The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-09
Competitor Filibusters on Trial
for Their Lives.
SPAIN DEMANDS THEIR BLOOD.
Two of the Prisoners Are Americans.
One an Engiishman.
No Evidence OF Hostile Acts Toward
spain by Those Capturcd-The Cu-
Labordc Appears as tho Honcso
Ferrym&n of Key West.


Copyright by .h~ Associated rr~ssl
Havana. May S-The trial by court.
martial Of the men captured on beard the
American schooner Competitor OF Key
West. Fla. by the spanish ganbcas Mensa-
jsra- on April 3. WAS begun in the court
OF justice at the ravy yard here. shortly
before o'clock this morning. as a trapi-
cal rain shower was falling.
The court-fnartial was composed oe
Capt Emilio Ruiz president. and Naval
i-seutSs Satarnino Montotc. Antonio Mar
tin. Pnsadllla AntoGio. Ferez Render.
Eduardo Arias. SaIgado Diego. Camino
Snpeieats. Jose Ssvillano and Carlos
Canine. The prosecutor was Lieut. Nj
suel Suarex-
Before beginning their work. tho mam-
eers Of The court assembled in the chapci
Of the navy yard. ard revereatly Witness
ed the celebration OF mass. going thcncs
directly 20 the court of Justice. where
many other officers had assembled. A
guard Of picked marine Infantry soldiers
then brought IN the prisoners.
The first 10 enter the courtroom waA
Alfredo Laborde. who is ciassed as the
leader Of the tiisoustering expedition. After
I.aborde came DIR. Elias Bedia. a man
named John Milton. said to be a native
OF Kansas: William Glldss. said to be .
british subject. and Teordoro Aafa. -
scribvd as a fisherman and e.sssed as q
witness.
by describing In detail the capture OF the
Competitor. He said thar Lieut. Butran.
In command OF the gurboat Mensajera.
was notified by some fishermen. on April
- last, that suspicious looking schooner.
apparently pllos boat. was of Beracoas.
The MeRsajera was headed for that part
OF the coast. and when within hailing dis
lance of the schooner called upon her 10
show her coiors. The schooner did not do
SO. and men on board her jumped over
board and swan. for the shore. Two OK
the latter were seen to go down. and 9TH
ers may have Been drowned. In addi-
ton two more of the so-cailed hlibusters
were killed by the rifle fire OF the crew oc
the ganboat while trying to reach tho
shore. The filib9sters who were already
on land. continued ;he prosecutor. opened
fire on the gunboat. but did not succeed In
hitting anybody. The schooner was then
seized.
Lieut. Commander Butron confirmed tho
statements OF the prosecutor. Continuing.
Lieut. Butron said he found on board tho
captured schooner number OF cocu-
nents. inscribed and classified orders
from Col. Monson, an insurgent officer,
recommendations from Estrada, the in
surgent chief. to Collazo. another !nsur-
gent leader; prociamations signed by
Laoorde. LISTS OF the members of the ex-
Yedifion. and OF the war material on
beard. and a permit for the Competitor
TO be used rs a l!feboat. Lieut.. Butrpn
also said that the war material captured
consisted Of sixty Remington IiGes, foT,y
carblnes. 30 pounds Of dynamite and co.
Ove cartridges
Alfredo Laborie was the drst of the
prisoners to be examined. faborde tessl-
fed that he was 80 years old. and that he
came from New Orleans. He said he left
Key West with twenty-folr passengers.
who. at Cape Sable. obliged him TO put IN
toward the shore and forced him to take
on board arms. ammun!tions and explo-
slves. saying that they would transfer
this material to a steamer which would
meet them at sea. Col. Munson. Laoorie
added, landed on the coast OF Cuba even
tuaily, and he. Labor3e. refnalned on board
the Competitor. He did not fire on tho
Spanish Eunboat. although the men on
shore did 80. When the prisoner was quss-
toned regarding an insurgent f,ax found
on the schooner. he said II belonged TO
one OF his passengers. a mon named Que
sada. who was among the Crowned.
DIR. Elias Besiia said he was = years
OF age and medical student. He de-
ciared hs had repeatedly refused to taks
part In any expedition. and that he merely
went on board the schooner Competitor
10 say goodby TO come friends. Bot when
the schooner left his friends refused TO
allow him TO go ashore. When they land
ed on the coast Of Cuba ne remained on
board the Competitor. He said they did
not hoist the national flag.
Teodoro Nafa declared that he went on
board the Competitor in order 70 see the
expedition leave. and that the men on
board obliged him TO so with them. He
asserted that not one OF the five prisoners
IN court fircd a shot AZ the gunboat. Con-
;inuing Mata said tna; q; Key West hs
was considered q spy for the Spanish gov
eminent. and he further claimed that hs
had fought with the spaniards against
the insurgents and was known 10 Gan.
Prats.
william Giidea testified that he was.
like Mata. compelled by the Others en-
board to accompany the expedition. al
though ne had cniy gone to see them start,
John Milton declared That he also had
been compelled against his viii 20 accom-
parry the expedition. which he had rone 70
see start. He added that he believed Ia
barIe the commander - ne schooner wsr
not aware he was taking . party % fls-
busters until u w4s too izre. Milton fur
fher said he was going az a newvraper cor
respondent 20 she frsargenf camp sn order
20 interview the members Of the Irzrrgen.
government. He aftervard intended 10
return 70 the United States.
The prosecutor caaKred ell .h- rytscnsrs
as traitors, and as assisting IN the inslr-
rection. The schooner was eia.sed as a
pirate worth about st5n and having on
board an insurgert dag valued 3f cent.
Hs denied that Nafs could be considered a
friend Of Spain. az he was treated on toarf
fhe schooner IN the same manner as the
other members OF the expedition. As %
Taborie the prosecutor pointed out tina,
he was the man who had signed the pr0r-
l4rsafipn found on board the Schooner when
he was captured.
The plot % the Mensajera srs the crew
os that aboat declared tha. AZ the time
the schooner was captured abe was not
showing arv flag.
In his defense 1abor1. firmly declared
chat he bad no. written or received the
letters or papers found oa board ard tssaf
he had not ssgret the proclamation cap
tures on the schooner.
The prosecutor then rad he yseraf rec-
nrt % La5rrse showing hsnn 10 have BEEN
a forxer. thief and ki1os-e~. ard p-udoesf
letters written by hira OF board ts@ Com
petitGr 20 persons ~ EeF West a4vfEin-
them OF the arrival Of tbs expedition IN
Cuba
Lssst- Bs:ron. rscaiis.. sais ne oouH
r0s affirm thx. the pris0ners captured on
bsar1 IRE Ccrpefito~ fred On ths gun
bozt. ard the pilot Of sae Msnxs sera. also
recalled. declared that fns prisoners hal
rot fred On the war verssi. ans asserted
that 10 cartridges had been fDgrd In their
pocsgts-
The prosecutor -1srezo1r rezf f1e fsrn-
al act o< aerusatsoa. eesiarznF the prison.
ers 70 b@ GE5uzzsrs captured N 4 state os
rezei3ion agag1s. ths Spa13ss government.
ard classified the G1-sres1sor as cs4rg =
xsy wss. Eseccss sosc1 ixo6iag Arms