The Republican., 1899-04-06
THE GENTLER SEX In CUBA
Heroic Women Who Accompanied
Their Husbands in Warfare.
CHILDREN BORN IN THE FIELD.
Many Romances with LuIid Backgrounds.
Were Enacted While the Spanish For
ces Were Looting the Island.

MATANzAs, April 1.-The author of
the recent well-known book, Cuba
Y Su Gente," who declared that the
women of Cuba are fit only to flirt, lie
in hammocks and fan themselves, has
evidently been very unfortunate in
his choice of acquaintance. Impair
tial people who know Cuban women
of the better class will gladly testify
that they are among the most true i
hearted, simple and domestic Greg
lures in the world, devoted to their
homes and their religion, and adoring
their husbands and children; withal
strong in adversely and often endur-
ing martyrdom with more fortitude
than those of the sterner sex. Thous-
ands have lost everything they
possessed in the long struggle for
Cuba libre-husbands, sons and
daughters, parents, brothers, friends
and fortune, all swept away. They
have looked upon CHASTITY holocausts
which consumed not only their homes
and plantations, but in some instances
the bodies Of their loved onces were
east as fuel to the flames. Mothers
have had their babies torn from their
arms to be butchered, and seen their
young daughters worse than murder
ed; yet such is their patriotism that
| if the war were to be repeated in
order to free their beloved land, there
would be no faltering among the
women. 1t is the history of all coun-
/ tries that the females are the bitterest
! partisans, the first to urge force of
arms when prudence would dictate
longer forbearance, and the last to
give up the grudge long after the
hatchet is buried. Throughout the
war in every Cuban home, a sum was
religiously set aside out of each days
allowance for household expenses, to
send to the field; and after all their
money was gone, many Cuban ladies
sold their jewels and even their
dresses in order to buy food and med
ieines for the feeble army Connect
ed with the long struggle are pathetic
and stirring incidents without NUM-
Der in which women played the lead
ing role
For example, there was Rosa Her
nandez, Of San Cristobal, the young
and beautiful wife of Doctor Herman
dez They had been married less
than q year when the Doctor was
called upon to organize a band Of
men for the insurgent army. Feeling
that his life belonged to his girl wife
who was about to become q mother
he told her that he would do as she
willed III the matter. Womanlike
she hesitated at first, thinking of the
danger to her beloved, and ther
through her tears bade him go. In {
week he had raised half regimen
900 mem, and as they marched ou
of San Cristobal they passed thu
house where Mrs. Hernandez la,
fainting, and cheered her as ''th'
Queen Of Cuba" The husband haC
been gone but short time when
, troop of Spaniards, under Gen. Car
nellos, took possession of the town
One of the lieutenants rode his hors
, into the Fernandez parlor and sub
iected the wife of the rebel to threat
and grOssest insults. That night
accompanied by one trusty servant
she set out on muleback to join he
S husband. After riding weary miles
S through the painless hills and jun
, giles in constant danger of bandit
] and Spanish guerillas, she finall
found him. Two days later her bah
was born in camp, (the little mothe
: was only seventeen). and, being
boy, was christened Guerra" til
= Spanish word for war. | am happ
e to tell you that no further harm bt
fell the brave lady, though, of course
Y many hardships had to be endured
:. The family is again at home in Sa
IS Cristobal, and Guerra Jose Mari
:, Hernandez, the war baby" is no
n a lusty youngster, three years old.
A great many women went to th
l. field with their husbands and father
, for the sake of protection, fearin
nothing so much as the innumerab
crimes committed upon their sex {
v home, and hundreds of babies wei
s born in camp and on battlefield
'ee While misrule prevailed throughol
- - the island, soldiers and highwayme
s. infesting all the country roads, loo
Ie ing plantations and perpetrating q
re manner of atrocities upon the d
u fenseless no woman was safe, wha
ever her dignity and social standin
lie There were some terrible cases
a delicate, high-bred ladies transformt
by their wrongs into avenging furie
lv who afterward fought shoulder
shoulder with the men, led darir