The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-08
HIGH POLITICS AND GUANO.

Hull IULlIlOO AMI GUANO.
CORPORAL TANNER, oAPE sKrxx1r
AND eoScADoR lsLAxn.
Remarkable nnssery nehsss . l~wvuss IN.
veiving vsisehis Rights IN nits e a.,A
ssA Reck n ths C.risb..a ss>-r.s,ss
IN the Cesfre Trial h New rsrA.
From tho musty dies Of the State Dspsrt.
mont at Washington comes tale Of the south.
ern seas OF adventure. Of intrigue and Of
fraud When Alexander Dumas was an offloA
OF the French Government he devoted the
spare hours in which clerks usually sit with
heels on their desks to dipping into the records
OF public and private enterprises In preceding
years. From the suggestions then obtained
he wove the romances which have nlled with
delight thousands Of readers. II seems. from
information obtaInabie In the present casa
that former distinguished Official Of that
branch OF the Treasury Department devoted
to the confederation Of pensions gave some Of
his leisure to dipping into the archivea Of
allied departments. and. instead Of weavine
romances with the materials that no discov.
cred. turned them TO practical account
Il seems to be quite certain that II Corpor,l
Tanner had never been . Government en-.
ployee. and had never had Communication with
the guardians Of the State Departrnen he
would never have discovered that there was
q lne chance to make fortune By clever
deal with the owner Of tho island Of Roncador.
This bit Of land lies In the Caribbean Bee. and
Is said to contain vast deposits Of Gusno. tits
surrounded By very long and dangerous reef.
on which Warner Miller and the party that hs
took down to the Nicarsguan Canal last wtptsr.
were wrecked. The passengers Of the AouAn
had to camp on the reef for some dayA and
thought that they had come upon genuine
retreat Of the bucoaneer OF famous times whom
they saw remnants Of two stone walls On q
little island near one end Of the reef
The shipwrcoksd New Yorkers made . mis-
take however. for the walls they saw had never
been built By buccaneers, but they marked the
enterprise Of Capt James ". Jennett. who nrst
discovered the commercial possibilities Of
Roncsdor. Corporal Tanner learned through
The records in the State Department what
Jennett had done. and he enlisted . number Of
wealthy mon. including Judge AcDufns. Con-
gressmsn frem the Ninth Georgia district.
and formed . stock company. which leased the
right 10 work the gusno depositA Tho nrst
attempt 10 take away the valuable fertilizer.
however. resulted In law suit which 70 now
before the United States Court. Corporal Tan.
ners company Is called the Columbus Guane
and Phosphate Company. Judge McDunas u
the President and Tanner 10 Treasurer. Its
claim TO Roncador IL disputed b. the Petrol
Company Of New York. which charges that tho
Columbus Company's removal Of euAno from
Roncador was larceny. Is the property belongs
10 tho Petrol Company. Tho latter Therefore
ubelled the ship Enc J. Simmons. which Or
poral Tanner had sent TO Roneador. whom u
returned with 800 tons Of Gusno.
At frstthe Petrol Oompany's ofnos1 eaIksA
OF criminal prose cution Of Tanner. but II does
nof snnear that TannAr vaa 1uiltv of anv
FACTS as to the owpership arc az follows:
tor e q Ssissa q 'gsss
aovefnmsntno claimed 81 any othe droSsrn.
saa ss sn fss Ds
e II TONI
e. sRs %
ga 'f os sa ss as 'a: p sr Rss
Then he proclaimed - The island to %
S 81 .aa i the dsss & h is a
lived In the hut few days and built TWO stone
Which Wass
with q few samples Of goano he called back
sas sRa IN ss
Ossye f. e e the u:aGs ss
sane lnss the once: taas .Ss P;ssidens @sdss
T6e present trouble between s Judge Heputas
e Ss
q the
pas dSteS8 md
ths GaaaG sb t
now existing and being upon the following
islands. rocks. and keys, known q: ho 4
Rs hdXs ksy R ks
Rs$so , Bssg; Ne FstrsI IsIssd: ~ Il Ron:
The deed continues that the rights. titles.
and iaterest were sopysyyssaao f9% Cart
i sRsf Ss deed Ss
fsr,Eng to Mr. Jenns ths eEope,y was alsd
ser e. snSsr paps on AZ
leased the isIapd from The PetEeI oSnga aoI
IN fss n Me- rsonsr gqdrs H.
Rafie are rIght; he dIsrsgsaIded ths Lease s1a
TIE TIE, former deeds and sold 1t to tho Columbia
Mrp " q Jones. Secretary Of the colu@bi,
Company tod TIE svs reRortsr1 VIC w Sa Alec
lands. merely a. one branch Of the 6oiumbla's
nett 70 W. q Jones and Cleveland W. Gof and
s.s hs 4 G. e.. Of hs
Phosphate Company: Both q these oop!es
Wharton. Assistant Secretary Of State
Upon application to the State Department
Transfers were the only. ones on, fls ,and that
there - no record Of deed to the "'Pe!rs" Of
G anss % The an h Of Ms on
though the Pelrei oompsny has an alleged cor:
titled copy OF the transisr from Capt Jennetf
to he VIE. This eertifisd copy was Obtained
Mr. Dufis received information tint there
was question as TO the title 70 Roncador
Island. and he went at once TO New YORK to
was no ground upon which to base disputed
title. and whom proposition was pade 70 Mn
money. be promptly rejected It
We claim" said Mr. Jones, that We hays