Evening star., 1896-12-15
STARTLING RUMORs CIRCULATED.

Phe Cruisers Newark and Raleigh
Have Not Gone to Havana.
Inquiry as to the movements of the Unit
ed States cruisers Newark and Raleigh,
whose sudden departure from Key West
led to the rumor that they had gone 10
Havana, shows that the vessels are simply
engaged in the enforcement OF, the neutrali-
ty laws, and are not at all likely to go near
Havana. The Navy Department has had a
ship assigned to this service for nearly a
year, and the. Newark, which has Just ar
rived on the Florida coast, pudert axes this
duty as the relief of the Raleigh, which
will soon come north. The vessels have
been relieved at short intervals as the ser
vice Is irksonle and repusnant 70 the sail
ors. Like the commander Of the Raleigh
the captain of the Newark Is acting under
the direction of the treasury officials while
engaged in this patrol duty, .and ts CO.
operating with the commanders Of the Ieve-
nue. cutters. Wherever, possible, the latter
have made all necessary seizures Of sus-
pected filibuSters In order to- relieve the
naval officers from detention upon court
proceedings, and it is assumed that the
naval vessels are now Sept out in purs iit
of some fflibustering expedition only be-
cause no revenue cutter is available.
The rumor thatthe Competitor prisoners
are to be executed today can be set down
at once as another alarmist story without
oners have not yet had the new trial which
was ordered by the superior authorities at
Madrid, and under the same order were
conceded the right to employ counsel and
examine witnesses, and this openly, so that
they could not have been sentenced, much
less executed. without the full knowledge OF
the public. All that has been done so far
toward the retrial of the case has been to
submit the prisoners to d private prelimi-
nary examination after the Latin leg II
practice, which examination at the time
was distorted into story that they had
been secretly tried.
After the Three Friends.
A telegram received from Key West las,
evening states that the cruisers Newark
and Raleigh received telegraphic instruc-
tions yesterday, and that the cruisers al
once put % sea to capture the steamer
Three Friends. which left Fernandina at an
carly hour yesterday morning with a cargo
OF arms and ammunition, besides about
fifty Cubans, to be landed in Cuba
Instructions were also received for the
revenue cutter McLain at Miami, and the
Winona and Forward at Key West, to in
tercept the Three Friends if possible. Ev-
cry effort will thus be made Ito catch the
little hlibuster, which succeeded in get
ting away with its cargo despite the vigil
lance OF the government officials and Span
ish spies. This was done by using the
commodore as a~decoy, the Cubans giving
1t out that all of the preparations being
made were to send the Commodore with a
cargo of arms and ammunition to Cuba
The Commodore lay at its wharf yesterday
and no attempt was made to clear from the
custom house.
The actual cargo carried by the Three
Friends was as follows: 100000 rounds of
ammunition, 1,O40 rifles, one twelve-pound
Hotchkiss gun, 200 machetes, 1900 pounds
OF dynamite, besides a quantity of medi-
ha &c
commanded by Perez Calvo who was an
adjutant on Maceo's staff