Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-06-20
Life Of Famous Fighter.

Life Of Famous Fighter.
General Maxine Gomez y Baez was
one of the famous soldiers of the nine
teenth century and probably more
than any other man aided in the liber-
alton of Cuba. He was born in Santo
Domingo in 1926, and received but a
meagre education. For years he toiled
at the usual occupations and was lit
tie known until 1864 when Santo Do
mingo's autonomy was attacked by a
certain faction of greedy Spaniards,
who desired to annex the island to
Spain. For reasons never divulged,
Gomez decided to fight against his
own country and joined the Spanish
army. He was speedily rewarded
with captaincy in regiment of
which the notorious Valeriano Weyler
later captain general of Cuba, was the
colonel 1t is on record that Gomez
fought valiantly and was made ma
jor for his services, but when the in
vaders were driven from the island,
Gomez went to live in Cuba under the
protection of the Spanish flag. Here
for a long time he was maintained on
half.pay by the Madrid government.
Spanish Rule Dlsgusts.
Gomez soon got In touch with the
Cuban patriots, and his political views
underwent a radical change. He be.
came disgusted with Spanish rule and
especially with the cruelty and dishon
esty of Vilar, who commanded the
I army. Occasion arising he quarreled
with and assaulted the Spanish com
Stmander and of course all his connee
tions with the Spaniards ceased al
once He left Havana and apparently
settled down as planter. The insur
rcction of 1858 brought him to the
front as a patriot. Gomez Joined the
rebels and was made a colonel by Ces
4 pedes, who at that time bore the title
of Cuban president He proved to be
active and able and an indomitable
fighter. and after Agromonte's death
he was put in command of the insurg
ents in Camaguey province.
Head of CUBAN Army.
i The rebellion was crushed however
and Gomez found 1t necessary to leave
Cuba. He first went to Jamaica anc
later to his native country, Santo Do
mingo, where he lived on a farm unit
1895, when the second revolution II
Cuba broke out. At once he hurried
to Cuba and was made general ir
chief of the tattered forces Of the re
public. He did little open fighting but
accomplished much by harassing the
Spaniards and destroying their sup
plies. He was more dreaded by the
Spaniards than were Maceo and Gar
cia, for Gomez was strategist of abil
ity and at all times was willy and wary
The other Cuban leaders were hurri
cane fighters when the opportunity of
fered, but Gomez never forgot tha
rifles and ammunition we're hard tx
get and that fallen patriot could no
be replaced readily. Hence his polio.
of guerrilla warfare.
United States Acts.
, Cruel reprisals by the Madrid gov
ernment finally Mortified the civilized
world and compelled the Intervention
, of the United States to end the war
and when, in 1898, American troop
were landed in Cuba, Gomez put hi
small force at the disposal Of tn
American commanders as speedily a
, possible He was continued in the com
mand of the Cubans until March, 189
when he was deposed by the assembl
for ''traitorously receiving for hi
army the s3,O00,000 voted by tn
United States government" Since tha
,, time little has been heard of the vetel
an fighter whom General Fitzhugh Le
once described as grim. resolute
. honest, conscientious, grizzled vetel
!. an" 1t is generally conceded that &C
mez successfully practiced the tactic
that it was necessary to employ t
waste the resources of the Spainard
and to prolong the Cuban struggle, ,ur
til it should become manifest to tn
American government that interfel
ence was necessary.