Arizona republican., 1899-03-23
A SPANISH SOLDIER
He is Now an InmafG Of inc Sisters
 Hospital in PhoeHix.

About month ago a stranger strag gled into the city with his head bound by bandages and otherwise looking much the worse for wear. He was suf- fering from a severe attack of ma larial fever when seen by an officer of this county and he was taken to the Sisters hospital. It developed that the man was a Spaniard direct from Barcelona, Spain, and he could not speak a word of English His name is Jose Eginoa ana in the last two years he has borne enough suffering for an ordinary individual to bear in a life time
 Senor Eginoa was a Spanish soldier on active duty at Havana during the war with Spain. At present he is con valescing from an attack of pneu- monia and he was seen yesterday at the hospital By the aid of an inter preter it was learned that he has half brother named Jose Larosa who is working for a sheep man in the north by the name of lP N Etcheintue. It is for this reason that Eginoa found his way to Phoenix where he expected to join his brother
 When eighteen years of age he was drafted by the Spanish government and sent to Cuba. At the time he was taken he had been lying in hospital at Barcelona for thirteen days, and his trip across the ocean was one of in tense suffering. He said that every young man who could walk was taken out of the hospital in the same manner and herded to Cuba like 50 many sheep. When he landed in Cuba he was seized with malarial fever and was subject in the hospital for six months. He was in the campaign in Havana and Del Rio.
 After peace was declared he was sent back to Spain, but was seized shortly after by the government au thorities to be sent back to Cuba. He took advantage of an opportunity to escape and went to France where he corresponded with his brother here who sent him money for transporta- tion. He stated that if at any time he should wish to return to Spain ne would have to pay 2,000 pasetas or he would be punished as a deserter. When questioned about Cuba he said:
 we were treated like dogs in Cuba. All of us were herded together and we ndu very llllle CudHCS lO lGdFn WHdJ was going on around us. Although in and about Havana for eighteen months never saw General BlancO. There was a colonel of one of the reg iments stationed there who came from the same town that I did I knew him personally in Spain, but never saw him in Cuba. We were taught to believe that the Americans were fighting with the native Cubans; that they were a rascally lot of traitors and it was our duty to conquer them. We quickly changed our minds when peace was declared and it was found that we re- ceived much better treatment at the hands of the Americans than the Span iards. A large number of the Spanish soldiers were ready to fight for the United States.
 Our sufferings at Havana were terrible, especially at the time when the harbor was blockaded. At one time three days ration were issued to my command with the promise that the commissaTy would be replenished at the expiration of the three days Most of the commissioned officers left the camp and they did not return for a week. don't know where they went but I do know that we were very hungry in their absence. Our food consisted of horse flesh mostly, but great many of the people who were not soldiers would have been glad to get that, for the famine was awful. When peace was declared each Spanish soldier was offered S7. Most of them refused the offer and returned to Spain in disgust.
 We learned one thing about the and that was that when they started into a fight they were there at the finish. When they took possession of Havana the people re- joicedt The Cubans had been crueIy treated and their sufferings were much worse than ours. 1 was in Spain on furlough at the time the Maine was blown up and 1 did not know much of the circumstances, but when to Havana I soon learned that the impression prevailed among the Spanish soldiers that it was the work of the Spanish government, and some of them were gleeful over it. We had no cause and for that reason our fighting was not so effectual as that of the enemy. I call them the enemy, but as a matter of fact they treated us better than the Span iards and when we learned that they would not kill us when we were taken prisoners we began to regard them more as friends
 Even after Senor Eginoa had made the statements regarding the cruelty of Spain, it was plainly evident that he retained a warm love for his coun- try, and although he sjgnified his in tention of becoming an American cit Izen. it was noticed in the conclusion of his conversation that he laid partic llar stress upon the fact that at some time he might return to his native 
 
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