The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
DESTRUCTION OF LASTUNAS
an EPISODE or THE CUBAN WAR IN
WHICH FUNSTON FIGURED.
Only Ruins and BuZZards Left Where Once
Prosperous Cuban city Stood-Fierce
Assault on tho Town bJ CaliNto Garcia
Mnrncr NJ he s,nniah dor

HoLGUfS, Cuba. MAY 2g.-Due west OF Hol.
gum. OH the road TO Puerto Principe and at a
distance OF sixty-six miles. lie the ruins Of the
once prosperous Cuban town Of Victoria de
Las Tunas. The city was nerccly besieged by
the Insurgents under Garcia. beginning Aug.
%. 1897. and Mt the end OF u week nothtpg re-
nlurncd OF the ohoo pleasant parks. venerable
cathedral and pretty stores excapt mass Of
burning. smoking ruins. Broken walls still
tell the story OF where solid. substantial build
tnRs once stood: fragments OF urns and rem
nants OF artistic. pottery recall the gardens Of
flowers that at ono time adorned the inner
courts OF dwellings, fallen pillars and disor-
dered tiles tell OF walks and arcades that
formed promenades for pedestrians; but now
no single living creature Is left within the
place. nothing save the buzzards that circle
about In the blistering air settle on the piles
OF rock and mortar like solemn sentinels
Watching over the dead.
Where once a busy little city prospered and
hourished. to-day are ruins as extinct as Baal-
bee and as desoate rs Tadmor. No merry
bells peal from the church towers. no laugh
ing children play in the parks. no sound OF life
comes from the silent walls: nothing is there
but ruin and dust. and the buzzards watching
over IL all.
Victoria do Las Tuuas was som pletely do
stroyed ON Sept. 4. 1897. Not building was
left standing. not even the cathedral or the
Red Cross Hospital. from both OF which ioatcd
the flags Of peace. These. and every store.
public edifcs dwelling and. structure Of every
kind, vere'either levelled by the explosions OF
the dynamite gun. blown up with fouGasses or
torn down by teams OF oxen hitched to ropes
and chains Twelve months prior to the
American Intervention Victoria dc Las Tunas
occupied a prominent position in the political
geography OF eastern Cuba. The town was
decidedly Spanish in sentiment and popua-
tion and the people were radically opposed to
Cuban control or Cuban Independence in any
form. In direct opposition to Las Tunas was
the town OF Hoguin. sixty-sX miles further
east. which was as violently Cuban in politics
and sentiment as its neighboring city ran to
the other extreme. Ieut.-G Luque. with
about 10000 Spanish regular troops and any
number OF volunteers. was sent into the
province to hold the people in check. and for
the reason that Holguin was hotbed of Cuban
insurrecton and the home OF many insurgents
he massed the greater uart OF his forces at this
point. He placed. a small garrison OF about
800 In Las Tunas and distributed other regi-
ments here and there MS the needs might re-
ouire. Hesstrongly fortified Holguin. throwing
out blockhouses in every direction: he built
rifle trenches and rifle pits on the surrounding
Mills and he sent through the country squads
VI bhooting phrtles VINO were ordered To XIII
and burn everybody and everything suspected
to be opposed In any way to Spanish domina-
ton. What made the feeling stronger than
usual against HolRuin was the fact that Gen.
Miro. nati,e OF the city. was then in the field
with Garcia. who was also a native of Hoguln
Both were operating against Spanish opprss-
land the ranks of the Cuban guerrias
were largely augmented by volunteers who
themseiVee had been and whose families still
were residents OF the city.
Gen. Calixto Garcia was assigned by the So
called Cuban Government to stir up as much
turmoil and create as much disturbance in
Santiago province as he was able to do with
the force at his command. His soldiers wore
practically guerrilas. ragged. barefooted
mob recruited largely from class whose
former profession was pillaGe and plunder
and this army in the name OF Cuba Libre
swept here and there. burning and destroying
as they went. and leaving behind them trail
OF ashes and ruin rs black and as desolate as
that created by the Spaniards. Between the
two. there was little promise Of a Cuban fu-
ture. Plantations were sacked and burned
houses robbed. plate and money appropriated
by the party who CHANGED to be the first in at
the death. and 30 the fair island was being
slowly and surely turned into desert OF ruin
whom America stepped in and demanded that
bucn conditions should cease to be-
one night when the little garrison at Las
Tunas leas. expected trouble. Gen Garcia with
about $500 troops quietly surrounded the
sleeping city. and before the first break of
dawn his guns were pounding away at the
Quartet the hospital. and other buildings where
troops were.supposed to be uuartered. The
Inhabitants had been more or less familiar
with the noise OF Spanish target practice at
this early hour. and were prepared for moth
Ing more serious than a loss Of sleep until a
high-hyng dynamite bomb exploded in the
park OF the plaza tearing and ripping things
to pieces and killing few of the Inhabitants
who CHANGED to lie abroad at that time OF the
morning. There were twcnty-one block
houses or stone forts surrounding Las Tnnas.
and II properly garrsoned and guarded these
defences would have been sufficient TO hold
the city against any reasonable force that
might be sent to capture it. Among them
were usually distributed squads of sharpshoot-
ers and few small caibre krupp guns and
unless an attacking party were supported by
artillery these forts were invunerable.. II