Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-21
ADMIRAL BRAINE's EXPERIENCES
lie Tells Of the Sequence to the Nir-
gInius Anair--At Cubm in 10.

tNeW DIX IlmcSD
The story by Captain Crossman OF the
attack upon the Alliance by Il Spanish
gunboat has greatly interested Rear-Ad-
mral Daniel l.. Braine VINO is passing his
years in retirement at his home. q First
Place, brooklyn. Kear-Admiral Bralne
went TO Cuba In 1913. and compelled the
Spanish Government TO stop numbering
the members of the Virglnius hibustering
expedition. and 10 release those who had
not been shot. lie went there again IN
1873. when the gunbOats were making war
upon American fruit vessels, - that he
knows something about Spanish charac-
ter
THE only solution to this new affair
that / can think OF" said the Rear Ad-
mral last evening TO a reporter for the
New York Times, ''is that the Spanish
captain OF the gunboat was fool He
used in time Of peace measures only re-
sorted 10 in time OF war. He had no bust
ness to fire q shot at the Alliance. He
should have communicated with the Al
lanca by means Of the international Sig
nal code which enables any person to talk
on the sea with a ship Of any nation. 1T
would have been Il very serious thing If
the gunboat had struck the Alliance.
This affair recalls TO me the trip
made TO cuba 10 rescue the crew or the
Virglnius. | then ranked a. commhnder,
and was in command Of the Juniata.
had been to the Arctic on the P0laris re-
lief expedition, and had just returned. me
Juniata was dismantled, and her crew
was scattered, when word came that the
Spanish gunboat ToredO had captured the
merchant steamer Nirgnius, filled with
hiibusters, and had imprisoned anu
killed a great number of them at San
tiago That was in November, 1873. | met
Secretary of-the-Navy George VI. Robe
son in the Fifth-AVenue Hotel, ana he
was lamentng the fact that he had not
ship at hand to send 10 cuba, and !
said to him: 4 can 20. sir lie imme-
diately took half "A sheet Of note-paper
and. bracIng y against window-pane,
wrote my sailing orders: i want you 10
stop that numbering he said.
II took thc sheet, and, shaking hands
with the Secretary, started for the navy
yard. / telegraphed for the officers and
crew. and within a few days was ready
for sea The Juniata reached Santiago in
week. and there | found the Wyo-
ming, commanded by Lieutenant Cushing.
Cushing was at Asplnwall when he heard
OF the seizure OF the Nlrginius. and he
ran over TO Cuba on his OWN hook, but
yielded 10 me because l was the senior
officer.
STAND ASIDE.
There were also an English and
French warshlp there. Cushing claimed
the prisoners were Americans. the Eng
lishman claimed they were English. and
the Frenchman claimed they were French.
/ satisfied myself that they were Ameri-
cans and | told the Englishman and the
Frenchman 10 stand aside, because the
quarrel was not theirs. l took charge or
the whole thing and made a demand upon
the Spanish Governor, whose name was
Buriel. for the release OF the prisoners.
My demand was not cOuched In very di-
plomatic language. | told him biuntly
that II the demand was not complied with
there would be trouble Flfty-three men
had been shot and told Buriel that II an
other man was killed while | remained
there | would blow Santiago 10 pieces. /
gave 10 understand that had many mil
lions OF Americans behind me at home.
and that he had better not tribe with
me.
Il desired to communicate then with
Secretary-of-S State Hamilton Fish. but the
wires were cut, and / sent Lieutenant
ChiT. who afterward was lost In the DE
Long expedition. by sea 10 Havana, and
thence to Key West. with a message
which he was TO telegraph to Washington.
That took him three days. In the mean
while l continued negotiating for the re-
lease OF the prisoners, of whom there
were l02.
While this was under way Buriel was
relieved from the goyernorship. and was
replaced by Morelle de la Rose whom |
very soon found 10 be a prodigious liar.
He agreed to deliver the men up TO me,
but one dark night he shipped them on a
steamer TO the westward. When / learn
ed OF that told Morelle he
had lost the right to be called a Spanish
gentleman. and I told him that If the
ment were not returned TO the castle
Of Santiago | would lombard the city.
l would have done so. too. He returned
the men 10 the castle.
"All this time | knew that the insur-
gent army was lying a few miles from
Santiago, though Morelle claimed to me
that the island was at perfect peace. l
knew every move the insurgents made.
because had spies everywhere. briDed
the Mayor Of sautiag@ members OF the