Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-24

PART VII.


u 4
next expedition, the landing from the Laurada of
great cargo of supplies. say nothing OF General
Rolof and his party, at Banes, in full view of highly
indignant but impotent Spanish garrison and with
large naval force innocenty ndOent few miles away
the other side of In the heat of his passion he
drew down further discontinue his troubled head
by sending word me- through American newspaper
stationed at Havana, that he intended to have me
hanged the first opportunity This choeric assurance
not at all dlsquet1ng for there never was any
doubt in my mind as to what myate would be if were
captured, and the of its execution made little
difference. But was little annoyed by his suggestion
that / would be thoughtless to allow his to
get their hands
Captain O'Brien has evaded thus far, said the
diminutve commander of all the Spanish forces in
Cuba half in reply to some question concerning the
landing at Banes; "but his daring will eventually
deliver him into hands Sooner later shall get
him, and when do instead of having him shot along
with his Cuban companions, | am going to have him
ANONYMOUSLY hanged from the fagpole at Cabanas, in
full view OF the city You can communicate that IN,
in knowing what in store for him. for we surely shall
capture him some day.
Cabanas is the old fortress, once npregnable but
now only magnificent ruin, in which Cubans who
known suspected to be in sympathy with the revolt
lined up against wall and shot almost every day
during the The rampant along which these execu
lions and murders took place the granite blocks spat
tered with blood and nicked by tens of thousands of
Mauser bullets, was subsequently, decorated with
bronze tablet memory of the patriots who died there
Weylers boast was promptly conveyed to me, with
amusing description of the dramatic effect with which
it delivered Through the same channel sent back
this reply:
"To show my contempt for you and all who take
orders from you, will make landing within plain
sight of Havana my next trip to Cuba may even
land an expedition inside the harbor and take you
away prisoner. If we should capture you, which is
much likely than that you will capture me,
shall have you chopped up into small pieces and fed to
the fires of the Dauntless.'
The concluding section of this message intended
only as ironical reply to Weyler's empty threat
but he took it seriously When it repeated to him
he few into rage and denounced me "boodthirsty
daredevil"
the heels of this exchange of compliments made good
my promise, and it only by chance that
Weyler escaped being blown to pieces by of the
dynamite which landed within easy reach of the
big guns that guarded his palace.
THE newspaper man through whom this diverting
correspondence conducted of the most
useful of secret supporters. While, being Amer-
can, he supposed to Sympathlze with the rebels,
the full extent of his frendlness not suspected;
he managed maintain the pleasant relations with the
Spanish authorities that his work required He used to
take long sailing trips Ostensbly only for pleasure;
but than once he met off Lobos Key light
house, which of our outposts. Lobos Key is
tiny coral rock at the southery edge of the Bahama
Bank and less than twelve miles from the Cuban coast
a little of midway of the island
On account of its location it favorte loaing
place for the Spanish gunboatS whose commanders
much given to graft. Instead of taking on the
three hundred four hundred tons of coal they
supposed to cruise, they would purchase
only half much and put the money for the other half
into their pockets Then they would anchor off Lobos
Key with banked fires, until they had theoretically
sumed the coal they hadn't bought, when they would
proceed to the east 1t nothing unusual for
four five of these thieving warshps be riding at
anchor in this soft spot at time
The Lobos light was kept by old Englshman and
his nephew, and of the first things did, when
organization got down to business, establish an
anicabe arrangement with them; which was easy for
they despsed the cowardce and crookedness of the
Spanards. We carried down fresh vegetables and deli
CacieS for them every trip, and in they kept
posted to the movements of the gunboats. We
also used the lighthouse as posofhce and messages