The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-18
MaSimo Gomez..H
Man OF Mystery
From the Buffalo Express.

From the Buffalo Express.
n WAS anticipated. the Cuban
I'M people are rallying to the sup
IN port of Gen. Gomez as against
u u tho Military Assembly. This is
encouraging in several ways. Gomez
at present represents acQuiescence in
the policy of the United States. His
deposition by the army officers has lent
sort Of enthusiasm to the American
policy, where before there was only
liberation or open opposition. More
| over. the attack upon him gives the
| impulsive Cubans something else to
think of besides the course OF the
Americans. AS the supporter of their
! chief hero against his rebellious ot1-
GERS, the United States has a better
/ standing with them than as the power
! that enforces order among a people
| with whom order has never been over
popular. The quarrel among the Gu
bans, Furthermore. furnishes a justifi-
| cation for the continued presence OF
| the United States army in the island.
which many Cubans had been disposed
| hitherto TO deny. Gomez's bearing at
this time is such as 10 impress Amer-
cans greatly in his favor. The senti-
| nlents which he expresses in regard to
/ his own course and his hopes for the
future of CUBA could hardly be better
chosen.
| There is probably no man Of the time
| OF whom so much has been written and
so little Is known as Maxine Gomez.
| He Is citizen of San Domingo. He
| fought in the Ten Years War. He
has been the colnmander-in-ch of
the Cubans during their last insurrec-
tion. These statements practically
! give the sum OF public knowledge in
| the United states about him. No cor
| respondent has taken the trouble to
visit his San DOMINICAN home and des-
scribe it. Whether this is place or a
| hovel, whether Gomez is a man of
wealth or a poor peasant, whether he
possesses education and culture, like
Marti and Garcia, or is an ignorant
| backwoodsman. whether he is gener-
Gus or penurious his ancestry and an
| tecedents-all these are points which
! are yet to be learned. 1t is even mat
! ter open to debate whether he is really
a skillful and brave soldier in the kind
of guerrilla warfare he has conducted.
The accounts OF his operations furnish
abundant argument either way, though
! according 10 American military stand
ards, the weight of opinion would be
that he has shown genius principally
for hiding and pillaging and that the
only real fighter among the Cubans
perished when Antonio Maceo foil.
| %
An Interesting description Of his per-
sonal appearance was written by
George Bronson Rea, a correspondent
who visited him before the United
States entered into the war with
Spain. Mr.. Rca wrote: "All my pre-
conceived ideas Of the man were shat
tered at a glance, for, instead of The
martial looking old gentleman. whose
bearing conveyed the idea Of a thor
ough soldier, l found chocolate-col-
ored, withered old man, who gave one
the Idea Of a resurrected Egyptian
mummy. with the face lighted up by a
pair of BURY, cold expressionlcss
eyes, that at times glowcd like two red
Goals of fire, especially when in rage or
passion" The contradiction in this
description which makes bury cX-
pressionless eyes glow like red Goals
of fire is at once apparent, and this
contradiction is typical of all that has
been written about him. Apparently.
Gomez is man of contradictions.
| q
Rea's experience with Gomez WAS not
very happy. the old man having once
threatened to shoot the correspondent,
so his statements must he accented
guardedly. His account of Il Convcr-
Sation with Gomez represents the Gu
han leader as saying that he regarded
| Bolivar and Juarcz as the two gl eatest
generals that the Western continent
has produced and that he gave third
place to a San DOMINICAN whose name
Re could not even remember. 1t would
appear that Gomez was very familiar
with the lives of these Spanish -Ameri-
can revolutionists, beng able to dcs-
cribe in detail their campaigns. with
the dates of the various skirmishes
they fought, etc, but that he was
about as ignorant of the famous mill
tary men and operations of the United
states, as the ordinary citizen of this
country is of Gomez's Spanish -Amcri
can heroes. Yet even this unfriendlv ~
writer could not avoid exhibiting a
really fine side of Gomez as when he
described the capture of a Spanish ma
jor. The prisoner was trembling with
fear. expecting to be hanged immed-
lately. Gomez looked at him with
contempt as he delivered his sword "a
a soldier, and said: We don't kill
prisoners. Go and tell Weyler an
Marin how Gomez has given you your
| freedom, while all our poor fellows
captured by the likes of you are exec
cuted." The officer extended his hand
TO Gomez to thank him for this uncX-
pected clcmenCy, but the old chieftaln
replied: "No: l will not shake hands
with you under these circumstances
If you wish to have that honor, come
to me on the field of battle" That was
a speech worthy Of a Cyrano de Ber.
gerac, and perhaps Gomez is d sort OF
shriveled Cuban embodiment of NJ
Rostands hero. without the nose. We
shall learn more about him if ne lives
: till the Cuban question is settled. and
he Is certainly man whose character
will be well worth studying.
: ERRORS OF pASST0N