The National tribune., 1903-03-26
THE AMERICAN
SPANISH WAR
,cou,inu ID from ars. page,

put himself aside on the pretext that he
was not Cuban-that the Cubans should
decide. And so ended the 10-years' strug-
! gle. =.
| After four years Of Imprisonment in
dungeons and cells of different fortresses
| of Spain when the ZanjOn compact was
made and Gen. CaliNtO Garcia 1niguez
was given his liberty, he proceeded directly
| to Paris. where, in Company, with Dr.
| Betances and other prominent Cubans, he
commenced the organization of new plans
| for a conspiracy. The long captivity he
had suffered. instead of exhaustins his
viyor and enthusiasm had only served to
| increase them. 1t was astonishing to all
to see the man who had wasted perhaps
| the best years of his manhood boxed up
between walls waiting patiently for his
liberty. instead of being downhearted and
disappointed. come out strong and enthu.
siastic. ready for another struggle, OF
wli;cl, no one dreamed. in Cuba or else
| where. He sought and obtained the co.
operation of nearly all the commanders
and officers of the war living at that time
| in the Island or abroad. Among others
were Antonio Maceo, Gregorio Benitez.
Pho Rosado, ROloff, Fonseca. etc., who
answered. Offering their services. Gen.
Maxine Gomez and Gen: Vicente Garcia
never definitely gave their approval. and
consequently Gen. Calixto Garcia Yniguez
did not have their help. Suddenly the
leaders of the conspiracy in the Santiago
Province were arrested. Brigadier Flor
Crombet and Col. Pedro Martinez Freire,
Jose Maria Rodriguez CMayia) and Beola
were sent to Spain as prisoners Of war;
they had had Gen. Calixto Garcia's I'M
bounded confidence. The three prisoners
arrived at Madrid, where they were put.
in communication with the other members
of the conspiracy in Oriente. through Gen.
Garcia's revolutionary envoy, DIR. Ensebio
Hernandez. who undertook to carry letters
of the said leaders. which he delivered to
Gen. MOncada and to Col. Jose Maceo.
Silverio del Prado and Santos Perez. the
last commanding a band of Spanish guer-
riIlas, and approving Of the uprising. In
these letters the prisoners warned them
not to wait any longer. lest they. too, be
discovered and arrested. 1t was agreed
by the Committee Of Santiago. in several
meetings held. not to wait any longer. but
to revolt, which they did on the night of
the 18th of August, 1879. easily taking
possession of the city of Santiago. But
Gen. Moncada. senior officer commanding.
incensed because of the intrigues of the
Autonomists, who characterized the move
ment as war of races 1.-THE three principal
chiefs, whites, as stated above. having
been made prisoners and deported to
SPAIN, hesitated at the last moment, when
IL was ElOSt important 10 exert
and pluck, and instead of surprising and
Selling the barracks, he marched out of
the city with the reyolutionists and began
to organize his force in the country. The
/ garrison was so taken by surprise that
they did not even fire a shot, and If they
had been attacked. would have surrender
ed Immediately. DR.. Hernandez carried
to Havana orders to the leaders Of Las
Villas and the Western Province. The
delegate and sub-delegates of Gen. Garcia.
in Havana. were Jose Antonio Aguilera
and Jose Marti, in conjunction with whom
DIR. Hernandez set to work and sent arms
and ammunition to Francisco Carrillo,
Emilio Nunez. Arias and other leaders of
Las Villas. They were soon discovered.
and Aguilera and Marti were arrested.
DIR. Hernandez escaped to the States in
a boat. Garlic and Nunez revolted and
were seconded by Arias and Cecilio Con
zalez. who landed with q small expedition
sent from New York by Gen. Garcia. and
the new revolution became formidable in
n short time. But this did not last long.
Gen. Garcia battled against the lack Of
sufficient funds to continue the war.
ABoRTIyE EFFORTS TO RENEW THE
| STRUGGLE.
The people were fatigued from the 10
years struggle and felt skeptical in regard
tributiOns for the cause were scanty; the
policy of suavity employed by the Govern
ment since the Zanjon compact did much
to prevent the undecided from joining: the
revolutionary propaganda had not been ac-
copied by the plantation districts of the
West. that were making good harvests;
the rich Vegas of Vuelta AbajO were pro-
ducing delicious tobacco. sold at heavy
prices; the labOrers received fair wages,
and work was plenty everywhere: and,
then, the absence from this movement of
Gen. Gomez and Vicente Garcia, who
lodged all proposals to engage themselves
in it, were reasons of sufficient weight to
prevent the rev0lutionists from succeeding.
When Gen. CalixtO Garcia. in despair,
failing to obtain the necessary funds to
equip an expedition for the aid of those
that were in the field fighting. flung aside
his patience, and with Is men risked his
life thrice, in the attempt to land in Cuba.
he did it, not because he had faith in the
success of the struggle. but because he
was bound to get there even though he
persisted in the attempt.
About the same time that he landed in
! Cuba with his staff, the two most promi-
nent men of the uprising, MOncada and
, Jose MaceO mysterious and complicated
J eventD surrendered with all their men to
the Spanish authorities, and Gen. Garcia
, and his Is followers were left to battle
| III OTleute ulOue Tie DdtIie LOT the lnue-
pendence Of 100000 inhabitants, while
| they were all enjoying the blessings of a
dishOnOrable truce, in shameful associa-
: ton with the Spaniards. All the avail
, able troops were detached in operations
against the small party of revolutionists
Only Carrillo and Nunez remained in
arms. the rest having surrendered.
Gen. Benitez. who had arrived successfully
Mt the Puerto Principe Province, seeing the
failure of the revolution, attempted to es-
cape by boat to Jamaica and was MUIR
!; dered by some men bought with Spanish
gold.
Abroad, only three leaders upheld their
convictions in those cruel days of defeat:
Gen. ROlOff, Col. Jose NJ. Agnirre and Dr.
Hernandez, who prepared an expedition
. to aid the reyOlutionists. Gen. Garcia suf-
fered horribly for several months. Bull
. lets, famine and disease reduced his party
to four men, who. at last, exhausted and
. without ammunition. were compelled to
!, surrender to Gen. Valera, near Bayamo.
This happened in the latter part of the
year 1880.
, Then came what may be justly called
the anesthetic period of Cuba Autonomy
was the powerful drug employed. Its
! effect was produced simply by smelling
of the bottle where it was carefully kept.
Generally a lecture on the therapeutics
! and materia medica of Autonomy was
quite sufficient q dose to produce a pro-
found slumber Without administering the