The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-06
HE FOUGHT WITH THE CUBANS.
MAI. w. ID. SMITH OF CHICAGO NOW
IN SAVANNAH.

Was the Only American who Held
Commission With GOmez-COm-
manded the Personal Bodyguard
of That General and Participated
in AZ Fights-Knew Funston Well
and Says That He Is the Real
Unregistered with Gen. shafter
ON the Bureau of Information ana
Witnessed the Fighting Around
santiagO-Is Returning Home After
Spending Nine Months in Hospital
I'm Santiago.
Maj William D. Smith of Chicago is in
Savannah. There is nothing startling in
this information. Chicago doubtless has
more than a few of them have been ma
jors. The present Maj. Smith has had
more varied experience during the last
few years, however, than any other of the
name of Smith in Chicago. and if he chose
he might write book which viii furnish
as thrilling narrative of fact as ever
Fennimore Cooper or Mayne Reid drew
from the realm Of fiction
A man who served three years on the
staff of Gomez, part of the time in com
mand Of his personal escort, and later
played an important part in the secret
service Of the United States during the
war in Cuba, ought to be able to tell of
some hairbreadth escapes. Unfortunately,
Maj. Smith is not very much given to mar
rating his own adventures, but he is a
pretty good observer and knows how to
state the result of his observa lions.
Maj. Smith was sent to this country
by Gomez to appear before the Senate
commission which had been appointed to
investigate the state of affairs in Cuba.
His testimony was printed in full by the
commission, and undoubtedly had consid-
cradle effect in prejudicing the minds of
the members in favor of Intervention.
This was before the Maine was blown up
in Havana harbor, however.
Pretty nearly every newspaper man Ia
the country knows Maj. Smith AT least he
met severaf hundred of them while in the
service OF the government at Tampa and
Key West. On his first expedition from
Tampa after the war had been declared by
the United States he was accompanied by
several newspaper men. 1t was reported
that the boat had been captured by the
Spanlards and that the major had been de-
captated This would have been no great
surprise as Gen. Weyler had offered $1,000
for his capture dead or alive
Just about this time there passed through
Savannah a young German American, who
gave his name as Or. j. v Wilson. DR..
Wilson stated that he had just come from
Cuba, having gone there as a hospital
nurse, and having served as physician
with Gomez corps He inquired about
Maj. Smith, who, he said, was his friend
and whom he believed to have been killed.
a few days ago Dr.. Wilson landed back
in Savannah, having a half-formed inten-
ton of locating here. While strolling
along Bull street he saw a man on the
other side whom he recognized at once
1t was Maj Smith and Il was the first
time they had met in year Their greet
ing was a cordial one and now the two
are stopping at the same boarding house
on Barnard street.
MAJ. Smith looks like a man who has
been through a good deal As a matter
Of fact he only left the hospital at Santa
80 five weeks ago, having been in the
hospital since last july. Ii was not
wounds which kept him there, but simply
plain Cuban malaria with which he had
stocked his system while serving the Gu
island.
Maj. Smith is a native of Vermont. He
graduated from the Hazard law school
but went west for his health and enlisted
as a private in the United States army
lie rose to the rank of first sergeant, then
STOOD his examination and was given a
commission as second lieutenant with
troop f of the Fourth Cavalry. In 1884
ne resigned ana returned to Vermont
where he studied law at Burlington under
George F. Edmunds, the distinguished
constitutional lawyer, who recently re-
viewed the Carter case Tor the government
lie was pracucing law in Chicago when
the Cuban junta located him and made
MIN an offer to join their forces. which
he accepted
Sylvester Scoyel the New York World
correspondent who gained considerable no
torlety by slapping Gen. Skaters face AZ
The raising Of the United States flag AZ
Santiago, accompanied Mai. Smith on his
friends.
'Scovel." said Mai. Smith. chad haen
driven out of Havana by Gen. Cannes
but he was anxious to return to he ISL
and. We left Key West on the schooner
Martha with ten Cuban cigarmalars and
load of arms. The Cubans were To he
our escort after we reached the island
They proved to he pretty p1or lot though
l afterwards found the Cubans to be moor
fighters. We had bad weather and vera
forced to put in at the light
house off Cardenas for water While
we were there signals were flashed to the
cruiser Infanta Isabel, which was in the
harbor and when we put off we were
chased by her It was night and our
skipper knew his business. BY continu-
ally eircling around the cruiser we man
aged TO avoid her searchlights most of The
time and she finally abandoned the chase
The Cubans got so badly frightened that
they threw all the arms overheard. We
managed TO get back to Key West with
out having accomplished anything. Scovel
and then decided TO go TO Havana. which
VIC did by one Of the Plant steamships
We separated there, Scovel going to An.
tonic Maceo. while / made by wav 20
Nuevitas and then to the interior of Puer-
TO Principe province, where l found Co
meg and delivered the letters which had
received from the junta- l arrived on
the very day of the battle of Saratoga. the
greatest that Gomez ever fought. and re-
ported to him on the field. 1t was a three
1aNrgt Guhf ba