The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-29
WAS IT TREACHERY ?.
Grave Suspicious Respect
ing the Foundering of
the ]. W. Hawkins.
SECRET INQUIRY WILL BE MADE
No Doubt Of The Filibusterers' Pur.
poses-A General sauye
Qui Peut.
SECRET INQUIRY WILL BE MADE

Qul I6uls
NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 1S96-The ut
most secrecy was maintained today by.
the Cubans In this city regarding the
NOV vements of filibusters who were on
board of the fishing steamer ]. W. Haw-
kins, which fonndered on Monday. forty
+ five miles eastsontheast from Barnegat.
The vessel had been fitted out to help
the Cubans in the fight against Spain,
and the ships crew was landed in this
city yesterday.
A reporter today found Salvador Ar
bors. who had charge of the medical de-
partment Of the Hawkins expedition. He
said that the trouble began on the steam
er HaWkins on Sunday night at eleven
o'clock. In fact, she was then in a sink
ing condition, but the flibusters worked
nanfully to save her and the ammunition
they had on board for their fighting coun-
trymen. But the vessel was doomed,
and the ammunition had to be sacrificed
and thrown into the sea. 1t was 9:20
o'clock on Monday morning when the
steamer went down. There was no time
ito save anything thar was left of the
property Of the flibusters. It was a
case of every man for himself in search
of a place of safety.
The volunteer said that the report that,
either of the Garcias had money was
false. He said that the steamer was
an old hulk and. was entirely unsea-
worthy. that she leaked and was not in
condition for, any extended voyage.
He said that Mariana Alberich, one of
the men who were drowned. had re-
sided in this city and that he was mem
Der Of q rich and influential family in
Imprisonment, but while on parole in Ma
drid two years ago had broke his parole
and escaped: He came to the United
States. and he was enthusiastic in the
Jose Beneche Albert Yelcate Captain
Gastah and Victor Gomez were among
ths ne ea @ To be coBsa Os h1r nna vss foaav
one of the leaders, who refused to allow
his name to fbe used, said there, We're
sunk by treachery. One thing that makes
1t look very. suspicious is that the ship
had been leaking for hours before it was
on firemas. shpuld have discovered it at
once and reported it to the captain, but
they did not
ship was bad and we were terribly de-
frauded in its purchase, or 1t was good
and there was bad faith among those on
The story printed in morning news
paper tha tssome one connected. with the
Cuban Junta here is supposed to have
=. w. Hawkins IS. .authoritatively denied.
| 1t is describeds@aS yarn made from
whole cloth; Not Cuban here thinks
The ]. W. Hawkins was purchased
through al Tesponsible American firm of
high Standing She was bought in Balti-
stem to stern, hull and machinery. She
was pronounced staunch swift and sea-
worthy. She was examined by an Amer
iaaa ,0r< md ON nncr of lyranr
ability, honesty and experience.
Even now there is no thought among
the Cuban leaders cere that the Haw-
ers pronounced her. The cause of her
sinking must be looked for somewhere
else. OF course there can be no public
investigation, but a private one will
be instituted.
The great fact which points towards a
traitor aboard the boat is the exceedingly
1t was not expected by whoever gave the
vessel its mortal injury that every avenue
Of escape would thereby be cut off. #
bears out the idea of the traitor.
After the examination and purchase of
the Hawkins y, at Baltinore the snip sa was
didly on her trip up here, and seemed to
fulfill every requirement admirably She
arrived here on the night OF ); January al ~
tion. When the Cubans had boarded her
and she steamed for Cuba early Sunday.
morning every one WAS Ill the DeSt Ol
spirits.s They thought that they had
vessel under them that would answer any
and all calls that could be made upon it
The Hawkins had on board lit. souls,
all told, of which 101 were volunteers
and a crew of 16. Fifty more were ex-
pected but in the hurry in leaving port
these men were left behind. There was
plenty Of room for them on board
A crowd of Cubans assembled ! this
morning at the residence of General Gar
cia No 256 West 10th street. Each
one as he appeared was welcomed atsthe
door by one of the male members of
the family, who gave and received a
peculiargrip od the hand. All of these
gentlemen who spoke to outsiders de-
clared that they had come to cheer Gen
eral Garcia up over the disaster he had
encountered in the expedition on the j.
w. Hawkins
General Garcia and his son Charles were
both i'll. and that they could not be seen
by strangers.
SO far as could be determined by the
noises made by the Generals list of call
ers they appeared to have succeeded in
great measure in cheering him up. Ger
tain it IS that the depression of the Gu
ban patriots was not made manifest by
silence.
The house was filled with the sounds
of Spanish talk. and there was no evil
dence to the eye or ear that any one in
the place was seriously i'll.