The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-07-19
Copyright by Associated Press.)

Will tic CLIICu DldCCo 4IOOpo DC
fore Santiago de Cuba, July IA, 6 p. m,
via Kingston, Jamaica, July 10, 1915
p. m.-The reverse to the Spanish arms
in eastern Cuba is complete. Santiago
has fallen, and with it all the eastern
end Of the island. General Toral, the
Spanish commander, agreed to the
general terms of the surrender at a
personal interview with General Shat
ter this afternoon, at which General
Miles was pr sent. The victorious
American army, after a campaign of
three weeks of almost unprecedented
hardships for both officers and men,
accept the news with heartfelt relief.
The victory is greater than appeared
at first. All the Spanish troops in the
Fourth corps, the military division of
Santiago province, from a line drawn
north from Asseraderos, eighteen miles
west of Santiago, through Las Palmas,
Palmas Soriann, AlcantaZa to Sagua
de TanamO, on the north coast, and
eastward to Cape Maysi, are surren-
dered and the territory is abandoned.
Between s 5000 and 20, 900 Spanish pris-
OnerS are taken, about 10, 900 Of whom
are in Santiago. The remainder are
at Guantanamo and others are gar
risOned in the towns of eastern Cuba.
All these troops are to be embarked
and sent back to Spain under parole.
PLAYING FOR TIME.
General Shafter bears his hOnors
mOdestly. To a correspondent of the
Associated Press he said:
THE enemy has surrendered all the
territory and troops east of Santiago.
The terms were dictated from Wash
ingtOn. 1t has been a hard campaign,
one of the hardest l ever saw. The
difficulties to contend with were very
great. Never during our civil wal
were more difficult problems solved.
The character of the country and the
roads made it seem almost impossible
to advance in the face of the enemy.
The transportation problem was hard,
but all the difficulties have been sue
CeSSfully surrounded. Our troops
have behaved CALAMITY. They fought
like heroes and l am proud to have
commanded them. During all the
hardships they have suffered they have
shown resolution and spirit. They de-
serve to conquer. The resistance Of
the enemy has been exceedingly stub
born. General TOral has proved him
self a fOeman worthy of any mans
steel.
'"The negotiations which eliminated
in the surrender of General Toral have
been dragging on for ten days, with
the intermiSsiOn of Sunday and Mon
day, when our batteries and fleet bonn
barded the enemy's position. Through
out these periods of truce, General
TOral has shrewdly played for time.
always declining to surrender uncon-
d%itiOnally and falling back, when hard
pressed. upon the statement that he
was simply a subordinate and power
less to agree to the proposals without
~ - 80 ranN
under penalty of being COurt-martial-
ed. At the same time he seemed to
intimate that, personally, he thought
it useless to hold out any longer. But,
he and his garrison. were soldiers, he
said, and could die, if necessary, obey
ing ORDERS"
TEMPORISING MUST CEASE.
It was at the personal interview held
by General Shafter with General To-
raj yesterday that the American gen.
eral made the Spanish commander III
derstand that temporizing must cease
and that before noon today a categorl-
cal affirmation to his offer must be re-
Ceived or the bombardment of the city
would begin In earnest. In the mean
time, all our plans had been perfected
The delay had been utilized to good
advantage. Our lines had been ex-
tended until Santiago was nearly sur
rounded, and our light batteries haG
been so posted, to be able to do more
effective work.
In addition, arrangements had beer
made to land troops at CabanaS, ives
of the entrance of the harbor of San
tiago.
The Spanish batteries opposite Morn
castle were to be bOmbarded ant
stormed, their guns were then to b.
turned upon the city, and Genera
Lawtcn's division, at the same time
was to fall On the enemy's left fan
undo cover of our artillery fire. w
could then have enfiladed their line
and have driven them in the city.
TORAL'S NEW DODGE.
General Toral must have realize,
that he was trapped and hat to hol,
longer, meant a useless sacrifice of hi
men, but he made one last effort t
gain more time this morning. Will
nominally yielding to the terms Gen
eral Shafter proposed, before s o'cloc
he sent a communication to Genera
Shafter, enclosing q copy of a tele
gram from Captain General BLAMED
explaining that the surrender of sue
an important position as Santiago an
the abandonment of eastern Cub
would require the direct sanction @
the Madrid government and requestin
more time to hear from Madrid. At tn
same time, Captain General Blanc
authorized General Toral, if it wa
agreeable to the American general, t
appoint commissioners to meet lk
commissioners on the American sid
to arrange the terms of c~apitulation {
the forces under his command, on tn
condition of their parole and transpo
tation to Spain, pending the sanctio
of the Madrid government. He ais
communicated the names of the CON
missioners he had selected; namel.
Robert Mason, the British vice consu
General Toral's chief of staff, Colon'
Fontaine and General Escarajao.
SKATER INSISTS ON DEFINITE
ANSWER.
This communication was so ambigu
Gus that it might all be upset by til
refusal of Madrid to sanction tn
terms agreed to by the COMMISSIONS