Evening star., 1933-08-20
Washington Girl Describes
Scenes During Cuban Crisis
Declares MachadO Freed
Convicted Murderers
to Fight for Him.
Tells Of Bullets Whistl;ng
and Firing of Cannon
to DrOturl Radio.

CCOUNTS Of former President
n Gerardo Machado freeing hum
II dreds of onvicted murderers to
1 \ fight for him, of his keeping
COWS, pigs and chickens in his
palace to prevent starvation in case OF
a siege and how bullets whistled con-
stantly through the streets OF Havana
during the final week of the Cuban
revolution are included in an airmall
letter received by a Washington girl
from her sister.
Miss Maria Mccormack, Western
High School graduate and former stu
dent at Sweet Briar College, who wrote
the letter, is an employe in the Havana
office of the Grace Line Steamship Co.
Her vivid and personal account OF con-
ditions was received Thursday night by
her sister, Miss Carmen Mccormack,
1000 H street, who has just returned
from Mexico, where she attended an
international conference as a member
of the Radio Commission.
Very specific in nature. Miss Maria
McCormack's letter describes how cam
mons were fired constantly in a wild at
tempt to drown out the radio to prevent
people from getting news of the revo-
luton after newspapers were forced to
suspend publication. She has had
reportorial experience in both New York
and Havana.
Approval of Welles.
Cuban approval of Ambassador Welles
for the part he took in righting condi-
tionS is wild and rampant. The ap-
pearance of an American on the street
sends a Cuban citizen into shrieks of
Viva. viva Miss Mccormack says.
Her letter follows:
Il got letter off to you just before
the revolution broke
L don't know where to begin telling
you all that has happened since then.
Tuesday at II am. the A B c the
opposition to Machado) phoned us to
close up our Office Immediately. We
hurried round, pulling down the irons,
closing the sliding front and side doors.
Martinez got the car ready His is the
only car We have had available since
August l, and all Of US have been riding
back and forth in it since the stoppage
of all other transportation. He put
Rosa, Bertha and me in the car, along
with about eight men from the Office,
and off we sped.
Conditions did look ominous Streets
deserted, stores and offices all closed,
and police and troops everywhere.
The rest of that Tuesday and all of
Wednesday stayed home. and the Office
remained deserted, closed.
I'VE could get no official news of any
kind. but we could hear shooting from
all directions. 1t was maddening not
to know what was happening
The radio news was so spaSmodic
that it left us bewildered The A B c
would broadcast a radio warming for
every one to get of the streets. and
just then the Moro would start firing
guns to cut A B c off the air and kill
the message intended for the public
Rumors and False Alarm.
There were wild rumors at intervals.
A false alarm announced that Machado
haC resigned. This was believed to have
been started by Machado himself in
ORDER to give him time to decide what
best to do and also to test the loyaly
Of his army.
But when that report spread that
Machado had resigned the people i'm
mediately rushed into the streets
shouting viva I went only to our
balcony when suddenly the police and
troops appeared everywhere and moved
down the civilian citizenry with ma
chine guns. 1t was frightful, the bru-
tality of the slaughter.
Right on our corner they injured
don't know how many, and killed
three, including a 10-year- old child.
"Of course, that made the populace
wild. Then the people started to re-
taliate in real earnest.
After that first great wave of ruth
less killing even the police and the
troops seemed to have no more heart
for such slaughter as they were being
ordered to commit During that night
they got together at Columbia and de-
cided to turn against Machado. But the
air forces did not go out with them, so
there was delay while attempts were
being made to have the airmen repudi-
ate Machado.
Next day one wild rumor rushed
upon the echo of another.
Meanwhile Ambassador Welles had
been working day and night to induce
Machado to quit the presidency because
the persistent strikes were creating ter
rible hardship and hunger.
But Machado treated Welles out
rageously. Machado kept asking for
six hours more, twelve hours more, and
SO on. Finally, when Welles told Ma
chado that he would have to ask the
0UdICo W 1IlUCl fCllC, V1dl1ldSAO
came right out and told Welles that if
American troops entered Cuba he would
put the Cuban army against them, ano
forthwith Machado asked the Cuban
Congress to draft bill forcing all men
between 18 and As to register for the
army reserve.
Visit to the Office.
That was Friday morning. I was
so sick of being cooped up at home that
when Martinez phoned and asked me il
1 dared come down town with him
agreed in hurry 1t seems Parmerton
had to get a report off to the New
York Offices about conditions here and
about the ships that had arrived and
couldn't be unloaded and about the many
passengers we had put on the ships
without even assigning them a berth
because there was none left. Thus 1t
happened that 1 drove down to the
Office. Of course the office was dark
supposed to be closed, and we had to
keep very quiet. They would have come
in after us. 1 lugged the typewriter
into the little dressing room. AS soon
as I finished the company letters Par
merton told Martinez to take me home
so had no choice but to go. and was
fortunate in getting away when I did
Right after 1 left the Office two Por-
ristas were recognized on the street just
in front of our Office. The Porristas are