Woodruff County news. [volume] (McCrory, Ark.) 1901-1910, 1906-10-11
/. s. TROOPS.
REACHED CUEA WITH 600 MEN
ON BOARD.
Hebets Slow in Disarming and Our
Troops May Have to Garrison
the Principal Towns.

Havana.-The first contingent of
United States troops arrived here Oc-
tober on board the transport Sum
ner. The ship went to Havana Cen
trail wharf and the 900 soldiers with
their equipment were transported by
street cars to Camp Columbia under
the direction Of Quartermaster Gen
eral Baker. There they will camp in
tents until The preparation of the bar
racks is completed.
Governor Taft says that he has no
intention of turning back any portion
OF the expedition of 5000 regular
troops ordered to Cuba. He feels that
this number is needed as a precau-
ton against future trouble
The disarmament of the rebels can
not be successfully completed until
the volunteers organized by the Gu
ban government have been paid off,
disarmed and disbanded. That is the
position that has been taken by vari-
Gus rebel commanders scattered
throughout the island, who are
strongly inclined to remain under
arms until the volunteers organiza-
tons disappear. This is the only i'm
portant factor now retarding the
otherwise rapid dispersal OF the rebel
forces
The disposition Of the provisional
government is to yield to this demand
!
tered out of service sooner but for the
necessity of having some force in ad-
dition to the police for the purpose OF
guarding the towns. 1t is related,
however, that in many sections the
presence of volunteers and the militia
only acts as an irritant to the sur
rendering rebels The conduct of the
volunteers toward their late oppo-
nents is not always exemplary, and
what seems most needed is the pres
ence of sufficient force of United
States soldiers and marines to so
thoroughly garrison every town that
the volunteers can be rapidly dis
posed of and succeeded by capable and
well-disciplined American soldiers.
Until the towns are thus garrisoned it
is not believed that pacification will
he complete.
While the provisional government
Is not insistent on getting in all the
rebels guns, it is believed that most
of these weapons would be surrend
cred but for the presence of the vol
unteers. This attitude is apparent at
all points where the revolutionists
are in considerable force, but it is
particularly so in southern Santa
Clara, where the progress of disband-
ment has been very poor. and where
the number of guns surrendered was
ridiculously small, as compared with
the number of men dispersed.
Of 5000 rebels visited in the Pal
myra district only $50 surrendered
their guns. The disarmament com
mission spent much time in endeavor,
ing to find various dispersed bands
but it is evident that many of the men
have not yet returned to their homes
and that many are concealing their
weapons All the men retained their
theirs originally or not.
Gen Guzman's big force is now
comparatively disbanded, and the only
visible weapons in the possession of
the men are machetes. They assert
that these are the only weapons they
ever had. 1t is estimated that from
5000 or 10000 rebels in the province
of Santa Clara no more than a thou
sand guns would be recovered. The
commissioners realize that it will re-
quire another week to get all the
arms that are surrendered and COM
plete the dispersal of the insurgents.
At Hutuy, in the province of Puerto
Principe, force of 400 insurgents
commanded by Gen. Reynoso refused
to surrender their guns while the vol
unteers were permitted to retain
their. Cen Hernandez wired Gen
Funston that the volunteers must be
disbanded before he could start in dis
arming the rebels. This attitude on
the part of the insurgents is directly
contrary to the pledge Gen. Guzmau
made to Gov. Taft. At the outset |
of the disarmament movement Guz
man, with the other leaders, agreed |
to lay down Their arms, making no
statement that the government troops
should do likewise, relying wholly |
upon Governor Taft's promise of pro-
lection This obstacle to pacification
tends more than any other toward a
decision to employ American cavalry
to complete the DISARMAMENT of the
rebels.
$4,000 for a Small Book.