Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-06-20
THE NEWS THAT
DID NOT COME.
How a Spanish Garrisca In Cuba
Waited Peacefully W ile the
War Was On.
by I. NJ. DIEUAIDE.


The garrison NJ Baracoa had become
very much depressed. For over four
months the 500 of them had been hold
ing the place for the boy king. AT first
Il was pleasant enough. The inhabitants
of the little Cuban seaport were all in
,ensely loyal-bang the bandit rebels
in the presence Of the bright uniforms
from Havana.
Gradually. rs spring approached. there
came change. II was pot defined, but
the commandant realized that something
had come over the spirit of garrison ex-
ttcnce at Baracoa. He heard from Ha-
vaua 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 a war with
the United States. But they did not at
tach much Importance to il. One of the
younger officers summed up the situation
by remarking that the Yankees were
commercial pigs who would be more like
they attempted to handle n gun.
As the spring days heightened the
vague feeling of unrest that had come
over tc commandment increased. There
was evidently something going wrong In
Bar GOA. He was not at all so certain
~ The loyalty OF the inhabitants us he
hal teen ut first. He saw little groups
IL tie streets that melted away as his
s.Yi,.. a
ng> and thought he detected an air OF
unfricndliness. Sometimes he even felt
that he was being laughed at; then he
t'',!cd himself for suspicious old man
aai decided hat his long exile from
Spain had made him childish. Then rs
l. walked through the town it suddenly
struck him that the population was
dwndling il an inexpicable fashion. Ii
seemed. too. au unusually large number
If shops were closed. and some of the
houses had deserted appearance.
The commandment went back to his lit
tie office aud sat down TO think. II added
sharply 10 his uncasiness when he recall
ed that il 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 ami
partly because his messages had not been
important. bat now he wrote perempto-
ry demand for Instructions. which WIS
chcerfully licked off in the little tin roof
ed telegraph office.
A few days later the commaudant.
again depressed by indeiinnhIc suspicious.
summoned his officers aud asked stcrnly
IL the order against Inhabitants leaving
the town was being strictly enforced.
With oue voice they answered that il
was. As matter OF fact IL had mot been
enforced NJ all. The puOpIe had all been
so very, very loyal and the dark eyed
girls so kind. But--caramba, now
measures would be taken without delay.
Ii WAS too late. Almost dazed. the
commandaDt found that he WAS garrison
ing virtually deserted town. The pop
ulation had mclted away as il ly magic
And. worst OF all, ii had managed 10 take
with it all Il could in the way Of provi-
sioas and drink.
Baracoa was fairly well defended. and
the commandaut and his men sat them
selves down To await the attnck which
they knew would come. For days moth
ing happened aud the Spaniards occu-
pied themselves in throwing up breast
works. The cummandaut telcgraphed
urgently to Santiago that he was be-
sicged. There had been no sign OF it,
but he knew that il was true. No an
swer came. Nothing came--that WAS the
worst OF il. Finally. in desperation, the
commandment sent out n accommodating
party OF 20 men and waited anxiously.
lie would have been pleased to hear the
sound of firing, even II 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
noitering party.
For three weeks the garrison waited in
dreary solitude. Not vessel came into
Baracoa. and the Spaniards scanned the
waters ia vain for a sail. One day. far
out on the horizon, the commandment made
out the smoke and tunnels of n process
sion OF mighty craft moving eastward
that he knew to be warships. The sense
Of isolation began TO be almost unendura-
bic. 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 feeling of living in a
bygone age. What might have happened
In those three munthsf What had hap
peued? Had there been war? And he
down here mt this end OF the world.
guarding cemetery Of deserted streets
that apparently even the ragged Cuban
rebels did not want. He dreamed of
Madrid and awoke to doubt il there ever
had been such city.
There was no means OF transportation
for the garrison by sea, and the com
mandant thought seriously Of the des-
perate expedient OF taking his whole
force overland to Guantanamo. lie
would be false to his trust, but ut least
he would discover il the world still
moved.
That very night. however. the death
like stiffness of the deserted town was
broken by the crackle Of musketry. The
garrison welcomed it with joy born of
long enforced inaction. The whistling Of
the bullets seemed positively cheerful to
the long suffering commandment. and his