The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-04
HOW GOMEZ GOT TO CUBA.



taking.
New York Post: Gomez, the shay
gy.browed. wiry little aa;ocrat, who
leads the largest band of insurgents In
the Manigua, goes almost unarmed,
save for curious. crescent-shaped ma
che;e, different In pattern from the
usual Cuban weapon"
This sentence from the report OF
correspondent away back in the early
days OF the Cuban uprising had for
some strange reason or other fastened
Itself upon my memory. I knew the
long, lean pen-knife shape OF the in
surSent arm. but had never seen any
thing like the other. Some. time later
was shown one-a' short, wicked yata-
ghanaifalr, curved and wedse-shaped
at the point, and as heavy as an axe 10,
all Its shortncss. And was told that
this was the pattern In the island OF
Sant0 Domingo. the birthplace, strange
70 say. OF the foremost figure In Cubas
struggle against Spain for liberty.
II was with some pleasure. therefore,
when one morning during the late war
the dispatch-boat upon which I was q
passenger was ordered to qSanto Do
m!ngo. that anticipated the possibility
Of securing some light on the history OF
Maxine Gomez from the people among
whom he had been born and brought
up. | found that every one in Santo
Domingo knows OF Maxine Gomez
Strange to say. however. very little that
Is definite Is to be ascertained concern
Ing him from those In authority. But
with the common pcople-the metizos OF
all shades and colors that form the
bulk Of the populatlon-thlngs are
vastly different. With them the insur-
gent chieftain has become popular
hero. little short OF the demlgod, and 1t
was not so much question OF making
them talk as Of having them say some
thing that even willing listener could
halfway accept. At Bani, In the south
OF the island, they show you the more
or less authenticated house where he
was born. and on the outskirts Of the
town ofSMonte-Crlsti. where for some
years nfter the ill-starred ten years
war" Gomez managed 4 tobacco planta-
ton, the people are full OF all sorts of
legendary tales concerning his force OF
character, his personal bravery, and the
fascination Of his basilisk eye that
compels men to follow when he Wills.
But 1t was not until some time later
that found one who had been In per-
sonal contact with him and whose ac-
counts we're free from the creole hyper
oole that so frequently battles the seek
er after Information. We were riding
easily at anchor In the open harbor OF
Porto Plata, and under the forward
awning that mitigated but could not
shut out the blazing sun OF the tropics,
was seated little knot OF residents
who had come aboard 10 welcome the
representatives Of the almighty Ameri-
can press. One of these. a slender. sal
low man OF some thirtytivc years. very
courteous and retiring in manner. was
Introduced as John Poloney, the inter-
prefer OF the party. His English was
fairly fueRt-a heritage. so he explain
ed, from British grandfather. who had
settled In the Dominican republic and
married there. He himself had lived
there all his life. travelling from town
10 town. filling ut various times num-
Der OF minor government posts, and
plying his business as ships compra-
cor and shipping agent on q small
scale. 1t was 10 his good Offices that
Gomez. Marti. and their little party
owed 1t that Just at the beginning OF the
late outbreak in Cuba they were able
10 leave Saato Domingo and find thei-
way to the Cuban coast.
And this is John Poloney's story:
When. on February 10. 1878. the ten
years war caric to an end at FL Zanjon.
Gomez. like many another insurSent
leader. was at L loss whittier to turn
for livelihood. Othello's occupation
had gone. and there was little business
that man was fitted for after ten
years spent more or less in the jungle or
under the open sky. Fortunately the
republic of Costa Rica was building up
an army and needed an organizer. Go:
mcz applied for the post. and in the fall
OF 1878 was given the appointment, for
which has administrative abilities and
command of men we'll fitted him. But
when that work was done there was lit
tie else to occupy him there. and after
wandering about ainlessly for while
he accepted the offer OF -Nimenez {; Co,
firm of Santo Domingo tobacco grow
ers. 10 manage their plantation near
Monte Christi.
Perhaps his sojourn In Cuba had
taught him some OF the secrets OF the
Nuelta Abajo tobacco curers. which he
now hopes TO make remunerative. Per-
haps, after his long Odyssey he was
eager only, like 4 homing bird, for
sight Of the land OF his birth. Those
who have known Gomez in his unguard-
ed moments have limited at his nursing
strange dreams OF union of island re-
puolics. in which Cuba and Santo Do
minso were to be foremost, and whose
first effort would be to wipe the black
republic OF Hayti off the map. But.
whether he had ever contemplated
these things or not. they awaited him
little now that Cuba had once more
come fully under the dominion OF Spain
and that he himself was no more than
aproscrlbed revolutionary cabeclla.
He arrived at Guayacanes early in
1888, and settled down to improve the
dominican growth Of tobacco after the
CUBAN methods But upon one OF his
innate energy the monotony Of this en-
p!oyment soon paled. For years he
rode daily over the vast ingenio. super
Intending his feld-hands. But when
there began to be whispered rumors OF
contemplated Cuban outbreak. which
was being fomented By the juntas in
New York and Paris. Gomez entered
heart and soul into the cause.
Early in 1895 Jose Marti came from
New York to Monte Crsti. Marti had
mat curious combination of the poet.
orator. dreamer, and man Of action that
sometimes goes with genius. and he
brought news Of n tremendous secret
organization. efficiently equipped, which
was once more to attempt to free Cuba,
ana which had heen stayed. but not
stopped, by the seizure OF his own I'LL
nGsterlng expedition at Fcrnandina.
RIA a few months before. He remain
co at Monte Cristi while, comparing
Noes with Gomez and n small handful
VI admirers which the latter had gath
ercH about him. Caesar Sela. who had
L'"e ~ from SANTANA and enlisted for
nH'e loTc OF adventure: Angel Guerra,
EHnTtD hGttnr knn,pn IN, n fnr,ilio
hpprIlatire Of "PaquIto:" Borrera. who
was Inter- to die In the field and Il Ynunp