The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-02-17
Comment Of Men Who Met Gu
bans in Cuba.
OPINION is NOT FAVORABLE
Bad. UngratefuI Lot"-UnwilliHg
to Fight-EVer Hungry-Wis-
consin Men al El Caney.

The Twentieth and the TweuJy-ssc-
1nd Regiments L. :. y. recently here
IN route for Manila. were both through
all the fighting in Cuba These two
commands. the Tenth. the Rough Rid
srs and a Wisconsin Regiment OF Vol
unteers did most of the work and car
ried away all of the hOnors. Another
element in the field in the first few
days of July was the Seventy-first New
York All but one battalion OF this
Regiment "funked." The military /
were here. blamed /
the officers of the Seventy-frst for the F.
disgrace that fell upon the command. |
Many men of tn" Twentieth and /.
Twenty-second were killed. \ few are
yet in hospitals. All the others. scores
of them bearing wounds or just recov-
cred from fever wrestling. were on
their transports and anxious for ser
vice in Manila. Away down in their
hearts most of them hope-wicSedly. II
must be admitted-tO have a go at the
can soldiers detest most heartily the
patriots that have been developed in
the Spanish colonies. Not an officer
nor man of the Twentieth or TWEEN
ty-second had good word for the
Cubans. The wearers OF the blue hold
hard hatred against the men who were
conducting the so-Called revolution in
the Pearl OF the Antilles. Even Faith
er Fitzgerald. the chaplain OF the
Twenty-second. despises the Cubans
and says so. This priest is noble
man. loved by all who are privileged 10
have his acquaintance.
The Cubans are a bad. ungrateful
lot" says Father Fitzgerald. They
are lower in the scale OF humanity than
any of us could have thought. They
were bushwhackers. They were cow
ards. They robbed the dead. They
lhindered instead of assisting the men
who went down there to give them lib
erty. The Cubans could never have
secured possession OF the island. They
were given but one assignment in con.
nection with the taking OF SautiaE.
and they failed in that. They We're q
meet and engage a body Of Spanisl
troops approaching the city, but Onll
reported that the column had gone ID,
another road They were afraid q
meet the column. One day We wer
taking some wounded To the rear
Spanish sharpshooters were firing a
us \ body of Cuban cavalry overjo,I
us. We asked them to go after tn
sharpshooters. The instant the pat
riots learned that there were Sp1niard
in the vicinity they fled. On anOthe
occasion | was working with a larg
number of wounded at an imprOviSs
hospital under 4 mango tree. Som
Cubans came down the road and STOP
ping with us. drew Spanish sharpshOo'
er fire. We had a hard time drivtu
the Cubans away from this place
Capt. Jones. of + Company. OF Oh
Twenty-secCnd. who was a day and
I night wounded under this mango tire
at once remarked on the statement
Father Fitzgerald by emphasizing it.
Those Wisconsin Volunteers wei
good fighters. Il was difficult 10 mai
them cease firing when their biaI
powder Springfield rifles We're drawn
shells upon our forces continue
Father Fitzgerald. The Wilson's
boys wanted TO pitch into the Cub1'
and would have done so. but for q
excellent way in which they We
handled by their officers. The Cuba
always had for our men the slluiati.
; 'Mucha hungry accompanied 10y I'll
3 bing the stomach. l heard a big Iris
man Of the Wisconsins say one ia
Get out; the evil one fly away ".
you. We are 'mucha hungry OF
selves \ Cuban invariably had G,
marks or impedimeuta OF ideu-if.
ton. He wore a straw hat and b
one spur or two spurs. Many 0s Oh,
had very little else as wearing ap71-
Then there We're the machettes. r
smaller the Cuban. the bigger the n
=. Ghetto l. Is mistake TO suppose @,
Y they fight with these weapons. tt
u haven't the courage. All their fight.
had been TO fire from ambush and IT
They have been little better ;t
bandits. Il must be said tn truth q
some of their leaders We're really ca
est men, battling for principle. but
great body OF them are unfit for as
L. any civilized people"
From officers and men OF the Tw
IS. ty-Second It was learned that Fat