The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-03-14

mitted, Should the Fact be Estabii<he d
Washington. March 13.-Senor Nura-
qua. the Spanish minister. visited the
state department today for the purpose
of presenting the position OF Spain,
from the information now at hand, on
the firing of a Spanish gunboat on the
American mail steamer Allianca- The
minister telegraphed for full particu-
lars to the governor general OF Cuba,
and in reply received a dispatch that
the cruiser which presumably figured
in the affair had not yet returned. hav-
ing prolonged her watch along the
Cuban coast The governor general
had no particulars Of the incident.
Under these circumstances Senior Mu-
ragua feels that only one side OF the
story has yet been told. But should il
appear that there has been any Of
fense Of indiscretion on the part OF the
Spanish warship, Senor Muragua says
that Spain will speedily make every
apology consistent with the friendship
she bears TO the United States.
MURAGUA'S OPINION.
Taking the version of the affair as
given by Captain Crossman, Of the AL
ianca, Minister Muragua says il is ap-
parent that the American ship was i'm
the jurisH' Pnal waters of Cuba and
not on the nigh seas. 1t is evident. the
minister says, from the firing of the
blank in order that she might be asked
as to whether inSurgent goods Were on
board.
The letter Of Captain Crossman was
received at the state department in
the afternoon mail. 1t has already
been published in full in the Associa ted
Dress 60 ho1 n 10 hn
of the department unofficialIy before
its receipt by mail. Secretary Uhi has
already formed his own conclusions
as TO the course 10 be pursued. After
looking over the letter carefully he
wrote Captain Crossman asking for
more particulars bearing upon the in
cident. Until these are furnished 1t is
not probable that the complaint Will
be formally brought to the attention of
the Spanish government The point
upon which the state department de-
sireS further information from Captain
Crossman is the exact location of the
Allianca when she was first signalled
by the Spanish cruiser, and 1t is posi-
BILE that the whole case may turn on
this point.
CROSSMAN'S STORY.
According to Captain Crossman sto-
ry he had been in the habit of taking
his ship on "A cruise that brought II
within a mile of Cape Maysi, the east
ern extremity of the island of Cuba.
He is reported to have said on this Oc-
caSion, hearing at Colon that there was
trouble in Cuba, that he kept off the
land so he was six miles off the cape
when the incident occurred. From
this statement it appears that the cap
tain was aware that Spanish cruisers
were patrolling the coast in search Of
flibusters and that a rebellion was in
progress. but it is not clear that he was
outside of the Spanish marine juris-
diction, considering the fact that there
are outlying keys or islands belonging
to the same nation.
That these may be regarded in es-
tablishing the boundary of the marine
is shown by the act of our
government in laying out the six miles
exclusive line around the Pribyloff is
lands last year. There is another. but
minor point upon which further infor-
nation will be demanded, and that is
the ships officers can be sure
that the shots fired by the Spaniards
We're directed at the Allianca or directed
across her bows