The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-04-12
! THE NEWS THAT
DID NOT COME.
How Spanish Garrison In Cuba
Waited Peacefully While the
War Was On.
BY T. NJ. DIEUAIDE.

| lie 6diElnOu dL udu pcCVAs
very much depressed. For over foul
months the 500 of them had been hold
ing the place for the boy king. At first
it was pleasant enough. The inhabitants
Of the little Cuban seaport were all in
tensely loyal-hang the bandit rebels!-
in the presence Of the bright uniforms
from Havana.
Gradually, as spring approached, there
came a change. 1t was not Defined but
the commandant realized that something
had come over the spirit Of garrison ex-
istence at Baracoa. He heard from Ha-
vana that a Yankee warship had been
destroyed in the harbor. He got no de-
tails. The authorities at Havana were
too busy to bother about the little garri-
son away down at Baracoa. From the
little coasting vessels that came occa-
sionally into Baracoa the garrison heard
all manner Of vague rumors. The COM
mandant and his officers discussed with
some interest the chances Of war with
the United States. But they did not at
tach much Importance to it. One of the
younger officers summed up the situation
by remarking that the Yankees were
commercial pigs who would be more like
ly to shoot themselves than the enemy if
they attempted to handle gun.
| As the spring days heightened the
vague feeling of unrest that had come
over the commandant increased. There
was evidently something going wrong in
Baracoa. He was not at all SO certain
| Of the loyalty Of the inhabitants as he
had been at first. He saw little groups
in the streets that melted away as his
officers approached. He heard whisper
ings and thought he detected an air of
unfriendliness. Sometimes he even felt
that he was being laughed at; then he
chided himself for suspicious old man
and decided that his long exile from
Spain had made him childish. Then US
he walked through the town 1t suddenly
struck him that the population was
dwinding in an inexpicable fashion, 1t
seemed, too, an unusually large number
of shops were closed, and some of the
houses had deserted appearance.
The commandant went back to his lit
tie Office and sat down to think. 1t added
sharply to his uneasiness when he recall
ed that it was very long time since he
had heard from either Havana or Santa
go. The last messages he had sent had
been unanswered. This had not worried
him before, partly because he was very
much used to Spanish official delay and
partly because his messages had not been
important, but now he wrote perempto-
ry demand for instructions, which was
cheerfully licked off in the little tin roof
ed telegraph Office
A few days later the commandant,
again depressed by indefnable suspicious,
summoned his officers and asked sternly
il the order against inhabitants leaving
the town was being strictly enforced
With one voice they answered that it
was. AS matter of fact it had not been
enforced at all. The people had all been
so very, very loyal and the dark eyed
girls 80 kind! But caramba now
measures would be taken without delay.
1t was too late. Almost dazcd, the
commandant found that he WAS garrison
ing virtually deserted town. The pop
ulation had melted away as if by magic
And, worst Of all, it had managed to take
with it all it could in the way Of proyi-
siols and drink.
Baracoa was fairly well defended, and
the commandant and his men sat them
selves down to await the attack which
they knew would come. For days moth
ing happened, and the Spaniards occu-
pied themselves in throwing up breast
works. The commandant tclcgraphed
urgently to Santiago that he was be-
scged. There had been no sign of it,
but he knew that r was true. No an
swer came. Nothing came-that was the
worst of it. Finally, in desperation, the
commandant sent out accommodating
party Of 20 men and waited anxiously.
He would have been pleased to hear the
sound of firing, even if he knew that each
and every one Of his scouting party was
being killed. No sound came back to
him. Neither did any one of the recon-
party.
For three weeks the garrison waited in
drcary solitude. Not vessel came into
and the Spaniards scanned the
waters in vain for n sail. One day, far
out on the horizon, the commandant made
out the smoke and tunnels Of process
sion of mighty craft moving eastward |
that he knew to be warships. The sense |
Of isolation began to be almost unendura-
BILE. AS he recalled that he had not |
heard one word from the outside world |
since early in March and here it was late
in May he had a feeling of living in a
bygone age. What might have happened
in those three months? What had hap |
pened? Had there been war? And he
down here at this end of the world,
guarding cemetery Of deserted streets
that apparently even the ragged Cuban
,ebels did not want! He dreamed of
Madrid and awoke to doubt il there ever
lad been such city.
There was no means Of transportation
'or the garrison by sea, and the COM
nandant thought seriously of the des-
)erate expedient of taking his whole
'orce overland to Guantanamo. He
would be false to his trust, but at least
he would discover il the world still
moved.
That very night, however, the DEATH
ike stiffness of the deserted town was
broken by the crackle of musketry. The
garrison welcomed it with joy born Of
ong enforced inaction. The whstling of
he bullets seemed positively cheerful to
he long suffering commandment and his
lighting spirit arose. The Cubans, for
UGH the garrison knew the attackers to
re from the shrill cries that came out of
he gloom, made no determined assault
nd after keeping up brisk fire for a
ew hours melted away into the darkness
+ the jungle. The Spaniards had recog-
ized occasionally the voices of some Of
heir former very dear and very loyal
riends, the inhabitants of Baracoa.
'hree Of the garrison had been killed
nd several wounded, but the Spaniards
vere in better spirits than they had been
or weeks. The spell of isolation was
roken. The commandant cheerfully es-
mated that he could hold the place for
long time.
Days went by into weeks again, and
till the garrison guarded its trust, still
7ithout the slightest intimation Of the