The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-08-17
RUN THE

~ eHN
Landed in Cuba-Blew Up a Railroad and
Captured a Village and -Four Hundred
Spaniards-Sen. Campos Sick and the
Spanish Cause Weakening.
BALTIMORE, Md, Aug. 11.-An Amer
lean seaman is responsible for the
statement that the American steamer
James Woodail. which sailed from this
port on July 10, ostensibly for Pro-
greSso, Mex, successfully ran the
blockade of revenue cutters and war
ships and landed men and munitions
on Cuban shores in the interest of the
revolutionists.
Seven seamen, members of the crew
of the Woodall, were discharged in
New Orleans a few days ago and ar
rived in Baltimore yesterday. One of
these men stated that the Woodall
landed 153 men and n large quantity
of dynamite, rifles and revolvers near
Havana, Cuba, which were taken
aboard off Florida. His statement is
as follows:
The steamer burned hard coal on
her run down the American coast,
making it impossible for a Spanish
man-of-war to see her smoke at any
distance. The crew was informed
that the steamer was to take a lot of
plantation laborers from Florida to
Mexico: but it soon developed that
two of the crew shipped in Baltimore
as common Seamen were Generals
RoiOff and Sinchez, of the Cuban rev.
~olutionists. While near Cuban waters
and steaming ahead with no lights
visible, a Spanish man-of-war crossed
our bows, going toward another YES
sci whose lights we saw in the dis
tance. Had W. been five minutes
earlier, or had our lights been show
ing, the Spaniard would have caught
us.
Instead OF going &c ProgressO, the
steamer anchored during the night
at Panquery, which is not far from
Key West. off the southern extremity
of Florida. There was nothing at
Panquery but one solitary house. We
took aboard from the house in the
ships boats and from a schooner which
had sailed from Key West and came
alongside the Woodail 153 men. The
ammunition brought aboard amounted
to 600 pounds of dynamite, 600 Rem
ingtOn rifles, 200 six-chambered re-
volvers. 200 cutlasses and 253, 900
rounds of ammunition. The men
came from New York, having left that
city for Florida about the time the
Woodall left Baltimore.
Capt. o. Hudson seemed afraid to
land on Cuban soil, and ran his vessel
back and forth along the island for
ten days until the water in fifteen bar
rels gave out. For a freSl supply he
touched ut a small island off the Mexi-
can coast, and during the day we lay
there We're photographed for the in
formation of the Spaniards.
After this Capt. Hudson steamed di-
rect for Cuba and dropped anchor
about II o'clock at night at a village
forty-five miles from Havana. Disem-
barking began Immediately and all
had been landed by + a. H., when the
Noodall steamed away III the dark
ness for ProgreSSO.
1t was learned aboard the steamer
later hat the 155 men who had been
landed blew up a railroad and cap
tured the village and 400 Spaniards.
The steamer James Woodall was
purchased from Baltimore parties
about the 1st of July by Capt. John
VI. Hudson, of New York. Before
leaving this port Capt. Hudson said he
was going direct to Progresso, Mex.
The Woodall was intended, he de-
for use along the coasts of
Mexico and Honduras for the collec-
ton of coffee and other products from
the shallow water ports where
steamers of any draft can't go. The
hailing port of the vessel, he said,
hereafter be New York, instead
Of Baltimore, because he was he man.
aging owner and lived in the former
city.