The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-18
Insurgents Are Said to Be ] Very Few In Number
MANY RUMORS ARE SPREAD
Some Say the Rebellion Amounts to Nothing, While Others Declare the = Movement Is Widespread and
 Will Grow Stronger.

Havana, March 1.-The indications to- night are that the government is in a fair way to crush promptly the incipient revolution. which broke out in the province 3 of Santa Clara Monday night. After withholding news of the trouble all day the palace officials tonight announced that the father of two of the members of the band headed by Sergeant Cortes of the rural guard had visited General Monteaguado, chief of the guard at Cam aJuani told him that the insurgents im- plored the clemency of the government and were anxious to surrender on the promise that their lives would be spared. General Monteagudo, accompanied by a strong escort, thereupon started for tho insurgent camp. The general expected to receive their surrender before morning.
 While the government still insists that the band consists of only eight men, it is alleged that the movement is far-reaeh- Ing and includes large number of those who have become discontented with the way affairs have been conducted
 1t is declared on apparently responsible authority that Cortes is accompanied by fully 100 men, mounted and well armed More gratifying to the government than the prospective capture of the insurgent band was the arrest and subsequent kill ing of former Captain Lavastida of the rural guard, who is believed to have been the principal instigator of the up rising. Layastida was arrested last night by Major Arteaga, of the rural guard and was charged with conspiracy
 While on the way to Remedies under escort, it is alleged that Lavastida at- tempted to escape whereupon Colonel Esguerra, in command of the escort, shot and killed him. Heretofore this has been a common method in Cuba of dealing with unruly prisoners. Lavastida was recently dismissed from the rural guard He served with distinction in the Cuban war of independence and had many friends in Santa Clara province, by whom the summary killing doubtless will be bitterly resented
 According to a statement given out at the palace, Lavastida started the con spiracy against the government for the purpose of securing political favors by threats.
 It is alleged that Lavistida induced Cortes to take the field by representa- t1ons that by so doing he would alarm the government and create so great a dan ger of another American intervention that his demand for an army commission would be instantly granted. The govern
 
 conspiracy several weeks ago, and Presi- dent Gomez then fully determined not to temporze with the revolutionists and to embrace the opportunity to make strik- ing example of the leaders. For this pur- pose he directed a great concentration of troops in the vicinity of Vueltas, in order to make short work of the affair. Persons in Havana well acquainted with Cortes report him as an experienced bush fighter, probably accompanied by a strong party capable of making desperate resistance to the government troops.
 All other sections of the island show complete tranquility, and the government is fully satisfied that the Vueltas affair is purely spasmodic
 Local stocks on the Havana exchange again declined heavily today and the trad ing was practically at a standstill. Busi- ness interests generally deplore the out break.