The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-16
WIN. FlTZ CHARLES MCCARTHY.
TIE CLEyER IDyENTTRER VINO mas
EOOLED THREE GOVERNMENTS


About year ago brilliant person, call
ing himself Col. william Fitz Charles McCarty,
was indicted Mt the Court Of General Sessions
I in this city for larceny. Tho charge was pre-
frrrcd by Mrs. Lynch Of Broadway. the wolf
known diamond merchant. The alleged lar
ccny for which Cob" McCarty was arrested
and tried was the theft OF certain number of
diamonds belonging TO Mrs. Lynch. II came
out on the trial that Mrs. Lynch had intrusted
these diamonds to one Hand. Of Texas mustang
| notoriety. for negotiation and sale; that Me-
Cariy had induced Hand To believe that he Me
Cnrty) could dispose of them advantngcously;
that on such representation Hand had handed
over the diamonds to McCnrty. from whose pos
session McCarty swore they had been stolen.
McCarty was acquitted. Tho complainant
failed to prove that tho larceny had boon COM
mlttcd while the diamonds were actually In
McCarty's possession. As n matter of fact.
McCarty escaped conviction by a legal tcchni-
calty
During the trial this McCarty testified under
oath that he had served on the staff vi the Khc-
dive in Egypt. A few dnys after the publica-
ton ofhis evidence IN cx-oiliccr Of the Egyptian
army and an cx-Ailc-,ic-camp of the Khcdivc
published letter In the columns OF New
| York newspaper in which h. asserted that Me-
Carly had never been in the Egyptian army.
never on tho Khedve's stnir and had never
been In Cairo or Alexandria; in fact. that his
! entire testimony WIS mass OF perjury.
! McCarty IL u handsome man. over six feet
high dresses extrnvnganty. always inmacu-
late in his linen and faul,lrss in his clothes. lie
pretcnds to hail from Texas. md tells of landed
property of the most valuable nature. which he
owns by the hundreds Of square leagues in that
State. He really comes from Hugcrstown. Nd.
Some time aftcr MrCartys trial for larceny
h. learned that the representatives 81 the Span
ish Government in this country were anxious
to obtain any and all information that would
initiate against the cause of the Independence
OF Cuba and that they were willing and abnn-
dainty nhlc 10 pay for such information No
Carly determined To supply it to them.
In order to dothis NOR" perfectly. he first ofall
| formed the acquaintance " Don Miguel de Al
! DANA. then tn" Cuban agent in this country. He
presented himself ~ the inventor and patrntrc
| Of some kind ~ mnrinc torprtoes. which h"
! clnifnrd would insure g. any vessel carving
them complete security from the pursuit. or
attack Of any inimica ship. Mr.. Aldama.
though sorcy pressed hy McCariy I, buy soma
supposed 10y MoCarty to be- then Interested. de-
| clln'd to MAKE any contract with him.
MrtHrty. however. cams To have nade somc
! such contract win certain eN-tolon"l oi the
| Cuban army. but whether this statement j. true
or ia!se II il unimportnnt. So far ms the Cdpan
| rrpuhlir was concerned. because tho oN-Coun"l
! In question WIS in no wny r, pr'"rniaiiN" per,
| son. The alleged contract. however. served
rontracj Is ntt''strd Iy VI. IT. Frtni notary uuh-
lie in this city. The other signature II not at
Once personally acquainted with Nr. ALBANIA.
Gen. Sanguily. and other prominent Cuhans.
| McCartyr next more was 10 look about Tor
| partner through whom he nigh. operate upon
/ the Spanish authorities. Don Hypolite lie
Uriartr. Spanish Consul General IN this city
and sr. Mnntia DC los. kus. Spanish Minister
IN Washington. Like u shilful diplomat. NJ
! carry chose 10 renihin IN the packground until
~ deemed the proper moment Ira arrived Tor
MS aprraranc. ON mo scene. Ihi- partner he
found in one Henry +. Anics. 1t appears that
the acquainiance bstwcrq Antrs and MeCarty
| began IN july last. through an Introduction az
the of,icc Of Dick Hows nj 2Gi Bro,iway
About the sth OF November lesi Mccarty COM
| menced active operations. At that date he IN
formed An,es that he had facilities for obtain
| ing information concerning tho movements
ropc and t6a h %. Ante coud r pn ma
lion ~ high rate TO the Spanish Consul and
| and called on the Consul ut his Olllc,. ~ broad
WAY, THIS first interview hctwren Antrs and
tho Consul resulted in request hv tn" latter to
ers. which lie had reason 10 believe mad lately
cleared from here with arirs and ammunition
! Tor the Cuhun army. Antos procured from No
| Carly the names ~ three schooners. which
names he gave 10 the Consul the same evening.
aud for winch service he Received $50 from the
Anies called ut the onice Of the Consul the
ncNt day after this payment. and WAS informed
BY Ai.n that tho vessels whose names had been
given had taken no arms or anything els" 10 TIE
| Cubars, The Consul said lac wns persuaded
| that he had been swlndlrd out OF $50
The caso must have looked pretty desperate
| "a McCarty, but he WAS more than equal 10 the
occasion. He converted whnt lookei like ruin
| into triumphant victory. His task was To- CON
| vince the Consul of the value authenticity. and
vrracity oi the Information which h" wns. to fur
banded to Antrs a letter dated in London Oct;
IL lS!5 addressed 70 NJ Aldama ent sisned
conyince the spanards Of the importance Of
their retaining his services IN procuring and
iurnishing iniorIpati9n' ~ de'ermingd toiur.
that they would be sure 10 swallow the bait at
| once.
In carving ont this pnn he conceived the
ideaof Stimulating the existence in Europe Of
certain fictitious uhrtlcs III -undry places who
were 10 he represented by him As IN CORES pom
! d"ncc with tho Cubans here. ana who w.rc to
write letters To Mr.. Aldamn in reply To- uurrly
imaginary letters from the ,uban agent. Tines"
letters were to be- accounted for 10y the story at
they were stolen from Al,.ama's Office hy one IL
his clerks. and We're then to lee handed 10y
McCarty to Ant"s Tor transmissi on Ia the Span
ish Consul. Further 70 verify the authenticity
of these European letters and for the more
complete mls,iilcnton. not only 81 the Svhnlards,
but OF his own partner. Anirs. Mctariy handed
to Antes fictitious extracts from letters pGrpOr-
ing IN havo been written by Aidamn 10 thu inn
aginary pcrsonagcs IN Europe.
On one occasion. when Antes felt little lack
Of confidence he allowed Mctarty To- become
aware of II. ny asking him for IN" envelopes II
some Of these European letters which McCarty
bad stated We're all registered in Lonton But
McCary was no, 10 bc caught in any such
never" he replied. have been able 10 OBJ
tain one OF them. Allnma's clerk. who. ns you
know. hrngs them TO my house assures me
positively that Adnmn invariably burns them
~ soon Ms he receives them. lighting his cigar
cites with them. Why. have offered his clerk
one hundred dollars for each one 81 them. ~
addition 10 the ihiry-iyc dollars which pay
him every week.
On another occasion McCArty stated to Senior
Mnniillh IN the presence Of Antcs. that Allana
had hmsrlf reai some Of the letters 10 him,
and had assured him that he bad read them all
at the meetings OF the Cuban Juuta
The original drafts OF these fictitious letters
forty-twO in number. besides five fictitious eN-
trHcts from letters stated by McCarty to nave
been written 10y Adana. were all presented Ia
Mr.. triarte. Spanish Consul Gcnrral IN this
city. by Antcs. who lett copies II them with
him. The originals are in pnckago in the safe
Of Capt Gcrncr. 40 Chambers street. in this city
in n package on which is written. " Deliverable
only 10 myself personally cCartv"
The importance OF tlfesr letters. or rather Oi
the results which MrCarty accomplished hy
thrm can hardly he over estimated. By means
OF them he so wormrd himself into the conf
dence VI the Spanish AUTHORITIES TINT he drew
large sums ~ money from! them, and WINS COM
mssioned by the Spanish Minister as Colonel Of
Engineers in the SPANS army. On the strength
of these letters he SO hoodwinked our astute
Secretary OF State. William VI. Eyarts. that
Evarts accepted the testimony of this srOundrel
in 80 important matter ~ the detention Q%an