Evening journal., 1896-05-27
THE COMPETITOR MEN
Gildca Tells Of Their Captnrs
and Persecution.
he CARRIED THE AMERICAN FLAG.


Struggled out of Havnna-G -Gldea sagt
the Prisoners Were BuIiIed and Tor.
turod-The Trial Mere Farce.
PHILADELPHIA May 27.-william GE-
dea, one Of the Competitor men sentenced
to death in Havana by summary court
martial and the man who carried ths
American flag aloft when the vessel wal
overhanled by the Spanish warship, writes
from Cabanas castle, giving the first story
Of the affair that has come from the lipa
OF any Of the men CONNECTED with it. The
letter was smuRgled ont Of the fortress
prison and sent to the writer's cousin.
Miss Kate Gildea Of this city by whom II
was furnished for publication.
Gildea says On Thursday April 1G,
engaged on board of the schooner Compet-
itor Of Key West as sailing master, or
mate, to navigate the vessel, as tho cap
tain (Alfred Laborde) was neither sailor
nor navigator. We started the following
morning at 1880 and went out as far as
the bell buoy, when we found out that
the vessel was loaking badly and put baok
for repairs. On Saturday we hauled on
the ways and staid there till Monday
night
At 7:l5 we commenced to haul or the
ways (wlfith proceeding occupied five
hours and hauled to the dock to take in
"a passengers for Lemon bay, who at once
came on board. and wo proceeded on tho
voyage next day. We had head wind and
anchored of Big Boyhurda TIL the follow
ing morning when we started again and
got abreast Of Cape Sable at 8 9p. m, when
It fell dead. calm.
/ was on deck at the time, when five OF
six of the passengers came 70 mo and told
mo I should have to anchor. / asked why
and they told mo / should have to do as
they told me or else 1t would be worse for
me. As ] was by myself and had no
arms, l thought it was best to comply
with their wishes. anchored, and then
found out they had the skipper a prisoner
in the cabin and would not allow him to
come on deck.
siCnaled the Shore.
After awhile they managed to signal to
shore and were answered, and after awhile
three boats came off with men and loaded
down TO the gunwales with boxes and
rifles. They then took one of our boats
and won't on shore and brought off water
and provisions Welaid there all night
and got under way in tho morning at
o o'clock, when i was told to shape the
course for the Rebecca light We arrived
at the lighthouse the following morning
at O'clock and from there stored for
Cape Antonio, but they changed their
minds twice, to go to Buena Vista opon-
ing and next to Cellana, at which place
we arrived at noon on Saturday, April
%, and proceeded to land the party, they
forcing the captain to get in the first boat,
nfter which 1 sent the other two boats
with the ammunition as / thought it was
not healthy for us TO stay in that quarter
and wanted to get away as quickly as we
could.
The big boat made two trips and then
oame back with the captain. who told me
that gunboat aud launch were within
five miles Of u.s. He had not done speaking
when tho launoh came around the point
and common ced to fire on Us. The Cubans
who were on board bundled into the boat
and left for the beach The man who sail
ed her shouted to me TO come along, as the
Spaniards would kill me. ] ran down be-
low and got the flag and came on deck,
where found we could not hoist Il, os the
halynrda were foul around She topmast
rigeing and outrlggers, 50 I went up the
rigging abont 8 feet and held the flag, but
had to come down on account Of the shot
that was lging 30.
The captain held the iag up so that
they could not help but see It t,>but thoy
stlll continued to fire. lp fact helievei
Il got hotter. and, knowing there was dy-l
nasnfte on deck, ! thought L had betterN
chaace it IN the water and got over theN
stern and started for the shore. shoutingt
to.the rest to follow. The skipper and one
other did A boat left the launch and fol-
lowed US with five men In 10, two pulling
and tho othor three firing at as as fast as
they could, bus they were awful poor
marksmen. rs neither tho skipper ner
was hurt N any way by the shot. A shark
took the other poor fellsw.
Taken on Board Launch.
They picked nse up first, and then went
back to the captain, who was almost
drowned, apd went back TO the schooner,
where thuy made Melton. Gndea and
Mata Jump overheard at the point Of the
rifles
They took us on board the launch and
tied us up, and then proceeded to rob this
schooner, and took everything belonging
to her, even the water. And didn't they
have feast that night But they forgot
TO giv0 any away.
At about 9 p. m. they took us on shore
at Esperanza and tied us up on the dock.
When they united me, | almost tainted
captain on board a schooner called the ca
ballo Norma and tortured him by putting
a cord around his wrists and thon putting
an iron bolt in it and twisting it until
they nearly broke his arms. and oil the
time they were torturing him telling the
rest Of us they would hang US, shoot us or
cut our throats. In fact that was kept up
all the time wo stad there, and the worst
one Of the lot was the quartermaster Of
the launch, who was always advising the
commandant TO shoot us or let the troops
do it, or to take us outside the hnrbor and
drown u.s. so, what with one thing and
another, we had quite an interesting time,
because we expected them TO kill us In
some way or other every moment espe-
cially In tho night.
On Tuesday April %, they took US on
board the launch and carried us to Haya-
ma. at which place we arrived at o'clock.
They took us from tho launch TO Moro
castle and from thero to the arsenal. at
which place they put ps In an iron cage
and kopf ua untfl the folloxuino Friday