Evening star., 1899-03-30
cuBA's f4MINa MAN
The New, Chief of Police Deserves
.Hf Hdpularity.
MENOCAL HAS PROVED HE Is BRAVE
Story of Oh the Most Heroic
0esssef the War.
HIS REAf fARKABLE CAREER


r------s So
Cuba hasitsday fersthes first time in her
four centuries of history a man at the head
of the police. deiar tment who Is a Cuban.
And he isxSthe coming man eff Cuba.
The selection of General Mario Menocal
as chief of police of:sIIavana has signif-
canoe which is Understood and appreciated
all over the island. His appointment by
General Brooke was not only recognition
of Menocal's merit and executive ability,
| but to a certain extent reward for
| perhaps the most striking act of personal
| heroism performed in the Cuban war.
1t was in the spring of 81 that the city of
Guaymaro in Camaguey was besieged by
! Garcas forces and captured after a stub
born resistance en- the part of the enemy.
| Americans now know what kind of a fight
| Spaniards can make when placed behind
| intrenchments and fortifcations At Quay
| marc after the outer defenses had been
| abandoned massive stone cathedral in the
| center of the place, heavily garrisoned by
| men, who kept up merciless fire from the
long narrow windows and protected arches,
| minarets and belfrieS, promised to be al
| most impregnabie The insurgents had
fought their way into the city, but to ap-
proach within range of this fortified church
was simply sure death. While this citadel
remained in the hands of the Spanards the
capture of Guaymaro was impossible.
With n Dynamite Torpedo.
In this emergency Menocal came to the
rescue. Under u heavy fire, incumbered
with a torpedo of dynamite he made his
way; where possible along protecting walls;
where shelter could not be found he dashed
across the open from house to house but
with each step approaching nearer to the
church, from which came a perfect hail
storm of bullets. Had one of them but
| touched the explosive he carried in his arms
Menocal would have been blown into
eternity. Watc.=.ng his chance, little by little
slowly but surely, he neared the cathedral;
one last dash and he gained the shell
ter of the edifice itself, placed the bomb un-
der the edge of the great stone wall. aud in
an instant was away again. From pro-
tected point fifty yards distant he seized
the rifle of a companion and sent d bullet
into the dynamite.
The explosion which followed tore out
the entire end of the cathedral. wheraupo
the garrison hauled down the Spanish flag
surrendered to Gen. Garcia, and Guaymaro
| became henceferth the city Of Cuba Libre.
| The courage of the Cuban has been not
/, only questioned, bat at times absolutely
! denied, but I haye reason to believe that
| even our brave Col. Roosevelt or Lieut.
| Hobson might havej hesitated Il moment be-
tore Offering TO carry twenty-five pounds of
dynamite up San Juan hill July l. For
this heroic dead Col. Menocal was made
| brisad1er general
Couras of a Cuban.
In September Of the same year came
the attack on Victoria de las Tunas. Slowly
but surely th69CuBan lines enveloped the
Spanish stronghold. on the morning of
the third day the dynamite gun, under
the direction 5of ,aristo Portuondo, was
brought up to a position where it could
be rendered effectiYe. Several shots from
it struck the 4asF and sides of a stone
/ fcrt which was the key to the city's de-
fenses, and at last shot penetrated the
roof: the effect OF the explosion which
followed was marvellous The walls of the
fort simply bulged outward and the struc-
ture collapsed;, nearly every man with
in or near was Instantly Killed Consterna-
tion and terror momentariiy overwhelmed
the Spanish forces Brigadier Menocal saw
his opportunity. Without waiting to consult
his general, at the head of his brigade, he
Immediately charged and carried tn. enc
my,s trenches, and before the Spaniards
could recover from their surprise Victoria
ae las Tunas was in the hands of the Gu
ban forces, there to remain. For this gal
. liant action Menocal was made 4 general
of division.
| Not long before late unpleasantness
with Spain resulted in war Gen. Menocal
was sent to the west and placed in COM
mand of the insurgent forces of Havana
province 1t was thought at that time
that we would be- compelled to take Ha-
Valla by storm, and Menocal was selected
as one of the ahlest Cuban officers in the
anticipated attack
Up to the time of his appointment as
chief of Havana police Gen. Menocal was
| stationed at Marianao where the excel
lent influence which he exercised over the
| men IN his corImand won the admiration
OF Gen. Brooke and the entire staff of
american officers in Havana. 1t is needless
70 say mat ne Is loved in his native city,
where his family have held a high social
, position for more than a century.
Educated in New York.
: Mario Menocal was sent from Cuba to
. this country to be educated when only Six
teen. He remained in New York eight
years, and was graduated with high non
ors from Cornell University as civil,
; mining and military engineer little be-
lore the breaking out Of the last revolution
. ne returned to Hayana, where Gen. Mar
tlneZ Campos ordered him to proceed as an
engineer to Porto Principe to give color to
the proposed construction of a railroad
from the latter city to Santa Cruz on the
south coast. This proposition was intended
TO pacify the people of that province and
prevent them fr9m joining the revolt. But
no sooner did Gen. Maxine Gomez cross
the line from Orente into Camaguey than
Menocal dropped his quadrant, shouldered
MS rifle and presented himself to the COM
, mander of the insurgent forces. Gen.
| Gomez Immediately placed him on his
stan as lieutenant, and soon promoted
him to the rank Of captain for bravery and
ability displayed at the battles of Alta
gacia and Mulato. which took place in the
} summer of i95. and afterward made him q
commandante, or major.
} In such high esteem We're Menocars serv-
ices held that he was elected assistant sec
retary. of war by the Cuban assembly
which met in the. following September. The
young officer. however. preferred the more
active duties of the field. and in the spring
of 96 he was transferred to the forces of
Gen. Calixto Gapci9, who had just landed
near Baracoa.yrGa4cia made him his chief
of staff, and ip this capacity he assumed
nearly all of the 4arduous detail and much
of the responsibility of the fortunate cam
: pa:gn of the Qr4ente, in which Gen. Garcia
became virtually master Of the situation in
the province of7 Sagtiago de Cuba.
a Meeting with Menocal.
1t was during th}a, campaign, in May of
'96, that firstmesnMario Menocal, then
colonel, near t4ie (.auto river. 1T seems
. good, he Remarked. ito meet some one
,, once more who,has fome to the fed direct
from New YonafA It is great old town."
} he sighed. After asinoment. which evident