New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-29
DOCTOR j. Z. HOWARD.
4 Victim Of Spain's Cruelty-IIis Career
in PhiEadclp hia-VEy He Was Arrest.
ed-Aparhy Of the United states.


ed-Aparhy Of the United states.
From the Philadelphia Evening Telegraph
The attention of the people Of this coun
try. and OF Pn!adellh lhia mere particularly
| for here he WAS born and raared-has 1oI
many months past been directed 10 the case
of that victim Of Spanish barbarity. Dr.
John Emilio Howard. After experiencing
| the grOSsest indig ignites that could be heaped
on him by the reigning power in Cuba, he
| is now on his way in prison ship to CPuta,
a Spanish penal colony in Africa, where
| il Providence or the hand of outraged JUS
| tice does not interfere-le will undergo the
excessive cruelties of eight years servitude
in the chain gang. There are some features
| Of this unfortunate mans situation that
| have served to livet public attention. He
| is an American citizen, who has Eever
yielded ut of his allegiance to thi nation,
| and is innocent OF the charges that were so
| wickediy made against him, as there is
| abundant evidence to show. Yet, with
these facts, fully snbstantiated by the most
| reliable declarations under the s0lunnity
of an oath, the conduct 0: our nation, as
manifested by its Washington officials, has
| been conspicuous for so much vacillatlOn
| and apathy as not only to evoke the hearty
dcnunciations CT all American people, but
| even the contempt of the Spanish popula-
| ton in Cuba.
| Dr. Howard was born in this city or the
| fifth OF September. 1915, lis parents then
! living on South Third street. After attend
| ing private school for ten years, he com
menced the study of medicine which he
| prosecuted with great diligence tor num-
| ber of years at jefferson Medical College,
| and at last graduated with distinguished
| honors. and received his degree. shortly
| after this event, which took place in the
| sprug OF 1914, lie went 10 Cuba with MS uncle
a.
| menced the practice of his preies sion. which,
| up to the time of the breaking out OF TIE
| insurrection still battling the power of Spain,
| was large ana remunerative. lie married
| and four children were born TO hin-three
| daughters and son who for some time was
| student in one of our dental colleges.
from which he graduated only lately.
Though a resident of Cientuegos for so
| long a time, DR.. Howard never gave any
intention of sundering his allegiance to lis
native country. The naturalization laws
of Spain are very strict and difficult to
comply with. One must live. if for
eigner five Years on Spanish sell before be
can even declare his intentions OF becoming 9
a citizen, and then his desire can not be
toDsummated for ten years Dr. Howard
never bv word Of mouth or the inGU btable
evidence of writing. signltied any such in
tention, and is to day AS much al Aiuelican
never been outside the limits OF his cUun-
t!v.
The Spanish authorities claim that he is
a subject under their power, and ground
this claim upon the hypothesis that by ac-
cepting certain grants of land he surrcn-
dered his nationality: whereas the law
under which these grants were IGade. even
by the closest Interpretation of the text. III
tiIGated nothing of the sort, but stipulated
simply that the land thus taken rp should
he improved. The doctor, as We have said
was prOsperouslv engaged il the practice of
medicine from almost the moment lie landed
in Cuba to the breaking out OF the great
struggle OF the ensldvtd CUhans t0r indie
pendence. At the dawn OF this crisis Ike
American doctor tell under the ban Of
Spanish dSpeasure by happening TO be the
uncle OF three as brave and talented! men as
ever engaged in noble cauee-t-cder:ck
Cavada, and Adolpho. his brother and
Colonel Eario.
These three men took leading part in
the insurrection. and n>piIc'( the strUg
glln- CuOanS 70 an intense degree OF
patriotic tervcr Frederick, WHO WAS az
one time commander-iIi-chie Of tie iusur-
rectionary forces. and who & year ago eui-
tered mart yrd0n for his cause. was, with
his brother. in the thckeSt of the famous
fights in the Old Dominion daring the
MOI come cells Of Libby Prison. .do!pho
died only few days ago, from a disease
brought on from exhaustive efforts IN the
field Tor Cuban independence, and tic
events OF his lie are chr"nicl II IN another
page Of this papei. Bario va eXecn-ed at
Cienfuegos last year.
Family connection with these unfortunate
young men brought DR., Howard prominent
" to the notice of the Spanish authorities,
~
the agents Of d general system OF espionage.
in the latter part cf Decem Der. 1870, lie
was arrested at his home III CienIuego> by
the Spanish military authorities. upon a
trivial charge, and immured in prison Tor
ten months. without being allowed an oi'-
portuuitv to disprove what lad reen ~
viiely laid to his credit.
From his dungeon he sent through the
United States consul al Cientpegos. All ap
peal 10 our Washington authorities t"r pro
lection. which appeal was lied IL the ar
chiyes o. the State Departr ent. and .hat
seems about all that was ever done with II.
Then came the rt-martal before winch
he was brought four months or 50 ago. 1t
was held III lis prison house. and was com
ppsed Of u.fcrrs WHO had made up rhelT
minds as 70 what the sentence should Dc.
and only went through y sho" Vi JudjcIJ
proceeding for formally ; sake. GDt charge
the inSurrection;st hy furnishing hem with
a box OF medicines, The accused ha,, :;
number ol witnesses at hand !" prove that
some wears before. when there We're no :! gus
of the coming storm, he had sUt't that ldrn-
teal box OF drugs to young Cuban who
Joined the lnsurrectlOnacy forces. l. WAS
then charged that lie had harbored wounded
rebels: but lie brought the people with
whom he lived, some OF whom were Span
iarls, to show that he was entirely innocent
uf this crime.
What was the next step! The conductors
of the trial produced deposition. made by
one Manuel CapOte few months before Size
court martial. II which lie declared tLat DE-
Howard was guilty Of treason.
If there were wanting any tl0re convlDc-
ING proof that this trial was a HlocKery of
Justice. projected TO cover d. base an act OF
iniquity as ever was perpetrated. We nave
il in the fact Chat CapCte was c"ercrd injo
making this false charge against Dr.
Howard. Cap0te was an insurrection'St,
ard for a time fellow prisoner with How
ard (wiio had been his family physlcln Ter
many years. in the gloomy lookup OF Gen
tuegos. He was liberated about fix months
ago, much to the astOnlsillnent ot both
Spanards and C;Ibans, and came direct to
New York. where the deep yiltainy into
which he had been impressed as an accom-
plice came to The surface.
Capote's recantation was made in that
| city on the eighth ot February last. uudcr
| oath. ana before the Sp4ni- ia c0nsui, and
| that important document is nGW III :he
| hands Of tie Secretary Of State II th!.
! formal abiurgation lie says. III" Gti,0>l'lun