The herald., 1896-05-09
A SPANISH COURT MARTIAL
Convened to Try Alleged Cuban
Filibusters
THE PROSECUTOR TESTIFlES
TO the Facts Attending the Capture Of
the Competitor
Spanish officials Issue Statement Of Losses
kv RhAp
THE PROSECUTOR TESTIFIES
Spanish Officials Issue Q Statement Of Losses
BY Either Side Since the Struggle
for Freedom Began
Associated Press Special Wire.

| rnC HuieIiCdH schooner competitor or
| key West Florida, by the Spanish gun
goat Mesajara on April 23d. began in the
court of justice at the navy yard here
| shortly before o'clock this morning as
tropical rain shower was falling.
| The court-martial was composed of
| captain Emilio Ruiz, president, and Ma
| val L1eutenantS Saturnino MontOjO. An
| tonic Martin, Posadillo Antonio. Perez
Pendon, Eduardo Arias, Salgado Diego,
| Canine Supelents, Jose Sevillano and
| Carlos Canine.
The prosecutor was Lieutenant Miguel
| Suarez. Before beginning their work
| the members of the court assembled in
the chapel of the navy yard and rever-
| emily witnessed the celebration of mass,
| going thence directly to the court of JUS
| tlce. where many other officers were
assembled. A guard of picked marine
| infantry soldiers then brought in the
| prisoners.
! The first to enter the courtroom was
| Alfredo LabOrda. who is classed as the
leader of the filibusterine expedition.
After Laborda came DR. Elias Bedia,
a man named John Milton, said to be a
rative of Kansas; William Gildea, said
| to be British subject, and Teodore and
Mata. described as fishermen and classed
| as witnesses.
The prosecutor opened the proceedings
| by describing in detail the capture of the
| Competitor. He said that Lieutenant
butron, in command of the gunboat
| Mensajera, was notified by some fisher
men, on April 25th last, that suspicious
looking schooner. apparently pilot boat.
was off Beracoas. The Mersajera was
| headed for that part of the coast and
when within hailing distance of the
schooner called upon her to show her col
ors. The schooner did not do so and men
| on board of her jumped overheard and
swan for the shore. Two of the latter
were seen to go down and others may
have been drowned. In addition two
more of the so-called filibusterers were
killed by the rifle fire of the crew of the
gunboat while trying to reach the shore.
The filibusters who were already on
land, continued the prosecutor, opened
fire on the gunboat, but did not succeed
in hitting anybody. The schooner was
then seized.
Lieutenant Commander Butron con-
firmed the statements of the prosecutor.
Continuing, Lieutenant Butron said
he found on board the captured schooner
number of documents, inscribed and
classified orders from Col Munson, an
ipsurgent officer recommendations from
Estrada. the insurgent chief. to Colazzo
another ilsurgent leader; proclamations
of the expedition and of the war ma
terial on board and permit Sor the Com
petitor to be used as life boat"
Lieutenant Butron also said that the
war material captured consisted of sixty
Remington rifles, forty carbines, zoe
pounds of dynamite and $4,000 cartridges.
Alfredo Laborda was the first of the
prisoners to be examined.
Laborde testified he was SO years old
and that he came from New Orleans.
He said he left Key West with twenty
four passengers, who, at Cape Sable,
obliged him to put in towards the shore
and forced him to take on board arms,
ammunition and explosives, saying that
they would transfer this material to a
steamer which would meet them at sea.
Col. Munson, Laborde added, landed on
the coast of Cuba eventually and he, La
borde, remained on board the Compel
itor. He did not fire on the Spanish gun
boat. although the men on shore did so.
When the prisoner was questioned re-
garding an insurgent flag found on the
schooner, he said it belonged to one of
his passengers, a man named Quesada,
who was among the drowned.
DR.. Elias Bedia sad he was 27 years of
age and medical student. He declared
he had repeatedly refused to take part
In any expedition to Cuba, and that he
merely went on board the schooner
Competitor to say good bye to some
friends. But when the schooner left
these friends refused to allow him to 90
ashore. When they landed on the coast
of Cuba he remained on board the Com
petitor. He said they did not hoist the
national flag.
Teodore Mata declared he went on
board the Competitor in order to see the
expedition leave and that the men on
board obliged him to go with them. He
asserted that not one of the prisoners in
court fired shot at the gunboat. He
further said that at Key West he was
considered a spy Of the Spanish govern
ment. and he claimed he had fought with
tne opaniards against the insurgents
ana was known to General Prats.
William Gildea testified that he. like
Mata. was compelled by the others on
noard TO accompany the expedition, al
though he had only gone to see them
start.
John Milton declared he also had been
compelled against his will to accompany
the expedition which he had gone to see
start; He added that Laborde, the COM
mander of the schooner, was not aware
that he was taking party of filibusters
until II was too late. Milton further said
he was going as newspaper correspond
ent TO the fnsurgent camp in order to in
tervieW the members of the insurgent
government. He afterwards intended to
return to the United States.
The prosecutor classes all the prisoners
as traitors and as intending to join the
insurrection. The schooner was classaG
as pirate worth about $4,000 and had ON
BOARD an insurgent valued at cent. He
ueHieu tndt Mata could be considered a
friend of Spain, as he was treated on
board the schooner the same as the other
members. >''o '''e'
As to Laborde the prosecutor pointed
out that he was the man who had
signed the proclamation found on board
the schooner when he was captured.
The pilot of the Mensajera and the
crew of that gunboat declared that at
the time the schooner was captured she
was not showing any flag
In his defense Laborde firmly declered
he had notwritten or received the letters
or other papers found on board and that
he had not signed the proclamation cap
tured on the schooner. The prosecutor
then read the penal record OF Laborde.
showing him to have been a forger. thief
and kidnaper, and produced letters writ
ten by him on board the Competitor to
persons at Key West. advising them Of
the arrival Of the expedition in Cuba.
Lieutenant Butron. recalled, said he
could not affirm that the prisoners cap
tured on board the Competitor fired on
the gunboat and the pilot Of the Mensa-
jera, also recalled, declared the prisoners
had not fired on the war vessel and as