The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-10
A FILIBUSTERING STORY.
A Munchausen Romance Concerning an Al
legged Expedition in Soto's Interest.

NEW YORK, Feb. 9.-Loungers in the cheap
lodg;ng houses and around the saloons of the
Fourth ward were both amused and incredulous,
yesterday, over a flibustering story told by a
newsboy and professional pedestrian, Stephen
Brodie. Brodie's narrative was to the effect that
one James Halliday and another man, whose
real nam is Eot mentioned, induced his brother
Tom and some two dozen others, mostly guests
CT twenty-five cent lodging-houses, to take pas
sage on the steamship San Domingo, of the
Clyde line, which sailed from this port on last
Thursday. They were to get their board and
$50 q month to go to South America, pull rubber
on a newly discovered rubber field, and fight
any Indians who might interrupt them IN their
work. The twenty-five men. so the story
ran, met at the shipping Office of Williams 6
Jones, No. % Old Slip. The manner of engag-
ing them was so curious that some of the men,
including the story-tellers brother, deserted at
the last moment.
AS the vessel was leaving her pier the newsboy
had a conversation with the man withouta name,
who took him completely into his confidence, and
said that the men had not been engaged to pick
rubber, but to join the hlibusteripg expedition
of General belgrade, who is in command of the
City of Mexico, and who is trying to effect a
landing in Honduras, with the object of starting
a revolution there to overthrow President
bORram and put MT. marco Amelia soto IN his
place. The men who had gone on the San
Domingo had been procured, the newsboy-in-
formant said, in the interest of Mr.. Soto. It
was further stated in the story that upon a visit
being paid to Mr.. Soto, at his house, No. 584
Fifth avenue, the man without a name was
seated In one paror, while Mr.. Soto in another
room denied knowing or ever seeing him, and,
Notwithstanding the denial, he went out several
times and talked to this person.
VIM. I. Clyde said last evening: THE story
~-o-1I r. p
the vessel did not sail for South America, but
sailed for st. Domingo, and will stop at Turks
island. Now for the arms and ammunition which
are said to be on board the vessel. 1t is not un-
usual for US to ship arms and ammunition, as
we have often done so in the past for the gov
eminent of St Domingo. We may have shipped
several cases of guns on Saturday, but that is
only our usual custom. and it seems to me that
the story is made out of whole cloth. There was
nothing unusual about the ship, cargo and pas
sengers, and everything, SO far as | know, was
in perfect order. If the story was true | would
have heard of it from my clerks or the captain
OF the vessel. AS far as | know, l can positively
say there is absolutely nothing in the story, and
it appears to me to De mere rubbish
Mr.. Williams, of the firm Of Williams & Jones,
said that the story was a canard. He does not
live at LAT Cherry street, as Brodie's story makes
him do, but in Williamsburg. He said that no
such gathering of men as described had taken
place in his Office. He had shipped some four or
five men on board the San Domingo as sailors,
but that was all there was to the matter. He
had nothing to do with any flibustering expedi-
ton.
Mr.. Jones also said that there was no truth in
the story. He, and not Mr.. Williams, lived at
l47 Cherry street. He added that he had only
shipped a few men on the San Domingo, and
they were sailors, not flibusterers.
Dir. Soto was seen at his elegant home. last
evening. He denied that he had anything to do
with sending any men on the San Domingo to
join General belgrade. He added that he knew
nothing about any men having sailed on her for
that purpose. He said the gentleman who called
to sac HIM, and who was represented as one of
the organizers of the expedition, was a New
York broker. who had come to see him with q
letter from a lawyer named Hill in relation to
some property in which no was interested.
II do not believe that any arms were ON
board the San Domingo" said Nr. Soto II