Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-10-10
MINNESOTA soy TELLS OF HIS
OBSERVATIONS
DRUNKEN AMERICANS
Officers of Yankee Warships on a
Spree Make a Spectacle of Them
selves in HaVana-lnterVention
Means the Sunny Side of Easy
Street so We Are Assured.

Fergus Fails, Mimi, Dct ii. u.
Durrel has received two letters rom
his son, j. H. Durrell, who is engaged
in business in Cuba. The first is from
Arayo Arenas, where the young man
and his partner are putting in a brick
yard. and the second from Havana.
Arayo Arenas is a suburb Of Havana.
six miles out. The letter gives an
idea of the strength of the contendins
forces, and the utter helplessness OF
the Palma government:
Visit to the Battlefield.
Arrayo Arenas, cubF Sept. 20
Dear Father-I have been waiting
several days to write you. but things
have been at something of stand
still. We are back from Havana and
have been here for three days. We
got here Just in time to see the
government troops retreat after the
whipping they got at Wajay. They
lost about fifty in killed and wouA..et
which is an unusually large number
for these dago battles. The follow
Jag day. Lewis and | went over the
battlefield. which is only short dis
lance fIom here, and found lots OF
lad horses and got some souvenirs.
The men killed were mostly chopped
up It'll machetes. Neither side can
shoot. The fight took place in a
palm forest and while there were few
bullet holes as far down on their
trunks as ten feet, the tops were full
OF bullets. The government troops
retreated to the city and, the rebels
followed them but short distance
and went into camp.
The armistice was declared the
same day to await the arrival OF Tatt
and Bacon. so neither side Is doing
any fighting near here now. Palma
and his gang of boodlers are stay
ing inside Havana and the rebels are
marching and massing their troops
west of the city here at Arayo
Arenas. preparatory 10 attacking from
this side, if peace negotiations fail.
The government has $500 troops III
Havana.
There are now in the various
rebel camps. all within a radius OF
two miles of our place, 5000 men and
Pine Guerra will arrive tomorro "
with from 5000 to 1900 more Now
do not like to make any prophecies
as to the outcome, as may fall down,
but my guess is that this war VIII
only be settled one way, and that Is
by American intervention. The rebels
have Havana in their hands righl
now. as soon as they care to walk
in. but | do not think the Palma out
fit will give up without a desperate
attempt to give their Offices and their
country back to the United States.
President Roosevelts message was
good one, but il he thinks he caa
establish permanent peace here WITH
out few American Krags to keep c.
| der he is badly mistaken and viii live
| to fnd it out. They have no idea
of patriotism and will not, any more
than the Central American govern
ments tso called submit to being
governed by their own people unless
backed by United States troops. They
have a lot of respect for the latter
! though, and if troops are landed
thiuA that all will la down their
arms and not take them up again un
til they are withdrawn, if our presl
dent is so foolish as TO withdraw
them.
Nj wife and l went aboard oIe oi
the battleships and were shown over
it by the captain himself. We thought
MIN a jolly good fellow, and he Ger
tainly did treat us right, but when
we saw him and his Hrst lieutenant
Iriding backs and forth in front of Mr.
vaughn's residence in the Nedado ms
following afternoon. both miseraoiN
drunk and guarded by a squad o
Palma's ragamufin police on horse
back drunk, too, we changed on