roadsides, eager and ready for bioot
shed, plumber and unnamable wlcket
ness. To drive them back the America
" cavalry patrolled the road OF the ref'
- gees, whereupon the guerrillas Withdrew
-, At the church in Caney the America
surgeons were laboring among the en-
,u my's sorely wounded. Here 81 SPANS
~ were under treatment. Their amaz
% ment was profound. In the center
';s the church lies one of the Spanish cor
Us manders, sorely wounded. There new
'io was a more astonished man than b
w. Like the others, he believed his poslti'
g., impregnable How any mortal cou
~; a., cross the zone of fire and survive was
- matter beyond his ken. By the saint
II was a miracle! Three thousand Ma
~ sers. he knew to his own knowlede
." were trained down the one slope
oa guarded. Yet had the Americans plum
Ilo cd through the rain of death and driv
~ all before them. Almost as great W
,eo his amazement at our treatment or I'LL
~. self and his wounded men. Why shou
Ecu we waste time upon them, when
40. MANY of ours had been stricken! w
' aSs this kindness? They had expected to
la Id where they had fallen, waiting but
'n die. 1t was the fortune Of war w
80 should it not be?
'os Inside the limits of this town the f
eign consuls have made their headqu
ters Here each one is ready to prov
for the people of his flag. Also they
.ha aiding in the care of the other refuge
tina SO far as they are able None OF
. in refugees brought food-there was
IA. food for them to bring. The Spania
had MANNED to restock their commiss;
with the supplies they had arranged
capture from the Americans. IL wa
have sad blow that the Americans declil
100, to be captured.
''e' Our course to all at Caney has b.
moderation. Sometimes we have b.
liz too kind. Everybody knows the story
no. the road from the battlefeld-the gu
az rillas hanging to the TANKS OF the Il
pale, line of wounded going to the re
nnos Though these men Of ours could ii
no longer, though they were in sore
no tress, these fiends incarnate fired u
them. They picked of, where they "
-. able, the ambulance men, the bearers
i'~ the Red Gross flag and the surgeons
their work. They bowled them ovel
every chance. Yet three OF these