Our War with Spain for Cuba's FreedomWhite, Trumbull
History
Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom
White, Trumbull
Cuba -- History; Spain -- Foreign relations -- United States; Spanish-American War, 1898; United States -- Foreign relations -- Spain
"Suddenly a young man dashed up to the house at full gallop. He
drew his revolver and told the farm hands to get cots and pillows
and medicine to bring to the missing men in case any of them
should be still alive. He said he would shoot them if they
disobeyed, and they did as he directed. They made up a litter, and
we walked on till we found the place where the men lay in a pool
of blood.
"I looked into my son's face and cried out: 'My son, my son!' He
opened his eyes and whispered: 'Father, they have killed us.'"
The old gentleman broke down in a passion of weeping at these
recollections of the awful scene, and the son gave his account of
the horrible butchery:
"They marched us along," said the Doctor, "and I spoke to the
general: 'General, I am an American citizen, and here are my
papers from Mr. Williams.' 'They are the worst things you could
have,' he said. 'I wish the Consul were here himself, so that I
could treat him thus,' and he struck me three times in the face.
Then he sounded the bugle calling the volunteers, and ordered us
taken to the rear guard. Of course, we knew that this meant death.
They tied us in a line with our hands pinioned. I knew the
sergeant and said to him: 'Is it possible that you are going to
kill me?' 'How can I help it?' he answered. Then the order was
given and the soldiers rushed upon us with machetes. Their knives
cut our ropes as we tried to dodge the blows, and the soldiers
fired two volleys at us. The first shot grazed my head, and I
dropped to the ground as though dead. The old farm hand also threw
himself to the earth. This act saved our lives.
"The other four men who tried to fight were killed. At the second
discharge a bullet pierced my side. When we all lay as though dead
they came up and turned us over and searched our pockets--mine
first, of course, as I was better dressed than the other men. One
of the soldiers noticed that my breast moved and shouted out:
'This fellow is not dead yet. Give him another blow,' and he
raised his machete and gave me a slash across the face and throat.
Then I became unconscious."
Delgado's father took up the story as his son left off: "The brave
young man who brought us to the place where my son was, now jumped
from his horse and gave orders to the men to lift my son on the
litter, as we found he was the only man still living. We put a
pillow under his head, and the two farm hands lifted the litter
and carried it into the cane field. Meanwhile the women relatives
of the dead men came up and began to wail and cry. The young man,
whom we afterwards found was an insurgent leader, told them they
should be quiet, as their lamentations would bring the Spanish
troops upon the scene again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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