The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-19
FIGHTING HAS BEGUN
BY REBELS IN CUBA
Palma's Party Uneasy at affairs
in PiHar del Ric.
BANDERAS WHIPPED AT HAVANA
Rural Guards Raw and H.rdIy Able
to Cope Will! thc RoIing Insur.
ycnts-Unrcst in Government
Americans Not hfoiestcd.

Havana, Cuba-The rural guards
under command Of General Acosta
had an engagement with force CT
insurgents under the negro veteran
General Barderas, near Eoyo Color.
ado, twenty miles from Havana. AT
ter some fighting the rebels shouted
with machetes!" the signal for close
fighting. The guards then charged
and the rebels fled.
Eleven carloads Of troops were de-
trained at scattered points in Ha.
vana, Santa Clara and Matanzas
provinces. The fear was expressed
that at no point was the force Of ru.
raj guards large enough to cope with
a strong band of insurgents. Fur
thermore, it was asserted, most of
the guards never had been under fire.
However, a detachment in Havana
province routed a part Of Banderas'
band, killing one insurgent. On the
other hand insurgents occupied
Guines, the centre of the American
truck farming region, without oppo-
sition. They did not modest the
Americans.
Friends of the Government said
they believed the insurrection in
Western Cuba was as big as it would
be. They volunteered the view that
the insurgents lacked courage to at
tack posts of Importance, no matter
how weak the rural guards might be.
Yet unofficial reports Of fighting i'll
Pinar del Rio poured into the capital.
The Government would not or could
not confirm them. Neither would it
affirm or deny that General Demetrio
Castillos nephew, Rafael Duany, was
organizing an insurgent movement
in Santiago Province. General Cas-
tillo and Senior j. G. Gomez, VINO
were arrested in that city, were
brought here and clapped into jail.
Incidents in the capital and else
where betrayed an emphatic spirit Of
unrest on the part of the administra-
ton in respect of the insurrectionary
movements. Conflicting statements
were made about Justice O'Farrell,
who not only is Secretary of State,
but of late has been Acting Secretary
Of the Interior. 1t was announced
officially that he had resigned from
the Cabinet in q pet because Presi
dent Palma rebuked him for no'
knowing what was going on in tbs
disaffected parts of the island.
O'Farrell said only three Insured.
tionary movements were afoot, inti
mating that was negligible quantity
for Cuba. He added the Govern.
ment's prospects Of permanence We're
bright. Nevertheless, it was learned
positively from Yaguajay, Province
of Santa Clara, that General Jose Mi
guel Gomez had left that point at the
head of a band Of insurgents. Conner
was a candidate for the Presidency,
and his influence is feared by Palma
Orders were rushed to the Govern
ment of Santa Clara Province to ar
rest him without delay. Juan Men
cia, the Generals secretary, was ar
rested in Guanabacoa, where the po.
lice had been watching him since
February last on account Of the con.
nection he had with camp of inSur.
gents captured by the rural guards.
Despite O'Farrell's expression OF
optimism, too, it was noticeable thar
the Government was busy recruiting
for the rural guards. Urgent invita-
tions were issued to young men to
enlist in that command, and 1t was
reported that in several instances the
Government had not confined its poi
icy to invitations. O'Farrell's alleged
confidence was not to be reconciled
easily with the manifest anxiety OF
practically all the other members OF
the Cabinet. 1t was said President
Palma was resolved to arrest states
men and soldiers right and left rath-
er than run the smallest risk of hav-
ing his Government overturned. There
was no question that. dozens OF ar
rests would be made, and it was ru-
mored the President had sent in
structions to police chiefs throughout
the island to gather all suspected
persons in dragnet. Praise or
President Palma's prompt policy was
approved by conservatives.