Evening journal., 1898-08-01
IN OUR NEWEST CITY
Ponce Full Of Joy Over It's
Change Of Rulers.
MANY SPANISH VOLUNTEERS DESERT
Give Themselves Up TO the Americans.
Regulars Retreat-NO Hard Fighting
EXpeeted-The Proclamation of
tho AIcade of Yauco.

PONCE, Porto Rico, July 30, via st.
Thomas, ID. w. l., Aug mo forward
movement of the army is expected for
several days. The transports with Cen
eral Brooke's army corps and the re-
mainder Of the First corps are arriving
slowly. Our troops will probably re-
main here quietly until the bulk of the
army has disembarked. Only three
transports have arrived since Thursday.
They have just appeared in the Ofilng,
and only one has been made out. 1t
has on board the Fifth Ohio cavalry.
General Miles will retain his head
quarters at the custom house in the
port of Ponce, while General Wilson Will
be In immediate command of the troops
In the city. General Wilson pushed Cen
eral Ernst's brigade. consisting Of the
Second and Third Wisconsin and the
Sixteenth Pennsylvania regiments. out
a mile and a half on the military road
after dusk Thursday night, retaining
two companies of the Sixteenth to act
as provost guard in the city. Captain
Allison has been appointed provost mar
shal and with the aid Of the local con-
stabulary has preserved excellent order.
although almost the entire population
OF the city remained In the streets cele-
brating the arrival Of their American
liberators unnl long after midnight.
During the night all sorts Of wild ru-
mors were brought in to General Will
son. The first was that the Spanish
were to attack the city in force In
view Of this a strong line of outposts
was maintained by General Ernst and
the men slept on their arms This re-
port however, soon gave way to ru-
mors that the Spanish were retreating,
putting entire villages. plantation
buildings and houses to the torch and
numbering men and ravlshing women
as they went. Some Of the wealthy
plantation owners OF the vicinity be-
came horror stricken and appealed wild
ly to General Wilson TO dispatch troops
TO the rescue. but II was manifestly
impossible to divide so small a force
None Of the reports was confirmed
when daylight came, except that the
Spaniards' We're IN full retreat. That
they INDUCED in eXcesses OF n cruel,
vindictive character is doubtless true,
but the town Of Juana Dlas. which was
reported to have been burned last night,
is known to be still standing
General Jose Garcia. who Is in imme-
diate command Of the Spanish regulars
not believed to humber more than 5 200
was deserted by most Of the Spanish
volunteers in his command Thursday
night, and they began struggling back
to the city with the dawn. They imme-
diately presented themselves to the
provost marshal and surrendered their
arms.
The appearance Of the volunteers
aroused in the breast Of the natives
who had suffered at their hands la the
past especially the political prisoners
who were released when we took the
city, a desire for revenge. and they be-
gan 20 ferret out all the Spaniards IN
the city who had ever been In the vol
unteer service and dragged them 20 the
plaza. Bloodhounds could not have
been more savage. Most OF the Span
iards In hiding upon being discovered
were hauled in triumph by hoOting
jeering mobs to General Wilson's head
quarters or to the provost marshal's
office in the municipal buildings. Some
of the natives even began loOting the
residences OF the Spaniards.
General Wilson prremptorlly ordered
that the arrest OF Spanish suspects
should cease. Such volunteers az pre-
sented themselves were, however, re.
had been taken. They win all report
and be formally paroled. Many OF then
had been forced into the service OF
Spain to escape persecution.
Business in the city has enjoyed .
great boom since the arrival Of tn,
Americans.
The merchants who closed their placel
Thursday opened them yesterday anS
are eagerly engaged in competition fo
the American dollar. American gold Il
at a premium Of 100 per cent. THURSDAY
prices were cheap; today they are enor
nous Thursday the price Of break
fast al the Hotel Francais was ~ cen
tavos; this morning II Is peso. Every
thing else has risen I'm proportion. Tn
newspaper correspondents have diff
Guilty in obtaining horses even at $50
gold. The natives imagine that tn
pockets of the Americans can emit
ceaseless flow Of eagles and doubl
eagles There is a plenty Of provision
in the city except rice, one oi the sta
pies, which Is quoted at a very high fig
ure for this country.
our army will not lack for fresh mea
in the march across the island. Tn
broad savannahs which lie between tn
undulating hills swarm with cattle. q
reasonable prices and of excellent quail
ity. General Garretson's brigade I
massed at Yauco. the terminus of tn
railway, Is miles off, and will probabl
remain there until the army Is ready I
move, but II is thought that the artil
lery will be brought here Immediately
The railroad is in good order. but muc
of the rolling stock has been destroyed
Thursd5.y General Roy Stone found sew
eral e'lgines wrecked. The machner
had } zen dismembered by Spanish sym
patti zers at the round house and hid
der General Stone gave them tw
nc lrs to get the engines into workin
der, under penalty Of Imprisonment
and in less than that time the engine
had steam up and were ready 10 move.
The Spaniards will probably retire a
far back as Aibonito, about S5 miles @
che road to San Juan, where they az
likcly to make a stand II they receiv
re-enisrcements. They left here entire
iy without artillery. which makes It eve
more obvious that an attack at TIL
point was never dreamed of by then
Not a gun was mounted. The garriso
was small and poorly armed. All III
guns. with one exception, that wei
abandoned in the arsenal when The
beat their hasty retreat Wednesda
night were Remingtons. not Mausers.