Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-02-11
.C'UBA'S SOLDIER ! i ] / Chief Chief:
characteristics Of Jose Miguel
Gomez, Her New President.
SMALL MAN, BUT A FIGHTER

SMALL MAN, BUT A FIGHTER.
CREDITED With Making More Spanish
ooidisrs Into Cuban Laes Than Any
othsr Warrior In the eush-Honsst
snd Energetic.
This story begins away back in 1858,
when squad of Spanish soldiers were
observed running rapidly through a
| village street in Cuba. Just I'm their
rear, emitting loud outcries and prod.
ding valiantly at the rear guard with
4 machete, was short, pudgy Cuban
youth, saddle colored from months ip
the bush. Later he returned crest.
fallen, to make his report to the gen
eral commanding the patriot army.
my head is bowed in shame, senior
general" said he II let two Of then,
get away"
And just for that the general COM
manding kissed Jose Miguel Gomez on
both cheeks and made him a captain
on the spot. That was the drst public
appearance Of the gentleman who was
recently inaugurated president of Gu
ba. He made other appearances Of a
similar sort all the way through the
ten years war. BY dint of strict ap.
plication to business and remarkably
keen eye between gun sights he won
hts way to major generalship at the
end. Down in Cuba they say that he
made more Spanish soldiers into Gu
ban lace than any other man who
fought in the bush. Wherever one
passes a bit Of pockmarked wall and
finds an ancient crone who can tell
something of the wallis tradition one
II apt to find that General Jose Miguel
Gomez and a firing party and dozen
or 30 Of the soldiery Of Spain figure in
the story.
This is regarded as excellent mill
tary tactics in bush lighting. If the
spaniards caught the Cubans and
could conveniently pen them up I'm one
Of their neat little concentration pens
they did so. But If the transportation
facilities were bad they just shot
them out Of hand. And the roads
were extremely bad throughout the
Pearl of the Antilles at that period.
So with the Cubans. In moment of
mirth General Gomez is said to have
once estimated that If Cuba could
have obtained a fair price for the
tanned hides of the Spanish soldiers
she could have well financed the war
and had enough left over to make
cockhghting profitable.
No one should imagine, however.
that Gomez was a bloodthirsty butch
En-. He merely followed the lines laid
down for him and fought for indie
pendence-and because he liked it. In
Havana they think that he still likes
to fight. They are prepared to wager
that, whatever else he may accom-
plish In his administration, he will
keep that island policed as It never
has been under Cuban rule. II neces-
sary short, pudgy, saddle ,colored
Cuban gentleman will take to the sad
die himself and hang revolutionists all
over the landscape. And his soldiers
will refer to him as ell presidente.
In some respects he resembles the
lamented Castro Of Venezuela. His
father owned a large cattle ranch, and
Jose Miguel owns the same ranch,
with others he has annexed In the In
tervals Of making war. And his idea
Of making war is to make war and to
keep on making war until the other
party gets tired. He had hardly
learned to read and write in the Col
lexe Of San Salvador before he left
his home In Sancti Spirits, Santa
Clara province, to volunteer for the
ten years. war. He liked fighting so
well that, although he came out with
the title referred to, he had hardly
looked the old homestead over and
ordered the barn painted before he
started in on a fresh war. He kicked
this one up all by himself almost
They call 1t now the little war" but 1t
was quite lively little garden party
at that while 1t lasted. Then he went
home until the war which resulted In
American Intervention came.
Since then he has had comparatively
little to do. OF course there was that
occasion when he rode into a village
at the head Of body Of troops, under
President Palma's administration, and
announced that If Palma didn't hunt
the mourners' bench in a hurry he
was going to take the government
apart to see what made 1t tick. And
he defied the supreme court and about
every one else in sight. But through
Ill his fighting he had the people with
him. Palma had him imprisoned once
on a charge Of conspiracy, but Gomez
denied that he had conspired. he was
: merely planning to upset the govern
ment, he said, 80 of course Palma or
dered him released. What else could
he do? In the intervals Of fighting
and politics Gomez takes an 1ntelli-
gent interest in the primeval instinct
which makes one chicken Of the male
rex fight another ditto. A month or
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