The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-11
SLIP GIVEN SPANISH SPIES.
THE STEAMER LAURADA STEALS
OUT OF NEW YORK AT NIGHT.


A Lighter Loaded with Arms and
Ammunition Plays a Sharp Trick
on the Spies Watching Her From
a Tug-FOur Gardiner Guns Re-
ported Among the Arms Carried
Out on the Laurada.
New York, May 1O.-If the British steam
er Laurada took arms and ammunition
for the Cuban insurgents last night, the
persons who engineered the expedition
very clearly outwitted the Spanish au-
thorities who watched her down the bay
from a tug. The Laurada arrived here
from Philadelphia yesterday afternoon
ana dropped anchor off Liberty Island al
O'Clock. At $50 o'clock the Dalzell tug
Raymond took Capt. John O'Brien from
the battery landing and put him aboard
the alleged hnbuster. Capt. Dickman OF
the latter craft came ashore on the Ray
mond and went to his home IN Brooklyn.
At o'clock another Dalzell tug, the
F. B. Dalzen. tied up at the battery
landing. She had orders to wait untE
Capt Dickman came back with a party,
then to proceed To the Laurada. Half an
hour later Capt. Sam Hughes, Capt.
Dickman, Sandy Hook pilot and an en-
gineer came down to the little dock With
them was John ID. Hart and a tail, sim
weL-c; essed Cuban about 30 years of age.
The latter carried a satchel and was ac-
companied by a 15-year-old boy Who
NJ ght have been his son. The Dalssl iEen
steamed out to the Laurada and the party
climbed aboard.
ON board the steamer all was quiet. A
few sailors paced the deck anxiously, but
thera was little signsA Of activity on
board. At that time it Is believed there
could have been no arms on the vessel,
as she was only drawing twelve feet of
water. Finally Mr.. Hart and his clerk
climbed down the Laurada's side and got
aboard the Dalzell, which took them back
TO the city.
All this time there was an interesting
hunt for the Laurada's arms going on. A
steam lighter had been lying al Pier II,
East river during the early afternoon. On
the Spanish line pier No. 10 a party of
Spanish spies watched the lighter, while
q tug with steam up laid down at pier 3,
ready to give chase in case the lighter
loaded and started down the bay. A lit
lle dIter O'Clock the lighter began to
load cases and boxes At pier il. The spies
made a dash for pier 3, got aboard their
tug and waited. Slowly the lighter moved
out into the river. Her head was turned
ana she started at a fast rate of speed
up the stream until she was opposite Cor
lear's Hook. Then she tied up a pier
there and took ON more eases and boxes.
Inc tug with the spies on board followed,
ana steaming up the river a short distance
stopped her propeller and waited. 1t was
getting dark when the lighter again steam
ed out into mid-stream. She turned, and
when she got Strengthened out her screw
began 70 churn the water into a white
wake. Ihe tug with the employees of the
Spanish government on board took no
chances. The tugs engine was hooked
up and the chase began. Lighter and tug
boats and other craft.
The former took the Brooklyn shore,
g65d6sS Snq sS9eg across s5e Bptermk ba channel
right in her wake, and was just about to
turn back and call for the United States
revenue cutters Chandler and Hudson,
which laid al the barge Office with steam
up, when the lighter suddenly disappear
ed. She had gone around Governors
Island instead of across the bay to the
waiting Laurada. The tug followed and
saw their quarry glide through the gap
into the Atlantic basin and tie up. A few
men disembarked, and in few minutes
her lights were put out, and the basin
was in silence.
The spies on board the tug were evil
IDENTIFY thrown off their guard by this ma
neuYer, and steamed about the bay, around
the Laurada and then back to the barge
2d6o1ed 2iiSs where tbd s5anisb said oo6sS tsey
Signor Baldsano, who was awaiting the
tug in company with United States Mar
shal Mccarthy and several assistants.
They were ordered back to Atlantic Ba-
sin. When they got there a sight met
their gaze that dumbfounded them. There
was the lighter still tied up, but her decks
We're innocent OF a single box or case.
They had been removed while the spies
were chasing about the bay on another
also alleged the Excelsior, made three
mysterious trips from the vicinity of the
basin to the Laurada before $50 o'clock,
when she lifted anchor and steamed out
through the narroWs.
1t was announced about the battery that
ton and twelve long cases, supposed to
contain Winchester rifles, composed the
Laurada's cargo, but, this could not be
verified. 1t could not be learned for what
ItauTa0a cleared.
Philadelphia, Pa, May I0.-From infor-
nation received here tonight it is known
that the alleged hlibustering steamship
Laurada took cargo of arms and am
munition and party OF men aboard or
Astoria, L. l. After OutWitting the Span
ish spies in New York bay last night,
the Laurada slipped up the Long Island
coast and hove to off Astoria. Here is
1t said three tugs put aboard of the
steamship early this morning 800 tons of
arms and 1900 tons of ammunition. Be-
sides these munitions of war sixty men
went aboard of the Laurada. These men
are under the leadership of Gen. S. Ruiz,
leader of the former Cuban war. After
taking the cargo abroad the Laurada bore
away in an easterly direction. Capt.
Hughes commands the Laurada, having
replaced Capt Dickman.
From what was learned here tonight,
It is more likely that the Spanish gun
boat Mercedes, which chased the steam
snip Bermuda, prevented that vessel from
landing the expedition with which she
sailed from Jacksonville on April 26. A
cablegram was received here tonight
from Truxillo, Honduras, to the effect
that the Bermuda left there this morning.
While at TruXillo it was noticed that the
Bermuda was still deeply laden and her
decks We're crowded with men. 1t is
thought that after the failure to land
The cargo and men in Cuba, owing to the
vigilance of the Mercedes, the vessel went
70 Truxillo to receive further orders from
the Cuban junta in New York, as there is
QFect cable communication between the
lWo places. Possibly when the Bermuda
sailed from TruXillo this morning she
headed for Ceba and a second attempt
70 make a landing viii, in all likelihood,