Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-07-06

assembly finding that it could get no sup
port from the Cuban people in fighting
Maxine Gomez dissolved ITSELF the insur-
gents accepted the payment advanced to
them by the United States and their army
quietly disbanded.
1t was General Gomez's profound knowl-
edge of the Cubans and of the Cuban char
acter which enabled him to ignore the as
sembly and to keep his promise to the
United States that the insurgents would
djsband and go to their homes Some
have become reconciled to him, but they all
admit that they would have been able to
make no Roadway against him With or
without reconciliation.
How fully Gen. Gomez knew the Cubans
was shown in the remorseless way in which
he enforced discipline in his motley army.
Even the most patriotic and the most ro-
bust of the Cuban revolutioniStS were weak
ing their own comrades for breaches of
military discipline Their natural DISPOSE
ton was against such measures. and more
over, they feared the effect. Bandits and
brigandS were quite useful in the guerrilla
warfare against the Spanish troops, but
when allowed to carry on the fighting after
their own methods they would demoralize
any kind Of an army. Gomez knew this, and
he caused a very large number of these
bandit chiefs to be court-martialed and ex-
ecuted. 1t was one of the good results Of
the insurrection that many of this class
were put out of the way of doing harm.
Execution of Bermndez.
One of the most noted instances Of Gen.
Gomez's firmness is an unwritten chapter of
the last days of the war. He caused the
insurgent general Bermudez to be tried and
shot, though the latter had large and des-
perate following. Bermudez was known as
the Cuban Weyler. 1 heard something of
his record in Santa Clara province during
the tnsurrection. There was a troop of
Spanish cavalry stationed at little rail-
way crossing where the railway agent
handled the correspondence between Gomez
ana the insurgents In the other part OF the
island. 1t was q good place to gather in
formation.
The agent told me one day that there was
great trouble among the Cubans because
BermudeZ had come into that part of the
province with band of desperate fellow
ers: He was still an insurgent, but the Gu
pans feared him more than they feared the
Spanish troops. Bermudez had been q han
dlt: At the beginning Of the insurrection he
nao behaved fairly well and had not trans
his natural tendencies asserted themselves
ano ne became notorious for his crueItfes
70 the country people, whether Cuhans or
SPaniards Hence his title of the Cuhan
Weyler. Ae Suoai
After the war was over I hannened n
De In the same neighborhood and heard the
preVaIent talk about insurgents who would
become become bandits. Instinctively 1 asked If
woods
his followers. 'Oh. no." was the re Ml,i
mes dead Maxine Gomez had him shot"
Inen Cuban who had been in the camp
at the time told me the circumstanees'
! think It was after the American troons
invaded Cuba. Bermudez was making him.
sell terror when Gen. Gomez caused him
70 DC arrested and tried by insurgent
court-martial for breaches of military dis
S There was no question of his guilt,
Du. It was question whether the court
martis! would dare convict him. Bermudez~
MN himself s became a., impatient during the trial
sentenced him to be shot. He received the
sentence with indifference. but when he
saw that 1t was to be executed by black
soldiers he protested. The negroes, he de-
clared. had been with him when thew
fought the Spanish troops, and had done
some real fighting. Consequently he did
not want them to be his executioners. and
ne asked that white Cubans be Substituted.
HIS last request was granted. What he
mao noped was that some of the blacks
would revolt and raise a mutiny within the
camp, but they showed no such sign.
Maxine Gomez had decreed the court
martial to try Bermudex. the court-martial.
had sentenced him to death, and no black