The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1899-06-03


Havana, May 2S.-Only seven soldiers
have appeared at La Punta to receive the
honorarium of $75 allotted by the United
States for the surrender of arms and dis
bandment of the men composing the Cuban
army.
AT three minutes of 10 o'clock in the
morning, the hour set to begin the pay
ment of the troops, Major Francis S. Dodge
of the paymaster's department drove up in
a four-mule team with $4,000 in gold and
$4,000 in silver. Six guards accompanied
him, and details of men from the Eighth
infantry were under arms to preserve or
der among the mobs which it was sup
posed would gather.
Colonel George M Randall of the Eighth
infantry was present as commissioner of
the United States.
General Ruiz Rivera, who was today in
Quoted into the office of civil governor of
Havana, was there to receive the arms,
with a representative of General Gomez,
four or five Cuban officers and 10 report
ers. Half a dozen American clerks, with
the rolls of the Cuban army, sat about
long table at the headquarters of the
Eighth regiment. A bag of gold was dis
played, but there were no applicants for a
share of it. The inspectors spent the time
in discussing why no Cubans appeared.
General Rivera said that though there
were 43l9 enrolled privates and noncom-
missioned officers in the Fourth corps, few
of them lived in Havana. He explained
they were outside the city, and would
probably appear at other places in the
province and get their apportionment-
Nearly all the officers, he added, are III
Havana.
The representative of General Gomez,
who has been acting for the latter in the
interviews with Governor General Brooke
took a gloomy view of the affair. He
said the Americans, in STIMULATING that the
Cubans must give up their arms, had
caused a bad impression among the Gu
bans.
A group of Cuban officers, who proved
to be some of General Mayia Rodriguez's
staff, had in the meanwhile assembled.
They smiled at each other, twisted their
mustaches and grew confident as the
quarter hours passed and no soldiers APP
peared." Finally they jeered in a quiet
way at the WnOle proceeding
A False Claimant.
! Towards IL o'clock an unarmed colored
= man in Cuban uniform, came across the
} dusty square, attended by all the Ameri-
can spectators. He was shown to the pay
master, but turned out to be an "assis-
= tant" or camp follower The American
military men consulted, and it was
thought he was not entitled to share of
the 100000, and his name not being On
the rolls he was dismissed.
2 Major Scott, General Ludlow's adjutant,
| sent word that a man named Harris, a
= Cuban-American, serving sentence in the
r penitentiary, would be sent under guard
= to get his SIS, so at least one man was
, sure to take the gratuity. About 400 men
{ had been expected, and possibly many Of
: these will come later. But the scheme of
| payment, so far as Havana is concerned,
f looks like failure. Quite different re-
e suits are expected in country districts,
S where the Cuban military assembly and
the anti-Gomez influence is not so strong.
\ At noon General Rivera left, remarking
i that it was wasting time to stay there,
r and Major Dodge went to the Hotel
4 Trocha, informing Governor General
/ Brooke of the state of affairs.
i Four professed privates appeared at
= about 80 without arms, but as their
a names were not ON the rolls they were
v not paid.