The age-herald., 1899-08-02
THE CITY WAS DEFENCELESS Spirit of Trc : Was Weakened
 by E., of Hope. GENERAL : ,4ND0 HAS REGRETS Recon - .ations Made by Him Were Not Acved Upon-Santiago Should
 Have Been Reinforced and
 Not Deserted.

Madrid, August 1.-The second session of the courtmartial of Generals Toral and Pareja, who are charged with surrenderng Santiago de Cuba to the Americans with out having exhausted all means of defense, took place today.
 General Pareja, in his defense, said the garrison of the city of Santiago de Cuba lacked food, many of the soldiers having died of hunger. Previously however, he added. the troops fought bravely, and many officers and men were killed. In addition. the hospitals lacked medicines.
 The general read several telegrams ex- changed between the authorities at Wash ington and Major General Shaffter, the lat ter showing himself confident of forcing the surrender of Santiago de Cuba.
 The City Was Defenseless
 General Toral made similar defense. He said that Santiago de Cuba was defenseless and that 1t was impossible to hold out longer. He read a telegram sent him by Captain General Blanco, who. after con- sulting with the authorities at Madrid, ap- proved of the equalization.
 Another Spanish officer testified that when he entered Santiago he found three- quarters of the troops sick.
 General Rubi gave testimony to the effect that further resistance would have been equal to the death of the remainder of the troops.
 Colonel Ordnez testified that he was blockaded and therefore did not take part in the conference when 1t was decided to surrender. But he said he believed that all means of resistance had been exhaust ed, though perhaps the equalization might have been avoided by an attempt to break through the enemy's lines, causing much bloodshed. However, the spirit of the troops was weakened when they lost all hope of outside help.
 Regretted the Recommendations
 Lieutenant-General Pando, who was in charge of the military operations in Cuba, testified as to his regretting that the rec- concentrations made by him before leav- ing Santiago had not been acted on, as Santiago then had sufficient ammunition, except for the artillery. He dsapproved of the decisions of the generals at Ha, vana, who, he asserted, should have rein forced Santiago.
 General Blanco, who succeeded General Weyler as governor-general of Cuba, mar rated events which transpired at the be- ginning of the war. He said he had never advised tine equalization of Santiago but favored a strong resistance The govern ment, he declared, had accepted the terms of the United States without discussion, and when he telegraphed to General ToraI 1t was too late. Santiago, he added, had far from an insufficient garrison.
 Gen. Toraps Defence
 The defense of General Toral, now on trial by courtmartial, accused of surrender ing Santiago de Cuba to the Americans without having exhausted all means of de- fense, is that Santiago was not a fortified town with the meaning of the regulations General Toral contends that he was not lia- ble for the responsibility laid down in arr ticle 295 of the code, since he was not q governor and had not the chief power, but was subject to the orders of the general-in- chief He lacked independence, and was accordingly not responsible.
 General Toral points out that the minister of war, who on different occasions had given orders to Toral had, on the eve of equalization, given him full liberty to capA- tulate. and that Governor General Blanco in complaining to the government kept sl- lent what he had previously said in oppo- sition to equalization.