The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-11
What the Action of the Government
Has Been in the Case.
A Protest Against Trial bv
Court Martial.
Secretary Fish on Spanish Animua
?
Against the Herald.
Interview of Mr.. Price, Senior, with
the Secretary Of State.
WASHINGTON, June 10. 1873.

WASHINGTON, June 10, 1873.
This morning Mr.. A. L. Price, of New
York, father of L. A. Price, the HERALD corr
respondent imprisoned in Havana, called ON
Secretary Fish, at the State Department, Ia
ascertain what the prospect was for the re-
lease Of his son. Price was arrested about
four weeks ago, and when Consul neral
Torbert, at Havana, informed the State
Department of the outrage Bancroft Davis
was Acting Secretary, Mr.. Fish then being
absent in New York. Mr. Davis instructed
Mr.. Torbert to
ASK FOR THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE
of Price, but from that day to the present 10
appears that his official actions have not
liberated Mr.. Price. The State Depart
ment has a good appreciation Of
Consul General Torbert's ability, but is
is retarded by his great zeal and patriotic
energy, whereas cringing policy would be
Spaniards. This much, by way of introduce
ton, for when Mr.. Price was received by the
Secretary he requested Mr. Davis to be pres
ent, as the latter had more knowledge of the
facts Mr.. Price was informed that yesterday q
to the effect that Leopold A. Price, HERALD
correspondent, was
~ TO BE TRIED BY COURT MARTIAL,
but upon what charges he had not been able
to ascertain.
Secretary Fish promptly instructed Consul
General Torbert to demonstrate in the name Of
his government, against any such proceeding,
AS THE UNITED STATES WOULD NOT TOLERATE
the trial Of one of its citizens by the court
martial of foreign Power. To this no answer
had been received. The Consul General had
been promised a copy of the charges on which
Mr. Price was to be tried, but no adUces had
been received of their tenor up to the closing
of the Department to-day. The Secretary as
sured Mr.. Price that
EVERYTHING GOVERNMENT COULD DO
would be done, but diplomatic intercourse was
not like matters referred to the arbitrament
of the sword. Much time was necessarily lost
on correspondence, whether by cable or letter,
and in the latter case weeks elapsed some
times before answers were read to letters sent
from the State Department to Havana. This.
had been so on effecting the release of Santa
Rosa, also citizen of New York, from whose
father he had just receiveda letter thanking the
Department for it's persistent and firm efforts on
behalf of his release. The Secretary was Of
opinion that the outrage in this instance was
DIRECTED AGAINST THE NEW YORK HERALD
and not against Mr. Price, the same as in the
case of Mr.. O'Kelly, who, not being an Ameri-
can citizen, the government could do no more
than tender its friendly Offices In the absence
of definite charges, he could only conjecture
the cause of the arrest of Mr.. Price. He thought
the Cuban authorities were afraid that he
had been in communication with Mr.. O'Kelly,
and would transmit such news as he had re-
ceived from the latter to the HERALD, and that
was what the Cuban authorities, he had no
doubt, were determined to stop by every pre-.
caution or embarrassment they could take
or make.
BEYOND IMPRISONMENT, HE HAD NO AprKE-
HENsIoN
that any wrong would be done TO the
HERALD correspondent-that it might be
some time before he would be released,
but that was q penalty which all COM
missioners sent out by the HERALD appeared
doomed to suffer. One cannot wonder, con-
tended the Secretary, that the Cuban authori-
ties should hate with all the malice Of Spanish
hatred q journal which has so fearlcssly in
vaded its territory, deied, as it were, it's
officials by the presence of its correspondents,
and sought to reveal to the world what the
Spaniards are
MOST ANXIOUS TO CONCEAL
the true condition of affairs in the insurrection-
airy district. OF course the authorities claimed
the right to make such restrictions as would
subserve their own ends, while the fearlessness
Of the HERALD, in exposing the conduct of the
Spaniards made them only too glad to OPP
press its correspondents on every occasion. He
did not mean to disparage the enterprise Of
the greatest of newspapers, for the New YoRK