Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-05
EXPENSIVE FOR CUBA
Recompensing Owners for Theft
of Their Horses.
MUCH FRAUD PRACTICED
How Members Of the Liberal Party
Profted.
MANY GENUINE CLAIMS FILED
Commission Overwhelmed With the
Demands for acknowledgement
ton to American Withdrawal.
MANY GENUINE CLAIMS FILED
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald
HAVANA, March 81. 1907.
One Of the humors Of the American occu-
patton of Cuba is the story Of How Secre-
tary Taft Licensed Horse Stealing" At
least, that Is the way 1t is described down
here. The Secretary expresses the same
meaning In another phrase.
On Sunday, October Z, 1903, Mr.. Taft told
his troubles to the President in a long ca
blegram and obtained authority to confirm
mistake or misunderstanding, for which
1t Is said that Gen. Funston was respon-
sible. Funston, believe, blames the trans
lator. At any rate, it caused Secretary
Taft great deal Of anxiety and cost the
Cuban government large sum of money.
Secretary Taft had induced the insurgents
to surrender and give up their arms. AS he
described 1t in a telegram to the President:
THE guns we receive are old and poor. The
good ones are doubtless buried or concealed,
but we expected nothing more. The great
point Is to break up the organization and
dispense the men to their homes. Havana
province is free from insurgents, including
all of Castillo's command except about 200,
who disband today.
Secretary Taft's Statement.
"A complication has arisen in respect to
the surrender. The original agreement
sent you required insurgents to deliver up
arms and seized property in their posses
sion. The disarmament commission, with
Funston as chairman found much difficulty
in dealing with the horses in possession of
the insurgents There was no record of
owners or places of seizure. and horses
were frequently snapped. Finally it was
thought best to ship horses back with the
insurgents, as bringing them nearer proba-
BILE owners, and to give each insurgent
certificate describing his horse and show
ing his right to hold 1t until rightful own
ers esta blished claims Unfortunately, Fun
ston allowed certificates to read in Spanish
as If vesting title, and. although the insur-
gent generals understood otherwise, the
men believed that they were to keep the
horses. Am myself to blame for not exer-
cising closer supervision. Think it would
produce great trouble now to permit horses
to be taken from them. Indeed, seriously
doubt II we could have secured surrender
Of men If we had insisted upon taking
horses in accordance with the agreement.
Their generals could not have controlled
them Certainly the delay and trouble would
have been far greater. Believe that the
best course now Is to indemnify any owner
who can show that an insurrecto had his
horse and can produce registered title to
him. 1t may involve the cuban govern
ment in a loss of $500, Goo
The members Of the insurgent army and
many other enterprising gentlemen: both
colored and white, who were not In the
ranks and never did any fighting or march
ing, or even shouting, grasped the situation
very quickly and seized the nearest horse,
no matter whom he belonged to, friend or
foe There was an epidemic Of horse steal
ing after Secretary Taft's order had been
issued and as soon as the provisional gov
eminent was established a commission was
appointed to consider claims to the owner
ship Of the stolen animals, as Well as gen
erai claims for damages suffered from the
insur9ent forces. This commission consists
of Mai. Francis Herman and capt. Reao OF
the United States army and Judge Landa'
an eminent member OF the CUBAN par.
Many Claims for Horses.
The total claims filed now amount to
several million dollars although the reVo-
luton lasted only six weeks. The largest
claim amounts to $4,000 for the destruc-
ton Of railway track and bridges, and the
smallest are for a few dollars from OLD
women who lost a pig or a chicken; me
commission Is absolutely swamped and
up to date has been able to do very little
more than classify the general claims. They
represent every kind OF damage tnat
horde Of several thousand unprincipied ana
undisctplined negroes could commit Whiie
marching through thickly populated coun-
try. The government is asked to pay Tor
stores that were looted, houses that were
broken into, gardens that were destroyed
tobacco fields that We're trampled down,
sugar cane that was ruined and every other
kind Of crop that was damaged; fences that
were destroyed, oxen, COWS, horses, pigs,
chickens and every other kind of creature
that was seized. The horse claims will ex-
coed Secretary Tafts estimate Of half
million dollars. There has been no abso-
lutte decision as to the payment OF any OF
the general claims. The government is not
responsible except for the horses, and they
are now being cashed in by small lots sub
tect to the approval Of Governor General
Magoon.
Jhn w in r.
gent force has brought in a horse, although
not 10 per cent were mounted when they
were in the field and a great many men
who were not in the army at all have
taken advantage of the opportunity, in
which enterprise many Of them have been
assisted by the owners of the animals, who
get the money while the alleged thief gets
the horse at the expense of the Cuban
treasury. After the claims are settled they
adjust matters to suit themselves. The
municipal magistrates who are required to
make an investigation and furnish certifi-
Gates showing the ownership and value of
the beasts are also reaping a rich har-
vest from fees, and, as is always the case
in the United States when steer or COW is
killed by railroad train, the CRITTERS" are
all very valuable Every scrub pony has
suddenly become a thoroughbred stallion.
Very few claims have been presented for
cheap horses. large number of ringers"
have been detected. The same old plug has
served in several cases, and other attempted
frauds have been so numerous that the
commission now requires the animal to be
produced before it will allow claim. Thus
far several hundred have been inspected,
and the average price allowed has been $52
per animal, which has caused universal dis
satisfaction among the claimants, who have
generally demanded from $3.50 to $500.
Horse Stealing Popular.
Santa. Clara province, in the interior Of
the island. which was not in the revolution
at all, has presented about half the claims
That is the home and political dukedom of
Jose Miguel Gomez. the liberal leader and
recent candidate for president, and through
him and his Ieutenants the boys got word
early, the news of Secretary Taft's decision
was telegraphed them on the evening of
October o. Up to that date few If any
horses had been taken in Santa Clara
province, but as soon as the word was
passed around the boys proceeded to hus-
tie and every loyal member of the liberal
party was supplied with a horse from the
nearest source of supply before shutdown
The son took his mothers horse or his
fathers: brothers exchanged horses, and
the ranchmen loaned their animals with
great liberality. The leaders Of the liberal
party furnished the certificates the local