The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-10
Irregular Troops Preparing to Re-
volt In Santa Clara.
DEMAND SOLDIERS WAGES
FEARS THAT THE WHOLE ARMY
MAY MUTINY.
Cuban Officers Complain That the
Government Had Not Been Con-
suited Before the. Signing of the
Illuminating Terms of Peace
Breastworks Thrown Up.

Havana, Oct. 9.-In confirmation Of
previous reports of an uprising among
the irregulars in Santa Clara province
in an attempt enforce their demands
for payment in full before laying down
! their arms. it can be stated officially
today that over 1000 irregular troops
modified during the war, rose in arms
on Tuesday in the vicinity of Cienfue-
COS, throwing up breastworks, making
blockhouses and preparing openly to
revolt unless they were paid. They for
| titled themselves in an especially strong
manner just outside Cienfuegos. Gen
eral Aguirre, military commander of
| the province, and General Saldave and
General Abinold at the head of 5000
the position of the rebellion troops,
and, without a show of strength, in or
der to avoid bloodshed, parleyed with
the riotous troops. They were told the
government was ready to pay.
After the conference, General Aguirre,
who came provided with money, paid
the men off, settling all accounts, after
which the men were satisfied to lay
down their arms, which they did on
Thursday.
The example set by the irregulars
gave rise to fears that the entire army
would follow suit and demand their
pay, mutinying if their demands were
unsatisfied, especially if dissatisfaction
was openly expressed in public by
Spanish army officers. General Arolas,
military governor of Havana, conse-
quently called a meeting of his inferior
officers, at which he warned them
against INSTRUMENTATION, reminding
them that their most sacred duty was
obedience to and implicit faith in the
mother country at this critical juno
ture.
An officer, more hot-headed and
plain-Spoken than the rest, arose and
made an impassioned speech, in which
he declared that the government
should be ashamed to suspect for one
moment the loyalty of the army. The
army, he said, had been made the
scapegoat of Spain'S misrule and mis-
management of the campaign, and had
accepted degrading blame laid upon
its shoulders without murmur, prov
ing its loyalty and fidelity to SPAIN
The army and navy, the officer also
said, had not been consulted by the
government before the signing of the
humiliating terms of peace. Admiral
Cervera's fleet had been sacrificed to
serve base political aims. General To-
raj had been ordered to surrender in
gloriously the stronghold of Santiago to
serve the Same pOlltlcal greed, and now
the government had accused or sus-
pected the army of sedition or revolt.
AS an officer of the Spanish army he
protested against the indignity of such
an accusation. He frankly added that
Spain would deserve more admiration
from her sons if, instead, as announced
by cable dispatch from Madrid, of
wasting time and money in buying ci-
william clothes for her soldiers to dis
embark in upon their arrival in Spain,
hiding, as it were, the arms and uni
forms they had nearly dishonored.
Spain would attend her sick and
wounded, who were dying like sheep
from want and neglect in every town
in the island
The arraignment of Spain's short
coming by the officer was fierce, but is
generally considered true. His enthu-
siastic support, under all conditions. of