Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-22
CUBANS ARE
SUSPICIOUS
PLANTING OF TREES ARoUSEs
RESENTMENT
SEE SURE SIGN AMERICANS WILL
REMAIN
Indignant Patriots Holding Meetings
for Purpose of Resenting the Act
of Military Officials Under
Protectorate

BY Associated Press.
HAVANA. July 21.--Upon what ticklish
terms the business Of Cuban pacihcatlon Is
conducted is shown by the particulars
which have just leaked out OF tnat pro-
jected uprising in the Antilles wnlch re-
GENTLY gave Governor Magoon some anx-
ious hours.
At the palace absolute ignorance is pro-
fessed of anything in the shape of dis
turbance, but the interesting fact remains
that an uprising was projected TO take
place July 12 and would doubtless nave
been started had it not been for the
vigilance of United States army officers
detailed on secret service
Nothing could better illustrate the ir-
ritability of some of the Cuban leaders
than the triviality of the incident which
started the movement in the direction Oh
the woods.
Although the trouble arose from the
efforts of Capt Robert Alexander,
Eleventh United States infantry, quarter
master of the American garrison in Moro
castle, Santiago, to beautify the grounds
around the old fortress by setting out
trees, unluckily he. selected cocoanut palm
for the purpose, and having secured from
an acquaintance 100 young trees had them
properly planted.
jumping at Conclusions
While the captain was congrasulating
himself on his efforts to improve Cuban
property without cost, for all the work OF
planting was done voluntarily by the SOL
diers of the garrison, the rumor went flying
through the whole province that the
Americans were planting cocoanut trees
on the Moro, and as it takes six years for
a cocoa to come into bearing 1t was of
course obvious that the Americans IN
tended to remain for at least that period.
Patriots met in secret and decided to in
woke the counsel of Gen. Loynas del Cas-
tillo of Havana, who Is in condition of
chronic agitation over the question Of the
duration of the American occupation, and
that warrior dispatched two emissaries to
Santiago to investigate. They visited the
Moro and with their own eyes say Capt
Alexander's cocoas. There they were, ano
nothing could be palmer than that the
Americans were determined to remain for
ever.
Planning for Uprising
The excitement increased; more meet
ings were held; arms were distributed to
the number, 1t is said, of seventy-fivt
rifles with ammunition, and a rising wa:
set for July IL under the leadership of ont
Rodriguez ,of Santiago and Gen. Camanc'
of San Luis. The plan was to begir
| operations by rushing small isolated
| posts of rural guards, massacreing tn
men and then as the insurgent ranks in
creased attacking Santiago itself. and, l.
possible, wiping out the American garri
| son. That there was trouble in the all
was soon evident, and Lieut.. Dougherty
the American officer in charge of the rura
guards of Santiago, made ready to meet
it, and sent a requisition to Havana for a
big lot of cartridges
The secret service officers went to work
and exposed the whole plot several days
before the date set for the uprising.
To the leaders they read a lecture on the
subject of arboriculture as practiced by
American soldiers in Cuba, with a solemn
warning to abstain from any interference
therein. This sufficed to check their
patriotic ardor, and now peace reigns
throughout the island.