Connecticut western news., 1873-12-05
The Capture of the virginIus.
Official Report of the Capture by the
 Commander of the Tornado.

Official Report of the Capture by the
 Commander of the Tornado.
 Costilla, the commanner of the Tor nado, has made the following report .of the chase, capture and boarding of
 the Virginius to the naval authorities at
 Havana. It is dated from Santiago de
 Cuba:-
 In conformity with orders received
 by me, as commander of the corvette
 Tornado, to carefully watch the coast
 between Cape Cruz and Santiago de
 Cuba, left the latter port on the 29th
 of October. On that night cruised in
 close proximity to the land between the
 points indicated, being led to believe
 by certain calculations that, whatever
 might be the manoeuvres of the Virgin jus during the night, it was evident that
 during the day she must lie we'll off,
 partly to avoid being seen and partly to reserve her resources until the proper moment for landing should arrive. Dur ing the night of the 30th inst. we con- tinued our cruise without incl dent, and had started on new course at daybreak, the next morning, when the man on the lookout reported seeing the smoke of steamer, proceeding in the direction of Jamaica. With the view of ascertaining what she was, and at the same time to save as much fuel as possible, we followed her, ;hugging the coast for about IS miles, when she changed her course to south east by south. .... .., ...-... -... -....
 From the first moment that we saw her there was great activity on board, the whole of the steam power from all the boilers being brought into requisi- tfon, and at about half-past two o'clock in the afternoon we commenced to give chase. &4&E a&
 The position and course of the ves- sel principally, if for not other reasons, led me to believe that this craft was none other than the filibuster Vir- ginius, for imagined that she was pro- ceeding from Jamaica to Cuba when we saw her, but failing, under the circum- stances, to land on the island of Cuba, she had turned about again for Jamaica. These suspicious were confirmed by her sudden change of course and the evi- dent activity on board to make all the speed possible, as flames could be seen emanating with the smoke from her tunnels. In addition to this we now saw, by the light of the moon, when she changed her tack, her two smoke stacks and paddle-boxes. l instructed the engineer to carry on all steam pos- sible and drive our vessel through the water as quickly as he could. Owing to the darkness, we thought she was about five miles ahead, and hoped to overhaul her before she made Point Movante.
 At haH-past nine, while in her i'm mediate neighborhood, we fred five shots, and shortly afterwards sent out two boats, under the command of Don Enrique Pardo and Don Angel Ortiz, with orders to take possession of the | Virginius in the name of the Spanish | nation. The report of these officers has already been made, and I content my self with informing you that, at eleven o'clock at night, the Virginius, flying the Spanish flag, was headed towards | Cuba, having on board a prize crew, after we had removed the bulk of the | prisoners on board our vessel.
 The cargo of arms and war munition was thrown overheard during the chase, but the empty cases fell into our pos session, including cartridges and other articles, which are included in the in- ventory which I have already handed in to the authorities.
 The enthusiasm of the crew simply oafHes description, when success crown sd our efforts. The prisoners were ;reated with such consideration as their character deserved and the necessity of heir safe. keeping demanded. The Virglnius, under our convoy, reached Santiago de Cuba on November l, at i've o'clock in the evening, when our lrrival was made the signal of genuine outburst of patriotic enthusiasm.
 The importance of this expedition, when the number and rank of the pris- oners are considered, cannot be over rated. In addition to the severe lesson that we have given to the enemies of | Spain, the capture has made the in- nabltants of Santiago delirious with enthusiasm. make no reference to 'he conduct of our men, but will simply say that their conduct, from the highest | to the lowest, is worthy of all praise, and when I say that the men were 5paniards, working for Spanish inter- asts, you will understand all. Upon my arrival in port here I gave official in- formation of the capture to the author lties, and what must now follow has to be dictated by the officers of justice. In conclusion I have only to add that I | all the officers of the Tor nado, from the highest to the lowest, for the severe lesson that they have given to the enemies of our country.
 .,r,''ss" DIONISIO COSTILLA.