Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-08-01

General Wilson, however, so3n
taught them that revenge could not
be wreaked under the protection
OF our. flag, and peremptcrily Or
dered that the arrest of the Spanish
suspects should cease. Such vol
unteers as presented themselves
were, however, received and re-
leased after their names had been
taken. They will all report to-
morrow and formally be paroled
Many of them had been forced into
the service of Spain to escape per-
secution.
Business in the city has enjoyed
a great boom since the arrival Of
the Americans.
Business In the city has
ENJOYED A GREAT BOOM
since the arrival of the Americans.
The merchants, who closed their
places yesterday, opened them to-
day and are eagerly engaged in
competition for the American dol
lars. American gold is at a pre-
MUM of 100 per cent. Yesterday
prices were cheap; to-day they are
enormous. Yesterday the price of
a breakfast at the Hotel Francois
WIS % centavos; this morning 1t
is enc peso. Everything else has
risen in proportion. The newspa-
per correspondents have difficulty
in obtaining horses even at $500
gold. The natives imagine that the
pockets Of the Americans can
emit countless flow Of eagles and
double eagles. There is a plenty
of provisions in the city except
rice, one of the staples, which is
quoted at very high figure for this
country.
Our army will not lack for fresh
meat in the march across the ISL
and. The broad savannahs which
lie between undulating hills swarm
with cattle at reasonable prices
and of excellent quality. Gen. Gar
retson's brigade is massed at Yau-
co, the terminus of the railroad
fifteen miles off, and will probably
remain there until the army is
ready to move, but it is thought
the artillery will be brought here
Immediately. The railroad is in
good order, but much of the rolling
stock has been destroyed. Yester-
day Gen. Roy Stone found several
engines wrecked. The machinery
had been dismembered by Spanish
sympathizers at the round house
and hidden. Gen Stone
GAVE THEM TWO HOURS
to get the engines in work or
der, under penalty Of imprison-
ment, and in less than that time
the engines had steam up and were
ready to move.
The Spaniards will probably re-
tire as far back as AibonitO, about
thirty-five miles on the road to
San Juan, where they are likely to
make a stand if they receive rein
forcements. They left here entire
ly without artillery, which makes
it even more obvious that an attack
at this point was never dreamed
of by them. Not a gun was mount
ed. The garrison was small and
poorly armed. All the guns, with
one exception, were abandoned
in the arsenal when they beat
their hasty retreat Wednesday
night, were Remingtons and Maui
sers. There was not a mine in the
harbor of Ponce, although two an
cient affairs, covered with barrels,
were found at Puerto Guanica
These had been placed three years
ago, and resisted every effort to
explode them. 1t is evident from
the wholesale desertion on the part
of the Spanish volunteers that Cap
tain Machias must depend as the
last resort upon the regulars These
do not number over 5000 in the
whole island, and everything thus
far indicates an easy conquest.
General Wilson thinks he could
take. the islands with his own
troops unaided, and he predicts
that if the troops now expected
arrive, Puerto Rico will be ours in
less than three weeks.
NEWS FROM GEN. MILES.
WASHINGTON July S1.-Gen Miles,
in command of the Porto Rican ex-
petition. sent the following dispatch
to Secretary Alger, which was made
public at the War Department at 10
o'clock tonight:
PONCE, Porto Rico,
July 81, 1925, $50 y. m.
Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.
-Four telegrame received and an
swered by letter
Volunteers surrendering themselves