The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-01
ARE No GOOD At ALL
Rough Rider Rhoades on the
Cubans He Fought For.
-ss
WHY SPAIN DIDN'T WIN
Not Because of Cuban VaIor,
but of Military Corruption.
WHY SPAIN DIDN'T WIN
SPECIAL Correspondence of the Easie)

| SPECIAL Correspondence OF the Eagle.)
Matanzas. Cuba. June 2S-The rains stu
continue with cloek-lIke regularity every
evening. giving a downpour Of nom
twenty minutes TO three-Quarters OF an
hour that would delight the heart OF a
western farmer. Their frequency tempers
the air so that the heat Is not 50 notice
able as last year OF this month. There
are no cloudy days. but the rain falls a
the clouds advance. so that one can stand
and watch II without the necessity ~
seeking shelter anti Il Is within a few
feet- As soon as the cloud passes ever
Inc rain is done fer the day. leaving m.
surrounding country beautiful fresh AMI
sparkling from its bath The afternoons
are cool and the fresh sea breeze invfsnr-
ating The thermometer varies between
/ 70 and 50 degrees. the hottest part ~ tha
day being from 10 70 II o'clock. The I'M.
nudity OF the atmosphere causes surh i,
remarkable growth as TO be almost he
yond belief. In many places along the
road side the grass Is SO high as &c ride
the cattle grazing IN IL, while II Is no un-
common thing 10 pass along a mule path
/ one day 10 find upon your return the neS,
mat cTeepers have grown across Il \
path abandoned for a month Is some,su..,
as choked with creepers and hriars as
need machete to force ones way. II /,
for this reason that every native c-s
meets in the country, carries a mache.a
and not because he Is warlike or even
offensive In fact the average Cuban :
as timid as a hare and all the newspaper
talk OF their wonderful deeds in me re-
bellion against Spain originated Ia the
fertile brain OF some imaginative core
spondent There never was a battIs
fought in that war that could be givcn
even the name OF skirmish. The Cuban
army was simply a guerrilla hand ~ out
laws and cut-throats, mostly negroes and
mulattos. who preferred that kind OF iife
10 the harder work of the plantation.
Their idea OF brilliant victory was 20
steal upon some unprotectsd plantation.
which they fired and during the excite
ment ran OF cattle or carried on anv.
thing Of value that they could lay thti
hands upon. Many Of the piastatIo..
paid them tribute regularly 10 save
their property and on this they lived Ia
idieness. They tell some great stories 81
victories over the spaniards. but when
pinned down 20 Il admit that about tho
only time a Spanish soldier was killed
was when a small squad was out alone
and were surprised By superior numbers
who skulked IN the tail grass. lying In
wait FOR their victims, 10 take them IN
awares. No mercy was shown. and n a
man was CAPTURED he was sared only
long enough to be taken &c some eoaveu-
lent place OF meeting where after the
assembly Of large number. he
was executed by being hacked "a pieces
with their machetes. They are morally
and physically towards and IN either or
taken as whole. are far inferior 70 the
American negro
Why then didn't Spain put down the re-
bellion? Because her officers. from the
governor general down 20 the y0uugest
subaltern. were more greedy than pairi-
otto. preferring private gain TO their coun-
try's welfare There are no pay rolls 70
be signed in the Spanish army. each cap
tain drawing the money for bis company
and recelptlng for g. The rations we're
also distributed through his hands. 80
that whatever may have been issued has
I
quite common for several months % roll
around before the men received cent 81
being for only one month. The missing
months were said to be due them ant
would bs paid when mustered out
complaint for such treatment would have
been met with severe punishment. ~
there was notsinR Tor The soldier 70 d
bat submit The higher officers made
money cut Of army contracts where
everything was paid for ~ enormous
figures the profit being divided beg~ees
the officers and contractors. Such treat
ment IN any other country would have
meant actual death b starvation. hut
here they were able - adj % their regu.
lar ration forazlnR IN the sweet potato
patches and could readily fnd a supuiy -
Wild fruit There are q great many Span
lares here who served n the army who
tell some narrowing tales q death aui
disease BY ~ treatment and insuffcirrt
food. They claim that = sick sejfier
never received medical treatment. 0uiaE
% the expense q keeping hespital-. an1
shat in most eases BE 5esfh VS. desired
by ire oficers as they Oh not report g.
bat drew his pay ard rsfi1us a. before
n IL strange thst fhs news cahisd dur
ing those tfoabies times shaElf hafe
shown orIv one eide % ihs picture =
them trs Eganiay1 vas Invariably Pc
.r5rsd - BLACK a. = 49, possible POI mske
hlrn zsf.c tae Cuban ~as pictured as a
rnetk. long offering race p martyrs
sqtose Only crlTe waz re fsTzivenfss af1
r. bIenerz - character Thee 6asefiDiions
we're ag rzhf - Tar aE sAs noh.1tr aHl
--.s..-~-r---4s a-.f~ sva~a or.-se -rr.s 40
n nos srply - TIE masses. while their
Eescrpfos - ths cgbaus ngast have bssa
srasa from Some ~srA q scti1n ~ esa
we're pare inventions. as they eertais.T
wera not 6rasn from Hs@
l. RHOADEz