Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-04-12
Can O-keIIy he Held az q Sp,-

The arrest and threatened trial by court
martial a Spy of the venturcsome Celtic
American correspondent, O'KeUy, i'm Cuba.
raises the question a to whether O'KeIiy is
really amenable to the laws a. an emiss,ry Of
the Cuban patriots. Webster defines the word
'-Spy' AS
"a person sent into an enemv,s cam, N in
Sitst iheir works, ascertain their strength and
ittiV Intentions to watch their movements,
and secretly communicate Intelligence 10 the
Il'itf uhcer. BY the laws OF war among all
punishment"
Had there been added TO this definition the
statement that a spy invariably conceaIs his
true character under a. disguise of some kind
~ would, we think, he more complete. Daring
tHe late war a number of spies were executed on
Doth sides. and IN all cases they were in dis
Suisc. The case of Richardson who was hum
- freCerick- Maryland. on the return of the
Afny az the Potomac from Gettysburg is in
ONT. Richardson had followed the army from
Tie time i was first cHCamped in virginia in
lie capacity OF book and trinket pedrer
tie Wculd occasionally disappear for weeks at a
TINE. Vrti! finally attention was drawn t. hi,
ah-lErio1s movements. and he was closely
watched II was finally ascertasled that h.
" " itulu our lines spy, and that when he
q appeared lie went into the camp of In. en-
Griy with valuable information in reference IN
Tie strength o. the Union arnv ITS movements
60. lie was captured near Frederick in the
a't 81 escaping into the confederate lines tried
~ dTum-head court martial and hung-alI
within two hours after his arrest. la fact no
slE "OHia dare to follow his dangerous calling
Tor moment without disguise. 1t may be
said that Major Andre was hung as a SPY, and
mat when captured he was attred in British
uniform, covered by large cloak which he had
been prevailed upon TO wear. The business of
AVtiyg'- sentence E4.
many, for the reason, "a Is claimed, that he was
not, when arrested. acting in the capacity OF
spy that he was not even disguised: and that
hl' presence within the federal lines Wa, the re-
SUlt of accident. and Not design.
Ia the case OF p'keilvit must be remembered
1iat be went to Cuoa a. an independent (natu-
Tl!iztd' American citizen. and not as a parti-
sch, All that he h:,~ never disguised or attempt
al 70 disguise hi trUe character. He requested
PERMISSION 70 20 into the Cuban lines a. a news
paper CorTesI Ondelit. and the Spanish anthori-
Les gave him leave To go, but also gave him
lie comforting assurance that he would be shot
il he returned Subsequently the Spanish gen
Sral iu whose jurisdiction O'KeIIv was modified
Is threat. and said he would Danish him if he
returned. thClly returned, was arrested. and
G'ceTs gwen Tor his trial as a spy by court
martial. a late dispatch SAYS that two letters
from President CeSpede> were found on his
person. and II this l. true his case l. made con-
s.dcTah!y worse. There Is no Disgusting the
tsct that O'Keiiy has been guilty OF d serious
CftHce. and that the Spanish authorities would
j. justified il sending him ont OF the country;
Int they are not warranted by the facts in
treating him a. a spy, for the reason that he
lacks the distinctive feature OF a spy. viz, a
r'--Ui-e. We trust that Gen. Torbett the
American consul general al Havana ha, taken
= hTm stand m tie matter. ami has placed
q Kelly case in such "a light 20 the Spanish
authorities that they will content themselves
v in sending him out OF the country As a
matter OF policy they wOuid find IT a great
liuEtttr TO execute him