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Early Incidents of the Present War: Marrero

Soon after the dispersion of the Coloma band, it became evident that the spirit of rebellion had already spread through several districts, where secret preparations had been made, as the result of long and careful plotting at home and abroad. Dr. Martin Marrero gathered about fifty men under the Cuban flag at Jaguery Grande, and Joaquin Pedroso, a young gentleman of Havana, organized another small party at Aguada de Pasojeros; but these two bands were only a few days in the field. Troops were sent against them and a general dispersion followed. Most of the men surrendered, but Dr. Marrero was allowed to leave for Spain, together with two friends of Pedroso. Before surrendering, some of Marrero's men took refuge in the "Cienaga de Zapata," where they met an unexpected and terrible foe. They had to fight regular battles to protect themselves against swarms of furious alligators, the most aggressive inhabitants of that vast marsh-land. There was trouble of a different kind in Pedroso's party; this gentleman commanded his own band only until it received a reinforcement consisting of a number of highwaymen, under Matagas, who at once instituted himself as supreme chief, notwithstanding all proper protestations. Matagas, like Manuel Garcia, Pregino Alfonso, and some others not so well known, had been plundering the country for many years previous to the outbreak of the present revolution. Manuel Garcia, generally called "El Rey de los Campos de Cuba" (the king of the Cuban fields), was killed in an encounter with the troops at the same time the above events were taking place. In the meantime, Julio Sanguilly, Jose Maria Aguirre and Ramon Perez Trujillo had been arrested. Sanguilly, a major-general, and Aguirre, a colonel of the Cubans in the last war, claimed American citizenship; Perez belonged to the Central Junta of the Autonomist Party in Havana. Nothing could be proven against Aguirre or Perez, and they were released after due investigation before a civil court; but Sanguilly was convicted, and sentenced to prison for life.

The dispersion of the bands at Jaguey and Aguada led to the belief that peace would prevail in the provinces of Matanzas and Las Villas. Not so in that of Santiago de Cuba, where a tremendous plot was discovered. The conspirators had planned to set fire to the whole of Santiago and start a general massacre, the first intended victim being Governor Enrique Capriles, who, receiving warning, lost no time in preventing any possible disturbance in his capital. Numerous bands began, also, to appear in other districts under "Guillermon, Quintin, Bandera, Periquito, Perez, Garzon Goulet, Herrezuelo, Enrique Brooks, the brothers Sartorius, the journalist, Jose Miro, Guerra, Feria, Marrero, Bojas, Lora, the brothers Rabi, the Estradas, Reitor and Tamayo." Many of these chiefs had served the Cuban cause during the last war, especially Bartolome Masso, a very influential man in the Manzanillo district. The mobs at Baires and Jiguani were unimportant, except as a premonition of future events; but now, the general uprising in the Santiago province and the presence of Masso in the field, and the information obtained in regard to the work of revolutionists abroad, made the governor, the political parties, and the population of the Island at large understand that the situation was really a very serious one. The Cuban Autonomists or home-rulers had already begun to use their influence to prevent the spread of the revolution, and General Calleja authorized Leyva, one of the leading members of their Central Junta, to confer with Masso to try to persuade him to give up his plans, with the assurance that no penalty was to be inflicted on those insurgents who would lay down their arms and return to their homes in peace, and that all facilities were to be given those preferring to leave the country. Leyva left for Manzanillo, and soon after his arrival there he completed all arrangements to meet Masso, who was at "La Odiosa." He thought it a good plan to be accompanied by some influential men belonging to the various political groups in Cuba, and the following gentlemen consented to help him in his mission: Manuel Romagosa and Jose Ramirez, Autonomists (Cubans); Virgilio Lopez Chavez, a distinguished officer in the Spanish navy (Cuban); Manuel Muniz Fernandez, Conservative, a banker (Spaniard), and Marcelino Vazquez Liora, a merchant (Spaniard). This committee did their best to impress Masso with the disastrous consequencs of another civil war, and some remarks touched him deeply; but the only practical result of the conference was Masso's proposition that the military authorities allow ten days for him to consult other Cuban chiefs and give a definite answer. The commissioners returned to Manzanillo, and Leyva proceeded to Santiago to see General Lachambre, the military commander of that province. Lachambre flatly refused to allow further delay for the submission of the rebels, and ordered his troops to attack them immediately.