The New York herald., 1920-01-04

guarded Spanish supply trains, from arsenals
in the towns they captured and even occasional
ly from Spanish columns thev overcame in their
ceaseless guerilla warfare. The Mauser was
the rifle in common use by both Spaniards and
insurrectos. but whfSspan supplied her troops
with ammunition lavishly. the Cuban columns
much of the time were badly handicapped for
lack OF it,
Those Cuban rebels out in the chappara
and the canebrakes needed bullets more than
they needed money and they never needed the
bullets more than they did in the early months
of 1896. when Weyler had begun the job OF
paeification. when the United States had not
yet acted definitely and when their cause trem-
bled in the balance 1t was then that sys-
tenn OF underground supply perfected
which led right out from Havana itself. and
the interesting anomaly was presented Of the
insurrection being nourished systematicalN
upon a secret and constant supply OF the very
Spanish cartridges that had been sent into Cuba
for its suppression
'In that improvsed Service OF Supply-to
use the modern term made familiar in France
the primary factor was that army Of girls
whose life sphere circumscribed by the
boundaries of Havana's restricted quarter or
what Americans used to call its Red Light Dis
trict. You probably know that Havana in
those days of Spanish rule followed the Euro
pean custom of segregatinG. licensing and reg
ulatng what call politely the social evil
instead Of ignoring it or occasionally radns
IL as is the American custom.
Troop ships were coming into port continual
~ from Spain. The raw leVes from the Pen
insula were arriving by thousands. You know,
before we Spaniards quit i'm Cuba VIC had about
$50. 900 soldiers there under something like fifty
general officers IL of the many
idiosyncrasies Of our army system that most OF
that peasant sodiery arrived in Cuba prac-
tcally destitute OF money. ! fear there
trtt in hp :
intended for them stuck to the fingers OF their
superior officers. Poor old Spain, alas. always
held to the costly illusion that colonies and
colonial enterprises were for Spanish explota-
ton alonel Britain. il she had not held a diff
ferent code. would not be today the greatest
coonzing Power on earth, and if your George
Washington had not been her mentor in that
matter they would not he proposing statue
for him in Westminster Abbey. But that's
another story. I am DEPRESSING.
well. as ! was saying. these Spanish sol
diers commonly arrived in Havana without
peseta in their clothes. but their cartridge belts
and pouches were generally stuffed with am
muniton - the clips Of long. slender. sharp
pointed and steel iacketed missiles used in the
magazine Mauser rifle. Now. what the Havana
segregated district did was imply to make
those clips Of Msusor cartridges an effective,
though unofficial medium OF exchange In lieu
OF Spanish coin OF the realm.
In the city quarter TO which these spanish
lads flocked as soon they received shore
liberty, after the manner Of young soldiers and
seamen the world over, they found their poverty
no bar TO their welcome. II they lacked money,
so many live cartridges. doled out sometimes by
the credulous lads as love souvenirs. bought
them so many rounds of iced beer. There was
higher tariff. also payable in cartridges. for
Spanish wine and for all the diversions
which the district was privileged to barter.
And what am telling YOU Is that the Cuban
women OF that quarter. women frequently who
had brothers or sweethearts out somewhere In
the long grass fighting for Cuba Libre, accepted
those bullets. as other declasse women from
time immemorial have accepted coin, as the
price Of their favors. and they sent the bullets
to men OF their own race to shoot down span
iards with the price as Il we're Of Spanish lust
! don't say that was patriotism OF the Jeanne
dare type, but was II not patriotism Of sort
and OF a rather brave sort. too, when you con-
slider what would have been the penalty OF
discovery of the traffic by the Havana policeY"
Granted that II was Doc especially as as
ISOLATION with enemies Of their country must
have been repusnant to those Of them whose