Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-11-20
THE RECENT SPANISH ATROCITY.

1ue CASE VI Ille ' flISluluS auu Iuo oA0SuVioii
of number of the passengers found aboard
of her, by the Spanish authorities in Cuba, is
evoking general feeling of excitement and
indignation throughout the entire country. 1t
is claimed that the vessel belongs to owners
in the United States, and sails under the Uni
ted States flag; though it is charged that she
has been employed to run arms, ammunition
and men into Cuba for the insurgents Ac-
cordingly, the Spaniards have for some time
been endeavoring to effect her, capture, in
which they finally succeeded at a point off
the coast of Jamaica. On board the vessel
we're number of persons, mostly Cubans, who
had been identified with the Cuban revolution,
but at the time of their capture they were not
in Cuban waters, and we're not engaged in at
tempting to land, or in any other act of hos
tility against the Spanish government In
everv legal respect their situation is compared
with that of Mason and Slidell, when captured
by Commodore Wilkes on board the British
steamer Trent. The vessel having thus been
taken into Santiago de Cuba, four at least of
her passengers, Gone account says thirty-six)
were shot; such being the manner in which
the Spanish authorities in Cuba uniformly dis
pose of Cuban prisoners. The vessel is de-
tanned as prize of war.
There were at least two Americans on the
vessel the Commander, Captain Fry, and
Gen. w. O'C. Ryan. Captain Fry was for
merly of the Confederate navy and was sue
cessful blockade runner to the port of Will
mington during the late war. He was ma
tive of New Orleans, and after graduating at
the Naval School at Annapolis was an officer
of the Federal Navy. Upon the breaking
out of the war he rendered his services to the
Confederacy, and was commissioned as Lieu
tenant. During part of the time he was at
tached to the squadron of Admiral Buchanan.
Gen. Ryan was also an American, and was
probably in his 32nd year. He joined the
Cuban forces at the outbreak of the revolu-
ton, organized a cavalry corps in Camaguey,
and rendered considerable service to the ma
tional cause, his military enterprises being at
tended with uninterrupted success. After be-
ing in the field year and half bad health
compelled him to leave, and he went to New
York with credentials from the Cuban Gov
ernment. He was selected to command sew
eral expeditions to furnish stores to the insur-
gents, with some of which he was successful,
but on one or two occasions he lost his ship
and goods, and barrel y escaped with his life.
He was arrested at one time for violation of
the neutrality laws, but after tedious proceed
ings the prosecution was practically abandon
ed. He made speeches at Cuban meetings,
and was in the confidence of the leading friends
of Cuba in New York. He resided for the
past six months at Washington; but being
sufficiently recovered for active service, he
embarked at New York on the Jamaica steam
er, intending to reach Cuba and join the pa
triot army.
The vessel was built on the Clyde, in 1864,
as blockade.runner between Europe and
ports in the Southern States. She was cap
tured by the Federal forces at the time Of
the occupation of Mobile, and in 1870, while
lying at Hoboken waiting for purchaser,
was sold to friends of the Cuban General
Rafael Quesada in New York; her great
speed and light draft (only eight feet when
loaded with 400 tons) commencing her, it is
said, for the purpose of blockade running.
The vessel was fitted out, it is alleged, under
the command of one Williams, and on the
goth day of July, 1871, landed an expedition,
under Gen. Quesada, near Santiago de Cuba,
in sight of Spanish war vessel. Her second
successful expedition was on the 9TH of July,
also under Quesada. A short time previous
to this, it will be remembered, the Virginius
was blockaded at Aspinwall by Spanish war
vessels, but was conveyed out under the pro-
lection of Commodore Reed, Of the United
States steamer Kansas, who shotted his guns
and saw her clear, her papers having been
examined and pronounced regular, so far as
her register was concerned, by the United
States consul The Virginius has not since
that time been in an American port, and her
register as an American vessel is supposed to
be the same but how far she is entitled to
the protection of the United States Govern.
ment, can only be determined upon the proper
presentation of all her papers to the State and
Treasury Department.
A dispatch from Washington, referring to
the matter of the capture, says:
"a blockade cannot be said to exist on the