Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-07-21
SANTIAGO HAS SURRENDERED
Old Glory Floats Over the City,
Our Terms Accepted.
EASTERN END OF CUBA is OURS
The Spanish Surrendered with the Under
standing that Their Troops be Sent
Back to Spaia--Praise for Shafter
from Miles.

under Gen. Shafter prepared for final
assault upon Santiago, bat each time
Gen. Toral sent out a flag of truce and
dubbed over terms of surrender
Gen. Skaters patienceat last gave out
and, on advices from Washington, lie
gave the Spanish "a hours to come to
his terms.
The Spanish general delayed his final
action until within one hour of the time
set by Gen. Shafter for beginning the
assault upon Santiago and then he
decided to surrender and sent re-
quest for the appointment of commits
sioners TO arrange for the capitula-
ton of the city. The war department
received the following dispatch from
Gen. Shaftcr.
Have just returned from interview
with Gen. Toral. He agrees 20 surren-
der under the basis of being returned
10 Spain. This proposition embraces
all OF eastern cuba. from Acerraderos
on the south To Sagua on the north, via
Palma. with practically the Fourth
army corps Commissioners meet this
afternoon to definitely arrange the
terms.
A short time later dispatch was re
ceived from Gen. Miles, evidently writ
ten before the final surrender, as
follows:
Gen. Toral formally surrendered the
troops of his army-troops and division
of Santiago-on the terms and under
standing that his troops shall be re-
turned to Spain. Gen. Shafter will
appoint commissioners 10 draw up the
conditions of arrangement carrying
out the terms of surrender. This is
very gratifying and Gen Shafter and
the officers and men of this command
are entitled to great credit for their
sincerity and fortitude in overcoming
the almost insuperable obstacles which
they encountered. A portion of the
army has been infected with yellow
fever and efforts will be made to sep
arate those who are infected and those
who are free from il, and keep those
who are on board ship separated from
those on shore. Arrangements will be
Immediately made for carrying out
further instructions of the President
and yourself.
This was almost Immediately fol-
lowed by a cable saying, Santiago
surrendered at g."
Later dispatches related the story of
the surrender 1t was within an hour
of the time set for ending the truce
when Gen. Toral, acting on Capt. Gen.
Blanco's instructions, asked time to
communicate by cable with Madrid,
the surrender of Santiago being too
important step to be taken without
royal authority. In the meantime Gen.
Blanco offered to appoint a joint com
mission to arrange terms. Gen. Miles
and Gen. Shafter decided to call for
personal interview with Gen. Toral,
his message being ambiguous. They
rode out between the lines shortly be-
fore noon and met Gen. Toral, who
said he had received, few minutes be-
fore, authority from Capt.-Gen. Blanco
to capitulate and to make the work
of the commissioners final. Gen. Toral
named Robert Mason. British consul,
Gen. Toral and his own (Toral's) chief
of-staff. Gen. Miles named Gen.
Wheeler, Gen. Lawton and Capt. Miley,
OF Gen. Skaters staff. The commits
sion at once began work on the terms
of the surrender.
All was not clear sailing even after
the commissioners had been appointed,
for Gen. Toral at once raised some un-
expected questions, and with true
Spanish deceptiveness endeavored to
make conditions productive of credit
To himself Most important of these
was an insistence that the Spanish
troops should retain their arms when
they returned to Spain There was en-
tire willingness on the part of Gen.
Toral to turn over the arms to Gen.
Shafter at the time of the surrender,
but with this was to be the under
standing that the arms were to be re-
turned to the Spanish troops when
Spanish soil was reached.
When this trouble was commune
Gated to Washington by Gen. Shafter
the President called council of
war at which n decision was reached
that there should be no further parley
with Gen. Toral. Thenext move would
have TO be a surrender upon the terms
which the United States government
proposed or am attack upon the Spanish
forces by the army and navy.
Gen. Toral found difficulty in sur
rendering that part of the force under
his command which was not in the city
of Santiago Gen. Shafter estimates
that there are from 10000 to Is, 900
men in Santiago and nearly as many
more in the province outside the city
The delay in the negotiations was
made necessary in order to secure the
surrender of the outlying garrisons.
some of which questioned Toral's
authority to surrender them, without
definite instructions to that effect from
Madrid.
The firm demands of the American
government brought the Spani2rds to
time, finally, and Gen. Shafter was en-
abled to send the following dispatch,
dated Santiago. July IL:
have the honor to announce that
the American flag was at II o'clock
noon, hoisted over the house OF the
civil government in the city of San
tiago. An immense concourse of peo-
pie present. A squad Of cavalry and
regiment of infantry presenting arms