Sistersville oil review. [volume], July 06, 1898, Image 1

About Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901

Image provided by: West Virginia University

                
J H. McCOY, Editor and Proprietor
SISTERSVILLE, TYLER COUNTY, W. VA
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1898.
NO. 27
THRILLING RECORD
Made by American Arms? Noth
ing Like it Known Since 1776.
A FOURTH OF JULY
Thst Will Ever be Remembered
With Pride by the Patriots.
or (he United States? The Hell of Inde
pendence Hall Chimed the Tiding of
American Freedom? The Hour of
(?race Expires at 10 0*cIock this
Horning When Sampson Will Bom
bard Santiago.
Washington, D. C., July 4. ? The
complete annihilation of the Span
ish squadron at Santiago and the
capture of the Spanish admiral,
Cervera, with 1,600 prisoners; the
demand by General Shafter for the
surrender of Santiago by 12 o'clock
tomorrow noon on pain of bom
bardment; word from Admiral
Dewey that the Ladrone islands
had been captured; that a Spanish
gunboat had surrendered, that a
hundred or more Spanish officers
and men were taken and that our
first Philippine expedition had
landed ? this is in part a thrilling
record of such a Fourth of July ; as
has not been known since the bell
of Independence hall rang out the
tidings of American freedom. It
was a day ^vhen one momentous
event followed another in constant
and ^apid succession each hour
bringing forth some new feature
more startling than what bad gone
before. The climax came at 1
o'clock when amid the wildest
cheering, which fairly shook the
great war, state and navy building
to its foundation, Admiral Samp
son's dispatch announcing his glo
rious victory and the entire destruc
tion of the Spanish fleet was given
to the public.
The President had not a mo
ment's respite. Telegrams came
and went without cessation and the
historic old mansion presented a
scene such as has not been paral
lelled since the momentous hours
of the civil war.
The story of the day is best told
in the series of official dispatches,
bearing date of July 4, from Samp
son, from Shafter, from Dewey.
Stirring as they all are, that of
Sampson has accorded the honor of
chief importance, not only for the
immediate results secured, but
from the effects of this crushing
defeat in weakening the defense of
the city of Santiago and in dealing
Spain such a staggering blow that
she is left practically without a
navy.
The admiral's dispatch is as fol
lows:
SAMPSON'S FOURTH OP JULY GIFT.
"Playa via Hayti.
i To Secretary Navy ? 3:1.5 a. m. ?
[ Siboney. July 3d:
I "The fleet under my command
puffers the nation as a Fourth of
^ July present the destruction of the
viiole of Cervera's fleet. Not one
escaped. It attempted to escape at
* 9:;o a. m. and at 2 p. m., the last,
th? Cristobal Colon, had run
ashore, sixty miles west of Santia
go, and had let her colors down.
The Infante Marie Teresa, Oquen
do aid Vizcaya were forced ashore,
burn?d and blown up within twen
ty miles of Santiago. The Furor
and Fluton were destroyed within
four miles of the port. Loss, one
killed and two wounded. Enemy's
loss piobabiy several hundred from
gun lite, 'explosions and drowning..
About 1,300 prisoners, including
Admiral Cervera. The man killed
was George H. Ellis, chief yeoman
of the Brooklyn.
Although brief, Admiral Samp
son's dispatch tells the story of fear
ful destruction. It not only dis
closed the tremendous prowess of
"GONE WITH A HANDSOMER MAN."
the American fleet, but it again dis
played the strange immunity
which the American sailor seems to
have in the midst of death and car
nage.
That but one of our sailors, a
yeoman on the Brooklyn, should
have been killed in an engagement
of this magnitude, is without a par
allel in navy annals, save iu that
other unparralleled record which
Dewey made at Manila.
With the Spanish fleet destroyed
the way is partly cleared for the ad
vance of the American squadron
into the harbor of Santiago. If
Cervera's armored cruisers could
cross the mine field and clear the
Merrimac at the entrance to the
harbor, the American ships can fol
low the same course. There are
the inner fortifications and island
forts still to be reduced, but they
have passed through a baptism of
fire recently and are little more
than ruins. Thus with Shafter's
guns thundering on Santiago from
the land and Sampson's from the
harbor, the fall of the city is assured
beyond further question.
The authorities here, military
and naval, say that Santiago has al
! ready made its best fight, and that
[ its occupation is only a question of
time and very brief time.
General Shafter's strong position
was shown in a series of dispatches.
Most convincing of all as to his
feeling of confidence and strength
, was that dispatch given out late in
the day, in which Geneaal Shafter
gives the text of his demand for
the surrender of the city on pain of
bombardment.
Shafter's Ultimatcm.
This dispatch is as follows:
Playa Del Esth. )
July 4, 1S9S. )
Hon. R. A. Alger, Secretary of
War, Washington.
Headquarters Filth Army Corps.
July 3
The following is my demand for
the surrender of the city of Santi
ago:
Headquarters United States forces,
near San Juan River, Cuba,
? July 3, 1S9S, S:3oa. m.
To the Commanding General of the
Spanish forces, Santiago de Cuba.
1 !
Sir:? I shall be obliged, unless
you surrender, to shell Santiago de
Cuba. Please inform the citizens
of foreign countries and all women
and children that they should leave
the city beiore 10 o'clock tomorrow
morning.
Very respectfully your obedient
servant.
(Signed.) W. R. Shafter.
Major General U. S. A.
Following is the Spanish reply
which Colonel Dorst has just re
turned at 6:30 p. m. -
Santiago de Cuba, )
2 p.m., July 3, 1898. j
His excellency, the general com
manding forces of the United
States, San Juan River.
Sir:? I have the honor to reply
to your communication of today,
written at 8:30 a. m., and received
at 1 p. m , demanding the surren
der of this city. On the contrary
case announcing to me that you
will bombard this city and that I
advise the foreign women and chil
dren that they must leave the city
before 10 o'clock tomorrow morn
ing, it is my duty to say to you
that this city will not surrender and
that I will inform the foreign con
suls and inhabitants of the contents
of your message.
Very respectfully,
(Signed.) JoseToal.
Commander - in - chief Fourth
Corps.
The British, Portuguese, Chi
nese and Norwegian consuls have
come up to my line with Colonel
Dorst. They ask if non-combatants
can occupy the town of Caney and
railroad points, and ask until ten
o'clock of the 5th inst., before the
city is fired on. They claim that
there are between fitteen and twen
ty thousand people, many of them
old, who will leave. They ask if I
can supply them with food, which
I can not do for want of transporta
tion to Caney, which is fifteen
miles from my landing. The fol
lowing is my reply:
July 3, 189S.
The commanding general, Spanish
forces, Santiago de Cuba:
Sir: ? In consideration of the re
quest of the consuls and officers in
your city for delay in carrying out
ray intention to fire on the city,
| and in the interest of the poor
! women and children who will suffer
j greatly by their hasty and enforced
! departure from the city, I have the
honor to announce that I will delay
such action solely in the interest
until noon or the 5th, providing
during the interval your forces
make no demonstration whatever
upon those of my own.
I am, with great respect, your
obedient servant,
(Signed) W. R. Shafter,
Commanding Major Genera!.
MASTER OF THE SITUATION.
Shafter's other dispatches breathe
the same air of confidence and de
termination as shown in his demand
on the Spanish commander. The
first one made public during the
j
day stated that his lines completely
surrounded the town from the bay
on the north to the San Juan river
on the south, leaving the city thus
enveloped by a stretch of water on
one side and a stretch of frowning
American guns on the other. In
another dispatch General Shafter
epitomized the strength of his
position by saying:
yl led that I am master of the
situation and can hold the enemy
for any length oc time."
J[n another dispatch General
Softer states that his demand for
till surrender of Santiago is still
belig considered by the Spanish
authorities, which indicates that
thf refusal of the Spauish com
mander to capitulate was not final.
Injany event, 12 o'clock on Tues
day, "marks the limit ot Shafter's
concession, and if Santiago has not
capitulated at that hour, the great
siege guns now brought to the
front and in position, backed by
the batteries of lighter field pieces,
will begin their work of destruc
tion.
'The pressing need of reinforcing
Shafter is no longer felt, now that
the Spanish fleet is out of the way.
A considerable number of men,
however, are already on the way,
and others will follow.
The changed naval situation will
br ing no abatement in the activity
of the authorities here in carrying
th : war directly home to Spain.
There is renewed determination
to get Commodore Watson's eastern
squadron away at the earliest
moment for the double purpose
of strikine a blow at the coast
towns of Spain and of pursuing Ad
miral Camara's fleet which has
halted at the entrance of the Suez
canal. Secretary Long made the
official statement today that the
fleet would, sail at the earliest possi
ble moment and although he did
nvit go into details as to its purpose
it is well understood that it will
devote its attention to the Spanish
coast and to Camara. The destruc
tion of the Spanish fleet at Santiago
relieves Admiral Sampson from
surveillance of this squadron, and
he can readily spare the ships in
tended for the attack on the Span
ish coast.
WILL BE ADMIRAL IN FACT.
It has been Acting Sampson for
some time, but that it will be Ad
miral Sampson in fact as well as in
name is the prevailing feeling in
naval circles as a result of the vie
tory reported by the American ad
miral. Shortly after the war broke
out Captain Sampson was made
acting admiral in order to give him
a rank fitting his high command,
although his natural naval rank
remains at captain. By a singular
coincidence his rank was advanced
today to that of commodore, owing
to the retirement of Admiral Kirk
land. In the event of his now be
ing made an admiral, it would ad
vance him over the ten commodores
making up the list of that grade
and would place him just below
that hero famous hero of the war,
Admiral Dewey.
It is of course purely conjectural
thus far, but it is a conjecture
tfhich receives such common ac
ceptance in naval quarters that it is
most likely to be realized.
The release of Hobson and the
other heroes oi the Merrimac inci
dent is likely t6 be another result
of the events transpiring todaj . It
may now come about either by the
surrender of the city which would
include the surrender of Hobson
and other American prisoners in
the city or else by the exchange of
Hobson for Admiral Cervera or
some other high ranking naval offi
cial. Until today thex possibility
of exchanging Hobson was slight
as this government had no Spanish
prisoners of hi^h rank to offer in
his place. Now, however, they
have one of the foremost admirals
of Spain and among the 1.500 other
naval prisoners there are many of
ficersof thedi>tinguished rank. To
exchange a Spanish admiral for an
American naval constructor might i
seem strange under ordinary cir
cumstances, but it would be done ;
without any begrudging by the au
thorities here and would be partic
ularly appropriate in view of the
action oi Cervera at the time Hob
son surrendered to him.
A new line of fine menu cards
just opened at the Review office.
A Dnrinsr Bobbery*
Special t? the Review.
Everett, W. Va., July 2. ? One of
the most cunning and daring rob
beries took place % mile north of
this place July 1.
B. G7 Flesher who deals in stock
to some extent, and his wife left
their residence about 6 o'clock in
the evening and Mr. Flesher had
hid his money in the covers of the 1
bed. They returned a little after
dark and found the house broken
open and the money gone. Mr.
Flesher says that he had $195
hid in the bedclothing which was
all taken. Some sneak thief had
entered the house through the
kitchen door and opened the bu
reau drawers and everything was
turned over in their haste to find
the money. No clue to robbers
yet but no doubt the robbery was
done by some one who knew that
Mr. Flesher was away from home.
The house had been entered about
one week before but as he had left
no money in the house they got
nothing- This is another warning
to people to not leave any money
in the house when going away but
to put it in the bank for safe keep
ing.
Later ? A little girl of G. W.
Virden who lives near this place
was out picking raspberries and
was bitten by a snake, supposed to
be a copperhead. She was bitten
on the loot, and at this writing her
foot is badly swollen and she is in
a critical condition. The snake hid
and was not killed, but it was no
doubt a very poisonous snake from
the tact of the foot swelling so
much. Reporter.
"* ""WHal's tbe^s&Cfetof happy, vig
orous health? Simply keeping the
bowels, the stomach, the liver and
kidneys strong and active. Bur
dock Blood Bitters does it.
Tbe Saltan And Onr HlMionnries.
The Porte has demanded the re
call of two American missionaries
from the province of Aleppo, on the
pretext that their mission for distri
bution of relief is likely to cause
disturbances. "The sick man of
Europe" as he is derisively termed,
is as unreasonable as his political
health is feeble. As a bright con
trast to his obstinacy and stupidity, *
the people of America are acknow
ledging far and wide the benefi
cence of tbe mission of Hostetter's
Stonnche Bitters, namely, to rel
ieve and prevent malaria, rlieuma^
tism and kidney complaint, chronic
dyspepsia, constipation and liver
trouble. The nervous, the weak
and the infirm derive unspeakable
benefit from its use, and it greatly
mitigates those infirmities specially
iucident to advancing years. Sleep jj
appetite, and a sensation of com
fort throughout the system, ensue
upon its use, which should be reg
ular and persistant. An early re
sort to this fine preventive is logic
al suggested to those who seek its
aid.
To the Honpltal.
John Halterman of the South
Side was taken to the Wheeling
uospital this morning for treatment.
He is a rig builder and several days
ago cut his knee. The wound is
not doing so well and his physician
advised him to go to Wheeling.
A l.nrice' Map.
A. S. McCoy has just finished a
I comprehensive map of the world
I which he has placed in front of his
store on Diamond street.
The map is 20 feet long and gives
the public an accurate idea of the
points where the battles of the
Spanish-American wars have been, ^
and are now being fought.
Coin wrappers at the Review of
fice.
?OSDIITH & BOESHAE'S-*
Special Rocker!
W
E
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S
T
T
H
E
P
E
0
P
L
E
This is a good picture of the Rocking Chair which we are
seeing for
00
?
It i-s strongly made of hard wood and is finished in either
Antique or Mahogany.
Smith & Boeshar!
j#.-. ?. 4, '.lHv
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