Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 June 1898 — Page 2

MRMY AT SANTIAGO

Transports Arrive in Front of Beleaguered City. SEEK LANDING PLACE Sampson and Shafter Arrange for Dis* embarkation of Troops. American Army of Invasion Arrives Off Santiago— Marines Show Great Enthusiasm When the Troopships Are Sighted—Admiral Sampson Con* sere with Gen. Garcia on Board the Flagship Attempt to Assassinate Blanco in Havana. Waahlngton special: Advices received Monday afternoon announced the arrival off Santiago of the first division of the American army of invasion, under command of Major General William R. Shafter. No attempt was made during the day, according to the report, to land the American troops. General Shafter, soon after his arrival had a conference with Admiral Sampson. They discussed at length the information obtained by Admiral Sampson’s scouts as to the most available landing places in the vicinity of Santiago, and sent further scouting parties along the coast,, who inspected the points considered by Admiral Sampson to be most advantageous. Tremendous enthusiasm was awakened among the men with Admiral Sampson’s fleet, by the arrival of the troops. They gave cheer after cheer, and their enthusiasm met with a hearty response from the troopships. Repeated delays in the departure of the army from Tampa had made the men with the fleet impatient and they awaited the coming of their allies with great eagerness. For more than ten days they had had practically nothing to do aside from preventing the escape of Admiral Cervera’s fleet from the harbor. Officers and men, the fleet having done all damage possible preparatory to landing the troops, wew anxious for more active warfare. From an early hour on Sunday morning every vessel in Admiral Sampson’s fleet wns on the lookout for the transports. The admiral had been advised from Washington that the troopships probably would join his fleet some lime during the day. General Garcia and his personal staff were picked up at General Rabi’s camp, eighteen miles west of Santiago, and brought to the flagship Sunday afternoon by the gunboat Vixen. There the grizzled and wounded patriot had a long consultation with Admiral Sampson regarding the operations for the investment of Santiago and the co-operation of the American and Cuban troops. General Garcia*/ is very enthusiastic. lie says the Swnniards are starring and cnnimt holdtojjt long, and that the war in the island twill

GEN. WM. B. SHAFTER.

end in a few months. It is estimated that over 300 Spaniards have been killed or wounded since the landing of marines. The Spaniards seem satisfied that they cannot dislodge the Americans and have withdrawn. The upper bay will be occupied immediately. Lieutenant Delehanty, with an expedition, has been at work removing mines from the river connecting the upper ami lower bays. When this is clear the ships will move up the channel and take the town of Caimanera, whose forts were demolished by the Texas. AUGUSTI GIVES UP. Notifies Spain He Is Behind Walls of Manila. The State Department has received information, whieh is thought trustworthy, that soon the Stars and Stripes will be floating over Manila. Secretary Long is in possession of information which justifies him in informing the President that Admiral Dewey would be in control of the Philippines capital in a few days. An official dispatch to Madrid from Manila indicates that the situation there is worse. Augusti wires that he has.retired within the walls of Manila. If Captain General Augusti is obliged to take refuge in the citadel he will be entirely cut off from communication with the outside. Many Dons Desert. There are about 16,000 Spaniards on the Cuban coast between Matanzas and Cardenas. The Spanish volunteers and soldiers of late have been deserting in considerable numbers from the forces around Matanzas and joining the Cubans. The Cuban force in this neighborhood numbers about 2,000. They have arms, but lack food and ammunition.

CAIMANERA, PRINCIPAL SPANISH CAMP ON GUANTANAMO BAY.

WRECK AND RUIN. Bombardment of Santiago Thursday Spreads Destruction. A careful inspection of the fortifications along the crest of the hills defending Santiago harbor by the Associated Press dispatch boat after the bombardment Thursday morning showed that the American gunners spread wreck and ruin everywhere. Some of the butteries were demolished beyond repair. The vultures which circled on level wings over the hills ns thick as swallows around a chimney for hours after the tiring ceased furnished grewsome evidence of the fatality among the Spanish soldiers. Hundreds of troops could be seen from the ships digging in mounds of earth piled up by the explosions of the projectjjts from the heavy guns for bodies, while their heads were fanned by the wings of the black scavengers of the battlefield. There were two spots, one on the east and the other the west otf the harbor entrance, which were denuded of the foliage. The hilltops seem literally blown away. These marked the places where the 2QO-pound charges of gun cotton blown by the Vesuvius landed. There was evident demoralization among the Spanish troops during the bombardment. Officers eould be seen with drawn swords driving the men to the guns, but even then they eould not be forced to stay so long as our guns were directed at them. The fifteen minutes’ night work of the Vesuvius had shattered their nerves. The aim of our gunners was superb, and not only were the coast forts annihilated, but the batteries on Cayo Smith, up the harbor, were destroyed. Had all the ships used smokeless powder, as did the New Orleans, there would remain no signs of guns or fortifications to indicate that there had ever been any defenses there. * The Spaniards were evidently surprised while strengthening their fortifications. The first shot of the New York landed full and fair on the top of the hills to the east, where the gunners were already at work erecting new pieces. The earth seemed to rise in a cloud, and when the twelveinch shells of the lowa and the thirteeninch batteries of the Oregon landed squarely and fairly, a great cheer went up from the ships. There were no casualties in the fleet, although the ships held a fixed position, as if inviting the Spaniards to tire upon them. The halfstripped ships’ gunners never worked with more enthusiasm. In thirty-eight minutes the order was given to cease firing, and the message went to each ship from the admiral, "Well done,” and the officers and men turned in for breakfast. Every detail of the engagement had been executed to the letter, from the opening of tire by the New York to the last shot from the lowa.

BIG ARMY FOR CUBA. War Council Decides 170,000 Men Will Be Needed. A third call for 75,000 volunteers will result from the council of war at the White House Monday. The operations in Cuba planned by the President and his advisers will find use for 170.000 men—the number for which Gen. Miles asked. Havana, with its garrison of 65,000 Spanish soldiers behind the fortifications, will require 100,000 American besiegers. For the capture of Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Sagua, Bahia Honda, Cardenas and Mariel the rest of the troops are needed. The call may be expected in ten days, when the work of bringing the troops raised under the second call into the army shall be completed. Japs Are with Us. Lieut. Fujita of the Japanese navy said at Seattle that his countrymen were not opposed to America occupying the Philippines, and desired an alliance with England and the United States.

SOME OF ADMIRAL SAMPSON’S SHIPS.

WAR BULLETINS.

Germany, it is declared, will not interfere in Manila. The cruiser Newark may be the flagship of a new flying squadron. Col. Torrey’s troops of cowboy cavalrymen will probably go to Porto Rico. Spanish ministers declare their country will not agree to an exchange of prisoners. James Hobson, a brother of the hero

ADMIRAL CAMARA. Commander of the Spanish Fleet at Cadiz.

of the Merrimac, is a candidate for West Point. It was again announced at Madrid that the Spanish reserve squadron had sailed from Cadiz. There have been seven deaths among the soldiers at Camp Alger at Falls Church, Va. The officers in command of the Porto Rican expedition will be Gens. Coppinger, Lee and Keifer. The Queen Regent of Spain has offered to abdicate, if such a step will allay popular discontent. Illinois troops in camp at Jacksonville

took a prominent part in the dedication of a Confederate monument; Correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, London, who visited Cuba, says stories of starvation are unfounded. Fresh calls for men for the army are constantly being made in Spain, and reenforcements are being hastened to various points. The Spanish torpedo boat destroyer Terror is reported to be in San Juan harbor, Porto Rico, utterly useless, pn account of burned boilers and a lack of means to repair them. Dr. Chan, a Chinese physicinn of Cleveland, Ohio, offers to organize in this country a regiment of Chinamen and to convert the Chinese of the Philippines into allies of the United States. ♦ A claim tor $200,000 waq sent to the War Department by Adjutant General Reece of Illinois, being the amount expended by the State for the arms and equipment of its troops.

‘‘WRITING HOME TO MOTHER.” A familiar scene at Chickamauga.

portation of material and the work of distribution be intrusted to the foreign consuls in Cuba. This is a mission, he holds, which could be discharged in all propriety by the representatives of neutral governments in the districts where succor is needl'd. War Department officials arg united in the opinion that this is not an opportune period for using the military in any such humanitarian pursuit. Blockade Is Maintained. Admiral Dewey reported to the Navy Department that he was still maintaining the blockade at Manila; that the rebels are making remarkable progress; that the city is entirely surrounded. He reports the rebels have taken 2,500 prisoners and are treating them humanely. Allotment by Btates. The allotment by States under the second call for troops was issued from Washington, based upon the proposition of filling out the regiments now in the field before other regiments are organized.

SANTIAGO AGAIN UNDER FIRE. Fortifications Crashed and the Vizcaya Struck by a Fhell. Rear Admiral Sampson’s fleet bombarded the batteries at Santiago de Cuba for the third time at daylight Thursday morning. For hours the ships pounded the batteries at the right and left of the entrance, only sparing El Morro, where Lieut. Hobson and his companions of the Merrimac are in prison. The western batteries, against which the main assault was directed, were badly wrecked. One gun was utterly destroyed. In others many guns were dismounted. At first the Spaniards replied passionately and wildly, but impotently. Then most of the guns were deserted. Not a ship was struck nor a man injured on the American side. It is believed that the enemy's loss of life was heavy. It is reported from Madrid that “a shell from an American warship, falling from a great elevation, struck the Vizcaya, which, owing to its excellent armor, was not damaged.” As a preliminary to the hammering given the batteries, the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius at midnight was given another chance. Three 250-pound charges of gun cotton were sent over the fortifications at the' entrance. The design was to drop them in the bay, around the angle, back of the eminence on which El Morro is situated, where it was known that the Spanish torpedo boat destroyers were lying. Two charges went true, as no reports were heard—a peculiarity of the explosion of gun cotton in water. The third charge exploded with terrific violence on Cayo Smith. The destruction andAleath at the western batteries must have been appalling. OPPOSES RELIEF EXPEDITION. General Miles Says Military Is Needed for Other Purposes. There is decided opposition in the War Department to an expedition for the relief of the reconcentrados. Gen. Miles does not lend his support to the proposition, and he is said to have urged against the project at a White House conference. If supplies must be sent to the starving Cubans, it is Gen. Miles’ recommendation that steamers be chartered for the trans-

KILLED BY MARINES.

r r ONE HUNDRED SPANIARDS SLAIN IN A BATTLE. Cubans Co-Operate with United States Forces and the Common Enemy Is Completely-Routed—Eighteen Spanish Prisoners Captured. Rout of the Dons. A special cable from Mole St. Nicholas describes Tuesday's battle at Camp McCalla, Guantanamo bay. It says that more than 100 Spaniards lie dead as the result of the engagement. Their fine equipment of. Mauser rifles—rifles that have picked off marines at long distances —are stacked in the American camp. Two Cubans were killed in the fight and one American, Private Walker of Company D, was slightly wounded in the ankle. When the marines returned to camp after the battle they brought with them eighteen Spanish prisoners, including a lieutenant, something more than 100 rifles and abqut 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

The Americans, weary of jungle warfare, went into the enemy’s hiding place and inflicted disastrous punishment, Capt. Elliott, Lieut. Lucas and Lieut. Bannon of Company C, with ninety marines and fifteen Cubans, composed one of the parties. Capt. Spicer, Lieut. Neville and Lieut. Shaw of Company D, with ninety marines and fifteen Cubans, made up the second party. Lieut. Mahoney and Lieut. Magill of Company E, with fifty marines and ten Cubans, formed the third party, while the fourth comprised Lieut. Ingate of Company F and fifty marines and a Cuban guide. Thus it will be seen a scouting party of 300 officers and men, weakened by subdivision into four bands, ventured to drive a much superior force of Spaniards from cover. The primary object of the expedition was the destruction of the tank which supplied the Spanish with water. This was successfully accomplished. The Americans also captured a heliograph with which the Spaniards signaled information to the main army. The Americans and Cubans charged the headquarters of the Spaniards in a valley, drove out the dons with bullet and bayonet, hemmed them in and cut off their retreat, and as they showed no intention of surrendering the Dolphin dropped shells in their midst, causing great havoc and killing scores. A few stragglers managed to escape, but the marines were too tired to pursue them. The American victory was complete.

ATTEMPTS BLANCO’S LIFE. Havana Volunteer Wound, the Spanish Captain General. Mail advices have been received in Washington of a recent attempt in Havana to assassinate Captain General Blanco, which was made by Mariano Salva, a young member of the volunteer army. The attempted killing of the Spanish captain general took place as he was leaving the palace to accompany some officers of hjs staff on an inspectibn of the earthworks on the outskirts of the city. Salva spnt a gifle bullet into the calf of General Blanco’s left leg. The volunteer is a member of the guard on duty around the palace. His younger

CAPTAIN-GENERAL BLANCO.

brother, also a volunteer, was arrested recently on a charge of conspiring with the enemies of Spain against the established government. The younger Salva was tried by a court martial, condemned and executed. Salva submitted willingly to arrest. believing he had killed General Blanco and avenged the death of his brother. HAS APPROPRIATED $371,000,000. Provisions Made for War Expenses Up to the Present Time. Representative Cannon, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, explained in presenting the $224,000,000 emergency deficiency bill that with the $218,000,000 for expenses carried in that measure the provisions made for conducting the war, including the appropriations made for the next fiscal year, had reached the total of $371,000,000. The bill [Missed by the House contains all the estimates of the War and Navy Departments of emergency expenses likely to arise during the remainder of the calendar year. Should greater expenditures be required than are anticipated, and the funds not be made available by existing law, Congress will be called in extraordinary session. It is believed, however, that precaution has been taken by the two departments to secure sufficient funds to meet practically all contingencies, and that the cost of the war to the first of next year will not exceed $350,000,000. Smuggle in Supplies. Throe large cargoes of supplies are known to have run the blockade already, and great quantities of food are smuggled to Havana by wny of the Isle of Pines, Cienfuegos and other points on the southwest const having direct, rajlroad communication with the capital. Hold 4,000 Prisoners. The United States armed steamer Zafiro arrived in Hong Kong from Manila reports that the rebels hold 4,000 Spaniards and 1,000 natives as prisoners. Will Instigate Revolution. In an Interview' published in Madrid Don Carlos intlinated that when the war is over he Will instigate a revolution in Spain. ‘‘ A Fleet to Spain’s Coast. It was practically decided at a conference in Washington to send a flying squadron to the coast of Spain.

HOUSE FOR HAWAII.

CONGRESSMEN ADOPT ANNEXATION RESOLUTION. Eighteen Democrate Join in Making Up the 309 Yeas, While Three Republicans Are in 91 Nays—Roll Call on Party Lines. ■' I Favor an Island State. Washington special: ' The Hawaiian debate, which continued In the House without interruption from Saturday until Wednesday, was one of the most notable in this Congress, Hawaiian annexation being considered ox great commercial and strategic importance by its advocates, and being looked upon by its opponents as involving a radical departure from the long established policy of the country and likely to be followed by the inauguration of a pronounced policy of colonization, the abandonment of thp Monroe doctrine and participation in international wrangles. More than half a hundred members participated in the debate. From a party standpoint the result was awaited with the keenest interest. The Republicans presented practically unani-

CONGRESSMAN NEWLANDS, Father of the Hawaiian Annexation Resolut 1 ”!.

mous support to the resolution*, only three Republican members voti»r in opposition. In the Democratic rants the division upon the question was more marked, eighteen voting for annexation. Analysis of the Vote. roB annexation. Republicans-179 Democrats Populists ° Fuaionists 4 Total 209 AGAINST ANNEXATION. Democrats a 77 Republicans Populists- j Fueionlsts . 4 Total <>•’ DEMOCRATS FOR ANNEXATION. Benner, Pa. Livingston, Ge. Berry, Ky. Marshall, Ohio. Brucker, Mich. Norton, 8. C. Cochran, Mo. Odborne, Wyo. Cummings. N. Y. Sulzer, N. I. De Vries. Cal. Taylor, Ala. Driggs, N. Y. Vetwiage, N. Y. Ermentrout, Pa. Kelley, 8. D. Griffith, Ind. Lewie, Ge. REPUBLICANS AGAINST ANNEXATION. Ornrrrpacker. Ind. Wadsworth, N. Y. Johnson, Ind. Debate continued seven hours Wednesday. Notable speeches were made by Messrs. Berry (Dem., Ky.), W. A. Smith (Rep., Mich.) and Hepburn (Rep., Pa.) for,» and by Messrs. Johnson (Rep., IndJ and Williams (Dem., Miss.) against the pending measure. Ths resolutions relate in a preamble the offer or the Hawaiian Republic to cede all of its sovereignty and absolute title to the Government and crown lands, aWI the? by resolution accept the cession and de* clare the islands annexed. The resolutions provide fpr a commission of five, at least two of whom shall be resident Hawaiians, to recommend to Congress such legislation as they may deem advisable. The public debt of Hawaii, not to exceed $4,000,000, is assumed. Chinese immigration is prohibited. All treaties with other powers are declared hull. It is provided that, until Congress shall provide for the government of the islands, all civil, judicial and military powers now exercised by the officers of the existing government shall be exercised in such manner as the President shall direct, and he (is given power to appoint persons to put into effect a provisional government for the islands. AS TO IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. Comparative Statement for the Month of May Is Made Public. The comparative statement of the imports and exports of the United States for the month of May, issued by the bureau of statistics, shows: Merchandise—Exports, domestic, SIOB,694,733; increase as compared with May, 1897, about $32,400,000; imports, $53,258,847, of which about 48 per cent is free of duty; decrease, about $26,000,000. Gold —Exports, $100,157; decrease, about $9,300,000; imports, $13,119,383; increase, about $12,500,000. Silver—Exports, $4,184,432; decrease, about $150,000; imports, $488,568; decrease, $250,000. For the eleven months of the present fiscal jear (here iyas an increase in the amount of domestic merchandise exported as ownpared with the same period last year of $157,138,821, and a decrease of $42,732,983 in the imports of domestic merchandise. There was also a decrease in the exports es gold amounting to $17,539,644, and an increase of $31,228,775 in the amount of gold imported. The amount of silver exported decreased by over $5,000,000, and there was an increase of $62,583 in the silver imports.

Pauncefote to Be Retained.

Sir Julian Pauncefote, the British ambassador, has been advised by the British foreign office that he will be retained at Washington for another year. Representations were made recently by the administration, through Ambassador Hay in London, that the recall of Sir Julian at this time would be unwise.

Knights of Honor Bar Womens

The Supreme lodge, Knights of Honor, In session at Washington, by a vote of G 4 to 23, decided not to admit women to membership in the order. The ground taken was that an organization numbering JOO,OOO bad been built up, and it ivould be unsafe to risk any fundamental change. The visiting Knights and their wives were given a reception by President McKinley.

say that a revenue tax of 10 cents a pound on tea o ight not to raise ths retail pries.